Inside Pocket July 2023

320 Outrigger Way - $675,000

QUIET STREET ONE BLOCK FROM DIDON 4 bed 2½ bath. Floor to ceiling living room windows let the light in. Family room with fireplace and access to lush backyard.

JOSEPH OLSON 916-835-2968 DRE-0283344

10 Swan River Court - $1,100,000

RARE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN AN AMAZING HOME 5 bed 3½ bath with huge yard and pool/spa and fountain, next to walking and biking path. Remodeled in 2010 and much more!

MONA GERGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

9 Silmark Court - $699,000

QUIET POCKET CUL-DE-SAC 4 bed 2½ bath with, living and family rooms plus formal dining room, newer roof and HVAC. Backyard fountain, gazebo and raised beds.

PAULA LOPEZ 916-719-9210 DRE-01874668

4220 F Street - $649,000

TURNKEY EAST SACRAMENTO HOME 3 bed, 2 bath ranch style features a happy chef’s kitchen, dual pane windows & 2018-HVAC. Private owners’ suite with roomy bathroom

STEPH BAKER 916-775-3447 DRE-01402254

3562 D Street - $650,000

REMODELED EAST SACRAMENTO HOME 2 bed 1½ bath with engineered hard wood floors, open kitchen with island, quartz counters, dual pane windows, tankless water heater.

NATHAN SHERMAN 916-969-7379 DRE-01875980

3517 – 19th Avenue - $393,000

VINTAGE CHARM IN 1930’’s COTTAGE. 3 bed 1½ bath with whimsical drought tolerant landscaping. Coved ceilings, wood floors with inlays, updated kitchen, vintage tiled bath

STEPHANIE FERRIS 916-402-9213 DRE-02016586

2779 Muir Way Duplex - $559,000

CHARMING CORNER DUPLEX PROPERTY. 1 bed 1 bath single story units with shared backyard space, a perfect opportunity for owner occupant or investor. Great location

STEPHANIE GALLAGHER 916-342-2288 DRE-01705253

FANTASTIC LAND PARK CORNER 4 bed 2½ bath Beautifully maintained with remodeled kitchen with granite counters. Spacious primary bed and bath upstairs is a private retreat PAULA SWAYNE 916-425-9715 DRE-01188158

Land Park (916) 454-5753

DRE#00707598

2769 Harkness Street - $1,100,000

RE01874668

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JUDY LEW LOOSE

Judy Lew Loose’s unique style is a pointillism technique in watercolors blending layers of dots to create soft, yet powerful colors. Her passion is to heal and connect with people through her art. “Every dot paints a tear and happy dots heal the soul,” Loose says. Shown: “Growing Almond Joy,” watercolor on aqua board, 36 inches by 24 inches. The original is available for sale. “This incredible almond orchard, with bursting blossoms and silky petals. I captured this moment in time with quiet bursts forming eloquent shapes that are small and mighty.” Visit lewloose.com.

Artificial Intelligence is going to affect us all, sooner than we think, and not for the best. The World Economic Forum predicts 20% of all jobs will be negatively impacted in the next five years.

Many companies welcome AI. They want to employ fewer people. If AI programs handle the work, organizations don’t have to pay salaries or benefits, just maintenance costs. Robots won’t file workplace lawsuits.

I was curious about AI, so I downloaded a free app called Alfred. A few months ago, I wrote a column on the city’s ban of gas service to homes. Since I was biased against the ban, I asked Alfred to write up the best pro and con arguments on home gas service.

The results were near perfect. Factual, balanced and well written. In this case, AI functioned as a super search engine and a solid writer. I was impressed.

Next, I asked Alfred to evaluate how Mayor Darrell Steinberg was doing in

Be Afraid

WE’RE NOT READY FOR THE DANGERS OF AI

By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk

his struggle to reduce homelessness in Sacramento. Alfred flunked the test.

The AI report could have been copied from Steinberg’s website and regurgitated by his communications staff. It stated unequivocally that homelessness had been significantly reduced in Steinberg’s six years as mayor.

Of course, the opposite is true. While Alfred latched onto nonfactual information, my new reporter missed in-depth coverage Inside Sacramento produced over the last five years. When I asked about Inside’s coverage of the mayor, Alfred meekly referred me to our website.

Education is already impacted by AI. At high school and college levels, teachers use AI software to verify if papers were written by AI or students. A professor friend told me software showed 100% of his students used AI on a final exam.

Millions of students use Khan Academy’s online learning videos and problem sets to supplement schoolwork. Academy founder Sal Kahn says he’s working with Open AI’s ChatGBT to use AI to create an educational tablet that can be adaptive, intuitive and selfpaced.

This is terrific news for students without access to in-school learning. But didn’t we learn during the pandemic how children were negatively impacted by not physically attending school?

AI is poised to disrupt medicine. Most of us already use the internet to try to diagnose what ails us. We’re often

wrong. Will physicians be replaced by AI? Who will address a patient’s fears, questions and feelings? Digital doctors?

Chain stores already use AI robots to replace employees. Will local retailers follow, or will they hopefully see their advantage as being our last daily human connection?

State and local governments usually react slower to change than for-profit companies. Will a government town such as Sacramento take longer to feel the impact?

Despite Alfred’s failure, Inside Sacramento could use AI to write stories. But I can guarantee AI will never match the human touch and wisdom displayed by our writers.

I know readers always appreciate delivery of a traditional publication that can be consumed slowly and thoughtfully—the opposite of fast, shallow and often inaccurate information provided by social media.

As I observe my small, experienced staff work together on the next edition, it seems impossible AI could reproduce the hundreds of unique, personal and human interactions necessary to bring you Inside.

Tech leaders are scrambling for answers. Elon Musk and other tech

Inside

pioneers want a worldwide pause on AI development so we can assess the longterm implications. I’m in their camp.

Here’s my prediction: At a time when human interactions are in decline and our country is bitterly divided, AI will deepen the problems. Megacompanies will generate even greater profits. Tremendous job losses will dramatically expand the American welfare state.

Tech angst is generational. Older folks barely understand AI and can’t imagine a world run by bots. As for young people, AI may help them with homework, but will it leave them without the job they studied for and worked to secure?

No, I’m not going to ask Alfred. Readers ask how they can contribute to Inside Sacramento. Here’s how. Visit insidesacramento.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Also consider a paid membership starting at $19.95 a year. Every little bit helps us serve our community.

Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Sacramento could use AI to write stories. But I can guarantee AI will never match the human touch and wisdom displayed by our writers.

Aces High

POCKET SOFTBALL TEAM BUILDS WINNING HABITS

The Pocket Aces under-12-agegroup softball team has a busy summer schedule. The girls spend weekdays practicing. On weekends they compete in tournaments. True to their name, the girls ace most opponents.

The team ended last season with a 62–11 record. Coach Dan Del Mazzio says the Aces are on pace this year to improve their record.

The Pocket Aces are part of the USA Softball Select Program. The season runs January to July. League play takes place via tournaments, with the goal to reach the Western Nationals.

C M CM

By Corky Mau Pocket Life

Three competitive softball teams represent Pocket—under 10, under 12 and under 14. This year, all are doing well, but the under 12 squad is exceptional. Several teammates have played together for more than five years.

“These girls have the full package of skills, from strong pitching and hitting, to sharp defense and base speed,” Del Mazzio says.

The Aces won every tournament this year. In April, they moved up against older teams and took top honors in the under 14 USA Softball Tournament in Woodland.

Power hitter Jeneyse Morales has played softball for seven years. She’s a seventh grader at California Middle School and on the Ace’s leadership council. She says, “There’s four girls on the council. Our coaches work on our game skills. The council helps players deal with the ups and downs of the game. We’re like peer mentors.”

The USA Western National Championships run July 24–30 at Maidu Regional Park in Roseville.

JULY 4TH PARADE

Pack sun hats and lawn chairs for the July 4th Pocket Parade. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Windbridge Drive

and South Land Park Drive. The route travels down Windbridge and ends at Garcia Bend Park.

Post-parade entertainment moves to Promenade shopping center on Windbridge this year. The parade is sponsored by District 7 City Council Member Rick Jennings and local civic groups.

MAKE A SPLASH

Congratulations to the junior class at Pocket’s School of Engineering and Sciences. The school’s custom-built solar-powered canoe made a big splash at the recent SMUD Solar Regatta.

Regatta competition is open to high schools and colleges. Working in teams, students design, build and race solarpowered boats. Schools score points for speed, maneuverability, design and other categories. Students gain handson experience in renewable energy and engineering.

Eleven high schools entered the competition. Engineering and Sciences won several categories and was named High School Cup Winner. The students walked away with $2,000 and a giant trophy.

“We’ve entered every year. It’s exciting our students finally got their first cup win,” says Will Cannedy, history teacher and a project adviser. “The judges gave SES high points for our boat design. We were the only school to build a boat from scratch, not from a kit.”

Kudos also go to teachers Ken Davis (engineering) and Stacie Go (English and 11th grade lead) for mentoring the students.

Pocket Aces softball champions

JAZZ IN JULY

Councilmember Jennngs sponsors Jazz in July concerts at local parks. Bring lawn chairs and enjoy a picnic dinner. Events run 5–8 p.m., unless indicated. The schedule: July 7, Joe Mazzaferro Band at Marriott Park; July 14, Jeff Minnieweather Trio at William Land Park; July 21, Vivian Lee Band at Garcia Bend Park; July 28, Virginia Ayers Dawson and Ayer Play at Belle Cooledge Park; July 30, Music in the Park at Curtis Park (6-8 p.m.)

HOT ROD THURSDAYS

Walk among vintage cars and hot rods on Thursdays, July 6 and July 20, from 4–8 p.m. at Promenade shopping center on Windbridge Drive.

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

away in the popular Pocket Neighborhood is a modern sanctuary minutes from downtown, built by Sacramento architect Bruce Unger. River breezes and sunset views will become your way of life here on Country River Way. The main living space offers panoramic views of the river and beyond and is easily accessible via the elevator.

Offensive Fences

WHAT ARE STATE OFFICIALS THINKING WITH NEW GATES?

Temporary chain-link fences showed up overnight. Stretched across the Sacramento River levee, blocking the gravel path, disheveled and lurching like drunks after a party. One fence ran into the water, breaking federal and state laws.

Somehow, the fences were approved by state officials from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board.

In May, a staff member at Central Valley Flood issued temporary permits for two private, cross-levee fences and gates in Pocket. The new barricades went up fast.

They were erected by property owners near the river, the small, loud group that spent years fighting to keep the public away from the levee.

The question is why this happened.

For nearly a decade, Central Valley Flood Protection Board members

indicated they would remove nine fences that blocked the levee since the 1970s. Central Valley Flood owns the levees and controls activities there.

Fence removals started in 2019, when Army Corps of Engineers contractors began the levee reconstruction project.

The public cheered when the fences fell. Levee access became a reality. The east bank of the Sacramento River is a beautiful natural resource. It belongs to everyone, not a handful of homesteaders who happen to live nearby.

Also cheering was the California Department of Water Resources. The agency opposes private gates and fences across the levee. Barricades hinder maintenance and flood-fighting capabilities.

The city of Sacramento wanted the fences gone. In 1975, city officials promised the community a parkway and bike path along the levee from Miller Park to Freeport. Engineering work for the trail is finally underway.

No public agency supports private fences across the levee. The public despises them. Yet here we are with two new haphazard, dangerous fences.

By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

Jim Geary, a lawyer who has worked decades to get the river parkway built, drove to Central Valley Flood headquarters on El Camino Avenue when he saw the new barricades. He met an engineer named Karina Castro,

who told him she approved the two temporary fence permits.

According to Geary, Castro didn’t seem to think the fences were a big deal. They were similar to fences installed by Army Corps contractors to stop people from wandering into levee construction sites. And they were just temporary.

If Castro was familiar with the long, contentious battle over public access, she didn’t show it.

I called and emailed Castro to ask why she issued the permits. She ignored my requests. I called Steve Lamb, Central Valley Flood permitting section chief. He said he was “aware of the situation,” but insisted he wasn’t involved with the temporary permits. “I’ve been here long enough to know when to stay out of things,” he said.

Lamb told me to call Selva Selvamohan, levees section chief for Central Valley Flood. Selvamohan refused to speak to me, ignored an interview request, and told me through email to file a public records request. I filed the request. So far, nothing.

I called Ryan Jones, board clerk for Central Valley Flood, and Chris Lief, Central Valley Flood executive officer. I asked Lief for an interview. Neither Jones nor Lief responded.

A week later, Lief finally sent an email. Here’s a summary:

Central Valley Flood considers temporary fences “minor alterations.”

Property owners near the river complained about trespassers after fences were removed for levee repairs. They want to rebuild the fences to keep the public out. Applications for new permanent fences will go before the Central Valley Flood board soon (Lief doesn’t say when). The public can provide input.

Lief’s email left me with two conclusions.

First, Lief and his staff either ignored or reversed Central Valley Flood policy established in November 2020, when board members said private levee fences were relics of the past and wouldn’t be replaced.

Second, Lief and his staff are oblivious or indifferent to the struggle for public access to the levee parkway. State flood officials created the problem five decades ago when they allowed private fences to block the levee. Back then, authorities listened to a small, loud group of homesteaders and ignored the public’s interest.

Here we are again. The modern solution is easy. Two words. Permit denied.

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

One of two new temporary levee fences in Pocket.

Sacramento County honors 18 citizens with 5 Over 50 Award.

Bloom Where Planted

COUNTY HONORS VOLUNTEERS WHO SHARE THEIR WISDOM WITH THE COMMUNITY

Sacramento County honored 18 citizens with its 5 Over 50 Award, recognizing volunteers over the age of 50. The county’s Adult and Aging Commission presented the awards at a Board of Supervisors meeting.

“When you get to retirement age, what’s the purpose in life? To sit around the house all day? No,” award recipient and Kiwanis Club member John Seigal says. “Choose to volunteer, do what you want to do and bloom where you’re planted. Find out about all of the new things happening. Share your wisdom now that you are older.”

Other award recipients are Howard Hatch, Marilyn Lewis, Ed Stone, Daniel Aderholt, Mark Baker, Mark Harrington, Dr. Ali Tucker Lichtenstein, Jayasri Mechineni, Nancy

J L JL

By Jessica Laskey Out & About

Woo, Sharon Ruffner, Carol Stirnaman, Maggie Roehm, Jeanmarie Willbee, Corecia Davis, Wayne Harmer, David Ishikawa and Teresa Kahl.

Organizations benefiting from the awardees’ volunteerism are Elk Grove Food Bank, California State Railroad Museum, Sacramento History Museum, Neighborhood Watch, Rebuilding Together Sacramento and Happy Tails Pet Sanctuary, among others.

JUSTICE FOR NEIGHBORS

The City Council approved more than $500,000 for the Justice for Neighbors Emergency Home Repair Program. The program provides grants to help income-eligible households with home repairs, with assistance from Habitat for Humanity. Eligible households may qualify for up to $15,000.

“Substandard and dangerous housing presents a serious and present threat to the health and safety of our residents and community in the city of Sacramento,” says Code and Housing Enforcement Chief Peter Lemos. “This program can help provide the resources to make the needed repairs and keep people in their homes.”

For information, visit cityofsacramento.org/cityattorney/ justice-for-neighbors.

SAC STATE PRESIDENT

Sacramento State alumnus J. Luke Wood has been named the university’s new president. He takes over July 16 upon the retirement of Robert S. Nelsen.

Wood will be Sac State’s ninth president since its founding in 1947. He formerly served as vice president for student affairs and campus diversity at San Diego State University and earned his bachelor’s and first master’s degrees from Sac State. He earned a master’s of education and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Arizona State.

FISH HABITAT

The public is invited to learn about a new project to enhance crucial fish habitat in the Lower American River during a virtual information session Wednesday, July 12, at 6 p.m.

The Ancil Hoffman area at the Upper River Bend of the American River is important to the survival

of native fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. A 2021 habitat enhancement near the Effie Yeaw Nature Center produced a noticeable surge in redds (underwater “nests” created by female salmon to lay their eggs).

The 2023 project takes place between August and October, and will see the construction of nearly 5 acres of spawning habitat and 6 acres of rearing habitat. After construction, more than 3 acres of enhanced riparian landscape will be created by planting or seeding the project area with willows, native flowers and grasses.

To register for the information session, visit waterforum.org/ habitat2023.

BABY ORANGUTAN

A critically endangered Sumatran orangutan has been born at the Sacramento Zoo—the first orangutan born locally since 1981.

Indah, the zoo’s 19-year-old Sumatran orangutan, gave birth to a healthy male May 1. With only 79 Sumatran orangutans in human care in the United States and populations of wild orangutans rapidly declining,

every birth is a monumental success for the species.

The infant and mother will remain behind the scenes until they’re ready to make their public debut. For information, visit saczoo.org.

ANNA JUDAH ART

The California State Railroad Museum launched a new two-year exhibit, “Painting A Legacy: The Search for Anna Judah.”

The exhibit showcases four paintings Anna Judah made during her time accompanying husband Theodore D. Judah as he surveyed for the Transcontinental Railroad, plus enlargements of her flower pressings, and photographs and images from Anna’s life.

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for youth (ages 6 to 17) and free for children 5 and younger. For information, visit californiarailroad. museum.

BLUE STAR MUSEUMS

Six local museums are Blue Star Museums offering free admission to active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve, through Labor Day, Sept. 4.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America.

blown away by these talented young performers,” says Ben McClara, founder and artistic director of SPMA and The Beatles Guitar Project.

Sac Prep Music Academy is a community-based music education program. For information, visit sacprepmusic.com.

BIKE/SCOOT 101

If you’re interested in taking more trips by bike or scooter in Sacramento, the city’s transportation planning staff is offering Urban Bicycling and Scooting 101, a monthly virtual class full of tips to improve your rides.

Learn about bicycling and scooting laws, riding on the street, traveling through intersections, avoiding crashes and how to enjoy the ride.

plan also offers a framework to guide Sacramento’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

“We hope the community will take this opportunity to review and comment on these plans, as their input is important for Sacramento’s future,” Senior Planner Remi Mendoza says.

The self-guided workshop is open through August. Check it out at sac2040gpu.org.

CLTRE CLUB

Unseen Heroes has launched a new incubator initiative, CLTRE Club, in partnership with Capital Area Development Authority to provide affordable retail space, training and support to up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

Participating are Aerospace Museum of California, California Automobile Museum, California Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Fairytale Town and Sacramento History Museum.

Qualified members must show an ID card for complimentary entrance. For information, visit arts.gov/initiatives/ blue-star-museums and sacmuseums. org.

CROCKER SUMMER

Crocker Art Museum is chockablock with fun activities this summer.

Check out ArtMix every second Thursday from 6–9 p.m. The familyfriendly evenings include live performances, music, artmaking, drinks, art and more.

Jazz Night at the Crocker is every fourth Thursday at 7 p.m. through August in the E. Kendall Davis Courtyard. The night explores the concept of reproductions in music inspired by the exhibition “Estampas de La Raza: Contemporary Prints from the Romo Collection and Royal Chicano Air Force.”

For information, visit crockerart.org.

MARKET MUSIC

Talented young musicians from Sac Prep Music Academy perform at Midtown Farmers Market every Saturday this summer. Repertoire includes Beatles music, jazz standards and other favorites.

“These students have worked really hard at perfecting their music and we think people are going to be

All classes are held over Zoom. Register online at cityofsacramento.org and search for “Urban-Bicycling-Class.” For information, email walkbike@ cityofsacramento.org.

SACRAMENTO 2040

The city of Sacramento wants comments via an online workshop on the draft blueprint for how and where the city will grow over the next 20 years. “Sacramento 2040”

The first cohort of diverse local vendors includes Pony (vintage fashion and accessories), Love School (personal growth and healing), Pila Kava (health and wellness beverages), The Savage Hand (handmade fiber arts), Black Coffee Roastery (artisanal coffee) and LINGERS Candles (all-natural candles).

Limited space is still available in the first cohort. For information, visit cltre. org.

J. Luke Wood is new Sac State president.

Christine Pifer-Foote with the California State Railroad Museum holds an Anna Judah painting, part of “Painting A Legacy” exhibit.

Photo courtesy of California State Railroad Museum Foundation

Neighborhood pools cost $2 per child and $4 per adult, and are open with varying hours and days through mid-August. Swim Safe Scholarships are available to provide free aquatics programs to youth and families demonstrating financial need. For information, visit cityofsacramento.org/ aquatics.

The city offers various aquatics programs such as swim lessons, swim team, aquacise, recreational and lap swimming. The Summer Reading partnership with the Sacramento Public Library offers youth free swim passes and swim lessons by reading books through their local library. For information, visit saclibrary.org/event/ special-events/summer-reading.

CALL FOR COOKBOOK

The Sacramento Fine Arts Center seeks submissions for a community art cookbook it will self-publish thanks to a Sacramento County Transient Occupancy Tax grant.

CHILDREN’S CONGRESS

Arden Park 7-year-old Frankie Porrino travels to Washington, D.C., this month with a delegation of her peers as part of the JDRF 2023 Children’s Congress.

Porrino and more than 160 other young people from across the country will meet with members of Congress to advocate for their support of type 1 diabetes research and insulin affordability. Children’s Congress members attend a senate hearing to share personal testimonies that highlight the challenges of living with T1D.

An avid swimmer, snow skier, piano player and animal lover, Porrino was diagnosed with T1D at age 5 and she’s made it her mission to advocate for others who also deal with the disease. For information, visit cc.jdrf.org.

INCLUSIVE PLAY

Southside Park and the city’s Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment team up to offer inclusive playdates for kids of all abilities at Universal Universe, Southside Park’s fully accessible playground.

Play dates are July 15, Aug. 19, Sept. 23 and Oct. 21 from 10 a.m. to noon. Southside Park is at 2115 6th St. Register at cityofsacramento.org/ parksandrec.

WATER DISTRICTS

Carmichael Water District and Sacramento Suburban Water District are exploring the potential to combine the two neighbor water utilities to reduce costs, improve water-supply reliability and enhance customer service.

CWD and SSWD boards commissioned a study by an independent consulting firm to provide a look at potential benefits and disadvantages of combining forces. Discussions and additional technical analysis are ongoing.

The public is invited to provide input at upcoming public workshops. For information, visit carmichaelwd.org and sswd.org.

TANABATA FILM

If you missed Sensory Friendly Dance’s world premiere of “Tanabata: The Story of Orihime and Hikoboshi” at the B Street Theatre last month, don’t fret. A film will be available on the Sensory Dance website July 7.

Based on a centuries-old Japanese tale, the inclusive and engaging ballet was designed for all audiences, including the neurodiverse community. The dance was choreographed by Sacramento Ballet dancer Kaori Higashiyama in collaboration with local artist Emi Mizuno.

“Tanabata” tells the story of two star-crossed lovers who, after a series

of misfortunes, are forbidden to meet except once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. In Japan, this story is celebrated with Tanabata, the Star Festival, where people gather to wish for clear skies, star gaze and write their personal wishes on colorful paper to hang on bamboo wishing trees.

To view the film, visit sensoryfriendlydance.org.

SUMMER SWIMMING

Ready to splish-splash the summer away? The city’s Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment has 16 facilities open across the area.

The cookbook will include recipes and artwork celebrating Sacramento’s rich culture. Artwork can feature food, dishes, meals, table settings, still-lifes, kitchens, restaurants, farms and more.

Recipes may fit into multiple categories, including appetizers, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unique, one-of-a-kind recipes are encouraged.

Submission is free and open to all residents of the greater Sacramento area. Deadline to submit is July 22. To submit and for information, visit sacfinearts.org/cookbook.

Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Young musicians from Sac Prep Music Academy perform at Midtown Farmers Market every Saturday.

Jazz Night at Crocker Art Museum is every fourth Thursday through August.

Water Wizards

EAST SAC COUPLE BRING CLEAN DRINKING WATER TO KENYA

Acardboard box can save lives. Don’t believe me? Ask Robert Metcalf, professor emeritus of biological sciences at Sacramento State and co-founder of International Water and Health Alliances.

With his wife, Mary Beth, a retired physician, Metcalf helps raise funds to support an organization called Friends of the Old, or FOTO, a community group in Lower Nyakach, Kenya.

The program provides reading glasses for elderly people, seeds for the neediest households, education for girls and, perhaps most importantly, watertreatment supplies.

“The main goal of FOTO is to eliminate waterborne diseases in Lower Nyakach and to be an example of what can be accomplished by a communitybased organization—at low cost—to improve community health,” Metcalf says.

zero. The FOTO strategy could be replicated in millions of villages in low-income countries to eliminate the scourge of waterborne diseases.”

Once water is tested with the portable lab and bacteria is found, the question of disinfection becomes paramount. Enter one of Metcalf’s other specialties: solar box cooking.

“I was the first person in Sacramento to get a box cooker,” says Metcalf, who pegs the first day he used one to June 20, 1978—his son’s second birthday. Metcalf has solar cooked more than 6,000 meals in 20 foreign countries. He co-founded Solar Cookers International in 1987.

“There are 3 billion people around the world who have sunshine, as we do, but think they need to have a fire for cooking,” he says. “It’s so exciting to show people that you can put food in a solar cooker and a couple hours later, you lift up the lid, steam comes out and it’s cooked!”

Solar cookers are important in the fight against contaminated water. In a CooKit, Metcalf’s preferred model for its simple design and ease of use, reflective panels concentrate the sun’s rays onto a pot inside a plastic bag in the center of the cooker. Amplified rays create enough heat to cook food or pasteurize water.

“You don’t actually have to boil water to make it safe,” Metcalf says. “Solar water pasteurization occurs at 65 degrees Celsius, or 149 Fahrenheit. That’s hot! Within three seconds, 90% of the bacteria has been killed.”

By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Profile

Where does the cardboard box come in? Metcalf has developed a portable microbiology laboratory containing water-testing supplies and instructions that allow nearly anyone to test water in rivers, streams, ponds and shallow wells for E. coli, the bacteria that causes diarrhea. The lab arrives in an easy-to-handle cardboard box.

“Safe drinking water is a basic human right,” says the microbiologist and longtime East Sac resident. Yet more than 2 billion people across the globe lack safe drinking water. The World Health Organization estimates 829,000 people die annually from diarrhea as a result of unsafe drinking water, hand hygiene and sanitation.

With the support and knowledge of Metcalf and International Water and Health Alliances, FOTO has brought portable labs and low-cost water-treatment options to thousands of people across 13 locations in Lower Nyakach.

“There are now 70,000 people in Lower Nyakach who are no longer having waterborne disease despite having highly contaminated drinking sources,” Metcalf says. “The goal is

Metcalf brought solar water pasteurization to Djibouti and Sierra Leone in the 1980s. When he connected with the FOTO project in Kenya in the early 2000s, liquid chlorine was added as yet another way to make water safe. Now Metcalf’s International Water and Health Alliances helps FOTO buy and distribute more than 9,300 bottles of liquid chlorine each month to households and schools.

“Mary Beth and I fund the FOTO project as an example,” Metcalf says. “You don’t have to get a grant or have a lot of money to actually connect with people and empower a community.”

For information, visit waterinternational.org and imageevent. com/bobmetcalf.

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

Robert Metcalf with a water testing kit used in Kenya

Photo by Linda Smolek

READERS NEAR & FAR

1. Marlene Tobia's continental landing at Neko Harbour, Antarctica.

2. Mary Ragusa and Tom Nardinelli in Pisa, Italy.

3. Nancy Bothwell in Toledo, Spain.

4. Lorena Spiller, Sue Karacozoff, Julie Law and Carol Dreyer at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.

Room At The Inn

COUNTY CONVERTS MOTELS FOR HOMELESS HOUSING

In 2020, after struggling five years to secure financing, Sacramento County finally converted the former Courtyard Inn Motel in North Highlands to homeless housing. Today two new motel conversion projects targeted by the Board of Supervisors are expected to proceed at warp speed. What changed?

California’s Homekey program. It provides funds to local governments to convert non-residential structures into homeless housing, which didn’t exist before 2020.

County staff is optimistic about the state funding application. If successful,

the money requires completion of the conversion work within 12 months.

The county teamed with two experienced affordable housing developers to rehab the Arden Star Motel on Howe Avenue in Arden Arcade and Super 8 Motel on Madison Avenue in Foothill Farms.

The converted units will have individual bathrooms and kitchenettes along with 24-hour management and social services that include life skills, training and counseling. Other amenities are laundry facilities, a community room, outdoor area and pet area. The properties will be fenced and secured.

Danco Communities will oversee the conversion of the Super 8 project into 118 affordable units with one manager unit. This project tops $34 million, with $17 million from the state. Lutheran Social Services of Northern California will assist the residents.

allocated 30 units. Another 15 units will be for referrals by the County’s Adult Protective Services Program.

By Howard Schmidt Inside The County

The John Stewart Company will convert the 128-room Arden site into 71 studios and 52 one-bedroom units, plus two manager units. The price tag will exceed $40 million with $20 million from the state. HOPE Cooperative, formerly known as Transitional Living and Community Support, will handle services.

The earlier Courtyard Inn project may be an indicator of what to expect for the Super 8 site. Prior to conversion, the North Highlands motel was a magnet for crime, generating 500 calls yearly for the sheriff. Supervisor Susan Peters, a key player in getting Mercy Housing to convert the motel, said when you drove by the location prior to rehab “there was always a sheriff’s deputy car.”

Supervisor Rich Desmond, who succeeded Peters, says the Super 8 location has been a “source of law enforcement issues.” That conversion should improve the area.

The Arden project is for seniors age 55 and up, with emphasis on age 62 and older. Clients eligible under the Mental Health Services Act will be

The Foothill Farms location is targeted for households earning 30% or less than the area median income. Fifteen units will serve people receiving mental health services.

Desmond describes the projects as “heading in the right direction” and predicts county residents will “see improvements.”

When county supervisors gave the greenlight to apply for the state funding, Supervisor Patrick Kennedy cautioned it’s “not a cheap program.”

Howard Schmidt worked on the federal, state and local levels of government, including 16 years for Sacramento County. He can be reached at howardschmidt218@aol. com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Crisis Inter vention Intervention

Substance-use disorders and mental illness are big contributors to homelessness. And our region lacks enough programs to address this problem.

Easy availability of street methamphetamines makes everything worse. Seeking solutions, I worked with WellSpace Health and Sacramento Police in 2019 to create the Substance Use Respite and Engagement center. It’s where people in substance or psychiatric crises can receive help and a ‘front porch’ to recovery-oriented services.

The project is a winner. Hundreds of substance abusers improved their lives thanks to the center. It’s the first behavioral health program where the city and county coinvested. WellSpace enthusiastically expanded the program. Now it’s

FINALLY, A WELLNESS CAMPUS NEARS REALITY

called the Crisis Receiving for Behavioral Health center.

WellSpace Health CEO Jonathan Porteus says, “The CRBH, which we affectionately refer to as ‘crib,’ set the stage for a remarkable partnership between the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County.

“The center solved for issues related both to acute psychiatric crises as well as acute intoxication, which frequently occur together or are often confused for one another. The center became an alternative destination to emergency departments or the jail and generates momentum toward many other services along the region’s behavioral health treatment continuum.”

He continues, “Most importantly, the center creates 24/7 safe and fast access to support without encumbering personnel and systems that aren’t designed for this, and an opportunity for personal empowerment and self-efficacy by helping them to work through a crisis and access care, rather than be helplessly passed along a conveyor belt of involuntary services with poor outcomes.”

JHBy Jeff Harris City Realist

WellSpace acquired property on Stockton Boulevard to create a Wellness Campus. Amid an

array of outpatient dental, health and behavioral health services, a new crisis receiving center and crisis communications center will transform the way the community addresses addiction and behavioral health problems among homeless and housed residents.

The campus, built as a commercial retail center, has 70,000 square feet of space on 13 acres. With a holistic perspective on care, WellSpace has created a remarkable opportunity to deal with a basic cause of homelessness alongside many health solutions that address various determinants of health. The city and county are co-investors in the property purchase.

The Wellness Campus will include:

• Federally Qualified Health Center (medical and dental services for all ages)

• Senior center with integrated living

• 988 suicide and mental health crisis hotline communications center with intake referrals

• Certified Community Behavioral Health Center

• Residential rehabilitation

• Care transitions with job training

• Demonstration kitchen

Reconstruction and new building will take about eight years. Costs may reach $120 million. But the dental, communications and crisis receiving areas could be open next year.

The vision for Wellness Campus is to create capacity to treat a continuum of health issues on one campus, compensating for many insufficient programs for underserved people. Subsequent construction is meant to address major treatment access limitations for neighboring communities and the region at large. I’m sure the facility will become a model for many municipalities. The communications center is already receiving statewide attention. WellSpace Health’s Wellness Campus will make a dramatic change in holistic care, including the behavioral health issues that lead to crime and homelessness. It will be a place where people can rebuild their lives.

Jeff Harris represented District 3 on the City Council from 2014 to 2022. He can be reached at cadence@mycci.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Tiny Timid

STEINBERG’S LEGACY TARNISHED BY REFUSAL TO THINK BIG

Darrell Steinberg is a timid politician, and timid people should never be mayor. Timidity was the hallmark of his political career. It sustained him for three decades before it finally, inevitably ruined him.

The pattern began in 1992. He entered politics as a City Council

candidate to replace Kim Mueller when she moved to the federal judiciary. Steinberg won easily. He secured valuable support months before Election Day. He campaigned against a weak field populated by unknowns and has-beens. The race was over before it started.

Conflict avoidance became the Steinberg Method, and it worked. He evaluated risks, calculated odds, moved only when victory seemed certain. Threats were identified, reduced and mitigated. The pattern carried him from City Council to the state Assembly and Senate and back to City Hall as mayor.

By R.E. Graswich City Beat

RGPotential fights were recognized early, dispatched in negotiations with Democratic Party leaders and labor union bosses. Endorsements were

granted, campaign dollars promised. Only then would Steinberg step into the open, after the outcome was fixed.

The strategy of pre-empting challenges and ducking fights began to crack three years ago. Community unrest after George Floyd’s murder ignited economically devastating riots. Dozens of businesses were smashed and looted.

The timid mayor was not prepared. Broken shop windows on J Street didn’t negotiate.

The city was desperate for leadership. Steinberg froze, paralyzed by timidness. He sympathized with aggrieved protesters. He felt sorry for victimized merchants. He didn’t want to offend anybody. When he finally sought help from Gov. Gavin Newsom, it was too late.

From that moment, the mayor’s political trajectory tanked. He dreamed of being appointed State Attorney General, but discussions with the governor’s office went nowhere. His fallback position—an appellate court appointment— evaporated when he made remarks about holding out for something better.

The sudden inability to cut deals for himself left Steinberg foundering, breaking apart on the rocks of political irrelevance.

He decided he hated being mayor. Then, realizing there was no next office to provide the power he craved, he reversed and considered running for a third term. But this time he encountered a new, unfamiliar

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

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challenge. He found a fight he couldn’t fix.

In seeking a third term, Steinberg would not campaign against upstarts, nobodies and has-beens. He would face experienced politicians who knew how to punch.

Younger elected officials such as Assemblymember Kevin McCarty and former state Senator Dr. Richard Pan were interested in becoming mayor. They refused to stand down and clear the field for Steinberg. They wouldn’t negotiate.

Their presence meant a competitive race and possible—let’s call it probable—defeat. Which meant exposure as a loser at age 65. For a timid politician, the choice was obvious. Best to spend time with the family.

Timidity ruined Steinberg’s chances for a mayoral legacy. He

arrived in office amid a crisis. Homelessness spread across the city, from hobo camps near the American River to X Street and Land Park and Alhambra Boulevard.

Steinberg saw opportunity in the homeless crisis. He campaigned in 2016 as the only candidate qualified to manage and resolve the problem. He promised to deploy his legislative experience and state Capitol connections to secure money for vagrant housing and mental health programs. Voters believed him.

Sacramento had about 2,700 homeless people when Steinberg became mayor. Today the number probably exceeds 10,000. The scourge of homelessness draws global attention to the city. It’s a shameful portrait owned by Steinberg.

The mayor likes to recite statistics about people housed under his

guidance. The numbers are anemic. His grand plan involved building modest neighborhood facilities in eight City Council districts. The grand plan failed. The crisis rages. Other cities tackle homelessness with comprehensive, full-service campuses and coordinated, accountable programs. Steinberg plays it small and timid. Minimal accountability, one bed at a time.

Once in the past seven years, Steinberg overcame his timid instincts and tried something big. He resuscitated Kevin Johnson’s failed proposal to junk the diversified City Council system and create a strong mayor.

Voters feared Johnson was powerhungry. With Steinberg, they saw the opposite, a timid politician who couldn’t handle power. They said no.

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

The city was desperate for leadership. Steinberg froze, paralyzed by timidness.

Rooms With View

PARK PROXIMITY INSPIRED THIS RENOVATION

The Reeves family purchased their Carmichael property in 2008. It was a relatively new custom home, but Dr. Aaron Reeves spent a decade renovating the home to suit his family of four. Reeves is a dentist and dental entrepreneur, but his vision and design expertise is on par with many design professionals.

When he was house hunting two decades ago, the late real estate legend Marge Reid suggested he look at the property overlooking Ancil Hoffman Park and Golf Course.

Reeves thought it was too far from town. “She wouldn’t take no for an answer and next thing I knew, we were here,” he says. “I immediately fell in love with the view. She knew better what I wanted than even I did at that point. Her wisdom was much appreciated by a relative youngster like me.”

He continues, “Our family feels very blessed to live in this 4,000-square-foot home. We only added a little of that space, but more importantly we reinvented the interior and exterior spaces. We have four bedrooms, an exercise room, five bathrooms and a couple outdoor showers. It’s primarily a one-story home, but we have a walkout lower level by the pool as the lot slopes down toward the park.”

Reeves started with a quality California Spanish home, cream-colored stucco exteriors and clay tile roofing. “This home could easily fit into Santa Barbara, a style of design that we love,” he says. Bronze-clad window treatments and doors add a classic touch.

By Cecily Hastings

Photography by Aniko Kiezel Open House

But the original layout missed something. It didn’t take advantage of the views. “We opened up the rooms, adding additional windows and openings that made sense,” Reeves says. He installed accordion-style window walls not available when the home was built about 20 years ago.

The family room features a modern cook’s kitchen and island, an open casual dining and family area, and game table. The grand space sits adjacent to a separate dining room for formal entertainment. An office for Aaron is off the kitchen.

The central living room opens from arches in a wide entry hall with clerestory windows. The living space features large-scale furniture and art and accessories detailed with a neutral color palette. “The design serves as background to the views,” Reeves says.

The master suite emphasizes the backyard view and includes soft, neutral colors and textures. The private patio has a hot tub.

Two teenage sons have contemporary-designed bedrooms with space for their sports and special-interest collections. The boys share a “Jack and Jill” bathroom. Part of the front yard became a

walled sports court accessible from the boys’ bedrooms.

The lot runs about three-quarters of an acre, but feels larger since the back spills into the parkway. “I grew up in Pilot Hill and Cool, so my favorite thing about this house is to be able to look out and see the beautiful parkway landscape,” Reeves says. “On a clear day we can see all the way to the Sierras.”

Reeves was assisted by several designers on different phases, but his own instincts were the guiding force. He’s a multitalented, successful businessman but remains kind and humble, and appreciative of what he created for his family.

“My wife, Heather, and I may never have to worry about having an empty nest!” he says.

Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. To recommend a home or garden, contact editor@insidepublications.com. More photography and previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

THE ORIGINAL LAYOUT MISSED SOMETHING. IT DIDN’T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE VIEWS.

TRUE COST OF WAR

The true cost of war is something I learned about while serving as chaplain on death notification teams. We delivered news no one wants to hear.

Movies often depict these teams visiting a three-bedroom house where Mom is making dinner and Dad is helping a younger sibling with homework.

Television dramas cast the teams in a four-man role as they approach the door in dress uniforms, knock, deliver the brief announcement and retreat to a government sedan.

Occasionally, that’s an accurate picture. But that wasn’t my typical

experience in the 30-plus homes I visited before I retired in 2015.

That’s because our service members come from all socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. Nearly each of my visits was different from the last one.

During one appointment, we almost called for police support when an anguished father pummeled the kitchen table so hard I thought we might be his next targets.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to call police that day. But we did call law enforcement for help with an uncooperative landlord. Unbelievably, the man refused to give us the forwarding address for a tenant who lost his daughter on Christmas Eve.

Sometimes we found the home unoccupied. We asked neighbors if they knew the location of the residents. While they answered our questions politely, they sometimes asked if we were recruiters.

By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

Our blank stares gave them the only possible answer. They slapped a hand over their mouth at the unspoken horror of their next guess.

Each family was unique. In one home, I answered insensitive questions

from a soldier’s stepfather about life insurance while his mother bent over sobbing. In a different scenario, I resisted the nausea I felt from a cat hoarder whose home was covered with feline droppings.

One visit began like a police stakeout. We hoped for the parents to return before our military orders required us to make a midnight retreat. Then, just before midnight, the soldier’s parents returned from a successful bingo game. That’s when they learned they had experienced the loss of a lifetime.

I remember the time I drove six hours to tell a father there would be no miraculous recovery for his son. After nearly a year of praying, the soldier finally died of the brain injury he received in an IED explosion.

Most of all, I think about the children of the fallen. I remember the birthday party we canceled when we told the boy his father drowned. I can’t forget 9-year-old twins who exchanged vacant stares as our team fulfilled its legal requirement to deliver the notification directly to them.

I recall the dark sidewalks our group walked until we were illuminated by porch lights. Often from behind a fluttering curtain in the living room, we’d hear screams that can’t be removed from my memory.

If you’ve not known anyone lost to war, count yourself fortunate.

At Fourth of July parades, if you see old soldiers standing on the sidelines, know they are not blessed with the innocence of ignorance. They know what it’s like to see a comrade fall.

All they ask is that you remember them, sing “God Bless America” and extend a grateful hand.

One more thing. Promise you will never forget the true cost of war.

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

Making Magic

MUSIC SCHOOL IS POSITIVE FORCE FOR YOUNG AND OLD

Music is magic. Just ask the 200 students at Martucci Music.

Gabriella Martucci, founder and owner of the new school near McKinley Park, says, “Students have embarked on a physical and psychological journey that will shape them into whatever they want to be.” Music transforms.

“Music is a positive force for healing,” Martucci says. “It makes us aware of what we are feeling.”

Martucci’s father died when she was 21. She found “the power of music to heal my grief ignited my passion for music.” Since 2013, she has channeled

her passion into helping students grow through music. “Engaging their mindset, their emotions, their thoughts, music develops the whole child,” she avows.

Martucci Music offers classes for three age groups: 0 to 5 years, kindergarten through 12th grade, and adults. Every class is tailored to each student’s age, experience and wishes. Some want to learn to play the ukulele, some to make music with others, some to meet a challenge and some just to have fun.

Half of Martucci Music’s students are children. Half are adults; 11% of those are retirees. “They trustingly put their voice in your hands,” voice teacher Monica Serrano says. It is never too late to make music a part of life.

Martucci Music provides the toys and tools to aid in developing the brain, motor and listening skills, a sense of rhythm, and an awareness of body.

An important influence on child development, “music is multisensory— eyes, ears, touch—addressing the total person,” Martucci says. “Music uses not just the creative right brain, but the left as well. Music is mathematical.”

Ranging from novice to knowledgeable, older students can pursue voice, violin, piano, guitar, ukulele, cello or choir with its social benefits of connecting people. During COVID closings, Zoom sessions allowed people to link from as far away as Idaho and North Carolina.

figuratively crawl before they walk and walk before they run.

To provide musical ownership, Martucci Music believes in empowering students with self-awareness. When asked why she is taking voice as an adult, student Courtney Smith says, “It’s scary to me.” In response, the coach says, “Look at yourself in the mirror. How’s your stance? Tell me what you see. Now try this.” By identifying issues, students can learn how to resolve fear and tension with help from staff.

By LeAne Rutherford Meet Your Neighbor

And it is never too early. The toddler who bounces to “Baby Shark” can become a mini musician exploring music with baby instruments: little drumsticks, tambourines, triangles, maracas and rainbow xylophones.

The school feels purposeful, nurturing and positive. Kids smile. It is a safe place. No scolding. The less threatening, the more learning. Teachers encourage students. In the evolution of learning, students must

Martucci Music’s staff, veritable magicians who can pull shyness out of children, have solid credentials. Brianne Cardona and Vanessa Martucci both have master’s in opera performance from UCLA. Monica Serrano has a bachelor’s in vocal performance from Sac State.

The eight recitals per year promote students’ self-confidence. The more they create and demonstrate new skills, the more self-assured they become.

Cello student Andrew Au with instructor Laura Robb Martin.

Photos by Aniko Kiezel.

Before class, students are asked to describe how confident they are in performing the song they prepared for the day’s lesson. Where did they struggle? Post class, they check themselves again. How do they think they did? Do they see themselves as better? Relying on their own assessment gives them power and confidence.

What leads pupils to Martucci Music school? Often it is because their parents are in the arts. Or sports aren’t a good fit, so they try an alternative. Or parents want their children to have an opportunity they did not have. Often they go to Martucci because

budget cuts in the arts have eliminated music programs in their schools. Vocal student Eliora Hernandez, 9, gives the best reason of all: “It’s fun!”

“If all had music from birth, we would be a different society,” Martucci says.

Martucci Music is at 2830 G St. For more information, visit martuccimusic. com.

LeAne Rutherford can be reached at lrutherf@d.umn.edu. More stories can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Student Samantha Offerman with voice instructor Vanessa Martucci.

Boston STRONG

LOCAL DNA EXPERT CONQUERS LEGENDARY RACE

Ryan Nickel works with scientists who fight crime. He’s a crime-busting scientist himself, an expert in DNA analysis. But there’s a difference. Around the office, Nickel is known as the guy who runs marathons.

“We have a great team, but yeah, they don’t see me as a scientist,” he says. “They see me as a distance runner.”

The label carries an ironic touch. Nickel works for the Sacramento

R G RG

By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority

County district attorney’s crime lab, where the goal is to nail people after they go running.

Earlier this year, crime lab colleagues figured Nickel was into something special. He scheduled vacation days around a four-month training regimen. The lab soon learned Nickel was preparing for the runner’s ultimate dream, the Boston Marathon.

He qualified for this past April’s 127th Boston Marathon by running fast in the California International Marathon. The local event is popular among Boston hopefuls.

A relatively flat track from Folsom Lake to Downtown makes the challenge not easy but conquerable. A 46-year-old male runner such as Nickel must cover 26.2 miles in 3 hours, 20 minutes or better to meet Boston requirements.

Nickel beat the Boston qualifying time in December 2021.

As running careers go, Nickel took his time to reach Boston. He began

running in third grade and joined his high school cross country squad as a Placerville teen. At UC Davis, he made the track team five years straight. He competed in the steeplechase.

“I wasn’t fast enough to be a miler, and the 5k was too far and too painful,” he says.

The words sound facetious from a steeplechaser. Most runners hate the event. It’s the most bizarre test in track. It was designed for horses.

A steeplechase course covers 2 miles. Runners must leap 28 barriers and splash through seven water traps. Unlike hurdle races, steeplechase barriers don’t fall when hit. Runners fall. “Yeah, you do get wet,” Nickel says.

He quit running after college. “I was burned out,” he says. “But somehow, running kept sneaking back into my life.”

Nickel ran six marathons before he reached Boston, including races in San Diego and Chicago. Six is not a big number among Boston veterans. Nickel says he doesn’t “chase marathons much.” He runs because he enjoys it.

His enjoyment was tested this year when he trained for Boston. He built a program with long runs from his East Sacramento home. He maintained his running schedule despite the wet winter.

Running dominated his life. It required patience from his wife and son, age 12. He often returned home after dark, wet and cold from running near the American River.

“I’d much rather run in the rain than against the wind, but I saw

everything this year,” he says. “I love getting out of the cityscape, but training does take over your life.”

When April arrived, he was ready. The family flew to Boston just before the marathon. On race day, drizzle turned to rain. No problem for a guy who trained on soaked levees.

The Boston Marathon starts deceptively. It moves downhill. Other runners took off fast. Nickel held back. “Around 10 miles, almost the halfway point, I was feeling good,” he says.

Things get tough about mile 16, where four hills devour the field. The final climb is Heartbreak Hill, around mile 21. “I was passing people on Heartbreak Hill,” he says.

Then he went to what he calls “the dark place.” He saved one nutrition packet for the final 5 miles. When he reached for his fuel, the packet was gone. “It must have fallen out,” he says. He took a nutrition bar from an aid station. His family waited at mile 26. He ran past them, oblivious. “It was pouring rain, cold, miserable rain. You do a hairpin turn, a right and a left, and you can see the finish coming down Boylston Street,” he says. “The noise from the crowd can lift you up and carry you in.”

His time was 2:58, a terrific performance. He finished in 3,544th place, 253rd in his age group. Maybe fastest ever among crime-fighting DNA experts from Sacramento.

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

Ryan Nickel

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

LOCAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN KEEPS GROWING

We are happy to report that the PLEDGE 100% LOCAL campaign continues to grow and pick up new supporters. We invite other businesses and groups to join the effort. 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.

Photos Courtesy of Cecily Hastings, Lauren Stenvick and Sally Giancanelli

Susan, Owner of Arden Park Florist at 3516C Fair Oaks Blvd.

Steve, Owner of S. Benson & Co. at 5617 H Street

Mary, Manager of Pet Department Store at 4747 J Street

Claire, Manager of World Traveler Coffee Roasters at 1111 24th Street

Dr. Alex Anders, Owner of Performance House at 2381 Fair Oaks Blvd.

Calls For Help

ADVISORY COMMITTEE HEARS ABOUT 311, BUT WILL ANYTHING CHANGE?

The questions were straightforward. Does Front Street Animal Shelter provide policies and protocols to 311 on how to respond to animal-related requests?

How do 311 call agents determine if a situation is serious enough to dispatch an animal control officer?

How does 311 address urgent situations when animal control is days behind responding to requests?

Local animal advocate Julie Virga posed these questions to a city 311 representative at a recent meeting of the Animal Care Services Citizens Advisory Committee. The seven-member panel makes recommendations to the City Council regarding Front Street Animal Shelter.

The questions went unanswered— essentially ignored—by advisory committee Chair Leah Morris and 311 Manager Ivan Castellanos.

Sacramento residents use 311 to request service, report problems or get information on everything from garbage pickup to stray animals. Requests are received via phone, email, web portal and phone app.

City 311 received 493,000 service requests last year. Almost 10 percent were about animals.

patio. “Front Street animal control said they were days behind in responding.”

With recent upgrades, phone calls to 311 now go to a virtual agent, but callers can ask to speak to an agent, Castellanos told the committee. “If the caller says the call is about a sick, injured or aggressive animal, the call is moved to the front of the queue,” skipping a wait time that can be 20 minutes or longer.

Debbie Tillotson visits homeless camps near Highway 160 almost daily. She takes food, water and supplies to camp dogs. She logs every 311 call she makes.

In March, Tillotson called 311 about a camp dog in a cage with no food or water for several days. “People that live in the camps said the dog cries all night long,” Tillotson says.

She gave 311 details on where to find the dog. She logged the reference number and the 311 agent’s name. Two days later, when no animal control officer was dispatched, she called again. “I was told that they had no record of me ever calling. Even with the reference number and the name of the person I spoke to.”

Jace Huggins, Front Street Animal Shelter’s chief animal control officer, reports Front Street has 500 to 600 pending service requests, some dating back months. The shelter logs 50 to 70 requests a day.

By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies

“Public comment periods are not intended to be question-and-answer periods,” says Tim Swanson, the city’s media and communications manager. “Committee members determine what questions they would like to ask a presenter during a discussion item.”

Apparently, no one thought Virga’s questions warranted a response.

Going through 311 is the only way to contact Front Street Animal Shelter, short of visiting the shelter in person. The shelter doesn’t provide a direct line.

“One of the things that comes up often is that every time (people) call 311 they hear a different response,” Virga told the committee. “They may hear, ‘Leave the animal where you found it.’ Or, ‘The shelter isn’t taking any animals.’ Or, ‘The shelter doesn’t take cats or kittens.’”

Virga cited a recent case of a starving dog on an apartment

“The reality is that everybody feels like their call is an emergency,” Huggins says. “We get a lot calls that there is no food, water and shelter and this animal is going to die. People call and tell whatever they can to try to get us to go out there. But with the number of officers that we have, we have other things we have to get to.”

Other things besides a dying dog.

Referring to a recent list of pending requests, Huggins says three are for starving and emaciated animals with no food or water. “We get those calls constantly. We are inundated with people wanting us to come out and handle everything out there that’s related to animals. And it’s physically impossible.”

Front Street accepts animals who are ill or injured, but 311 agents

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are instructed to tell callers to leave stray healthy cats where they are found. “If it is healthy, it is very likely that the cat has an owner or caretaker,” Swanson says.

“Leaving animals on the streets was one of the main complaints,” community member Elyse Mize told Castellanos during the meeting’s public comment period. “If Front Street is not going to accept animals, what else is the 311 operator supposed to say?”

The same is true for unaltered or possibly pregnant felines.

Front Street Manager Phillip Zimmerman calls the shelter a “scary place” where cats can get upper respiratory infections. Animal advocates opposed to Front Street’s policies say cats left on the street face multiple risks, including being hit by cars and multiplying exponentially.

Accepting all stray cats into the shelter and ensuring they are spayed/ neutered are the best ways to combat overpopulation.

Committee Chair Morris asked Castellanos about a “dedicated agent”

CUCUMBERS Monthly Market

This low-calorie vegetable has a surprisingly high amount of vitamin K. The peel is a great source of dietary fiber.

To eat: Peel and seed, then chop coarsely and combine with yogurt, garlic and lemon juice to make the zingy Greek dip known as tzatziki.

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

model, where 311 agents specialize in animal-care requests.

On average during the week, 20 to 30 callers are waiting to speak to an agent. “We are stretched thin to handle the volume that is coming through 311,” Castellanos said.

“Having specialized agents makes sense, but I just don’t see being able to do it now with the current model that we have and the staff that we have.”

“There’s multiple welfare complaints,” Zimmerman says. “You’re talking to community members and they’re saying a dog is living in feces. There are 10 other calls that could be even worse than that. You have to make a choice and unfortunately, somebody’s going to have to wait.”

Unfortunate, indeed.

Cathryn Rakich can be reached at crakich@surewest.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

WATERMELON

Low in calories, watermelon contains dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamins C and A. Drink watermelon juice after a grueling workout.

To eat: For a refreshing salad, serve with arugula and feta.

Pears are packed with dietary fiber, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. They are low in calories, too!

To eat: Slice, top with a dollop of blue cheese and wrap with prosciutto for an elegant hors d’oeuvre.

When I visited Chateau Davell in Camino, the Sierra’s incremental unfolding of redbud, dogwood and lilac blossoms just

By Gabrielle Myers

Photography by Aniko Kiezel Farm To Fork

Natural High CAMINO WINERY FOCUSES

reached the small vineyard at 3,100 feet elevation. As Emily Hays invited me into the tasting room, I could see the Sacramento Valley unfold across verdant grass and opening buds.

Eric and Emily Hays started Chateau Davell in 2007 with a land purchase. The couple wanted to spend time with Eric’s mom and dad, and raise their family in a healthy place with a sustainable environment.

At Chateau Davell, the couple uses biodynamic methods to nourish the land and the people who work the vineyard and enjoy its bounty.

ON SUSTAINABILITY

Southdown sheep prowl the vineyard to graze down weeds between the rows. They aerate the soil with their hooves and fertilize with nitrogen rich manure, the owners tell me.

This practice allows the vineyard to avoid chemical herbicides such as glyphosate. Emily and Eric’s mom Davell, the winery’s namesake, use sheep wool as mulch to insulate garden plants.

“Sustainability with no chemicals, herbicides or pesticides has been our always goal, especially with our kids

being here and playing on the land,” Emily says.

Chickens once ran along the rows, but predators from adjacent forests forced the chickens into coops. Now their manure fertilizes grapes. Naturally, grape skins left over after wine pressings are composted and returned to the soil.

Cover crops in the vineyard deliver nitrogen and prevent soil erosion, which is significant given the vineyard’s topography.

With attention on the preciousness of California water and the benefits of the

Eric and Emily Hays and their son August

water table, Chateau Davell grapes are dry farmed with perhaps an occasional watering in August during dry years.

While the vineyard is small and produces limited quantities, Eric, who makes the wine, procures grapes from organic growers within 100 miles of his tasting room, notably the CaminoPlacerville area and Lodi. Chateau

Davell’s commitment to organic growers sets the winery apart from many tasting rooms.

Eric makes unfiltered and unfined wine, which enables true flavor qualities and health benefits to emerge. When wines are fined, chemicals such as clay, egg whites or milk solids are added to separate particles that might cloud the wine or lead to fermentation.

With many people now recognizing food allergies and demanding to know what goes into their food and beverages, the

Chateau Davell approach might be the future of winemaking.

The commitment to sustainability shows in the rustic, comfortable tasting room. With a slab of ponderosa pine, the tasting table reflects the forest that surrounds the property. The outdoor tasting area is built with sycamore and oak timber from the Sacramento Tree Foundation’s Urban Tree Rescue program. Many tables are spools that held electrical wire for PG&E.

Further reflecting their sustainable approach, Chateau Davell’s wine labels are 100% recycled, corks are Rainforest Alliance certified, and bottle glass is made in California with recycled content.

Labels are decorated with prints of Eric’s wine barrel paintings that line the tasting room walls.

On Friday nights June through October, between 5–8 p.m., Chateau

Davell hosts live bands and offers pizza from a wood-fired oven.

Mother Davell, who lives down the road from the tasting room, is a master gardener. She often brings garden fresh tomatoes and basil to top the pizzas.

Find Chateau Davell wines in the tasting room in Camino and soon at Moonraker’s new facility in Cameron Park. For information, visit chateaudavell.com.

Gabrielle Myers can be reached at gabriellemyers11@gmail.com. Her latest book of poetry, “Too Many Seeds,” can be ordered from fishinglinepress.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Build, Or Else

STATE FIGHTS CITIES OVER AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXCUSES

Afew years ago, when my wife and I looked for a house to buy after returning to Sacramento from Southern California, we found the perfect place near Tahoe Park.

We liked the neighborhood. The house was updated and reasonably priced. The only drawback was a homeless encampment in the park across the street. That made me uncomfortable. We decided not to bid on the house.

The experience came back to me recently while reading about the lawsuit filed against the city of Elk Grove by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Department of Housing and Community Development. California is taking the city to court over its denial of a low-income housing project known as Oak Rose in Elk Grove’s Old Town.

G D GD

By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

Citing a Stanford study that identifies a link between homelessness and high housing costs, the state’s lawsuit says, “California has a crisislevel housing shortage that stems in part from the failure of local governments to approve affordable housing to meet the needs of all Californians. … The lack of attainable housing has a particularly acute effect on those struggling to find housing or stay housed. California has the largest homeless population of any state, with 161,658 homeless people as of January 2020.”

The 66-unit Oak Rose project was designed to provide permanent housing for people who were formerly homeless or have disabilities. In turning down the project, Elk Grove officials said it violated local zoning rules that require ground floor commercial space in such developments.

But if you believe the language of the state’s lawsuit and the officials behind it, the commercial requirement is a subterfuge.

“California has critically important laws designed to combat housing discrimination and increase affordable housing opportunities,” Bonta said when the complaint was filed. “Today’s

lawsuit against Elk Grove sends a strong message to local governments: if you violate fair housing laws, we will hold you to account.”

While some may see the state’s action as heavy-handed meddling in local decisions, Bonta and Newsom deserve credit for putting down this marker regarding California’s seemingly intractable homeless crisis.

People wind up without a roof over their heads for a lot of reasons. Drug addiction and other mental health problems. The sudden loss of a job and no financial cushion. Medical issues and more. But a shortage of affordable housing is high on the list.

In suing Elk Grove, which insists it’s done nothing wrong and intends to fight the lawsuit, the state seeks to ensure, among other things, that cities don’t violate Senate Bill 35.

Sponsored by state Sen. Scott Weiner, D-San Francisco, the 2017 law seeks to streamline construction of some housing projects as long as they are consistent with overall zoning standards. Not coincidentally, the law is set to expire in 2025. Weiner wants to make it permanent and more expansive.

Most of us feel bad when we see a homeless person, but we have become accustomed to looking the other way and going about our business. I have been guilty of it. So are a number of California cities.

The state recently amended its earlier lawsuit against Huntington Beach in Orange County, claiming the city violated another recent state law designed to make it easier to build accessory dwelling units in neighborhoods previously zoned exclusively for single-family housing.

“California will continue taking every step necessary to ensure everyone is building their fair share of housing and not flouting state housing laws at the expense of the community,” Newsom said.

It would be preferable if the state didn’t have to sue to get cities to build more affordable housing. But human nature being what it is, sometimes a little coercion may be necessary.

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

Uncivil War

CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS DESCEND INTO CHAOS

BY AMY GARDNER

Hate speech and the lack of decency at City Council meetings are a shock. How did we get here?

Here’s my story. When letters to my councilmember and mayor went unanswered, I attended council meetings, first virtually, then in person. At my first council meeting, I learned other attendees were there to vehemently campaign for their personal ideologies.

I learned there was no room for alternate opinions. Audience members who disagreed with my comments turned to social media to criticize and mock me. I saw uncivil behavior at council meetings, including shouting and heckling.

I spoke with several neighborhood activists and learned many of us had

similar stories. We were harassed when making comments to City Council. Our photos were taken and we were followed outside. We were verbally abused and physically intimidated. Some of us were threatened.

Our images were posted on social media. People were encouraged to target us, go after us at our workplaces, vilify us.

The issues I spoke about to City Council involved safety. When a child has no safe path to walk to school in my neighborhood, I talk about it. When parks have bathrooms vandalized and I find needles on the sidewalk and at McKinley Park playground, I talk about it.

Shouldn’t I feel safe to describe these problems at City Council meetings?

Several neighbors and I worked to create a voice that City Hall can hear. Our voice is called Midtown-East Sac Advocates. Over the last two years,

I have hosted four neighborhood meetings.

We met twice with Councilmember Jeff Harris about safety and livability. After redistricting, we met with Councilmember Katie Valenzuela.

Last summer, Mayor Darrell Steinberg spoke to our community group.

These meetings had a few outbursts, but we reined in emotions and kept the discussion productive.

I helped organize the meetings. We followed general rules to host an effective gathering. They were productive, nothing like City Council.

Council meetings have devolved into shouting matches. Verbal communication and respect have disappeared. The mayor and councilmembers are now reduced to holding up signs. We’ve heard public speakers spread hate speech. Police had to restore order. This didn’t happen overnight.

The mayor and City Council allow leniency toward various ideologues and speech, which encourages habitual, disrespectful behavior. There is no effort to return to polite and productive discourse. Basic rules of decorum are gone.

The city publishes City Council rules of procedure. To make civil government function, we all need to follow these rules—elected officials, city staff, presenters and citizens.

Please, Mayor Steinberg and City Council members, return decorum to the chamber. It belongs to all of us, not just those with the loudest, most threatening voices.

Our local government can’t work without it.

Amy Gardner is a founding member of Midtown-East Sac Advocates. She can be reached at sacwalksafe@gmail. com. n

Habitat Forming

THERE’S JOY IN LETTING A GARDEN GO WILD

Can we chat about the birds and the bees? No, not those birds and bees, but feathered birds and buzzing bees in gardens.

Wildlife habitat gardens are planned and planted for the benefit of birds, bees, butterflies and assorted critters in search of food, water, shelter and nesting areas. Imagine a wild world garden.

Landscapes, often dominated by lawn, shrubs and trees are being tweaked for ecologically acceptable alternatives. The habitat garden is

a throwback to simpler times when humans and wildlife lived in harmony.

Pollinators and beneficial insects are drawn to wildlife habitat gardens. When flowering plants are pollinated, ecosystems survive. When food crops are pollinated, we eat. Without pollinators, 80% to 90% of plants would disappear, along with a third of crop species. That stirs a scary scenario.

The land beneath our feet once welcomed wildlife and native plants. Residential and commercial development scraped the land clean, compressing native soil before smothering it with pavement and structures. Wildlife was forced to flee and endure on shrinking habitat.

In a dizzying world where artificial intelligence pushes “the cloud” out of the news cycle, a back-to-nature garden adventure can be a welcomed respite.

By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber

Most gardeners have experience with habitat gardening, even if it’s accidental. Perhaps a perennial was planted because of its beauty, but you noticed the plants were instant

hummingbird magnets. Hang a birdhouse and you have sent an invitation to the party.

To attract and nurture wildlife, a section or the entire garden can be converted into habitat. Or compromise and add plants and practices that blend with existing landscape.

The most effective approach to adding a wildlife habitat welcome mat embraces native and pollinator plants, removing all or a portion of lawn, and adding a water source, like a fountain or birdbath. Place a few rocks in deeper water for bee and small bird landing zones.

The perks of converting a garden area are impressive. Water usage decreases, along with maintenance costs because of lawn reduction or removal. Native plants are much less prone to pest problems, thus reduced pesticide use. Entertainment value increases because wildlife is a constant show. Sit back and enjoy the performances.

Converting a traditional landscape to a complete wildlife habitat garden

may best be accomplished in the backyard, especially if neighbors are OCD gardeners. The area will be easily maintained because leaves and twigs should be left where they fall, pruning shrubs and trees is discouraged, as is deadheading spent flowers. The seeds in spent flowers provide food for birds during fall and winter. Seeds missed by birds will produce more flowers in spring.

Sounds like messy housekeeping, but basically the area will mirror how things are done in the wild. Native plants decorate a wildlife habitat garden area with beauty, food and shelter for our needy friends. Many are terrific at erosion control if the property is sloped. Most are drought-tolerant, once established.

Toyon, Ceanothus, snowberry, coffeeberry, coyote bush, manzanita, wild rose and wildflowers are popular native plant choices. Recent droughts resulted in a popularity resurgence of native plants, so Sacramento nurseries are well stocked.

Gardeners have the option of adding habitat-friendly plants to landscapes, but be aware of varying water requirements.

Making an effort at limited “backyard restoration” is simple and satisfying. Hummingbirds, for instance, are universally loved and attracted by planting Phlox, bee balm, coral bells, Salvia, Penstemon, trumpet vine, Lantana, manzanita, zinnias, lavender and California fuchsia. Monkeyflower and Caryopteris (bluebeard) are also hummingbird favorites in my garden. Do not be shy about adding wildlife plant favorites. The little guys will thank you.

Harvest Day is Aug. 5 at the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park. The annual event features speakers, vendors and demonstration gardens from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Yes, there is a wildlife habitat demonstration garden! Admission is free. Visit sacmg. ucanr.edu for information.

Dan Vierria is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener for Sacramento County. He can be reached at masterg29@gmail.com. For answers to gardening questions, contact the UCCE Master Gardeners at (916) 876-5338, 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

Bald Eagle Family INSIDE OUT

PHOTOS BY SUSAN MAXWELL SKINNER

Two American River bald eagles successfully raised three eaglets near Sacramento this year. The rare couple nested in 2016 and produced their first babies in 2017. Since then, 15 youngsters have flown from the same eyrie. For the family’s safety, the nest location is not revealed.

Making Friends

PAINTER MAKES PORTRAITS OF HOMELESS TO HELP THEM BE SEEN

The first time Suzon Lucore was stopped by police for feeding a homeless man, her response was swift. “You have an ordinance to not feed the homeless,” she remembers saying at the time, “but is it illegal to feed a friend? This is my friend.”

By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

Lucore has fed homeless people for almost two decades since moving to Midtown in 2007 after completing her bachelor’s degree in painting at California College of the Arts in the Bay Area.

“I saw all these people who were hungry and started feeding them,” she says.

The instinct to lend a hand was ingrained early as the daughter of a church elder growing up in Rio Oso, 35 miles north in Sutter County. She worked for the church food bank at age 9. Her love of art started young, when she sold candy and drawings of cartoon characters on the bus to finance her art career. “It never occurred to me to be anything else but an artist,” she says.

Suzon Lucore

Photo by Linda Smolek

Years later, after attending Yuba College and the arts school, and launching a career in advertising and marketing, Lucore looked for a way to help. She combined her desire to do good with her love of art.

“I had been painting social issues—like painting the Capitol in oranges and reds to depict the chaos we’re in right now—and I was looking for new subject matter,” says Lucore, who moved to Pocket last year. “I suddenly realized I had been feeding these people for years and talking to them, so I started asking to take pictures of them to paint from. I use vibrant colors to draw attention. People’s eyes tend to glaze over when talking about the homeless, so this is my way of showing they’re not disposable.”

Lucore exhibited her portraits with Yuba Sutter Arts and Culture in Marysville this year. She launched a website called WeHaveCompassion.com to share her paintings and her mission. She hopes to add a database of resources to the site.

Ultimately, she’d love to sell the portraits as a collection to a nonprofit so it can tour the series around the country. She has one piece on display at Dignity Health in Rocklin, a 6-foot-by-9-foot painting called “The 19 Faces of COVID-19,” featuring diverse people wearing face masks. She plans to donate the work to a nonprofit. Her son, Kaspian Khalafi, has taken up his mother’s mission and regularly straps a grill to his bicycle to cook for homeless people in his neighborhood. He grilled 300 turkey hotdogs last Thanksgiving.

“I feed people not because I want to be considered special but because it’s something small I can do that makes life better for someone for a moment,” Lucore says. “They’re not just the unhoused. They’re my friends.”

For information, visit wehavecompassion.com and connectednow.com. “The 19 Faces of COVID-19” is on display at 550 W. Ranch View Drive, Suite 3000, in Rocklin.

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

Ageless Perfection

THIS RESTAURANT IS YOUNG, BUT PERFORMS LIKE AN OLD PRO

Casa East Sac, a not-quiteyear-old restaurant at 54th and H streets, is gaining fans. Whether it’s locals walking and biking on beautiful Sacramento nights or folks driving in, the restaurant has a robust following and fills up nearly every service. Impressive.

OK, I’m a pushover. Children’s magicians delight me. I love community bands. I’m easily swayed. My wife is not. And yet she considers Casa one of her favorite restaurants. Even more impressive.

Brothers Steve and Ted Gibanov started Casa in September 2022, taking a space that turned over twice in four years. The brothers’ vision works. Casa is the first restaurant they started together.

“It was a bit like Goldilocks,” Steve tells me. “We’d been looking for places and they were either too big or too small, and this spot seemed just right, just what we were looking for.”

S G

By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

Photos by Linda Smolek

What they wanted was a comfortable, high-quality, unfussy restaurant experience that kept quality ingredients and good cookery at the forefront. They looked for a neighborhood bistro with strong Italian/French/American inspiration.

Both brothers have worked at kitchens in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Despite their Russian heritage and love of family recipes, they enjoy making classic fare in the California restaurant tradition.

“I’m an old-school fanatic,” Steve says. “I think honest food, generous portions and quality ingredients are the not-too-complicated secret to a great menu.”

His menu demonstrates those beliefs. A handful of small plates and salads, including a plate of deviled eggs made with care, creamy and tasty, is easily accessible. A half-dozen pizzas come out of Casa’s pizza oven, produced with skill and mostly classic toppings.

“There’s something about watching someone really enjoy a pizza, you

know?” Steve says. “When you’ve got that dough just right, it’s magic.”

The entrees are about as old-school as you can get: steak of the day, pasta of the day, catch of the day and roast chicken. That’s it. What else do you need? House-made pastas. Perfectly grilled steaks. A nice piece of fish. A perfectly crispy bird.

On our most recent visit, my wife and I opted for the ribeye and seasonal salad with peaches and arugula. It was one of the best steaks I can remember, buttery and peppery, cooked to a textbook medium rare. The averagesounding roasted taters and string beans served alongside were without flaws. The salad hit every point, with early season peaches getting a small sugar assist from a sly balsamic dressing.

We grabbed a piece of tiramisu for dessert. This house-made treat did not disappoint. The sweets were sweet, the fluffy parts fluffy. The flavors sang.

But the truly impressive part was Casa was down two servers that night, with a full house. The Gibanovs called

their sister Dominique in from Chico to help. The place should have been falling apart. Yet, Steve checked on every table, every water glass got refilled, every diner had a smile. A heroic effort by the whole team. To pull that off, on a Friday night for a young restaurant is impressive. There’s no other word.

Casa East Sac is at 5401 H St.; casaeastsac.com; (916) 898-3702.

Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. Previous reviews can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

TO DO

THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

4th of July Sacramento River Cruise

City Cruises

Tuesday, July 4, 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.

1206 Front St. • cityexperiences.com/sacramento/city-cruises

Delight in the city’s best views and festivities aboard a cruise along the Sacramento River. Choose from River Cruise, Sights & Sips, Alive After Five and Rock the Yacht Fireworks. Tickets range from $26.25 to $47 (kids younger than 3 are free).

Before and Beyond: Phase 1 Artists of the Del Rio Trail

Office of Arts + Culture

July 7–29

First Friday Opening Reception, July 7, 6–9 p.m.

Twisted Track Gallery, 1730 12th St. • delriotrailart.org

Enjoy work by multidisciplinary artists who created art related to the Del Rio Trail and its surrounding community as part of Phase 1 of the Art in Public Places Del Rio Trail project.

Casino Night at the Museum

Sacramento Regional Fire Museum

Saturday, July 29, 5 p.m.

By Jessica Laskey

3650 Industrial Blvd., West Sacramento • sacfiremuseum.org

Help the museum raise funds at this entertaining evening of casino gaming, appetizers, no-host drinks and great company. Tickets are $70 per person. Each ticket includes $300 of “Fun Money.” Must be 21 to attend.

4th of July cruise on the Sacramento River.

Homeless World Cup

Homeless World Cup Foundation

July 8–15

Hornet Stadium, Sacramento State, 6000 J St. • homelessworldcup.org

This annual tournament comes to the U.S. for the first time in partnership with Street Soccer USA. The event brings together homeless individuals and grassroots organizations from more than 70 countries.

Membership Medley

Blue Line Arts

July 15–Aug. 26

Third Saturday Reception, July 15, 5–8 p.m.

405 Vernon Street, Roseville • bluelinearts.org

The exhibition features a range of new and established artists who are supporting members of the gallery. On opening night, meet the artists, and enjoy drinks and bites.

Carmichael Summer Concert Series

Carmichael Recreation and Park District

Saturday, July 8, 15 & 22, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Carmichael Park, 5750 Grant Ave. • carmichaelpark.com

Get ready to dance to the Dave Terry All Star Band (July 8), Wasted Space (July 15) and Maya Latin Tribute Band (July 22) at these free concerts. Picnics, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. Concerts continue through August.

Concerts in the Park

Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Fridays, July 14, 21 & 28, 5–9 p.m.

Cesar Chavez Plaza, 9th and J streets • godowntownsac.com

California’s largest, longest-running free music festival is back with a lineup packed with Grammy-winning artists, DJs and local legends.

Introductions

Archival Gallery

Through July 29

Second Saturday Reception, July 8, 5–8 p.m.

3223 Folsom Blvd. • archivalgallery.com

This Sacramento tradition presents new and established artists showing in the gallery for the first time. This year, artwork is presented by John Angell, Russ Reich and Jerry Cagle.

Midsummer Mardi Gras Masquerade

Curiosity Collaborative

Saturday, July 29, 7–11 p.m.

Sacramento Art Glass, 204 23rd St. • curiositycollaborative.org

This party celebrates the success of the City of Trees Parade with musical and artistic performances. Local food, beer and wine available for purchase. Masquerade masks provided.

20-Twenty Show

Kennedy Gallery Art Center

Through July 2, Noon–6 p.m.

1931 L St. • kennedygallerysacramento.com

One of the region’s most anticipated yearly art shows features work from resident artists inside three floors of open studios in the heart of Midtown.

Animal House

Sacramento Fine Arts Center

July 18–Aug. 12

Second Saturday Reception, July 8, 5:30 p.m.

5330B Gibbons Drive, Carmichael • sacfinearts.org

This international juried art exhibition features animal-themed work in a variety of media, including acrylic, oil, watercolor and ceramic.

California State Fair & Food Festival

Cal Expo

July 14–30

1600 Exposition Blvd. • calexpostatefair.com

It’s time to don sunscreen, scarf fair food, ride the rides and enjoy the exhibits. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $16 for adults; $12 for seniors (62 and older); $10 for youth (5–12); free for children (4 and younger). Parking is $15.

Del Rio Trail photography by Andri’ Tambunan in “Before and Beyond” at Twisted Track Gallery.

“Casino Night at the Museum” at Sacramento Regional Fire Museum.

Sensory Friendly Play

Sacramento Children’s Museum

Thursday, July 6, 2:30–4 p.m.

2701 Prospect Park Drive, Rancho Cordova • sackids.org

This fully accessible program is for children with special needs, including those on the autism spectrum, their siblings and friends. Session includes modified open play and special programming. Play sessions are the first Thursday of every month.

Summer Music & Arts Workshop

Fremont Presbyterian Church

July 11–13, 4–6 p.m.

5770 Carlson Drive • fremontpres.org

This series teaches third through eighth graders how to play instruments, sing, dance, paint, and read and write music. Cost is $30 per student or $50 per family. To request a scholarship, email classicworship@fremontpres.org.

Twilight on the Bufferlands

RegionalSan

Wednesday, July 12, 6:30–9 p.m.

regionalsan.com/bufferlands

Explore Central Valley habitats at dusk with a chance to see beavers, river otters, muskrats, raccoons, owls and more. Free, but advanced registration is required between July 6–11. Contact Roger Jones at jonesro@sacsewer.com or (916) 875-9174.

Fired Art

Elk Grove Fine Arts Center

July 1–27

First Saturday Reception, July 1, 4–7 p.m.

9683 Elk Grove Florin Road • elkgrovefineartscenter.org

This art competition celebrates artists who use the primal force of fire to create artwork in all mediums, including ceramic, glass, metal and encaustic.

Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Concerts in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Photo courtesy of Downtown Sac

California State Fair & Food Festival at Cal Expo

“Amazing Show” by Russ Reich at Archival Gallery.

THEATRE GUIDE

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

July 25 – July 30

Presented by Broadway At Music Circus

UC Davis Health Pavillion

1419 H St, Sac 916 557-1999

Broadwaysacramento.com

This “deliciously dark and superbly funny” musical comedy embraces the wackiness in every family. The award-winning show is based on some of the characters created by The New Yorker cartoonist Charles Addams in his single-panel drawings, which depict a ghoulish American family with an affinity for all things macabre.

THE MUSIC MAN

July 11 – July 16

Presented by Broadway At Music Circus

UC Davis Health Pavillion

1419 H St, Sac 916 557-1999

Broadwaysacramento.com

One of musical theatre’s most beloved works, this tribute to the optimism, warmth, and stubbornness of small town America has been charming audiences of all ages for decades. There’s trouble in River City when traveling salesman Harold Hill comes to town and causes disruption. Featuring the classic songs “Seventy Six Trombones,” “Goodnight My Someone” and “Till There Was You.”

TWELVE O’CLOCK TALES WITH AVA GARDENER

July 21 – July 23

Presented by Cal Cap Black Box Theatre

Cal Cap Black Box Theatre 9845 Horn Rd, Sac 916 807-7429

Calcapblackbox.com

Hollywood, California… 1974. On the set of the blockbuster disaster film, Earthquake, Oscar nominated screen siren Ava Gardner is focusing on her first big budget starring role in over a decade. Tucked away in her dressing room bungalow, the “queen of the scandal sheets” does battle with her past. But only a fool would bet against Ava.

PREDICTOR

Thru July 23

Presented by Capital Stage Company

Capital Stage 2215 J St, Sac 916 995-5464

Capstage.org

Based on true events, PREDICTOR is the reallife story of Margaret Crane who, in 1967, defied all odds and expectations to become the inventor of the first home pregnancy test. An imaginative, stubborn, recovering-Catholic graphic artist with a proclivity for seeing things differently, Margaret contemplates the decision to sell her patent for the first home pregnancy test to Organon Pharmaceuticals. Will Meg’s invention fall into the wrong hands and disappear, or will she make the ultimate sacrifice to change the shape of women’s lives forever?

CELEBRATION ARTS PRESENTS COMEDY NIGHT

Saturday July 15

Presented by Celebration Arts Theatre at Celebration Arts Theatre 2727 B St, Sac 916 455-2787

Celebrationarts.net

Saturday, July 15 is Comedy Night at Celebration Arts! Join hilarious host D-Tyler for a special evening of side-splitting laughter featuring some of the funniest comics in the area. Full line-up will be announced soon! Grab a VIP ticket which includes a complimentary drink AND a ticket to an upcoming 2023 Celebration Arts theatrical performance of your choice.

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