Inside Pocket January 2021 by Inside Publications

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JANUARY 2021 YEARS

POCKET

JERALD SILVA

POCKET • GREENHAVEN • SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael

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PENDING

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PENDING

7366 Perera Circle - $549,000 CUSTOM SINGLE STORY HOME. 3 bed, 2 bath with 5-car garage! Kitchen with breakfast nook and breakfast bar, gas top stove and newer oven. New laminate ﬂooring in kitchen and nook. CONNIE LANDSBERG 916-761-0411 DRE-00850625

SOLD

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PENDING

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SOLD

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80 Cavalcade Circle - $498,000 GREENHAVEN SPANISH STYLE 3 bed, 2 bath custom single story with tons of potential. Separate living and family rooms. Nice kitchen with nook and wet bar. Wonderful ﬁreplace. MONA GERGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

SOLD

651 Riverlake Way - $540,000 PRIME GREENHAVEN NEIGHBORHOOD. 4 beds 3 baths, 2286 sf on a corner lot with beautiful shade tree. Updated kitchen with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Jetted tub. HILARY BUCHANAN 916-397-7502 DRE-01359213

SOLD

643 Brickyard Drive - $880,000 ON THE SACRAMENTO RIVER! 4 or 5 beds, 2½ baths with fantastic pool and spa. River views throughout the house, brand new redwood deck across the back, 4 bedrooms and loft and much more! MONA GERGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

Land Park (916) 454-5753 DRE#00707598 Sierra Oaks (916) 484-2030 DRE #01103090

The Pocket, Greenhaven, South Land Park, Land Park, Midtown, and East Sacramento

are not just my professional focus….my family, my team, and I have called these communities “home” for over 35 years. I know and love Sacramento, and that is evidenced in my passion to help you Ànd the right place to call “home”.

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EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A BET TER PL ACE. JANUARY 2021

JANUARY 2021

EAST SAC

ARDEN

SUZANNE MURRAY

JANUARY 2021

LAND PARK/GRID

POCKET

PATRICIA PRENDERGAST

JERALD SILVA

WHITNEY LOFRANO

JO ANNE MARQUARDT

DEAN MONIZ

EAST SACRAMENTO • McKINLEY PARK • RIVER PARK • ELMHURST • TAHOE PARK • CAMPUS COMMONS

ARDEN • ARCADE • SIERRA OAKS • WILHAGGIN • DEL PASO MANOR • CARMICHAEL

LAND PARK • CURTIS PARK • HOLLYWOOD PARK • SOUTH LAND PARK • THE GRID • OAK PARK

POCKET • GREENHAVEN • SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES

Our Other Editions Serve: Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael • Pocket

Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Pocket VISIT OUR WEBSITE: INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Arden/Carmichael • Pocket

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael

25 THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES, NEWS & OPINION IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL

THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES, NEWS & OPINION IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: NSIDE ACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

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COVER ARTIST

3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only)

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JERALD SILVA Jerald Silva is a local artist whose work has been shown nationally since 1962. Known as a realist, he has spent much of his career redefining “realism,” which he says rearranges, modifies and even falsifies the nature of observed things and their relationships to one another. Shown: “Room with a View: Sacramento River,” watercolor on Lenox paper, 47 inches by 42 inches, cropped to fit cover. This piece is for sale at $10,000. Visit jeraldsilva.com.

PUBLISHER Cecily Hastings EDITOR Cathryn Rakich editor@insidepublications.com PRODUCTION M.J. McFarland DESIGN Cindy Fuller PHOTOGRAPHY Linda Smolek, Aniko Kiezel AD COORDINATION Michele Mazzera DISTRIBUTION Sue Pane Sue@insidepublications.com ACCOUNTING Daniel Nardinelli, COO daniel@insidepublications.com

Lauren Stenvick accounts@insidepublications.com 916.443.5087 ACCOUNT Sally Giancanelli 916.335.6503 SG@insidepublications.com SERVICE TEAM Lauren Stenvick 916.524.0336 LS@insidepublications.com Victoria Viebrock 916.662.2631 V V@insidepublications.com EDITORIAL POLICY 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 80,000 households in Sacramento. Printing and distribution costs are paid entirely by advertising revenue. Inside Publications welcomes readers’ comments. Letters to the Editor should be submitted via email to editor@insidepublications.com. Please include name, address and phone number. Letters may be published as space permits and edited for brevity. No portion may be reproduced mechanically or electronically without written permission of the publisher. All ad designs & editorial—©

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JANUARY 2021 VOL. 7 • ISSUE 12 6 8 10 12 18 20 21 22 24 26 27 28 30 32 33 34 38 42

Publisher's Desk Pocket Life Pocket Beat Out & About Police Reform Meet Your Neighbor Giving Back Building Our Future City Beat Farm To Fork Garden Jabber Here Comes The Sun Sports Authority Open Studio Spirit Matters Restaurant Insider Open House A Place To Nest

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SILVER LINING

Cecily Hastings and Daniel Nardinelli Photo by Aniko Kiezel

INSIDE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF LOCAL COVERAGE

his year marks the 25th anniversary of Inside Sacramento. At a time when print publishing has been decimated, my husband Jim and I feel grateful to have survived and thrived. Today, a new publication like Inside would be called a “micro” business. In 1996, we divided the tasks based on the experiences and success of our previous careers. My career was in interior design and project management. My strengths were writing, graphic design, sales, marketing and community involvement. Jim handled accounting, payroll, printing, delivery, invoicing and business details. He had been an executive for IBM and a small business manager. What made Inside unique was our motivation. Neither of us had

CH By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk

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publishing experience. Ours was a very different focus. When we moved from the Bay Area to East Sacramento in 1989, we became active in our community. We formed two local associations—one for the neighborhood and one for small businesses. With neighbors, we tackled the degradation of city parks, local traffic problems and inappropriate development. We worked with small business owners to strengthen our neighborhood business community and encourage people to patronize local shops close to home. I created a neighborhood newsletter, which was not easy for someone whose only college English class resulted in a “C” grade. I asked folks to review my work and help me improve. Just a few years earlier, our business startup would have been infinitely more costly and difficult. It probably would not have happened. The advent of the personal computer and desktop publishing software meant our initial investment was minimal. We used the design and business features to manage our company. This was when legacy publishers were investing millions of dollars in computer systems.

In 1996, we started with one monthly edition called Inside East Sacramento. Two years later we added Inside The City/Land Park (later renamed Inside Land Park/Grid). In 2001, we added Inside Arden, and in 2014, Inside Pocket arrived. In 25 years, we have produced more than 1,000 unique print editions focusing 100 percent on local news! Today we are by far the largest circulation print publication in Sacramento with more than 80,000 copies distributed each month. Our free “every door” direct-mail distribution to 20 diverse neighborhoods is unmatched. No paid subscriptions are needed, unless you want Inside mailed beyond our distribution communities. We have become the “go to” publication for civic leaders who want to reach Sacramento’s most aware and engaged residents, making Inside the most influential news source in town. We’ve always been a home-based business, long before COVID-19. Our staff has worked remote since 2000. We didn’t plan it that way. But when our ad coordinator had a baby, she researched the positives of working from home. As a result, seven children have been born and raised among three of our

employees. Our own son was 4 when we started Inside. We know the value of a family-friendly business. My original editorial plan was to provide readers the opportunity to learn more about their community and neighborhood. Back then, The Sacramento Union recently folded and The Sacramento Bee was the only game in town for journalism. The Bee largely ignored our neighborhood. By 1996, with six years of living in East Sacramento, I was able to formulate plans to cover the local beat. We wanted stories on neighborhood issues, civic history, homes and gardens, and interesting neighbors. Of equal importance was showcasing small businesses and local civic institutions, including schools and places of worship. We expanded and covered the food scene, volunteerism, plus the arts and design. (My interest in the arts goes back to when I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan.) Given our unprecedented editorial focus, it seemed appropriate to look beyond traditional journalists. Up to this point, journalists seemed trained to be somewhat detached from the

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www.djkitchen.com 916.925.2577 communities they covered, as opposed to being part of them. I sought out people with expertise on local issues. Knowing we had inexperienced writers—myself included—I hired Marybeth Bizjak, who brought years of professional experience as our first editor. With her help, our writers improved. Gratefully, she stayed with us for more than 20 years. (The average service of all our team members is more than 10 years.) In recent years, the editorial team of Cathryn Rakich and Bob Graswich took us to another level. Cathryn retires this month, but will continue to help with writing and editing. Bob has been our MVP, writing a variety of columns each month, editing the work of others and tackling difficult civic issues such as homelessness, thanks to his many years of experience in media and city government. The most important part of our business is our advertisers. In 1996, every quality publication carried a subscription fee. I wanted Inside to be not only free, but democratically distributed to nearly every home in each neighborhood. Some folks thought I was nuts! Our local business community was small in numbers, but rich in success

Publisher Cecily Hastings and COO Daniel Nardinelli celebrate Inside’s 25th anniversary. and history. Within a year, almost every East Sac business advertised with us. The reasons were simple—we provided a high-quality publication with a local focus, we delivered to all the homes near their businesses, and we did it at an affordable cost to advertisers. Small businesses tend to draw their customer base from within a 5-mile radius. As we added publications to neighborhoods, our advertising base expanded. Many new businesses and

restaurants popped up and needed to reach customers. I’ve happily watched the small business community grow and find success along with us. The real estate industry has been tremendously valuable to bringing our printed news to you each month. In real estate, location is everything. Inside has become the ideal way for Realtors to reach prospects buying and selling homes in Sacramento’s traditional neighborhoods.

After Jim retired a couple years ago, we considered the future of Inside. Jim selected and trained our COO, Daniel Nardinelli, to manage the business. In the last few years, Daniel, who’s only 30, has worked to guide our future. We’ve expanded our digital reach with a new website and made our operation more streamlined and efficient. Daniel has earned our confidence that he and his team can run the business long after we’re gone. From a personal standpoint, this anniversary has recharged my batteries. Since the pandemic decimated our small business community, I’ve pledged to do all in my power to help our friends recover. To do this, we need readers to support locally owned businesses with every dollar. May this silver anniversary lead to a much-needed silver lining for all our communities, our neighborhoods and our small businesses as we navigate our way through a bright New Year. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublictions.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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(From left) Councilmember Rick Jennings, Mayor Darrell Steinberg, artist Jane Ingram Allen and Parks Commissioner Devin Lavelle plant the “Living Quilt.” Photo by Aniko Kiezel

This Quilt’s Alive FLOWERBED ART MAKES A STATEMENT

he long awaited “Living Quilt” has taken root at Sojourner Truth Community Garden, with Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and City Councilmember Rick Jennings on hand for the dedication. The celebration was scaled back due to health protocols, but those in attendance helped place the quilt squares.

CM By Corky Mau Pocket Life

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Jane Ingram Allen, an environmental artist from Santa Rosa, has created similar projects in Asia. She is one of 10 artists selected by the city’s Artistin-Residency program. The goal is to install creative art pieces throughout the city. “Especially at this time, it’s important to enrich each city district with art,” says Jennings, who represents Pocket. “I encourage our residents to visit this new addition to the community garden.” Allen’s piece is most appropriate for a community garden setting. The “Living Quilt” consists of an all-natural flowerbed. The North Star quilt pattern reflects on the legacy of Sojourner Truth, a former slave, abolitionist and suffragette. Allen says, “I hope my art raises community awareness of environmental issues and our relationship to nature. Each spring, it will remind us of nature’s cycle of life and our responsibility as caretakers of the earth.”

Volunteers wove mulberry bush and grapevine branches to create the head and foot of the mulched bed. Allen made paper-pulp quilt squares and embedded them with native wildflower seeds that will thrive in our climate. She anticipates the quilt will show its first bloom this spring. Community gardeners are thrilled about this local living artwork. Will Cannedy, who spearheaded the community garden six years ago, says, “Our garden is a gathering place for residents. It’s nice to share the space with the art community.” For more information about other 2020 Artist-in-Residency projects, visit arts.cityofsacramento.org.

JEDI BIRTHDAY Former Sacramento County Supervisor Illa Collin celebrates her 88th birthday this month. She was born Jan. 24 in Rock Springs, Wyo. Prior to her political career, she taught

school in Oregon and California. Collin represented District 2 from 1978 to 2006, accomplishing much in her 28year tenure. She championed the preservation of the county’s open spaces and was instrumental in creating the Sacramento Tree Foundation and American River Parkway Foundation. As a tribute, the Illa Collin Preserve at Mather Field bears her name. Other tributes are the Illa Collin Early Learning Center (a Head Start school) and Illa Collin Park, both in South Sacramento. Collin also helped establish and fund Pocket’s Asian Community Center. Due to recent health issues, she now resides at Maple Tree Village, the newest ACC senior apartment complex. She’s a major fan of Star Wars—she owns more than 500 figurines and movie paraphernalia. “My husband Don and I raised three daughters—four, if you count my cat Clarabelle,” Collin says. “I look forward

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to celebrating my birthday with all of them and my favorite Star Wars character, Darth Vader.”

NUTMOBILE Was that a huge yellow peanut cruising on Greenhaven Drive? Yes, the NUTmobile rolled into our neighborhood around Thanksgiving. The vehicle visited local senior centers for socially distanced enjoyment.

It was fun to hang out with three NUTmobile ambassadors, recent college graduates, who travel the country promoting Planters nut products. Here’s the lowdown: The NUTmobile is 26 feet long and weighs 13,000 pounds—a weight equal to 3 million peanuts. More than 400 pounds of peanuts and cashews are on board to distribute to the public. Three NUTmobiles travel the country, each

NEW LIBRARY SERVICES Two new services have been introduced at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library. Personal Shopper is exactly what the name implies. Patrons fill out a form online and share their interests, then library staff assemble a bag of books. The bag is ready for pick up in a few days. The library also has implemented Mobile Printing. You can send documents to the library’s printers from anywhere. These services are free to library patrons. The library is still open during regular hours for walk-in browsing and computer use. Visits are limited to one hour. The book drop for returns is always open. For more information, visit saclibrary.org.

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Corky Mau can be reached at corky. sue50@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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River of Change FLOOD BOARD MAKES NO-FENCE POLICY OFFICIAL

he weight of public authority continues to crush a handful of property owners who fought for decades to keep people away from the Sacramento River levee in Pocket, Greenhaven and Little Pocket. The latest victory for public access comes from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, the state agency that owns and controls the levees. In November, the flood board formally canceled its 1996 policy that permitted nine private fences and gates to block the levee. The old policy allowed property owners to seal off public access and create private playgrounds for themselves along the waterfront. The vote to drop the policy was unanimous. The decision supports statements by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that private fences will not be replaced when

RG By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

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levee repairs are finished in 2024. The work, which includes building cutoff walls inside the levee to prevent water seepage, is designed to save Sacramento from catastrophic floods. With the massive levee repair project underway, fences are a minor matter. But they symbolize something important: For five decades, fences and gates privatized the Sacramento River. Since the late 1960s, the flood board ignored complaints that riverfront property owners threatened and chased residents away from the levee and river area. The flood board made exclusions possible by handing out permits for levee gates and fences—permits that weren’t subject to public notice or objection. But the flood board evolved with new members appointed by governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. Led by former Sacramento City Manager Bill Edgar, the flood board decided the fences and gates were hazards to public safety and levee maintenance. They had to go. Flood board members Jane Dolan and Mary Jane Griego recently toured a levee repair site. Dolan and Griego are experienced politicians—Dolan served eight terms on the Butte County Board of Supervisors and Griego served 16 years as a Yuba County supervisor. They know how fences divide communities. And they recognize

the injustice of having taxpayers repair levees that are accessible to only a few select homeowners. “When you use tax money to make improvements, there has to be an obligation as it relates to maintenance and operations,” Griego says. “Some of these levees look like private balconies with boats and picnic tables and all kinds of recreational stuff.” For a half-century, property owners along the levee had powerful allies to help keep the general public away from the waterfront. The allies were state and city officials—the same officials who were supposed to protect public interests. Rather than embrace the river as a recreational jewel, flood board staff met with property owners behind closed doors and handed out fence permits. When riverfront property owners violated their permits and attached barbed wire or stretched fences beyond permitted areas, officials shrugged and said they lacked the capacity to enforce the rules. When property owners moved or died, state officials didn’t bother to make new owners update their fence permits, as required by law. When people called City Hall to complain about the fences, local authorities said it was the state’s problem, not a city matter. Or they said the levees were “owned” by residents

behind the gates—an excuse that would be ridiculous if it weren’t absurd. Attitudes began to change in the past decade. The flood board ceased handing out levee fence permits. Recreation is not part of the flood board’s authority, so the agency limits its comments to matters of safety and maintenance. But the fence removals will effectively allow the public to access the levees. Mitra Emami, chief flood maintenance officer for the California Department of Water Resources, provides an example of the bureaucratic limits when she says levee fences “increase the time and type of maintenance” problems and “increase the state’s response time” during emergencies. “The state can’t endorse any permits” for new or rebuilt fences, she says. Flood board president Edgar echoes Emami. He says, “Based on my experience, I’m not going to support any cross-levee fences. They impede effective completion of the work we’re trying to do.” Board member Griego sums it up: “One thing that’s certain is change.” R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Marc and Linda Laver, pictured with daughter Carolyn and son Jonnie, are raising funds to update Southside Park’s fully accessible playground, including the addition of a We-Go-Round.

Reach For The Stars LOCAL FAMILY RAISES FUNDS TO UPDATE FULLY ACCESSIBLE PLAYGROUND

n 2005, Universal Universe—one of Northern California’s first fully accessible playgrounds—opened at Southside Park. Now, a North Natomas family is raising funds to update the play structures and add additional programming through the Jonnie and Friends Reach for the Stars campaign, named for their late son. After complications from meningitis confined Jonnie Laver to a wheelchair, his parents, Marc and Linda, made it their mission to give Jonnie the best life possible. Marc became Jonnie’s fulltime caregiver and the entire family, including younger sister Carolyn, became advocates for accessible play at area playgrounds. Jonnie’s love for Southside Park’s solar-system-themed Universal Universe playground began in October 2005, when the city of Sacramento

JL By Jessica Laskey Out & About

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invited him and his family to be part of the park’s dedication ceremony. The playground features accessible play structures, padded surfaces, access ramps and handrails for kids of all abilities, with colorful space-themed rides and solar system artwork. After Jonnie passed away in March 2019, the Lavers decided to honor his memory by launching a fundraising effort in partnership with the city and its supporting nonprofit Gifts to Share, Inc. to replace the park’s aging equipment and add new inclusive play structures— like the fully accessible We-Go-Round, which they hope to install this spring. Home Depot, Target, Dos Coyotes and local businesses like Sagent Marketing (which is offering its services pro-bono), as well as dozens of individuals, have already contributed funds that will go toward equipment and future music and educational programming. “We’re very fortunate that we have the support of people like Anne Staines at Sagent, Steve Hansen (former city councilmember) and Shannon Brown (city parks assistant director),” Marc Laver says. “This effort will give even more kids with special needs the opportunity to do things they wouldn’t otherwise get to do.”

To donate, visit giftstoshareinc. org and designate your donation by selecting “We Go Round at Southside Park.” All donations are tax deductible. For more information or to volunteer to keep Universal Universe safe and clean, visit jonniesdreamplayground. com.

DINE DOWNTOWN The Downtown Sacramento Partnership’s 16th annual Dine

Downtown program returns this month from Jan. 8–24. This year’s culinary celebration includes 26 restaurants offering three-course, prix-fixe menus for brunch, lunch and dinner for three price levels—$25, $35 and $45. Food is available for take-out. Dine-in is dependent on restaurant availability and current health guidelines. “Restaurants have been one of the most severely impacted industries by the pandemic,” says Michael Ault,

The Firehouse Restaurant offers a chocolate pavé gâteau on its Dine Downtown menu.

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Check out the city’s updated map of Sacramento bikeways. executive director of Downtown Sacramento Partnership. “Dine Downtown provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy new culinary experiences and support our restaurants that need it now more than ever.” For a list of participating restaurants, as well as links to make reservations and purchase gift cards, visit godowntownsac.com/dinedowntown.

SACRAMENTO.SHOP A CARES Act grant from the city of Sacramento is helping local artists stay afloat during these difficult times. Through Sacramento.Shop, artists can sell their creations directly to customers at a lower cost than hosting their own website or using a commercial website. Sacramento.Shop features wall art, jewelry, gifts, masks and home goods, all created locally with sustainability in mind. Customers can shop safely and easily online, and enjoy no-plastic shipping and same-day delivery in the Sacramento area. Free pick up is also available at 1020 Front St. in Old Sacramento. “The beauty of Sacramento.Shop is that it’s local,” says Shira Lane, executive director of the nonprofit Atrium, a coworking space and community center for artists and creatives. “We manage the website, delivery and other customer services so local artists can focus on their

creativity, and customers have easy access to some great local artists and their work.”

COLLECTORS CORNER Archival Gallery on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento will present the group show “Collectors Corner” from Jan. 7–30 featuring memorable works by the gallery’s stable of represented artists, alongside works by the late Mel Ramos. Ramos’ highly sought-after images of pinups and superheroes were featured at Archival in 2018 for what became his final appearance at the gallery—he passed away in October of that year. The gallery continues to celebrate his legacy of American figurative painting. There will be no public Second Saturday reception, but visitors are welcome during normal business hours with no appointment needed. Masks are required. For more information, visit archivalgallery.com.

NEW BIKE MAP The city of Sacramento’s Department of Public Works recently released an updated Bike Map, making it easier than ever to grab your two wheels and go. The online map includes more than 2.3 miles of protected bikeways

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the Sacramento City Council recently approved an ordinance amendment that prohibits the use of all portable blowers in the city when the air quality index is above 101. The new code is applicable to businesses and residences that use portable blowers. Leaf blowers can contribute to dust emissions and gas exhaust, which can be harmful for breathing, especially when air quality is already at an unhealthy level. Due to the recent wildfires, the AQI is already often well above 100, registering from “unhealthy for sensitive groups” to “hazardous.” To find the AQI for Sacramento, visit sparetheair.com/aqi. cfm.

SACRAMENTO LEADERS

The 2020 Leadership Sacramento class receives a tour of the Downtown Railyards. Photo courtesy of Leadership Sacramento. in the central city; approximately 1 mile of protected bikeway on Franklin Boulevard from Mack Road south into Elk Grove; 4 miles of buffered bike lanes on Mack Road, Elvas Avenue, 24th Street near Curtis Park and other streets; and a new shared-use path along the American River at Sutter’s Landing Regional Park for bikers, walkers and joggers. “There are so many great routes for biking in Sacramento, but it can be intimidating for folks new to traveling by bike,” transportation planner Leslie Mancebo says. “This updated map is a tool to learn about our bikeways and explore our great city on two wheels.” To access the map, as well as additional information on rules, safety, monthly classes and more, visit sacramentobikes.org.

has been instrumental in creating and nurturing the unique identity and vibrancy of Midtown,” says Emily Baime Michaels, Midtown Association’s executive director. “North 16th Street has seen a resurgence with housing development recently. And, with the support of the organization, we can extend the services we provide to help move the area forward that much more with regard to development, visitation and an enhanced visitor experience to an underserved area that has great potential for the future.” The Midtown PBID expanded in 2018 to include the Alhambra corridor and Midtown quarter. The new 16th Street corridor expansion will extend just beyond C Street to the north. For more information, visit exploremidtown.org.

MIDTOWN FOOTPRINT

BEFORE YOU BURN

As of Jan. 1, the footprint of the Midtown Association’s Property and Business Improvement District has expanded to include the northern stretch of the 16th Street corridor. This brings the footprint and service area to 104 blocks in the urban core—from 16th Street to Alhambra Boulevard and from H to S streets. The Midtown Association has operated as a PBID since 2008 providing service to support properties and businesses in the area. “In addition to supporting and amplifying muchneeded city services, the Midtown PBID

There’s nothing like a crackling fire on a cold winter night. But remember, until Feb. 28 you must “check before you burn” to keep Sacramento’s air quality at a healthy level. “It’s important to remember that smoke from fireplace burning is unhealthy to breathe, just like smoke from wildfires is unhealthy to breathe,” says Jamie Arno, communications supervisor for the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. “Both contain harmful, invisible particles that are small enough

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to enter the blood stream and pose serious health threats.” In fact, wood burning causes more than 50 percent of the winter air pollution in Sacramento County. Before you use solid fuels like wood, pellets or manufactured fire logs in your fireplace or stove, visit airquality. org to find out if burning is allowed that day. County residents can also call (877) NO-BURN-5 or download the free “Sacramento Region Air Quality” mobile phone app for daily burn status.

SPARE THE AIR Speaking of air quality, leaf blowers are also nasty offenders when it comes to pollution. To combat this issue,

Now’s your chance to join Leadership Sacramento, a Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation program that brings together diverse leaders from around the region to learn, connect and give back. The application process for the program’s 36th cohort is now open. Founded in 1985 and boasting more than 1,110 alumni, Leadership Sacramento is an interactive yearlong program designed to inform and educate community-minded business and civic leaders on issues that impact the region’s economy. 2021’s program will include both in-person and virtual activities. “For nearly four decades, Leadership Sacramento has provided an unparalleled experience for the region’s brightest and most dynamic leaders,” says William Hodges, co-chair (with Crystal Richardson) of the 2021 program. “Graduates of the program gain a sense of pride, knowledge and a drive to further serve the region, their communities and others.”

Carolyn Fisher coaches a 12-week health and wellness program.

Happy Next Year!

#All4Small products, including T-shirts, are designed by local artists.

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The program culminates in the completion of a community-betterment project benefiting a local nonprofit. Over the past five years, the classes have invested more than $1.3 million in the local community. To apply, go to metrochamber. org/foundation/programs/leadershipsacramento. There is a $150 application fee.

PRETRIAL SUPPORT The Sacramento County Public Defender’s Office has received the California State Association of Counties 2020 Health and Human Services Merit Award for its Pretrial Support Project, which provides needs assessments for individuals in custody and information for their families. The comprehensive needs assessment gathers information on an individual’s community ties, employment, military history, finances, education,

transportation, physical health, mental health, substance abuse and housing. After the assessment is complete, a recommendation is made to the individual’s attorney for appropriate follow-up. Nearly 50 percent of assessments require follow-up with a social worker. The program also addresses questions regarding how to get property back, appear by Zoom in court and find new court dates after COVID closures. Through “this client-centered holistic program, we can help identify underlying needs of an individual that may have led to their engagement of criminal conduct,” supervising public defender Tiffanie Synnott says. “The structure of PTSP is innovative because law students and social work students earn credits for externships to conduct the needs assessment of individuals in custody.”

La Familia Counseling Center is partnering with Sacramento County to provide temporary hotel housing for agricultural workers who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone recently diagnosed. This local partnership is part of the statewide program Housing for the Harvest, which provides workers with a free hotel room to self-isolate for up to 14 days to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Quarantine support also includes free meals, laundry assistance, transportation, wellness checks, financial assistance and support for family at home. For more than 40 years, La Familia has provided free multicultural counseling, outreach and support services to low-income, at-risk youth and families in Sacramento County. For more information, visit lafcc.org.

HEALTH & WELLNESS This month, certified health and wellness coach Carolyn Fisher is offering the next installment of her 12-week coaching program to help clients get a jump-start on their New

Year’s resolutions to get healthy and feel better. In weekly one-hour sessions by phone or video call, Fisher helps clients identify personalized wellness goals to develop healthy habits. Program participants also have access to an online wellness portal with messaging, goal tracking and journaling, plus supplemental resources and a health and nutrition e-course. Sign up for a free consultation at carolynfisherwellness.com.

ALL FOR SMALL Get your hands on limited-edition specialty merchandise designed by local artists, while supporting Sacramento small businesses, with the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce’s new #All4Small fundraising initiative. Local artists Chelsea-Mari Kennedy and Brandon Gastinell have designed original artwork for all kinds of swag— decals, T-shirts, posters and market bags. Funds from merchandise sales will provide free one-on-one technical assistance and consulting services to the region’s small business owners who have been especially impacted by the pandemic.

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“With more than 100,000 local jobs already lost due to the pandemic and our small business community facing a challenging winter ahead, the Metro Chamber knows we must do all we can to support our local businesses as they weather this storm,” Metro Chamber President and CEO Amanda Blackwood says. For more information or to start shopping, visit all4smallbiz.com.

ESCAPE TIME Gabriel Berzamina and Acme Lee, co-owners of NEO Escape Rooms, are finally living their dream. The winners of the Downtown Sacramento Foundation’s 2018 Calling All Dreamers competition have opened their storefront at 1124 Second St. at the Old Sacramento Waterfront. With allowance by Sacramento County public health officials, NEO Escape Rooms will be open at or below 15-percent capacity by reservation only with enhanced safety measures for its 60-minute immersive Sacramentothemed problem-solving programming. Bookings are exclusively for family/ stay-at-home groupings. No walk-ins. Face masks must be worn at all times.

The NEO Escape Rooms experience is $39 per person (adults and children 10 and older) and households of two to seven can be accommodated. For more information and reservations, visit neoescaperooms.com. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Adopt an orphan who will steal your heart.

sacpetsearch.com sspca.org happytails.org saccountyshelter.net

Dad’s Kitchen general manager Cheryl Rossell (right) and server Maria Stowers (left)

Joan Borucki of the the Greater Broadway Partnership

LOCAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN KEEPS GROWING

Michael Ault of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership Sisu Boutique owner Sylamphay Keomeuangsong

Emily Baime Michaels of the Midtown Association

Der Biergarten’s manager Jarrett Derfield

Photos Courtesy of Cecily Hastings, Lauren Stenvick, Sally Giancanelli and Tori Viebrock

We are happy to report that the TAKE THE 100% LOCAL PLEDGE campaign continues to grow and pick up new supporters. We invite other businesses and groups to join the effort as well. You can participate as simply as posting our signs at your business or by donating to fund signs and other resources. Visit insidesacramento.com/100local/. For more information, contact cecily@insidepublications.com.

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Police Reform SPD STRIVES TO CHANGE HOW IT OPERATES

acramento Police have begun a monumental overhaul in culture, recruitment, training and response to establish the department as a national leader for progressive law enforcement. From the trust its officers derive among community members to its reaction to gun violence, protest marches, mental health emergencies and homelessness, the police department is using data-driven research and street experience to reshape its practices and reform the way it does business. The process has been difficult, even painful. Months of protest marches exposed disconnects between police and residents who pay the department’s salaries and benefits. Officers have accused SPD leadership of weakness and lack of support. Community leaders have blamed police for excessive force. Business leaders have claimed officers don’t use enough force to protect property. While residents expect SPD to professionally deliver around-the-clock safety and security, many community members believe the agency falls short. Likewise, many SPD officers admit they

RG By R.E. Graswich

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don’t trust the people for whom they risk their lives. Two academic surveys completed last year showed 44 percent of Sacramento residents have “complete or quite a bit of trust” in SPD. Twenty-five percent of residents said they had “little or no trust” in the city’s police. Among officers, survey results revealed a gulf in trust perceptions between cops and residents. Only 17 percent of SPD officers said they had “quite a bit of trust” in the residents where they patrol and work. None said they had “complete trust.” The surveys underscored the difficulties faced by the city’s top law enforcement management team of Chief Daniel Hahn and City Manager Howard Chan. The surveys exposed cultural fault lines. And the research presented an opportunity to reposition the way Sacramento Police train, approach their duties and regard constituents. “My biggest fear was that they would try to censor or take out questions they didn’t want to see,” says Cid Martinez, University of San Diego sociology professor who led the community and police surveys. “That did not happen.” He adds, “I was really surprised at how supportive the police department was, because I did ask some tough questions. I wanted to know what community relations were like. They did not interfere with the kind of questions I was asking.” As they reviewed the data, Hahn and Chan knew they could ignore or bury uncomfortable facts and continue

business as usual. Or they could plow ahead and try to reset SPD’s culture and practices. They chose the second option. Today, the department is on path to make SPD far more responsive to community expectations and reflective of the people it serves. “Daniel and I are completely aligned. We won’t ever be afraid to look at the things we need to change,” Chan says. “We need to put ourselves out there warts and all. We need to have the courage to stand up and say there are people on our force who are not good police. There are people who should be fired. There are also many officers who go out there and take all forms of abuse and do a phenomenal job.” The makeover is comprehensive. Some police work—investigating violent crimes, taking statements— will never change. But many other calls—mental health emergencies, homelessness—are being reconsidered. “Sac PD has been relatively progressive in the grand scheme of things,” Hahn says. “But we have some things to work on. We need to dig deeper and look at structural changes and biases. Some of these problems

have been around forever. They won’t change overnight.” He adds, “Look, we know this community can not survive without those officers. When all hell breaks loose, we need people in Sac PD uniforms who run toward danger.” Not surprisingly, relationships between SPD and residents sink to their lowest levels in three historically underserved communities—Del Paso Heights, Oak Park and Meadowview. Hahn grew up in Oak Park and spent much of his career in Del Paso Heights. He has aggressively moved to involve local groups in recruiting and training to build trust. The department introduced dozens of programs to increase diversity in the ranks. Teenagers participate in unique training sessions and criminal justice programs. Community members— former felons included—meet with police cadets and review SPD tactics. Mervin Brookings runs a North Sacramento mentoring program called Brother 2 Brother. The group interacts with SPD academy cadets and has helped defuse potentially deadly encounters between police and residents.

Today, the department is on path to make SPD far more responsive to community expectations and reflective of the people it serves.

Apply Today! Applications for the Class of 2025 are due by January 7, 2021 Our ﬁnal virtual Future Falcon Live Chat for eighth grade students is Wednesday, January 6, 2021.

R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. To view the SPD community and police surveys, go to cityofsacramento.org/-/media/ corporate/files/police/transparency/ surveys/sacramento-communitysurvey-2019-final.pdf?la=en and cityofsacramento.org/-/media/corporate/ files/police/transparency/surveys/spdofficer-survey-2019-final.pdf?la=en. n

VISIT

“We regularly meet with the police and exchange information and work on issues that come up,” Brookings says. “When some young Black men thought they were being harassed by officers, we were able to immediately make a meeting between the community and the officers. I’m not talking about your average members of the community. I’m talking about gang members. This is working.” Even when officers suspect a crime, they often alert Brother 2 Brother and ask for help. “They won’t just lock them up, they will call us to work with them,” Brookings says. “We’ve saved hundreds of lives, people who would have been incarcerated.” Can SPD reforms succeed long-term? Inside examines that question next month.

insidesacramento.com

To learn more or submit an application, visit our website at: WWW.CBHS-SACRAMENTO.ORG

Are you sick of all the political ﬁghting?

So are we. Help us do something about it. Braver Angels Sacramento We bring Reds and Blues together to talk, listen and learn about each others’ views. We are more on the same page than we think! Come to a Braver Angels event and learn the skills to understand others and express your views with passion and civility.

Learn more at: www.braverangelssac.org

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The Art of Public Speaking YOUTH PROGRAM HELPS BUILD SKILLS AND CONFIDENCE

Derek Yuan Photo by Aniko Kiezel

JL By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor

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hough Derek Yuan is only 17 years old, you wouldn’t know it talking to him on the phone. The Mira Loma High School senior credits his impressive verbal poise to six years of speech and debate training. And he’s determined to give other kids the chance to develop their own public speaking skills through Leaders Speak, a free online training program he cofounded with fellow Mira Loma senior Hemang Dhaulakhandi. “I was very shy growing up,” Yuan admits. “I was really lucky I made the speech and debate team in middle school or I wouldn’t have gotten started on this path. Once I got to high school, I realized that I’d gained all these skills by participating in speech and

debate competitions—but not everyone has the same access to those opportunities. We decided to spread our experience and knowledge to as many people as possible.” Leaders Speak’s mission is to enhance students’ abilities and confidence in public speaking and persuasion. In 2019, Yuan and Dhaulakhandi started pitching Leaders Speak to local schools with the promise of a low time commitment (only an hour a week) and easy-to-follow curriculum covering argumentative structure, informative speech structure, persuasion theory, nonverbal communication and more—at no cost. Yuan even cold-called every elementary school in the Sacramento area, which showed him just how far his confidence had come. “If you’d asked me to cold call when I was just starting out in middle school, I would have run away,” the Carmichael resident says with a laugh. Their persistence paid off when Karyn Roth, a fifthgrade teacher at Catheryn Gates Elementary School in Roseville (where Dhaulakhandi’s younger sibling attends) decided to allow the enterprising teens to try the program out on her students. Leaders Speak was a hit, so Roth vouched for the founders and helped the program expand to other schools in the region. When COVID-19 hit and in-person classes were no longer possible, the program moved online to Zoom and has now reached 150 students in the United States, Canada, United Arab Emirates, India, Australia and China. “The growth was kind of a happy accident,” Yuan says. “Word of mouth has been really important, as has social media. I’m Chinese and my co-founder is Indian, so we have really vibrant social media networks we can use to communicate with our communities.” Yuan says that age has also helped him and his fellow trainers connect with their students. All 10 Leaders Speak volunteer trainers—top competitors in local, regional and state speech and debate tournaments—are under 18. “Being younger is much more helpful connecting with kids and getting them to learn,” Yuan says. “When an adult is lecturing you, it’s harder to relate to them, whereas our trainers share a similar culture— slang, things we’re interested in, music we listen to— and that allows us to create a fun environment. That’s one of the most important aspects of getting younger kids to learn. You have to have fun doing it or they won’t want to come back.” While Yuan doesn’t entirely know what his future holds—he’s considering public policy, political science and international relations as possible majors in college next year—he’s clear that Leaders Speak will continue to be offered for free to reach as many kids as possible. “Seeing our students improving keeps us going,” Yuan says. “It’s heartwarming. Some kids come in really shy, but by the end of the session, they’ve opened up, they know how to formulate their thoughts and they’re more confident and better poised to take on the world.” For more information, visit theleaderspeak.org. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail. com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Fostering Relationships VOLUNTEER

ADVOCATES GIVE FOSTER YOUTH A VOICE

ulonda Lea never thought she’d play tag again at the age of 56, but here she is—and she’s loving it. Lea volunteers as a court-appointed special advocate—or CASA—for the Sacramento County branch of the National CASA Association, which provides consistency and support for children in the foster care system through volunteer advocates. These advocates are community members—no law background required— trained by CASA and then appointed by a judge to advocate for a foster youth on a one-to-one basis. “Once you’re matched with a child, you spend time with them to develop as much background about their life as you can to identify their needs and wants,” Lea explains. Lea moved to Sacramento in 2018 after a 20-year career in federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., when her secret-service-agent husband got a job as vice president of security for the Sacramento Kings. “You’re the eyes and ears of the court on behalf of the child,” Lea adds. “You talk to anyone who has an impact on their life—family members, teachers, social workers, attorneys, foster parents. You make sure they’re being cared for appropriately, and if you see something that needs to be addressed, you can bring it up at the hearings that take place every six months. But it’s not an administrative role—you’re really the most consistent person in that child’s life.” Lea had been interested in volunteering with children for years, but it wasn’t until she got an email inviting her to apply to be a CASA that she finally took the plunge. In November 2019, she met the little girl who would change her life. “When we first met, she would kind of just look at me,” Lea says of her

Eulonda Lea Photo by Linda Smolek

10-year-old charge. “It takes time to build confidence and rapport, and she didn’t know me yet. Now that a year has passed, we’re very close. We see each other once a week—it would be more but she’s in school—and we go out and do all kinds of activities. In the summer, we go to the river and swim, we go to the mall, to the gym. “She’s a 10-year-old with a lot of energy. It’s so sweet now when I go pick her up—she comes flying out the door. That’s how I know it’s really helped her. It’s given her something special to look forward to.” It’s also given her someone she can trust. Lea explains that children in foster care often don’t get the one-onone attention they need, especially if they’re living in a group or foster home with multiple children. CASAs give kids someone they can talk to about anything— Lea describes it as a “mentor-auntie” kind of role. Lea encourages anyone interested in becoming a CASA not to be intimidated. You need to be sure you have the time to get to know a child. The minimum time commitment is one year, but many CASAs stay on much longer. All of the training and ongoing support is provided by the CASA organization. Lea also encourages BIPOC to apply. Children in the foster system are quite diverse and it’s incredibly helpful for them to have mentors who look like them. “I was intimidated by the expectation at first, but I’m so glad I did it because it’s the one area of my life I’m forced to be consistent in,” Lea says. “This child depends on me. The best way to be held accountable is when you know it’s for someone else’s benefit. “This has given me so much more back than I feel I’ve given. If you love children and want to have a personal influence on a child’s life, this is the perfect opportunity.” For more information, visit sacramentocasa.org.

JL By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Proﬁle

Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Aggie Power TECH PROJECT TO TRANSFORM MED CENTER AREA

Rendering by ZGF Architects

espite legitimate concerns about gentrification, traffic and other potential downsides of big development projects, the plan to create Aggie Square at the UC Davis Medical Center campus is fantastic news. Full disclosure: I worked for former UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi when she first advanced a new innovation and research campus in Sacramento about five years ago. At that point the project seemed headed for the Downtown railyards. Mayor Kevin Johnson offered the university free land behind the city’s historic train station. Johnson saw the campus as a compelling development

GD By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

anchor. But the idea never went anywhere. Now, under Chancellor Gary May and Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the project has shifted to Stockton Boulevard around Second Avenue. Traffic at the medical center is already an issue, but it makes sense to build on existing investment and infrastructure. It’s wise to strengthen one of the region’s great assets. Despite being approved in November by the UC Regents, the $1.1 billion project on 12 acres is kicking up controversy and opposition, even as the coronavirus makes new investments and jobs scarce. Some opposition can be attributed to the mindset one urban planner associated with the project explains with a classic quote: “I’m against anything I’m not in on.” Neighborhoods such as Oak Park on the edge of the med center are wary of being shortchanged. There is history about disadvantaged neighborhoods getting stuck with traffic, pollution, higher rents and gentrification.

But in this case, there are many benefits to go around—if planning and buildout go as expected. The university’s development partners at Aggie Square have impressive records. Baltimore-based Wexford Science & Technology has worked with universities around the country to advance a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to research and tech start-ups. GMH Capital Partners of Pennsylvania specializes in student housing. That’s a key component of Aggie Square, with 285-student apartments and a finance plan projected to generate about $37 million for affordable housing raised from tax revenues after development. That’s not a huge windfall. But Aggie Square is also projected to create about 3,600 new jobs (plus 5,000 construction jobs), as three new labs, classrooms and research spaces open under phase one. The city of Sacramento has pledged $30 million in tax breaks to help fund roads and other improvements. City officials envision a vibrant new urban destination that will include a market building, space for a farmers market

and the Alice Waters Institute for Edible Education. UC Davis has strong academic programs that cover a wide range of disciplines—food, wine, engineering and education. Aggie Square will create exciting new opportunities for students to study such topical issues as transformative justice, health equity, biomedical engineering and more. Aggie Square fits with current trends. Research universities are rushing to develop collaborative innovation centers to encourage partnerships between academic researchers and industry start-ups that can lead to new jobs and technological breakthroughs. With state funding for public universities drying up, schools are looking to grow and generate revenue that allows them to remain competitive without being dependent on taxpayerfunded budgets. In Chancellor May, UC Davis has the right advocate to make Aggie Square a success, even with concerns raised by adjacent neighborhoods. Before coming to Davis, May was engineering dean at Georgia Tech, where its Technology Square is seen as a model for other

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ACROSS 1 Like a photo of a photo 5 Diluted 9 Cuyahoga River’s state 13 Streaker in space 14 Car bar 15 Grasped 16 Calibri alternative 17 Music break 18 Lock brand 19 Type of joint in the shoulder (first 4 letters + last 2) 22 Boxing legend Laila 23 Turndowns 24 Corned beef dishes 27 Arrive hurriedly at 29 Pond film 31 “I meant to tell u ...” 32 “No worries,” per “The Lion King” (first 3 + last 1) 35 Tea with a masala variety 38 Knight’s title 39 Certain hijabi 40 Responded in kind on Twitter (first 3 + last 1) 45 Alley-___ 46 Paltry 47 Breaks from a diet 51 White shirt woes 53 Towing org. 54 (Hey, ewe!) 10/2

55 Batting like a versatile slugger (ﬁrst 3 + last 2) 59 Abominable Snowman 61 Name hidden in “stateliest” 62 ___ of honor 63 Object of worship 64 Diddly-squat 65 Cookiesand-cream cookies 66 2018 Pixar short whose title is a knitting term 67 Recolored 68 Throw out DOWN 1 Team spirit 2 Actress Clarke 3 Blue-green 4 Zazie Beetz show about the rap scene in Georgia’s capital 5 Voting districts 6 “I like texts from my ___ when they want a second chance” (Cardi B) 7 “And ...” 8 Pokemon protagonist Ash 9 “Deﬁnitely!” 10 Treat with chocolate and toffee 11 Rhyming lead-in to “will”

12 Praiseful poem 13 Conspiring group 20 Breakfast space 21 ___ Sutra 25 “The Wallflower” singer James 26 Cottontipped item 28 Actor LaMarr 29 Slyly nasty 30 Macaroni nutrient, briefly 33 TikToker or Instagrammer 34 One may be hot on the internet 35 Moneyminded execs 36 Owlet sound 37 Pork taco style 41 Prefix with -vore

42 London’s theater district 43 Vowel-heavy berry 44 Online tech support option 48 Puts up with 49 Argentinian dances 50 Wise ones 52 Volunteer’s offer 53 “Full steam ___!” 56 Stuff on a potter’s wheel 57 “They’re coming for us!” 58 Poi root 59 Puppy’s bark 60 End to a Gettysburg address?

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

10/1

Dance Around by Matthew Stock

100% LOCAL Newsletter InsideSacramento.com

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S Simon Chan Photo by R.E. Graswich

RG By R.E. Graswich City Beat

SIMON’S LAST CALL? COVID CLOSES BAR THAT KNOWS CITY’S SOUL

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imon’s Bar & Café is not the oldest saloon in Sacramento. It’s not the biggest or most fancy. Simon’s is something else—a place that for the past four decades embodied and embraced Sacramento’s identity as a political town. Despite efforts to diversify and pretend otherwise, Sacramento lives on politics. Without the legislators, staff, lobbyists and consultants who fill the Capitol and shape the work done there, Sacramento would be something like Fresno. Simon’s would never succeed in Fresno. To enter Simon’s is to go backstage at a theater that houses a long-running play about power and money and mystique. A table by the window is filled with laughter from five Assembly staffers. At the horseshoe bar, two retired senators correct each other about the details of a bill vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. A lobbyist and reporter slam brown rubber dice boxes on the table along the back wall, playing boss poker for drinks. Two pair never beats a full house at Simon’s. Now the dice are silent. Conviviality has vanished. The coronavirus closed the bar and restaurant last March. A cautious reopening, with indoor seating limited to 25 percent of capacity, brought a few regulars back in November. But the lights burned just one week. Virus numbers spiked and indoor dining was banned again in Sacramento. Simon’s forms a tight layout at the alley on 16th Street between N and O that precludes expansive outdoor service. Simon’s needs indoor service to survive. “It’s awful,” says Simon Chan, who built the place from nothing after winning a state liquor license lottery in 1984. “I spent over $10,000 in supplies and everything so we could reopen in November. I can’t make it without the 25 percent indoor. I feel pretty bad.” The demise of Simon’s has been predicted before. Customers launched a petition to save the joint in 2015, when it appeared the landlord, a public agency known as CADA, might knock down Simon’s to build apartments. Chan dismissed the threat. He figured a long-gone adjacent dry cleaner left the land so polluted nothing could be built there for years. Younger critics claimed the bar and accompanying Chinese restaurant were irrelevant in an era of bespoke cocktails and small plates. Chan scoffed. Business was fine until COVID-19. More problems came last summer. During protests over police brutality, looters ransacked the bar. “They even broke my sign,” Chan says. Simon’s has been defying the odds since it opened in 1984. Chan, a Hong Kong fashion model before emigrating to the U.S., was a bartender at Frank Fat’s. Mixing drinks for a dwindling crowd of legislators and lobbyists, he realized Fat’s was losing its punch. Political reform laws made it illegal for lobbyists to pay booze and food tabs for elected officials—the grease that made Fat’s famous. Chan wanted his own place, but lacked financial resources. He entered a lottery for new liquor licenses and won. The lottery let Chan secure a license for a fraction of market value. But there were conditions. He had to open quickly. And he had to serve food.

He found a sketchy location on 16th Street. In the early 1980s, the neighborhood was populated with cheap motels, hookers and drug dealers. Chan remodeled a shuttered dive called the Donner and opened his doors. Friends wandered over from Fat’s, but trade was slow. State alcohol officials made it clear they didn’t think pickled eggs and microwaved burritos qualified as restaurant food. Chan built a small kitchen, run by his brother Johnny. They were lucky to survive the first year. Then business blossomed. The Capitol crowd found Simon’s charming, unpretentious and discreet—a perfect place to commune. Chan expanded his restaurant, taking over a former sweatshop next door. His special wild game dinners drew celebrities from governors to Huey Lewis. Nearby bars tried to position themselves as Capitol hangouts. Simon’s succeeded by not trying too hard. Now Sacramento’s premier political cafe is shuttered, its future uncertain. “I’ve been very miserable,” Chan

says. “I just turned 69, but this takes a lot out of me. If I don’t work, I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s horrible.” In its small way, Simon’s explains everything there is to know about Sacramento. Without Simon’s, it’s hard to know where to start. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

FROM page 22 communities and universities. Tech Square generates innovation and economic development throughout the Atlanta area. “Aggie Square will serve as a collaborative technology and innovation campus that leverages the university’s strengths to become a catalyst for economic change, creates jobs for our graduates, and helps spur the economic vitality of the broader Sacramento region,” May has written. “It will serve as a model public-private partnership, increasing technology transfer and creating equitable opportunities for residents in the community and region.”

That sounds lofty, but it’s what the best innovation hubs accomplish. With city and neighborhood activists watching, and despite inevitable bumps in the road, Aggie Square is welcome news. It offers an opportunity for Sacramento, UC Davis, students, faculty and even local community skeptics to come out ahead. Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Feeding Families

LOCAL AND STATE PROGRAMS HELP CURB FOOD INSECURITY

Amber Stott Photo by Aniko Kiezel

ood and nutrition insecurity are ongoing struggles for millions in California, including those living in Sacramento. In the highest agriculture-producing state, some local groups and government agencies have created ways to distribute freshly farmed food to families in need. The Food Literacy Center is a Sacramento nonprofit whose mission is

TMO By Tessa Marguerite Outland Farm-to-Fork

to inspire kids to eat their vegetables. Through its distribution of Veggie STEM Boxes, the center provides families facing food insecurity with meals that are accessible and healthy, while teaching kids about science and math through cooking. Last April, just a few days after Sacramento City Unified School District schools closed due to COVID-19, the Food Literacy Center began distributing Veggie STEM Boxes. Similar to subscription meals, STEM Boxes include all the ingredients for a healthy recipe. To make broccoli and potato tacos, for example, olive oil, garlic, potatoes, broccoli and tortillas are all packed with a kid-friendly recipe, box of crayons and coloring activity sheet.

An average of about 150 boxes are distributed each week free of charge to elementary school students in Title 1 schools (schools that receive federal funding to help meet educational goals) throughout South Sacramento. Prior to the pandemic, the Food Literacy Center created a cooking class that used a STEM-based curriculum to teach students food preparation and nutrition. The class incorporated math and science through activities such as measuring ingredients, following a recipe, and learning how fiber and sugar work in the body. After the pandemic hit, the center adapted its weekly curriculum to be available free and online through virtual classes, downloadable lesson plans and recipes. For families without internet at home,

Food Literacy Center staff provide printed curriculum. “We do know this (food insecurity) is going to continue for quite some time,” says Amber Stott, CEO and chief food genius at the Food Literacy Center. “We’re seeing all sorts of statistics from statewide food banks telling us to prepare for the next decade. We’re not going to quickly come out of this.” Lauren Lathan Reid, director of communications for the California Association of Food Banks, agrees that food insecurity has become even more of a crisis than it was before the pandemic. According to Reid, the number of Californians facing food insecurity has doubled since March 2020. “We now have 10 million hungry Californians and we are not going to return to pre-pandemic levels for potentially 10 years,” Reid says. “I don’t even have a word for it—it’s really bad.” In Sacramento alone, more than 200,000 people are struggling to keep food on the table for their families, reports California Food Policy Advocates. CAFB’s program Farm to Family is quenching hunger while reducing agricultural excess. The program partners with farmers, ranchers, packers and shippers to get farm products from the field to food banks. Started by Bay Area food banks in the late 1990s, the program has been operated by CAFB since 2005. Farmers can donate products to the association and receive a small reimbursement that helps cover distribution costs. In 2020, Farm to Family distributed more than 153 million pounds of produce and 12 million pounds of items such as eggs, milk and cheese to its 42 partners across the state, including Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. Reid says the California Department of Food and Agriculture contacted the association in early 2020 to assist with the imminent instability of the food supply chain. Since many farms distribute directly to restaurants or hospitality services, they were suddenly faced with an overabundance of produce when the pandemic forced widespread closures. As more farmers became aware of the Farm to Family program, many chose to donate their excess harvest to nourish California’s hungry community members. “This way highquality produce goes to hungry people instead of being wasted,” Reid says. In April 2020, Farm to Family distributed 18 million pounds of produce—probably the largest bounty in one month since the program’s

TO PAGE 29

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FIBER OPTIMUM HOW A GARDEN MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE

f 2020 seemed like a daily flat tire, begin the New Year with a nutritious edible garden and exercise. Gardening is Mother Nature’s Peloton. Who needs Jenny Craig when homegrown fresh produce is stuffed with healthy low-calorie options? Growing the right foods may even save or extend your life. Fred Hoffman, Sacramento’s highest-profile gardener, confronted a life-threatening health crisis in 2012. He discovered he had Type 2 diabetes while preparing for quadruple-bypass heart surgery. It was an abrupt life-or-death wakeup call for the producer/host of the “Garden Basics with Farmer Fred” podcast and radio programs, “The KFBK Garden Show” and “Get Growing with Farmer Fred” on Talk 650 KSTE.

DV By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber

Hoffman studied medical research and chose a personal road to recovery. He waved bye-bye to candy, cookies and ice cream, and added more fruits, vegetables and foods such as sprouted bread to his diet. Fiber, both soluble and insoluble, became his daily companion. “My goals were to eat at least 35 grams of fiber a day and fewer than 45 grams of added sugar per day,” he says. An experienced gardener, he tweaked his planting choices to grow fruits and vegetables at the top of the nutrient and fiber-rich charts. All his produce is organically grown. “At first, I stayed on my medications, but began eating correctly and doing regular exercise,” says Hoffman, who also became a cycling and weighttraining advocate. “Much of the research I read discussed the good things that adding soluble fiber to your diet can do for the heart and diabetes control. And I read horror stories about how a diet filled with added sugars, combined with a sedentary lifestyle, can send you back to the hospital.” Eight months after surgery, Hoffman had shed 60 pounds, narrowed to a 32-inch waist, and weaned himself off seven prescription medications.

Fred Hoffman

He says his endocrinologist and cardiologist were astounded by the rapid turnaround. “I’ve been prescription free since,” he says. A high-fiber diet, according to the Mayo Clinic, helps control blood-sugar levels and cholesterol and fats from being absorbed into the blood stream.

It aids waste elimination and weight management. Artichokes, blueberries, peas, apricots, beans (pinto, white and kidney), carrots, oranges and eggplant are excellent sources of soluble fiber, the type of fiber that dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and mostly is skins and seeds of plants. All fiber is good for you. TO PAGE 29

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Here Comes the Sun SUNBURST PROJECTS THRIVES UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP

Jacob Bradley-Rowe Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Joe Wilson Photos by Aniko Kiezel

JL By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor

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unburst Projects’ new executive director Jacob BradleyRowe likes to say that he’s proud of his organization—a nonprofit that empowers children, women and families living with HIV—for always taking the extra step. The same could be said of Bradley-Rowe himself. Bradley-Rowe has dedicated nearly two decades of his life to nonprofit work, both as a staffer and volunteer. The interest in giving back to his community was instilled in him from an early age—as the sixth generation of his family to raise cattle and sheep in Grass Valley, Bradley-Rowe spent his childhood deeply involved with 4H and FFA.

After studying at the University of London, King’s College, through UC Davis, Bradley-Rowe returned to Sacramento to work for Donate Life California, helping develop the “pink dot” organ donor network, which now boasts more than 10 million registered donors. He’s also served on a variety of nonprofit boards, including Sacramento Pride, NorCal AIDS Cycle, Friends of the California State Fair, National FFA Foundation, Cultivating Change Foundation, Sacramento LGBT Community Center and Imperial Court of Sacramento, the oldest active LGBT organization in Sacramento. Bradley-Rowe’s alter ego, drag queen Precious Cargo, was the 35th Empress named to the court. But Bradley-Rowe hasn’t just donated time and money to these nonprofits—he’s also planned and executed many of their fundraisers as the owner of event-planning company Royal Events. In its 12 years of existence, Royal Events helped raise more than $5 million for local charities. Bradley-Rowe closed the company in 2015 when he went to work for Tesla as business development director. Bradley-Rowe first became aware of Sunburst Projects’ important work in 2008 when he helped organize the Capital City AIDS Fund’s Sacramento Valley AIDS Run Walk (Sunburst was one of many beneficiaries). He was asked to join the board, then he temporarily helped manage staff and programs as a volunteer when the former executive director vacated the position. After successfully seeing the nonprofit through the beginning of the pandemic, Bradley-Rowe was officially hired in May. “I inherited an organization rich in history, but with some struggles,” Bradley-Rowe says of the project initially founded in 1982 as a summer camp for children living with cancer. It then became the nation’s first therapeutically designed summer camp for children living with HIV. Sunburst Projects incorporated as a nonprofit in 1990 and now provides support services, counseling, case management and mental health services to those living with HIV. “COVID impacted us in the beginning, but we managed to do a complete 180, growing our programs and staff thanks to a new allocation from the (Health Resources and Services Administration’s) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grant, which provides the majority of our funding,” Bradley-Rowe says. In addition to providing crucial services, such as counseling (a free mental health clinic is scheduled to launch in January), Sunburst focuses on HIV/ AIDS prevention and education, which Bradley-Rowe says is “just as big an issue as it was 20 years ago.” He explains that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 37,000 new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2018—many of them in women and children. “We’re seeing a demographic change in the age when kids first become sexually active,” Bradley-

FROM page 26

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beginning, according to Reid. The association received financial support from the government that helped reduce fees for labor and transportation. Normally, in order to receive produce through the Farm to Family program, each food bank would be responsible to pay the fees. “So food banks were able to get the produce free of charge to get what they need, not just what they could afford,” Reid adds. Farm to Family currently partners with more than 200 farms across California. Without produce donations from all these farmers, the program would not exist. “It’s a real partnership

between our food banks and the agriculture community,” Reid says. Whether it’s feeding families around the corner or across the state, programs like Veggie STEM Boxes and Farm to Family are vital to our communities in the effort to curb food insecurity. For more information, visit foodliteracycenter.org and cafoodbanks. org/farm-family. Tessa Marguerite Outland can be reached at tessa.m.outland@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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sacpetsearch.com | sspca.org happytails.org | saccountyshelter.net Brought to you by the animal lovers at INSIDE SACRAMENTO Rowe says. “It’s now 18 to 24, so we’re focused on reaching that demographic. The work that has to be done in this country is to get everyone tested. We can get to zero new transmissions if we push U = U.” U = U is Undetectable = Untransmittable, which indicates that if a person with HIV is on antiretroviral therapy medication with a consistently undetectable HIV viral load, the virus cannot be transmitted to a sexual partner. “We have to try and look at things from different perspectives to continue to grow and reach more people,” Bradley-Rowe says. “I feel like all of my experience in fundraising, tech and grassroots ties to the community are coming together to give me the skills to lead this organization to a new place. “I love knowing the work we’re doing is helpful. I believe I’m where I should be.” For more information, visit sunburstprojects.org. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

Thank You

Sacramento!

To all our friends & patrons, we are TEMPORARILY CLOSING for the time being. We will let you know when we re-open. See you soon in this New Year!

1110 Front Street

442.8226 | riocitycafe.com

FROM page 27 Blueberries, high in antioxidants, potassium and vitamin C, are considered a “superfood.” Fortunately, they are easy to grow, even in large containers. Tasty and productive varieties to consider include Reveille, O’Neal, Jewel, Bluecrop and Emerald. So-called superfoods are not determined by specific criteria, according to the American Heart Association, but are packed with nutrients that combat deadly diseases. Kale, beans and sweet potatoes often are considered superfoods. Other highly nutritious edibles commonly grown in the Sacramento area include tomatoes, garlic, ginger, spinach, beets and peppers. Adding healthier garden-grown fruits and vegetables to your diet does not have to be intimidating. “For new gardeners, start small,” Hoffman says. “Pick fruits and vegetables you know your family will eat and then only plant a few of each.” He recommends two blueberry plants, two or three tomato plants (including one cherry tomato), a couple of pepper plants and three or four fruit trees. Add one zucchini, which will provide enough squash for an entire neighborhood.

Two excellent informational sources for those wishing to improve their diet and overall health with an edible garden in 2021 are the Master Gardeners of Sacramento County website at sacmg. ucanr.edu and Hoffman’s site at farmerfred.com. These two websites are rich with scientifically researched, howto gardening information. Start the New Year with an edible garden and become your own nutritionist and personal trainer. Growing your own is a wholesome and healthful New Year’s resolution, one you may decide to renew for the rest of your life. Dan Vierria is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener for Sacramento County and former Home & Garden writer for The Sacramento Bee. He can be reached at masterg29@gmail.com. For answers to gardening questions, contact the UCCE Master Gardeners at (916) 8765338, email mgsacramento@ucanr. edu or visit sacmg.ucanr.edu. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Shut Up and Play? BETTER GET USED TO HEARING FROM ATHLETES

or sports fans who pray 2021 is the year athletes shut up, a reality check: It won’t happen. Athletes have always talked, even before anyone cared what they had to say. They aren’t going to stop speaking their minds anytime soon. Jack Johnson, who in 1908 became the first Black fighter to win the world heavyweight championship, was never at a loss for words. But his most enduring quote from his “Fight of the Century” in Reno against ardent white supremacist and former champ Jim Jeffries was eloquently simple: “May the best man win.” Johnson beat the bigot in 15 rounds. Race riots erupted across the United States. At least 20 people were killed. Since then, athletes have stood in locker rooms, street corners and court houses to propound on politics, civil rights and equality. Even the Kings got involved. The dream of shutting up athletes gained urgency last year when the World Series and NBA Finals bombed

RG By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority

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Joe Louis (left) punches Buddy Baer in 1941 bout. on TV. Both recorded lowest-ever ratings. Many commentators suspect audiences vanished in response to remarks by players in support of Black Lives Matter and police reform—a protest of a protest. But the shrunken TV numbers were more likely a coronavirus coincidence. The pandemic disrupted sports seasons and forced games to be played without fans. The thrill was gone. And besides, there’s nothing unusual about loudmouth sports stars. The outspoken roster reaches back decades before LeBron James and Colin Kaepernick were born. Then as now, blurting out hard truths takes courage. It’s not a road to popularity. Muhammad Ali presented his thoughts on the Vietnam War and military draft. Curt Flood attacked baseball rules that treated him as an indentured servant. Bill Russell belittled racist fans of the Boston Celtics. Billie Jean King promoted gender equity and opposed pay discrimination in tennis. Some athletes lost endorsement deals and bonuses for speaking their minds. Some sacrificed careers. The athlete who

strays into the political arena takes a dangerous path. Many sports fans don’t want to hear about it. The Kings have been largely apolitical since nesting in Sacramento in 1985. They promoted Black Lives Matter—but so did countless others. I imagine the absence of activist Kings has more to do with the team’s incompetence than anything else. One hallmark of the truly impactful outspoken athlete is they must be winners—when you play for a habitual loser, nobody cares what you think. Like most pro teams, Kings management has long encouraged players to avoid making politically controversial statements for fear of upsetting sponsors or fans. Silence is golden to management. But the Kings didn’t always duck controversy. It’s important to remember the franchise broke the pro basketball color barrier in 1946 when the team signed an African American, William “Dolly” King, in the National Basketball League, predecessor to the NBA.

King played one season for the Kings—known as the Rochester Royals—and was paid top dollar. He roomed with a White player, Bob Davies, on the road and shared an apartment with Jewish and Italian teammates, Red Holzman and Fuzzy Levane. When a restaurant refused to serve King, the whole team walked out. Six months after King joined the Royals, Jackie Robinson broke the baseball color barrier with the Dodgers. But unlike the Royals, racist Dodgers refused to socialize with their Black teammate. Sadly, Jackie ate alone. By all accounts, King and Robinson weren’t eager to press their views on others. They wanted to do their jobs and go home—which no doubt made them more valuable in the eyes of their employers. Boxing champ Joe Louis was another legendary athlete who did his job and shut up. When Louis visited Sacramento for two informal exhibition bouts against Bobby Lee and Big Boy Brown at Memorial Auditorium in December 1945, he disappeared into a cheap West End hotel on J Street and issued no public comments. His friend and former opponent Buddy Baer, who served as sergeant at arms for the state Legislature, often tried to get Louis back to Sacramento, without luck. “He tended to avoid the public,” Baer once said. “He never came back here. Always had an excuse.” R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

RADISH

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. inc To e eat: Serve with butter and salt for a French-inspired hors d’oeuvre. hor

SWEET POTATO This large, starchy, sweettasting root vegetable is a great source of betacarotene. To eat: Roast the flesh and use instead of pumpkin for a delicious Southern pie.

BLOOD ORANGE

This small citrus fruit has few seeds and a loose, puffy orange skin that peel, making it a popular addition to children’s lunchboxes. is easy to p Eat it: Peel and enjoy.

Monthly Market A LOOK AT WHAT’S WH IN SEASON AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS IN JANUARY

CABBAGE

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.

BROCCOLI 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 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.

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Raising Her Voice

LOCAL OPERA SINGER HAS BUILT MULTIFACETED CREATIVE CAREER

ll the world really is a stage for Carrie Hennessey. Though you could describe Hennessey as “an opera singer,” that wouldn’t do justice to the creative mind and talent she brings to productions of all kinds—opera, musical theater, cabaret, chamber music, master classes, lectures, song cycles and more. “I’m always about being open to whatever the inspiration is,” the Natomas resident says. “When the whim or spark of an idea comes to me, I don’t question it—I roll with it.” This flexibility has served Hennessey well during a career that has spanned decades, states and countries. As a child growing up in Minneapolis, Hennessey was “the loud singer” early on, thanks in part to her mother’s work as a pianist for choir groups. Hennessey’s father died when she was quite young and she consequently saw the role music played in her mother’s life as “a source of comfort, motivation, community and communication.” After a mentor in high school suggested Hennessey try opera, she took six months of lessons and then decided to try out for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a competition for promising young opera singers—and placed in regionals. Heartened by her early success, she went on to study singing at the University of Minnesota Morris, a small liberal arts college with an “amazing music faculty.” However, an emotional trauma she’d experienced began to wreak havoc on her voice—Hennessey had panic attacks for the first time in her life and, at the next Met Opera competition, she cracked a note onstage and walked away from performing…for 12 years. “I thought, if this is what this (job) is—worrying and interpreting every interaction and audition—it’s not the career I want,” Hennessey says.

JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

Carrie Hennessey Photo by Aniko Kiezel

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Luckily for audiences everywhere, Hennessey eventually found her way back to singing when she joined the celebrated Theatre de la Jeune Lune, a Minneapolis-based company known for its physical performance style combining clowning, mime, dance and opera. The troupe’s multifaceted philosophy fit Hennessey to a tee, so she toured with them for two years. When her husband’s telecom job relocated the family—they have two children, now 18 and 20—to Sacramento in 2008, Hennessey wasted no time diving into the local performance scene. She’s sung with the Sacramento Opera, Sacramento Ballet (where she also collaborated on a world premiere ballet with choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie), Sacramento Children’s Chorus and Chamber Music Society of Sacramento, among others. But she’s also maintained her national and global connections, performing in New York City, Colorado, Texas, Hungary, Czech Republic, Belgium and Germany, to name just a few. In addition, Hennessey has found some of her most beloved collaborators in Sacramento. She works regularly with pianist Jennifer Reason, with whom she’s formed two performance groups: adventurous musical collective Rogue Music Project and mashup band The Reassemblers of Whimsy. The duo is also working on a recital of allfemale composers titled “And Yet She Persisted: Stories and Music of Women in Classical Music.” “I always like to explore the gray areas (of female characters),” Hennessey says. “I’m not interested in the traditional way. ‘That’s how it’s always been done’ is a killer phrase. I’d much rather make people think and feel something. I want to know what’s underneath—the gray is where all the information lives.” Though performance plans have been put on hold due to the pandemic, Hennessey is still teaching private vocal lessons over Zoom—preparing the next generation of genre-busting artists to take on the world—and is busy planning her return to the many kinds of stages she calls home. For more information, visit carriehennessey.com. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

Is It Time? YOU DESERVE A SAFE AND THRIVING MARRIAGE ’m lucky that my wife, Becky, still laughs at the preposterous proposal I made to another woman 42 years ago. I begin by explaining how, early in our marriage, we routinely substituted Brand X for the real name of any previous relationship. The nickname came from commercials that promised a certain laundry soap was new and improved and would produce sparkly clean results—far superior to Brand X. This story is about my Brand X. On a beautiful fall day, I proposed to X as my Baylor roommate, Roger Williams,

NB By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

chauffeured X and me to the university on my way back from dental surgery. Yes, you’ve all seen the hilarious videos portraying someone struggling through the fading effects of anesthesia. Mine was one of those moments. I’d just had my wisdom teeth removed and believed myself still wise enough for love. According to Roger, I began regaling Brand X with my exciting future. Apparently, I promised X that I would graduate with honors, go to seminary and become “America’s favorite chaplain.” But first, I’d need a wife. Somewhere on the route between First Baptist Church and Whataburger, I blurted my what-the-heck question. “X, will you marry me?” Apparently, according to Roger, I gushed while she blushed. Then, Brand X said, “Yes!” I do remember Roger interrupting us several times to say, “We need to get him back to the dorm room.” The next morning, X awakened me with a phone call. Still groggy, I understood her to say she was shopping for a wedding dress. Worse yet, her

mother was plotting how to transfer us both out of “liberal Baylor” and into a local bible college. The call came to a standstill when my “fiancé” told me her mom had found a dermatologist who could provide me a blemish-free wedding day. “Let me get back to you,” I told her. As I hung up, I noticed Roger tapping an impatient foot to the floor. He’d understood the gist of the conversation. “You’ve got to stop this thing Norris,” he said. “If you marry this girl, her mother will be running your life.” He encouraged me to reverse the train and tell X that contracts made under the influence are null and void. No, he wasn’t a prelaw major, but it seemed right. So that’s what I told X. Remarkedly, she mostly understood. Within the month, our yearlong relationship came to an end. Gratefully, I can fondly retell this story as a fairly typical college romance. Sadly, this quarantine makes me especially aware that not everyone is as fortunate with their past or current relationships.

Perhaps you (or someone you know) is living in an atypical relationship where your spouse barrages you with daily insults or mind games. Worse yet, you’re being physically, as well as emotionally, abused. If that’s true, I hope you’ll seek counsel from friends, like Roger, who God placed in your life. If they advise you to get out, it may be time to listen. Remember, you are child of God and you deserve a marriage that is safe and thriving. If that doesn’t describe your marriage, then it’s not a marriage. It just might be abuse. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a great resource for victims and survivors of domestic violence. Call (800) 799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. Norris Burkes can be reached at comment@thechaplain.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. Burkes is available for public speaking at civic organizations, places of worship, veterans groups and more. For details and fees, visit thechaplain.net. n

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More Than Java LOCAL COFFEE SHOPS SERVE UP SURPRISINGLY GOOD FOOD

Empanadas at Barrio Cafe

Photos by Aniko Kiezel

ith more shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, and fewer options to interact with local food-service small businesses, it’s harder and harder to enjoy a simple trip to get a sandwich or grab a cup of coffee. Dining rooms are off limits and the weather is just a bit too cold most days to dine outside. Therefore, it’s more important than ever to find those quick grab-and-go outposts that offer safe and convenient locations with delicious food and customer care. Tucked away on the corner of one of the city’s oldest shopping centers in South Land Park, Barrio Cafe Sacramento is a hidden treasure. What

GS By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

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looks on the outside to be a simple coffee shop is actually a coffee/wine/ beer emporium with a full kitchen and bakery putting out scrumptious bites well beyond the morning hours. First the coffee. It’s splendid. With beans procured from Vallejo-based coffee roaster Moschetti, the brews are dark and earthy. The coffee concoctions are pulled with finesse by the skilled baristas working the counter, adding just the right amount of foam for a cappuccino, the proper milk for a latte and everything but the kitchen sink further down the creative java menu. A solid selection of international and local wines is available alongside a healthy offering of local beers (with special emphasis on Broadway brewer New Helvetia Brewing Company). Truly, Barrio has the beverage end of things covered. The kitchen is where things really get exciting. Owner Sergio Barrio learned his baking skills at his father’s knee, and the family business shines through in every house-made bagel, croissant, brioche and pastry.

The breakfast sandwiches, on brioche or croissant, are spectacular. Layered with a wide variety of meats, spinach, tomato and cheese, and lathered generously with a spicy garlic mayonnaise, they stick to your ribs without a doubt. Bagel sandwiches with smoked salmon and other delights also make the grade for morning fare. In the afternoon and evening, Barrio offers his signature dish: empanadas. Stuffed with whatever the kitchen fancies, like stewed chicken, mushrooms and gruyere cheese, chile verde or even Indian samosa filling, these luscious doughy pockets of love are what can turn a cold day warm. You can find the empanadas occasionally on Sundays at New Helvetia’s Broadway taproom as well. Barrio’s other location, at N and 13th streets, is closed temporarily during

the pandemic. If you used to work in or around the Capitol and have been missing the coffee and empanadas, or if you live in the South Land Park neighborhood, or if you’re like my friend Paul and just love a great empanada, get yourself over to Barrio and grab a bite and a sip. Barrio is at 1188 35th Ave. (at South Land Park Drive); (916) 469-9433; facebook.com/barriosacramento. On the other end of town, tucked away in a Carmichael shopping strip, another coffee shop is bringing out some lovely food to go with its impressive coffee. Fast Cat Coffee celebrates fast cars, strong drinks and gooey grilled cheese. This seems to be a pretty desirable trifecta. The theme of the joint is motor sports, both vintage and modern, with a flair for the classier side of the sport

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(think Monte Carlo rather than Nascar). When we could sit inside, it was lovely to enjoy the wood, leather and steel ambience while sipping a strong single espresso. It made you feel like you were somewhere. These days, you’ll have to grab and go, but the upmarket grilled cheese offerings are worth the trip. Try the “Wake Up Guanajuato,” a breakfast sandwich made with carnitas, eggs, avocado, salsa, garlic jack and smokey cheddar on sliced French bread. Or the decidedly sweet offering of “Sweet Baby Cheesus,” made with havarti, fontina and Loleta Traffic Jam (a mixture of wild local berries) on sliced French. My favorite has to be the “Smokin’ Pig,” made with havarti, smokey cheddar, sliced apples and pulled pork on sliced sourdough wheat bread. It’s a delight. Speed on over and try one now. Fast Cat Coffee is at 7901 Fair Oaks Blvd. in Carmichael (one block east of Manzanita); (916) 999-0323; fastcatcoffee.com. One last coffee joint to mention is the newest of the batch. Just opened in 2020, Donuts & Coffey brings a trove

of sweet treats to all those looking for a morning sugar rush. Owners Thana Ny and Aaron Coffey offer a slew of creatively constructed doughnuts and old classics. Their version of the simple blueberry cake doughnut hits the spot. Their creative addition of sugars, glazes and cereals make for entertaining eats. And their “kronuts,” doughnuts made from croissant dough, are great by themselves but still pretty good when topped with chocolate and marshmallow. My wife’s favorite sweet delight is the tiramisu doughnut, a chocolateglazed doughnut filled with a coffee and chocolate cream. Your dentist will hate you, but your stomach will love it. Donuts & Coffey is at 5611 Folsom Blvd. in East Sacramento; (916) 9990232; donutscoffey.com. Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. Our Inside Sacramento Restaurant Guide and previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Personal Touch

OLD WORLD CUSTOM HOME STAYS TRUE TO HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD

CH By Cecily Hastings OPEN HOUSE

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n 2006, my husband Jim and I embarked on a dream-of-a-lifetime project. My career prior to publishing was interior design, and I always wanted to design and build a home from scratch. Before the age of 30, I had already bought, rehabbed and sold four houses. When we moved to McKinley Park in 1989, we remodeled a lovely circa 1925 Tudor home over the course of 16 years. While my wish to design and build was brewing, Jim made it clear he loved our home, our street and our neighborhood. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d worked for IBM and was transferred every few years. Now he wanted to put down roots. And as luck would have it, we both were able to find satisfaction.

Jim made friends with an elderly couple living six houses down the street. The couple owned the empty lot next to their house where they grew fruit trees and gardened. When the gentleman passed away, his children inherited the properties and were anxious to sell. We purchased the lot. Another family bought the home. Our street is in a historic district around McKinley Park, so our plans had to go through an extensive design review. Our goal was to design a house that blended seamlessly with the other architecture surrounding the park. We hired architect Jim Plumb, who had designed many beautiful homes and additions. Our house was his last projectâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; he passed away in 2006. When we hired

Jim and Cecily Hastings him, his lung cancer was progressing, but he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t turn down the opportunity to build the last new home facing McKinley Park. The house is approximately 2,900 square feet with a finished full basement. Basements of this type are rare in Sacramento and, frankly, the idea of building a modern basement really got my husband excited. We used a German building system that utilized foam blocks, rebar and poured concrete walls. The expansive basement is divided into two private areas, plus a workshop and lots of storage. Light comes from window wells and a French door. It can be accessed from a staircase inside the house and an exterior concrete stairway in the backyard. When we designed the home, my elderly mother lived in an assistedliving facility. We wanted a first-floor bedroom and bath so she could move in with us. When she passed away during construction, we converted the downstairs bedroom into an open music room for our piano and my home office. We have three bedrooms upstairs and three baths in the house, plus bathrooms in the basement and garageoffice space. Work from home spaces abound. The garage, with its vaulted ceiling, was designed as office space for our business. With a bedroom and bath, it can also be used as a studio apartment. The first-floor ceilings are 10 feet high and the open entryway is two stories tall. The home is designed around a central hallway axis on both floors with window light provided from both directions. The hall ceilings are barrel-vaulted.

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The kitchen-dining-family room faces the swimming pool in the backyard. This great room features French doors clad in copper and three sets of crossshaped beams. I opted for two shades of dark taupe so they were distinctive and dramatic against the contemporary cherry kitchen cabinets and French limestone flooring. The homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many custom design touches include an 8-feet-tall front door

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built locally by Burnett & Sons with an oval window that reflects a larger oval window above it. Cut limestone accents around the windows and doors bring an Old World touch. Many of the walls are Venetian plaster, which I learned to apply myself. Stone and glass floor mosaics add striking detail. The lush landscaping and trees (except for the historic street Sycamore tree) were all planted in 2008. When

we bought the empty lot, it was covered with abandoned fruit trees and overgrown shrubs. Using a chain saw from East Sac Hardware, Jim cut them down himself. He worked on it for a couple months, and left the branches and clippings out each week for the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s green waste service. Jim and I served as our own contractor. It was a great project to work on together. Just as with

our business, we divided up tasks. I managed the architecture, material and fixture selections, and interior design. He focused on the basement, and heating and cooling systems, including an underfloor heating system that is fabulous. While a significant percentage of marriages are tested by the stress of building a house, this project strengthened our relationship! But the process is certainly not for most folks.

BUILDING OUR HOME WAS A LABOR OF LOVE FOR OUR TRADITIONAL MCKINLEY PARK NEIGHBORHOOD. BUT WE DECIDED A COUPLE YEARS AGO TO BUILD A CONTEMPORARY SINGLESTORY HOME SO WE CAN AGE IN PLACE. WE PURCHASED A CUSTOM LOT IN THE NEW SUTTER PARK NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOPE TO MOVE IN THIS SPRING.

And living just down the street was extremely helpful as we could be there every day while the house was being built. Building our home was a labor of love for our traditional McKinley Park neighborhood. But we decided a couple years ago to build a contemporary single-story home so we can age in place. We purchased a custom lot in the new Sutter Park neighborhood and hope to move in this spring. Our current home faces McKinley Park which is undergoing a renovation that will soon be completed. We look forward to another family enjoying our truly

custom-designed home someday soonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but without the two years of planning and building it took Jim and me to create it. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@ insidepublications.com. To recommend a home or garden for Open House, contact Katie Kishi at kkishi22@gmail.com. More photography and previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Place

to Nest

LOCAL WOMAN CREDITED WITH BRINGING BACK THE BLUEBIRD

Vicki Butler Photo by Linda Smolek

BY MARY LYNNE VELLINGA

n this grim season of infection and lockdown, the resurgence of the western bluebird in Sacramento recently popped up as a bright thread on the social media site Nextdoor, where the chatter usually features more downbeat concerns like porch theft or the growing number of people living on sidewalks and in parks. It’s hard not to notice the bluebird, which suddenly seems everywhere in this capital city. The males are vivid flashes of blue and rusty orange as they swoop and dart, chasing insects along golf fairways and expanses of grass. Bluebirds perch on street signs, venture up on porches and hop along the ground. Like many native bird species, bluebirds fell into serious decline in

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Dr. Carl Shin Photo by Cecily Hastings

the 1950s and ‘60s due to the pesticide DDT, loss of nesting habitat and competition from non-native species. Until recently they were seldom seen in core Sacramento neighborhoods, whose stately trees and ample parks would seem to provide ideal habitat. Now they are ubiquitous. What makes their comeback in Sacramento all the more remarkable is that it was engineered by a single bird enthusiast. Vicki Butler is a retired water treatment plant manager who lives in South Land Park. She is one of hundreds of volunteers around the country who are devoted to saving the bluebird by erecting “trails” of nest boxes where the birds can raise their broods with

some protection from mortal enemies: aggressive, non-native interlopers like starlings and house sparrows that outcompete them for the limited inventory of tree cavities in which they nest. Bluebirds, it turns out, have lots of fans. They are mild mannered and pretty. Their soft, stuttering song is not harsh like the calls of the West’s other signature blue bird, the domineering scrub jay, which incidentally will peck baby bluebirds to death and eat them if given a chance. Male bluebirds are good dads. Butler has seen them give their fledglings flying lessons. “There are lots of people who are pretty obsessed with bluebirds,” Butler says. “They are such a sweet bird. There is nothing annoying about them at all.” On the question of the bluebird’s local recovery, Butler offers, “I’ve fledged hundreds of birds in my boxes. The key is nesting availability. We’ve got lots of good habitat, parks and especially golf courses.” Butler has been hanging bluebird boxes in trees at Sacramento parks

and golf courses for at least a dozen years. For a while, she even banded the fledglings so she could track their progress as they spread out at a rate of about 3 miles a year, turning up in one park after another. Butler keeps meticulous track of what’s happening in her boxes, checking them each week to see how the bluebird broods are progressing. Last year, she has counted at least 81 birds that fledged from 18 boxes she maintains on two Sacramento golf courses, Bing Maloney and Land Park. She also maintains boxes at Haggin Oaks golf course and McKinley Park. “People will walk past my bluebird boxes and never see them because they’re up in the trees anywhere from 10 to 18 feet,” Butler says. Bluebird boxes erected on poles just invite vandalism, she adds. Butler’s boxes are designed to maximize the bluebird’s chances. The holes are too small for starlings to get inside. While there isn’t a way to create a hole that would let a bluebird in and keep a house sparrow out, Butler includes a second hole so adult bluebirds have an escape hatch if a sparrow shows up and starts attacking them and their babies to take possession of the box. Butler positions her boxes in groves away from snack bars and other places where people congregate and eat, because that’s where house sparrows hang out. If sparrows do show up, she traps them and disposes of them in a way she does not detail.

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One hot Sunday in late July last year at the Land Park golf course, Butler brought down a box. She found four baby bluebirds nestled inside, their yellow beaks craning and their black eyes wide open. They were the second brood of the year. Their siblings from the first brood had already fledged and could be seen flitting in the trees nearby. The babies were 13 days old, the latest Butler can safely open a box to check on them. All told, they spent 21 days inside the box before fledging. Bluebirds live about three to four years. They generally produce two broods, one in spring and one in summer, for a total of 10 to 12 offspring. Butler is one of 170 or so Californians monitoring bluebird boxes around the state and reporting their results annually to the California Bluebird Recovery Program, created by a group of volunteers in 1994. In 2019, the group reported that 21,164 baby bluebirds had fledged from their boxes, compared with 5,077 in 1996. But their recovery is tenuous. Insecticides continue to pose a threat and bluebirds are heavily dependent on an aging group of volunteers who dedicate their time to erect and monitor nest boxes.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve not been as good as I should be about training other people,â&#x20AC;? Butler allows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sort of doing what I can at this time, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of opportunity for other people to put up boxes and monitor them.â&#x20AC;? For information on how to build and monitor nest boxes, visit the North American Bluebird Society website at nabluebirdsociety.org.

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Butler has been hanging bluebird boxes in trees at Sacramento parks and golf courses for at least a dozen years. For a while, she even banded the fledglings so she could track their progress as they spread out at a rate of about 3 miles a year, turning up in one park after another.

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