Inside Pocket June 2023

131 Arbusto Circle - $675,000

GREENHAVEN POCKET CUSTOM BRICK HOME

3 bed 2 bath Spacious open floor plan, quartzite countertops, Anderson French doors, 50-year presidential roof, inviting yard.

MONA GERRGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

3821 San Ysidro Way - $1,350,000

AMAZING ARDEN PARK PROPERTY. 3 bed 2½ bath home on .34 acre with pool and spa. Possible 4th bedroom, fantastic kitchen, breakfast bar. Close to park, community center.

MONA GERRGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

7886 Sergio Way - $559,000

SINGLE STORY WILDHAWK ESTATES HOME 3 or 4 bed 2 bath. Extra room makes great office, den or bedroom. Spacious kitchen. Pool with waterfall, raised garden beds. CONNIE LANDSBERG 916-761-0411 DRE- 00850625

1262 Milano Drive #3 - $435,000

REMODELED RIVA ON THE RIVER CONDO 2 bed, 2 bath, quartz kitchen counters with breakfast bar. Vaulted ceilings, lots of windows and balcony. 2-car garage, bonus storage NATHAN SHERMAN 916-969-7379 DRE-01875980

5110 Blossom Ranch Drive - $818,000

ELK GROVE SINGLE STORY HOME WITH POOL 5 bed, 2½ bath, 2539 sf. Open floor plan, granite countertops, stainless appliances, saltwater pool with waterfall. SARAH MOON 916-743-4157 DRE-02086696

6816 Havenhurst Drive - $600,000

WONDERFUL SPANISH STYLE HOME. 4 or 5 bed, 3 bath. Elegant two-story with many upgrades, bamboo flooring, sophisticated lighting. Backyard oasis with pool HILARY BUCHANAN 916-397-7502 DRE-01359213

4220 F Street - $675,000

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

CONTEMPORARY TOWNHOUSE IN POCKET AREA 2 bed 2½ bath, open living space on main floor with kitchen, front and back patios. Upstairs bedrooms with baths

JOSEPH OLSON 916-835-2968 DRE-02083344

Land Park (916) 454-5753 DRE#00707598

7719 George River Lane - $445,000

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RUTH HOLTON-HODSON

Ruth Holton-Hodson is a retired health and consumer policy advocate—and artist. She loves the challenge of capturing light in her vibrant watercolor still lifes and pastel landscapes. Shown: “Dancing Matilijas,” watercolor on paper, 15 inches by 15 inches. This piece is for sale at $525. Visit rhhstudio.com or contact the artist at rholtonhodson@gmail.com.

Get A Job!

SUMMER WORK MEANS LIFELONG LESSONS FOR TEENS

My late husband Jim and I had a simple plan for raising our son Alex. For the first 10 years, our goal was to help him develop a love of learning. Before schooling began, we taught reading and numbers. We learned through play and fun.

The second decade focused on helping Alex develop a love of work. That was easy. We both worked at home and as community volunteers. He watched us run our business. He did simple jobs, sent faxes, opened mail and unloaded newspapers.

C H

By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk

It paid off. After a summer of junior lifeguard training, he secured a paid city lifeguard position on his 16th birthday.

Alex was assigned a pool far from our neighborhood. He took public transit to work each day. He managed his own schedule and took his job seriously. He opened his own bank account. His skills expanded tremendously that summer.

I had various jobs as a teen, starting at age 13 with babysitting. Earning money and being independent was a thrill. My first job was scooping ice cream, followed by a lifeguard career that paid my college tuition.

The product of a middle-class, intact family, I needed zero encouragement to get a job. But many children these days need significant encouragement. Far too many family situations don’t offer positive role models for work.

Sacramento has an extensive youth workforce program offering lifeguard, landscape, community projects and other work-skill development

opportunities. They serve young people ages 10 to 17.

The city’s goal is to empower young people with knowledge, resources, opportunities and support to help them gain employment skills. Through these programs, young people practice newly acquired talents in safe, supportive environments.

Research shows gainful employment strongly correlates with a reduction in delinquent behavior.

The Wall Street Journal reported an analysis of New York City’s summer youth employment program, the nation’s largest. The analysis found participation “decreases the chance that youth are arrested during the program summer by 17 percent and decreases the chance that they are arrested for a felony during the program summer by 23 percent.” Other cities show similar numbers.

Long before the pandemic, summer jobs for teens were in decline. Labor participation by teenagers has dropped

for more than 40 years. The decline in the past two decades has been sharp. In 1978, job participation among 16- to 19-year-olds was nearly 60%. Today, it’s 37%.

One reason fewer young people work is minimum-wage laws can make them too expensive to hire, an economic reality that proponents play down or ignore.

I went to lunch a few weeks ago with two mothers, each with teenagers at home. They told me about their children’s interests and activities. Summer jobs were never mentioned. When I asked about summer employment, specifically lifeguard opportunities, both moms dismissed it. One said her son could never pay attention enough to be a lifeguard. The other was concerned her daughter and their family were too busy for summer employment. I gently asked both to consider the positive impact a job would have on their

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Cancer care as unique as you.

You are one of a kind. Your smile, your laugh, the way you look at those you love. So, when it comes to cancer care, you deserve a treatment approach that’s as unique as you. Dignity Health Cancer Institute of Greater Sacramento’s nationally recognized oncology program features a comprehensive range of services—from advanced diagnosis and treatment through supportive care and recovery—so you get the plan that best fits your needs. And guiding you every step of the way is our nurse navigation team—the largest, most comprehensive in the region.

Because when you have personalized, expert care close by, you can focus on healing. And living. Learn more at DignityHealth.org/SacramentoCancer.

children’s future and explained how my son benefited.

Sometimes parents pigeonhole their children. But at some point, every young adult must stand on their own and make a living. It seems to me the sooner this happens, the better.

During the summer of 2021, I visited a shopping center to return a piece of internet equipment. The young clerk who helped me was sullen, even behind her mask. I asked if she liked her job.

She told me she had just been called back to work after almost a year off “doing nothing but living on social media.” She was grateful to have a paycheck again. But many of her coworkers resented returning to work, she said.

“Folks your age can take time off and still retain your work skills because you probably worked for decades,” she told me. “But people my age just started

working and learning how to manage a job when the world shut down. It kept us as dependent children when we should have been growing up.”

We all want a brighter future for our children. A job is the best thing for young people. It creates security and independence. Getting more teens into summer employment will pay off now and for generations.

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 provide much needed local news.

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

WE ALL WANT A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN. A JOB IS THE BEST THING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. IT CREATES SECURITY AND INDEPENDENCE. GETTING MORE TEENS INTO SUMMER EMPLOYMENT WILL PAY OFF NOW AND FOR GENERATIONS.

Home Cooking

ENTREPRENEUR BRINGS CELEBRITY RECIPES TO POCKET

Stumped by what to cook for dinner? Open a cookbook or view YouTube. Better yet, check out Rick Ameil’s Facebook page (Pocket-Greenhaven, Sacramento group). His posts include meal photos and recipes.

A former nonprofit executive, preservation activist and bon vivant, Ameil has a big appetite for life and a passion for cooking. The eighthgeneration Californian was raised in Santa Cruz. His love of giraffes and concern for their declining population

CM CM

By Corky Mau Pocket Life

prompted him to start the World Giraffe Foundation.

Ameil has been around. He entered the restaurant business at age 13, working in a barbecue joint on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Since then, he’s owned restaurants in San Francisco, Honolulu, Palm Springs and Palm Desert. Remember Giant Orange burgers on Howe Avenue? In 2013, Ameil was co-owner.

“Mom taught all of her children to cook,” he says. “She was a wonderful cook. You could taste the love in her food. I still feel my mother’s presence when I’m cooking. She taught us that food is more than eating. It’s for remembering who you are and where you came from. Handing down family recipes through generations is an act of love.”

Now retired and living in Pocket, Ameil carries on his mother’s practice. He’s especially fond of Indian, Chinese and Mexican foods.

His curiosity about what people eat led him to publish a cookbook in 1999, “Cooking with the Stars.” It’s a collection of his favorite celebrity recipes. On page 95, there’s tamale pie from local swimming legend Debbie Meyer. Donald Trump’s lemon chicken is on page 122.

Ameil has shared recipes on television. When he operated Grill-ABurger in Palm Springs, he hosted a cooking show called “I Love Cooking.” He says, “I submitted audition tapes to the Food Network and Top Chef. I didn’t get selected, but I got my own cooking show!”

Here’s a recipe from Ameil’s greatgrandmother Eugenia Morelli:

Italian Meat Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 pound Italian sausage (casings removed)

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes

16-ounce can tomato puree

1 teaspoon each of dried basil and oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, sauté for about 10 minutes. Add sausage and garlic, sauté until meat is thoroughly cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Puree the canned plum tomatoes in a food processor. Add to saucepan and stir, then add canned tomato puree and spices. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour sauce over pasta (like spaghetti, bucatini, ravioli). Top with lots of Parmesan cheese.

WINE TASTING

Wine aficionados can taste local wines at the Elks Lodge on Friday, June 9, from 6–9 p.m. Wineries will

Rick Ameil (holding plate) with dinner guests

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

include Todd Taylor, Wente and Miner’s Leap. There also will be entertainment and appetizers.

--Tickets are $45 per person or $80 for two. Proceeds will benefit Family Promise of Sacramento, an organization supporting unhoused families. Tickets are available at the door or Elks Lodge office. Contact Jan Wilson at (916) 716-9593 or Sue Hill at (215) 327-7712.

DANCEFIT

Join ACC instructor Julie Honda for a fun, dance-inspired fitness class. Attend in person or online with dance moves even performed while sitting. Classes are every Thursday, June 1–29, from 10–10:45 a.m. Visit accsv.org or call (916) 503-5807 to register.

CAR SHOW

A family-friendly vintage car show takes place Thursdays, June 1 and 15, from 4–8 p.m., at Device Brewing Company in the Promenade Center. The show continues monthly through summer on first and third Thursdays.

Rae Ann Whitten, DDS General and Cosmetic Dentistry

As

TRUCKS & SUCH

Dine al fresco at Garcia Bend Park on Friday, June 16, from 5–9 p.m. SactoMoFo food trucks will offer a variety of selections.

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

LEVEE NEEDS ASPHALT, SOONER THE BETTER

Things look good on new sections of the Sacramento River levee. The roadbed gravel is neat and smooth, baking in the summer heat. But wait until winter. Things get ugly when rains come.

I have an idea how much money it costs to repair the levees and bolster them with slurry walls. It’s a big number. The project, which has taken about three years and isn’t finished, carries a price tag of $1.8 billion, paid by taxpayers. Who can bring context to that much money?

People visit the levee to inspect their investment. They walk along the new gravel roadbed and enjoy the views.

Sometimes they see new damage, months after Army Corps of Engineers contractors finished another section of seepage walls and levee rehabilitation.

Here’s a damage report: Deep ruts in the roadway from maintenance trucks and flood-watch vehicles. More trouble caused by erosion along levee banks from water runoff. Crews quickly smooth out the ruts. They restore the levee top again and again. Come winter, the cycle repeats. New ruts. More erosion. The roadbed becomes a muddy bog.

Most of these problems disappear when the levee gets paved. An asphalt path provides easy access for maintenance crews and flood watchers in winter and spring. Pavement guides rain water where engineers want it to go, down drainage pipes, not into rivulets carved by erosion along the levee bank.

By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

RGAnother bonus with asphalt: It supports a bike trail and fulfills the promise made by the city in 1975 to create a recreational path for residents to enjoy along the Sacramento River Parkway.

The city is ready to move ahead with the bike trail. Funding is earmarked and set aside. Engineering studies are underway. Paving work begins when levee rehab and slurry wall construction are finished, maybe next year, maybe 2025.

Given that 48 years have passed since the city promised a paved bikeway along the Sacramento River Parkway levee, I entertain a certain cynicism about the project. I’ll believe the asphalt bike path is real when I walk on it.

I know there are people still determined to stop the parkway, a handful of residents who live near the levee and think the river and parkway belong to them. Their goal is to deny river access to everyone but families and friends.

They can’t succeed. The law’s against them. But they won’t give up until they hear paving crews rolling asphalt along the levee.

Sometimes members of this group send me emails and criticize my campaign to make the levee parkway

accessible to everyone. I don’t mind criticism. Most people are civil about it.

My correspondents never dispute the facts. They sidestep and dodge. They ignore how the state controls every aspect of life along the levee, how access gates are permitted or removed by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, how state and federal laws protect river access for everyone.

They don’t question why the Department of Water Resources wants the levees paved (answer: to improve access and safety and prevent endless damage caused by rain and erosion). They don’t acknowledge state authorities are pleased by the city’s parkway initiative, how the flood board supports the city’s plan to pave the levee and open the bike path.

Instead, they launch into political arguments about property rights. One person, inspired by the delusion that he owns the levee and nearly half the Sacramento River near his home, tells me his property rights are “what makes America function and what makes it impossible for many third world nations to thrive.”

His desire to block river access does all that? I had no idea.

I know what these emails really mean. They mean people who live along the levee are afraid. They think perverts will stalk the levee and peep into bedrooms. They think horses and motorcycles will race down the bike trail and homeless people will erect tent cities and burn everything down. Access equals Armageddon.

When a bike path becomes a metaphor for society’s failures, it’s easy to forget how a strip of asphalt simply prevents mud and erosion and gives everyone a lovely place to enjoy.

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

Muddy new section of levee shows how asphalt bike lane will help.

It’s nurturing excellence as we nurture your children.

At Sutter Medical Center, we care for little ones in ways few can. From minimally invasive surgery for the tiniest hearts to a pediatric emergency department designed with kids in mind, nurturing your child’s health is at the center of everything we do. And it’s all to help you and your family get back to the days you’ll always cherish.

It’s a thousand things, big and small. sutterhealth.org/smcs

SPLAT

J L JL

By Jessica Laskey Out & About

Helping families connect through positive art experiences, Dipped N Color Splat Studio is the winner of the Downtown Sacramento Foundation’s 10th annual Calling All Dreamers business program.

The prize package includes $20,000 in cash and in-kind services, and resources valued at $120,000 to help launch a small business in a Downtown storefront. At Dipped N Color, families create art with custom pre-sketched canvases, paint kits, private parties and “splat” sessions on canvas, walls and even each other.

The new-and-improved Calling All Dreamers takes qualified applicants through a business development program that includes planning, market research, proof of financial sustainability and more. Since its inception, the program has helped 31 businesses open, created more than 100 jobs and leased more than 26,000 square feet of space.

New this year, each of the five remaining finalists are eligible to receive $5,000 if they open their doors by March 1, 2024. Finalists are The Teetotalist Zero-Proof Social Club, Flora & Fauna Provisions, Mercado Urbano, Retrospect-Vintage Fashion, and Burnside Coffee Bar. For information, visit downtownsac.org/ start-a-business/calling-all-dreamerscontest.

STREET FOOD

Three more businesses have received Street Food Sacramento grants from the Midtown Association. The program celebrates Sacramento’s diverse street food culture while reducing entry barriers for historically underrepresented populations.

The awardees are Lee and Kathy Kuykendall of Fork Fire Foods, showcasing small-batch, handmade marinades; Pablo Rivas of Old Coyote, a Latin-fusion food pop-up; and Dennelyn Siazon of Real Mojo Foods, featuring small-batch, preservativefree pickles and sauces.

In addition to coveted booth space at the Midtown Farmers Market, the grant package includes infrastructure, startup funds, and marketing and social media support. For information, visit exploremidtown.org/street-foodsacramento.

FOOD FRIDAYS

Beginning June 2, the Food Literacy Center at Leataata Floyd Elementary School opens each Friday from 4–7

p.m. for an open house and pop-up café featuring snacks, sandwiches, soup, salad and mocktails.

The event includes tours of the facility, games and activities, and spices and limited-edition swag for sale.

The Food Literacy Center will also offer enhanced science and nutrition programs thanks to $1,050,000 in federal funding secured by Congresswoman Doris Matsui. The funds will allow the center to convert a previously vacant lot into a multi-use, outdoor classroom, and will support educational programs at Leataata Floyd Elementary School. For information, visit foodliteracycenter. org.

STANFORD SPRING

Three local museums are collaborating to present “A Stanford Spring,” showcasing the lives of Jane and Leland Stanford.

Unique artifacts are on display through the end of June at the California State Railroad Museum, Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park and Sacramento History Museum.

Items include the historic Central Pacific railcar that carried Leland Stanford and the Golden Spike to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, a cherished cookbook owned by Jane Stanford and one of her opulent special-occasion dresses.

Visitors receive half off admission to the Sacramento History Museum by showing their same-day receipt from the California State Railroad Museum. Admission to the Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park is always free. For information, visit californiarailroad.museum/stanford.

DEL RIO TRAIL

A new project is underway to turn a 5-mile abandoned railway corridor into a beautiful pedestrian trail with public art.

The corridor includes approximately 63 acres of land that runs through Land Park, South Land Park, Freeport Manor, Z’Berg Park, Pocket and Meadowview. It was previously occupied by Sacramento Southern Railroad’s Walnut Grove Branch Line but was abandoned in 1978.

Sacramento Regional Transit acquired the property in 1984 but never used it. The city of Sacramento acquired the property in 2021 in an agreement to develop the corridor as a multi-use trail and linear park with direct connections to RT bus stops.

STUDIO BRINGS FAMILIES TOGETHER THROUGH ART

Dipped N Color Splat Studio owner Monet Dyson, with her son Ezekiel, is the winner of this year’s Calling All Dreamers.

Thanks to a Caltrans Clean California grant, the city is turning the Del Rio Trail into an activated public space, including creative placemaking and public art managed by the Office of Arts + Culture's Art in Public Places program.

The grant has funded 20 artists to create temporary artwork about the trail and seven artists to make permanent work that will be displayed along the trail. Beth Jones Art Consultant, run by Beth Jones and Lynda Jolley of JAYJAY Gallery, is providing project management and coordinating an exhibition of artists in July at Twisted Track. For information, visit delriotrailart.org.

LATIN DANCE

Dance On The Edge hosts Latin Dance Nights at the Old Sacramento Waterfront on select Saturdays through summer and fall.

Enjoy a free evening of music, dance and festivities along the picturesque waterfront. No experience necessary—a dance lesson is held from 6–7 p.m. at each event.

This month, dance the night away June 10 and 24 from 6–10 p.m. For information, visit danceontheedge.com.

WINN WEDNESDAYS

The Midtown Association’s popular Wednesdays at Winn farmers market has returned from 3:30–7:30 p.m. through Oct. 25 at Winn Park.

The market features 40 open-air booths filled with flowers, artisan goods and grocery items, as well as free fitness classes, live music and art for sale. On the last Wednesday of every month, Kirchhoff Family Wines

presents a special Sippin’ at Winn wine tasting from 5–7 p.m.

For information, visit exploremidtown.org/midtown-parks and follow the market on Instagram @wednesdaysatwinn.

DOWNTOWN MARKETS

Downtown farmers markets have returned to Capitol Mall on Wednesdays and Cesar Chavez Plaza on Thursdays.

At the Capitol Mall market, Downtown workers, residents and visitors can buy locally sourced groceries, baked goods, fresh flowers and more, plus dine al fresco with food from vendors and trucks.

In partnership with La Cosecha restaurant, Bodega Days at Cesar Chavez Plaza is now bigger and better. Enjoy live music, culinary activations, locally made art, fresh produce, flowers, hot lunches, and other food and beverages from farmers and vendors. The markets are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information, visit godowntownsac.com.

SECOND SATURDAY

The Midtown Association, Turton Commercial, Visit Sacramento and city of Sacramento are reinvigorating

Visit the Capitol Mall farmers market on Wednesdays.

Photo courtesy of Downtown Sacramento Partnership

View the private railcar used by Leland Stanford at the California State Railroad Museum.

Photo courtesy of the California State Railroad Museum

Second Saturday with monthly activations through October.

Each Second Saturday highlights unique experiences that include live pop-up art installations, entertainment, family-friendly activities, gallery tours, culinary artistry, and food and drink specials at nearby bars and restaurants.

Activations start early in the day at the Midtown Farmers Market and continue into the evening. More activations are planned for Fremont Park, the Midtown Central and Midtown Sutter restaurant districts along 16th Street from C through P streets, and at several apartment complexes.

Don’t forget to visit local art galleries—many still host monthly receptions to celebrate the opening of new exhibits. For information, visit midtownsecondsaturday.com.

PARK CONCERTS

The 30th season of Concerts in the Park has returned to Cesar Chavez Plaza Downtown.

WOODIE EXHIBIT

“Wood is Good!” is on display at the California Automobile Museum through July. The exhibit features 13 “woodies” (wood-bodied vehicles) from 1926 to 1973, celebrating their evolution from luggage transports to family vehicles to surfer icons.

Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for “vintage” (65 and older), $9 for military and students, $5 for youth ages 6–17, and free for children 5 and younger. For information, visit calautomuseum. org.

HOUSING REPORT

Over the past several years, Sacramento has built more affordable housing per capita than other cities in the region and other major cities in California, according to the new Housing Element Annual Progress Report.

Sacramento permitted 1,267 lowand very-low-income units in 2022—32 more units than in 2021. When measured against the population, the city’s production between 2019–2021 has topped Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, Fresno, San Francisco and Long Beach.

Rock out on Friday evenings through July 28 (except July 7) at the largest, longest-running free outdoor music festival in Northern California, showcasing nearly 60 local and national bands and DJs.

This year’s lineup includes Blue October, KALLITECHNIS, Matt Maeson, Eric Bellinger and Arden Park Roots, along with DJs

hellagoodcompany, Lady Char and My Cousin Vinny.

After the last act every Friday, attendees are encouraged to visit after-party locations. For a lineup and information, visit godowntownsac.com/ events/signature-events/concerts-inthe-park.

City staff also report the number of building permits issued for accessory dwelling units in Sacramento jumped by another 32% in 2022 after soaring 124% in 2021. The number of applications submitted to build ADUs rose by nearly 50%. For information, visit cityofsacramento.org.

COLLEGE PRESIDENTS

Lisa Cardoza has been named president of American River College. Cardoza served as vice president for university advancement and executive officer for the University Foundation at Sacramento State, where she led record-setting fundraising efforts.

Vintage “woodies” are on display at the California Automobile Museum. Photos by Gabriel Ionica

Concerts in the Park returns to Cesar Chavez Plaza.

Photo courtesy of Downtown Sacramento

At Sacramento City College, Albert Garcia has been appointed president after serving as interim president since last July.

Garcia has held several positions during his more than 30-year career at the college, including English professor, English Department chair, Language and Literature Division dean, vice president of instruction and interim associate vice chancellor of instruction at the Los Rios Workforce and Economic Development Center.

AIRPORT AMBASSADORS

The Sacramento International Airport is seeking friendly and outgoing people to join its Ambassador Program, which provides a warm welcome to visitors and helps them navigate airport services.

Airport ambassadors are asked to commit to at least two four-hour shifts per month, with multiple shifts available each day at information desks and additional roving shifts on weekdays.

Applicants must be 18 or older, enjoy customer service and have strong communication skills. Ambassadors should be knowledgeable about the Sacramento region and have basic computer and internet skills. For information, email Barbara Tustin at tustinba@saccounty.gov.

SALMON SURGE

Thanks to a 2021 project to enhance salmon and steelhead habitats in

the Lower American River at Ancil Hoffman Park, recent data collected by the Sacramento Water Forum shows a noticeable surge in Chinook salmon redds (underwater nests created by female salmon to lay their eggs).

Prior to the project, 64 redds were counted at the site in fall 2020. A few months after the project began, the number of redds more than doubled to 170.

“This increase is considered even more remarkable given recent drought conditions and warmer river temperatures in 2021,” says Erica Bishop, Water Forum’s program manager. She adds that the Ancil Hoffman site also attracted 30% of the steelhead trout spawning in the entire Lower American River in 2021. For information, visit waterforum.org/ah.

TELE911

The Sacramento Fire Department has launched Tele911, a new pilot program using telehealth technology to immediately connect people to a doctor to expedite medical care and free up resources for other emergencies.

The program uses a network of California emergency department

physicians who can be contacted 24/7 for a video medical consultation for patients served by SFD. These doctors evaluate patients in real time while crews are on the scene and advise if treatment in place is the preferred option or if the patient needs to be transported to a hospital by ambulance.

“This program helps the Sacramento Fire Department make the best decisions possible when responding to low-acuity and non-life-threatening medical calls,” Sacramento Fire Captain Justin Sylvia says.

GRAZING PROGRAM

If you’ve noticed hundreds of goats and sheep in North Natomas Regional

Park, they’re there for a good reason. The animals are placed at city parks to sustainably reduce fire risk as part of the city’s Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment’s grazing program.

“These sheep are one of our greatest assets as they’re able to get into areas that would be difficult for a machine like a mower to access,” says Shawn Aylesworth, the city’s park maintenance manager. “We maintain many open spaces across Sacramento and the animals are a sustainable way to reduce fire fuels.”

THEATER CAMP

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Carmichael is hosting a Theater Day Camp this summer.

Camp runs Monday through Friday, June 19–30, and is open to students entering second through ninth grades. Sophomores and older are encouraged to participate as volunteers. The camp concludes with a performance of “Annie KIDS” at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 30. To participate, call (916) 488-3550. For tickets and information, visit stmichaelscarmichael.org.

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

Lisa Cardoza is the new president of American River College.

Grazing sheep reduce fire risk at North Natomas Regional Park.

that are temperate that grow here in California, some very specialized ones that grow in Australia. Some grow as large as bushes and some, the pygmies, are smaller than a dime. Some of them even move. If an insect gets stuck on their sticky leaves, the leaf will wrap up around them.”

Though one of the most commonly known species, the Venus flytrap, is hard to grow locally, the club brings in specimens for the show. In addition to carnivorous plants, the club specializes in bromeliads, a vertical flowering plant native mainly to the tropical Americas.

“Back in the 1970s, the separate bromeliad and carnivorous plant clubs were struggling, so they combined resources,” says Nies, an Arden resident. “There’s a very loose carnivorous relationship that was the justification for combining. Bromeliad plants sit upright and sometimes insects fall into their leaves. That’s how they absorb nutrients. There are a couple species that can lean, so people are debating whether they’re carnivorous or not.”

Nies says bromeliads are easy to keep as houseplants, though they require a specific watering pattern thanks to their unique structure. Carnivorous plants require individualized care based on their species.

The sarracenia, or North American pitcher plant, grows well in Sacramento backyards, Nies says. And you can always ask club members for advice.

Eaten Alive

LOCAL CLUB LETS YOU GET UP CLOSE WITH CARNIVOROUS FLORA

The prey lands. A trap is sprung. The prey struggles but is no match for the enzymes that slowly digest it between vibrant green lobes with tooth-like trichomes.

No, this isn’t a scene out of “Little Shop of Horrors.” It’s the daily eating habit of a Venus flytrap, one of hundreds of carnivorous plant species that capture our imagination.

By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Profile

“Carnivory in plants has arisen at least 12 different times in 12 different areas around the world,” says Ron Nies, president of the Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society. “The whole idea of plants absorbing insects makes sense. They grow in areas with nutrient-poor soils, so they catch insects to supplement their needs.”

Nies and other members meet the third Wednesday of each month at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park to discuss caring for these fascinating plants. The club’s 53rd annual show and sale June 17–18 is a perfect place to check out various specimens—and maybe even buy a carnivorous plant.

“We like to show them off,” Nies says of the plants that captured his attention while he studied wildlife management at Humboldt State. “I’m really into the sundews at the moment. There are a lot of different types, some

“People can bring in their plant if it doesn’t look quite right and we’ll figure out what’s going on,” Nies says. “Also, if you come to the club, we have a raffle every month where people end up taking plants home.”

If a free plant isn’t incentive enough, here’s another teaser: “If you come to the club or the show, I can explain how the Venus flytrap can count to five,” Nies says.

Consider us intrigued.

The Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society Show and Sale will be held Saturday, June 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, June 18, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. For information, find the club on Facebook.

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

Ron Nies

Photo by Linda Smolek

Jail Brake

SUPERVISORS HEAR FACTS, NOT ARGUMENTS

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors endured a controversial hearing last December about overcrowding and the quality of inmate care at the Downtown Main Jail and Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove.

Testimony pitted law enforcement supporters against social justice advocates. Supporters urged financial investment to improve jail conditions. Advocates argued against more money for incarceration.

In the background, warnings from a federal judge about constitutional rights violations at the jails drove concerns about a potential courtordered mass release of prisoners.

Tensions flared. Supervisor Phil Serna said support for jail enhancements came from “fear mongering.” By a 3-2 vote, the supervisors compromised. They agreed to consider capital improvements and work toward incarceration alternatives.

A more sedate atmosphere met the board’s most recent jail update. There was little public comment and no inflammatory language or protests. Just the facts.

Eric Jones, deputy county executive for public safety and justice, said efforts are underway to “reduce the jail population over time and give constitutional care to those in custody.” Improvements are “not adding jail beds but giving proper treatment,” he says.

Design work to improve facilities is in early stages. Project estimates could run nearly $500 million, though construction isn’t anticipated until 2025–2026.

By Howard Schmidt Inside The County

Besides physical changes, the goal is to reduce the average daily jail population by 600 inmates. Reductions can be accomplished with reduced bookings, shorter lengths of stay and fewer repeat offenders in custody.

At the end of March, the population averaged 2,788 inmates, down by 431 from the measuring baseline.

Several alternatives are under discussion, such as having law enforcement use the county’s Mental Health Urgent Care Clinic and Mental Health Treatment Center. Both have expanded capacity and operate around the clock.

Despite the upbeat report, Corrine McIntosh Sako chastised the supervisors. She serves on the county Mental Health Board and says it was wrong for supervisors “to support the jail as the county’s largest mental health provider,” rather than invest in community behavioral health services.

GOODBYE, COLUMBUS

No culture war erupted when supervisors designated “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” as the second Monday of October. It’s already a paid holiday for county workers.

Formerly known as Columbus Day, the title has been updated on many government calendars, including state and federal.

PAY RAISE

Supervisors get a 20% pay raise in June. They voted themselves the boost

at the recommendation of county staff, based on a compensation survey.

Supervisor Sue Frost expressed mixed feelings. She said the job requires a lot of work but acknowledged “many of my constituents are suffering” with inflation and the cost of living. She alone voted against the raise.

After Frost announced her vote, Serna asked why the proposal was on the board agenda. County Executive Ann Edwards explained staff looks at equity adjustments for all county employees and the board’s compensation hadn’t been reviewed since 1991 (though supervisors have received pay increases in the last 32 years).

With that information, Serna said the pay raise wasn’t requested by any supervisor.

When the raise starts, supervisors will make $173,389 annually.

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

Action At Last

A PLAN FOR HOMELESS, BUT WHERE’S ENFORCEMENT?

Every crisis needs a solution. Every solution needs a plan. Homelessness plagues our city, especially since the pandemic and calamities of methamphetamine and opioid addiction.

Against this background, Sacramento Steps Forward recently held a conference titled “All In” to unveil the Local Homeless Action Plan. It’s a regional blueprint for resources and a collaborative, cohesive approach to the crisis.

The event provided insight into the challenges of moving people off our streets and away from the American River Parkway. How to use limited resources more effectively was also discussed.

The action plan contains targets for numbers of people served, housing production and service provisions. It’s an important acknowledgement that the burdens of homelessness must be shared by the county and city.

Drug addiction and mental illness are major contributors to the problem. Now there’s a realistic discussion about the types of housing required, along with the costs of permanent supportive and interim housing, plus shelter beds in triage centers.

What does all this mean? Will we soon see major reductions in homelessness? Unlikely. But the action plan means progress will accelerate over time. Two new initiatives:

JHCrisis Receiving Behavioral Health Center—Addresses acute addiction and behavioral health. WellSpace, the city’s department of community response and I started this program three years ago. The county is on board and will fund expansion.

By Jeff Harris City Skeptic

Coordinated Access—Organizes service providers so they don’t compete. Resources and data are

shared. Available bed space and housing stock updates are available to providers. County Supervisor Rich Desmond and I borrowed this idea from Haven for Hope in San Antonio and secured funds from the city and county. Coordination is critical to the action plan and is finally becoming a reality.

What happens in the meantime? Our city is still a mess with crime, filth and debris, and impeded access on sidewalks. The American River Parkway faces severe ecological stress. Businesses are closing. All due to homelessness. What can be done in the short term?

Enforcement is one answer, but too few elected officials are willing to use it. Enforcement is a political hot potato. But we must enforce rules to keep our city livable as we make progress in housing.

We will never have enough beds for everyone living outdoors. Although we offer more services to homeless people, no encampment should be allowed to become entrenched or grow too large. Negative effects are dire. Camps

place severe stress on neighborhoods and generate crime.

Here’s the balancing act. Let’s be compassionate and offer help, but firm in disallowing egregious behavior.

Citizens are rightfully angered by lenient policies the City Council adopted around enforcement. The sidewalk and school proximity ordinances were good efforts, but the political will to enforce them is weak. The City Council has been tone-deaf to the needs of the community. Citizens know we can be compassionate and clean up our city at the same time.

The action plan is a good program that will bring results over time. But we can’t wait for those results while our city degrades. It takes the homeless action plan and strong enforcement measures to keep Sacramento intact.

Read the action plan at sacramentostepsforward.org.

Jeff Harris represented District 3 on the City Council from 2014 to 2022. He can be reached at cadence@ mycci.net. n

CITY OF TENTS

HOW MAYOR, COUNCIL ENCOURAGE HOMELESSNESS

For years, I’ve tried to figure out why the local homeless population grew from 2,700 to roughly 10,000 since Darrell Steinberg became mayor.

I’ve finally figured it out. The answer is obvious. I just couldn’t see it.

Steinberg and the City Council promote homelessness. They encourage an unhoused culture. The city has authority to stop or at least slow the problem. Instead, the mayor and friends search for excuses to

help homelessness thrive. They bring gasoline to the bonfire.

With policies and willfulness, the mayor and council accepted tents along X Street and Alhambra Boulevard. They ignored doorway sleepers and sidewalk encroachments. They declined to enforce rules about property crimes, open fires, drug sales, public drunkenness, prostitution, inoperable vehicles, health, safety and indecent behavior when homeless people were involved.

Mayhem ensued. Of course it did.

Under Steinberg’s leadership, local authorities respect camping as a lifestyle. If people refuse services and wish to live in tents on sidewalks and hoard bicycles and trash, the city rarely, reluctantly interferes.

By R.E. Graswich City Beat

In 2020, Downtown City Council member Katie Valenzuela arrived to help the mayor preserve the inviolability of homelessness. Compassion became acceptance.

As irresponsible as this sounds— what kind of civic leadership sanctions homelessness?—tolerance of street camps continued until Sacramento became a national disgrace.

Now when residents look past the parade of modest remedies such as transitional shelters, tiny homes, trailers, sprung structures and motel vouchers, they realize the city’s shameful homeless predicament makes sense. Tents are the inevitable result of policies that see no evil in sleeping rough.

Steinberg, Valenzuela and the council will reject accusations that they condone homelessness. No doubt they hope the problem vanishes. But their solutions, which involve building 10,000 homes for unsheltered people, and another 10,000 for the next wave, into perpetuity, are fantasies.

As for condoning homelessness, the mayor and council’s actions

prove them guilty. Steinberg and friends hid behind a court ruling and abdicated responsibility. They used the court as an excuse to support street campers while feigning helplessness.

The decision, from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, is called Martin v. Boise. The 2018 ruling prohibits Boise police from criminalizing certain people who sleep on public property. The decision encourages cities to open shelters and structured campgrounds, similar to Haven for Hope, the San Antonio program I’ve written about several times.

Steinberg and the council based their policies on the fiction that Martin requires shelter beds for every homeless person before tents can be cleared. Immune from laws and ordinances, homeless camps spread like weeds.

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

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But Steinberg and Valenzuela didn’t understand Martin v. Boise. Or they intentionally misrepresented it.

In an important footnote, the court said cities can restrict camping in certain public areas. And cities can remove people who refuse services or can afford shelter. Steinberg and the City Council ignored that footnote.

Phoenix leaders viewed Martin v. Boise through the same goggles worn by Steinberg and Valenzuela. Homeless camps consumed a Phoenix neighborhood called the Zone. Property owners and residents in the Zone got fed up, sued the city and won.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney eviscerated Phoenix’s policies. Blaney wrote, “The City erroneously applied the Martin case; interpreting its narrow holding as precluding the enforcement of public camping laws whenever the homeless population in Phoenix exceeded the number of available shelter beds. The City also stopped or greatly decreased enforcement of other health, quality

of life, and even criminal laws and ordinances in the Zone.”

Sound familiar? The judge rejected the notion campers can’t be cleared without sufficient shelter beds. And he confirmed the city can prevent camping by homeless people who refuse services or have resources.

“Structured campgrounds would solve the City’s concerns about the application of the Martin case because the additional shelter beds would provide an alternative to sleeping on the street,” Blaney wrote. “Thus, structured campgrounds would eliminate any legal prohibition on the enforcement of anti-public camping laws.”

I’m a slow learner, but I get it. With a mayor and councilmembers who support street camping, it’s no wonder homelessness blazes out of control.

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

© SMUD 0419-4/23 ®A trademark/service mark of Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.

Modern Miracle

RENOVATIONS TAKE HOME FROM WORST TO FIRST

Renée Carter is a fan of architectural modernism. A few years ago, her previous home in Land Park was featured on our pages. It was a beautiful, elegantly remodeled two-story mid-century home with a front yard swimming pool. When she placed it on the market, she received multiple offers.

Carter wanted new surroundings on a single story. She found her new home in Sierra Oaks, nestled in a neighborhood with mid-century modern homes constructed in the 1960s by the Streng Brothers. It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and 2,400 square feet. She took ownership in August 2021.

The home was sold a few years earlier in almost original condition. The couple that purchased it did so to remodel and sell.

C H CH

By Cecily Hastings

Photography by Aniko Kiezel Open House

“The renovation team was a realtor and architect, and they did an amazing job remodeling the original home, tastefully creating an elegant modern aesthetic,” Carter says. “They did an amazing job of maintaining the integrity of the original organic architecture, but still updating the home with tasteful and contemporary upgrades.”

What was once an overgrown, plant-filled atrium is now a simple and elegant entry space.

A cement block wall with beveled details divides the new formal dining room from the entry. An ebony-stained dining table anchors the space, surrounded by leather chairs in soft ivory with stainless steel frames. A contemporary light fixture has thin paper strips formed into soft curves.

Typical of this style of home, the private backyard is visible through generous glass windows and sliding doors. The modest living room and cement block fireplace remain in their original locations facing the back.

Behind the central dining room is a bright, open-plan kitchen and family room combination that overlooks the backyard and pool. “The plan is compact which I appreciate, but still features a small island and a peninsula,” Carter says. “This is where I love to hang out with my two dogs.”

The kitchen is designed in shades of bright white, along with interior walls and soaring wooden ceilings and beams. “I love living in this bright white envelope that just radiates the natural light coming in from all sides,” she says.

One dramatic departure from the white envelope is a deep grass-green, handmade ceramic tile backsplash that runs from the counter to the ceiling. Its glossy finish reflects the colors of the lush

landscape and mature trees in the backyard.

The right side of the house consists of the master bedroom—opening to the pool—and bath, plus another two small bedrooms and bath. One bedroom is Carter’s home office. A compact laundry room and entry to the two-car garage sit off the hallway.

Another bedroom and full bath are located to the left side of the home, creating a separate, more private guest space.

Bathroom finishes provide consistency with sleek natural walnut cabinetry and polished steel handles. The bath flooring is large-format charcoal porcelain tile. Ceramic tile backsplashes over sinks and in showers are unique to each bath space.

In the backyard, the pool was updated and landscaping renovated.

Amazingly, every piece of contemporary furniture appears custom-selected for the house. But Carter assures me it was almost all from her previous home. “Every piece just seemed to fit in very well,” she says.

Carter is a local art collector and supporter. Her art collection adds color and texture to the simple and clean design of the home. Many large pieces complement the high ceilings. She was guided by Dave Saalsaa, the area’s top art installer. “Like everything else in this house, the things I already owned seemed to fit in beautifully,” Carter says.

Renovations on the outside include smoky dark taupe paint on siding and trim, cream painted brick, stainless steel lighting and a bright steel-framed frosted glass garage door.

Carter says her neighbors have been complimentary on the renovations facing the street. “They say this home went from the worst of the block to now being the best!”

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

As the airplane door shut on my flight home from Honduras, a woman stood and spoke to us in Spanish.

I didn’t understand her words, but my “Chappy sense” quickly recognized her intent. The translation by my seatmate helped too.

“She wants to say a prayer,” said my neighbor, who introduced himself as a missionary.

I know you might expect your chaplain to bow his head and close his eyes. But I wasn’t feeling it.

There was little about this that felt right. So I glued my eyes wide open, determined not to pray.

Why did I take such umbrage?

Wing And A Prayer

SHOULD WE FORCE RELIGION ON A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE?

I began arguing back and forth with myself for an answer.

To begin with, the exit door was closed. You might say the door was slammed on her prayer. Safety procedures demanded we remain seated.

I considered asking the flight attendant if we should reopen the door and allow the woman to exit feet first down the safety slide.

Easy there, Chappy.

Doesn’t the Bible admonish us to “… pray without ceasing….” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-17).

OK, but doesn’t the Bible also suggest we restrict our prayer to a closet?

NBParaphrased beautifully in “The Message,” Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage.”

By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

I wanted to point out, “Yours is no closet prayer, lady. Stay out of the aisle or take it to the lavatory.”

Bad chaplain. Bad chaplain.

Thinking better of myself, I remained quiet. Perhaps I should accept that folks be allowed to pray

when and where they want. Isn’t this a First Amendment issue?

Yes and no. The amendment promises freedom of religion but also freedom from religion.

Still, wasn’t her prayer just an effort to comfort folks?

Perhaps, but to me this felt like yelling fire in a crowded theater. It made me painfully aware of my mortality. I was in a hard-landing crash on my return from Iraq in 2009, and her prayer wasn’t helping.

My kindest interpretation of her public prayer was that it was cultural, her tradition. I’d heard a similar fervor when a PTA president fired up a meeting with an evangelical prayer. No one batted an eyelash at her impassioned prayer.

Still, I felt put upon. I mean, how would she have felt if a man laid out a prayer rug and knelt to say a prayer to Allah. Tradition or not, that might get you tackled on some planes.

If I felt put upon by this no-choice prayer, I wondered if this was how nonreligious people felt when overexposed to religion.

Do they hear disrespect? Do they feel put down or put upon? Do they detect

a hint of superiority? Is public prayer religious entrapment?

Asking myself these questions reminds me to be more considerate when expressing religious sentiment toward other people. If I don’t know them, I must consider the impact of telling them “I’m praying for you” or “God Bless you.”

These questions remind me of the highest of all biblical admonishments, the “Golden Rule” of Luke 6:31: Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.

With all my wondering whether this was the right time and place for a prayer, my surrounding seatmates seemed unfazed, happy to close their eyes and end the prayer with a hardy amen.

So much for my Chappy sense.

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

TAKING CARE

Vuong says. “Before, I had 15 minutes to see a patient, which meant I had to chart after hours and basically run from room to room and throw BandAids at people. I like that now I get to take time to get to the root cause of a problem and treat it, not just cover it with a Band-Aid.”

Though he admits the idea of patients being able to contact him around the clock was daunting, he soon realized, “As it turns out, if you can take care of a problem in a timely manner during the day, almost nobody abuses the system and calls you at 2 a.m.”

“And if someone does call at 2 a.m. and says they think they’re having a stroke or a heart attack, we’re able to tell them to hang up and call 911,” Tepper says. “You’re not getting a call back in a few hours, you’re getting me right then. New patients are always surprised when I pick up the phone.”

PHYSICIANS FIND CONCIERGE MEDICINE WORKS FOR MANY

It’s 7 p.m., most doctors’ offices are closed, and you have a medical concern. You call your physician and who picks up? Your physician. In a brief conversation, he tells you what to do. You hang up feeling informed and reassured.

L JL

By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor

This doctoring dream describes the family medicine practice of Dr. Eric Tepper and Dr. Reed Vuong at 50th and J streets. The practice operates under a concierge medicine model, where patients have direct access to their doctor via phone, text and email, and can often be seen the same day. A doctor’s appointment when you need it.

“When you’re seeing 30 people a day (in a traditional practice), you can’t give them the attention they want or need. You’re just trying to keep your head above water,” says Tepper, a Placervillearea native. “When you scale back to 10 to 15 people a day, you can know who everybody is, give them the attention they need and take care of everything on their list.”

Tepper attended medical school in Philadelphia and returned to Sacramento for residency at Methodist

Hospital and Mercy Family Health Center.

About eight years ago, Tepper was burning out on the pace and demands of his traditional practice of 3,800 patients. When he learned about concierge medicine and realized he could still treat people but also achieve work-life balance, he converted his practice and never looked back.

San Diego native Vuong entered private practice after earning his osteopathic medicine degree in Iowa. He completed residency at Mercy alongside Tepper. When he realized his private practice was running him ragged, he asked Tepper what he was doing and received a glowing report on concierge medicine. Vuong joined Tepper’s practice last November.

“With a 45-minute appointment, I can do so much more with a patient,”

While it may sound too good to be true, concierge medicine is still covered by most insurance. The practice requires patients to be insured to help defray costs. “You don’t get car insurance to change your oil, you get it to cover the big things,” Tepper says.

Patients pay an annual fee determined by age that covers, as Tepper says, “everything insurance doesn’t want to pay for. Before, it felt like I was working for the insurance companies. That’s not who should be in charge of your health care. If insurance doesn’t cover it, the fee does so we can take care of things soup to nuts.”

For information, visit ericteppermd. com or call (916) 455-1155. The address is 5030 J St., Suite 201.

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

Eric Tepper and Reed Vuong

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

It’s been 10 years since I wrote a book about the Kings. Now I can finally write an update.

The fact that my book survived a decade without becoming stale and outdated makes me happy, but I know the truth. Literary brilliance aside, the book stayed fresh because the Kings did absolutely nothing worth writing about between 2013 and 2022.

They moved into a new arena, played a bunch of games that ended in defeat, traded countless players whose names I can’t remember and

R G RG

By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority

Start The Presses

AT LAST, A NEW KINGS CHAPTER NEEDS WRITING

York, where the team is born and celebrates its greatest victories.

The rest of the book follows a linear trajectory, tracking the Kings from Rochester to Cincinnati and Kansas City and Omaha and onto Sacramento. Excursions detour into various ownership groups and fiascos such as the decision to hire Bill Russell as coach and vice president of basketball operations.

To keep pages turning, I throw in gossip from my dozen or so years as a daily Kings beat writer and sports columnist for The Bee.

works for NBA owners, which means he works for the Maloofs.

Thus conflicted, Stern guides Johnson like a schizophrenic. He threatens, soothes, swears, criticizes, pampers. For example, Stern to Johnson: “That’s your strategy, to make all these other deals and cram the Maloofs with a suppository? You take care of the doughnut and forget the hole. You have got to be kidding me.”

fired many coaches. They shut down for the pandemic and skipped their rent payments for a few months. They missed the playoffs.

In short, they churned through life since 2013 in irrelevance and obscurity. That covers it. Hardly worth an updated edition.

My book is called “Vagrant Kings: David Stern, Kevin Johnson and the NBA’s Orphan Team.” It’s not about basketball. It’s about everything that happens to a miserable old basketball team.

The story begins in 2011 as the Kings approach their final act in Sacramento. They are poised for a familiar escape trick: make everyone hate them and leave town.

From there, the story introduces two main characters, NBA Commissioner David Stern and Mayor Kevin Johnson. The action shifts to 1945 and Edgerton Park Sports Arena in Rochester, New

There are details about how Kevin Johnson despises the Kings for skipping him in the 1987 draft. And how Kings trainer Billy Jones confirms Russell falls asleep during practice sessions.

Jonesy is loyal to coaches and never admits Russ dozes through drills. Instead, the trainer validates my suspicion with code words. “We needed an extra pot of coffee to keep everybody alert this morning,” he says.

The best material comes from my years at City Hall as Johnson’s special assistant. That’s where I witness the intensity of Stern’s determination to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

Johnson summons me into his mayoral chambers to take notes from strategy phone calls with the commissioner. Stern, who died in 2020, is famously taciturn with media and public. But he lets loose in these private discussions. My book includes brief transcripts.

Stern hates team relocations. He’s disgusted by the Maloof brothers, who own the Kings and want to move, first to Anaheim, then Seattle. But Stern

Conversations with Stern leave Johnson terrified. The mayor tells me, “Normal people, they get mad, they get over it. You do not want to make this guy mad. You see him sitting there all cool and calm, but underneath, he’s thinking. He’s plotting. I’m telling you, he’s not normal. He’s like Michael from ‘The Godfather.’ You do not want to mess with this guy.”

Johnson ultimately knows Stern is an ally. The commissioner wants the Kings to stay put. He dumps the Maloofs and welcomes Vivek Ranadive, a small-stakes owner of the Golden State Warriors. An arena deal with the city comes together. Stern calls the drama “the appropriate outcome.”

That’s where “Vagrant Kings” ends.

Now I have to write a new chapter, about redemption for a veteran coach and success for a miserable old basketball team. I promise to avoid instant analysis and obvious conclusions. After all, this is a story that begins in 1945. No need to rush.

R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@iclould.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

"Vagrant Kings" on the basketball shelf at Alameda County Library in Dublin.

Where Is Animal Control?

IT’S A DIFFERENT WORLD FOR HOMELESS CAMP DOGS

There is a hidden world in Sacramento, off the grid and unknown to most. Dogs in small cages or padlocked to trees and poles. Chains tangled with little room to move. Many without food, water or shelter.

These are the dogs of homeless camps.

“You know those commercials on TV?” Debbie Tillotson says. She’s talking about the heart-wrenching public service ads that expose the underworld of animal abuse. “You can easily insert Sacramento. This is your backyard, it’s the same thing.”

For the past year, Tillotson and Linda Massaro have visited the American River Parkway near Highway 160 every day to take food,

water and supplies to homeless camp dogs.

Tillotson and Massaro began volunteering 14 years ago at Mercer Clinic, held monthly at Loaves & Fishes, where the unhoused receive free medical services for pets. The clinic shut down when the pandemic hit.

“The reason we ended up down at the river was because when COVID came, they stopped having the clinics,” Tillotson says. “But we knew there had to be animals that needed help.

“We had no idea what we were walking into.”

Tillotson and Massaro have helped nearly 40 dogs in more than eight homeless camps. The duo purchase food and supplies with their own money. In the summer, they take water. “Bowls too,” Tillotson says. “A lot of these people don’t have anything down there for the animals.”

By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies

Massaro, who works in West Sacramento, goes to the river on her lunch break. Tillotson works nights

in Rocklin and visits dogs earlier in the day.

“People have a misconception of how well the dogs are taken care of,” Tillotson says. “The standard MO is, ‘I feed my dog before I feed myself.’ That is the biggest line of crap I’ve ever heard.

“They don’t feed them. They don’t give them water. They keep them on heavy chains.”

Tillotson and Massaro have left bags of food that have gone unopened. Now they stay to feed the dogs to ensure they get nourishment. “They are starving, ravenous,” Tillotson says.

To get dogs out of dirt and rain, Tillotson and Massaro build small houses using PVC pipe wrapped in a tarp. Heavy cardboard and commercial-grade garbage bags provide a water-proof floor, topped with straw so the dogs can dig in and stay warm. Each house costs $100.

“We have gone out in the middle of the night with pouring down, freezing rain to build structures for the dogs because they won’t let them in the tent,” Tillotson says. “The next day,

one homeless man said, ‘At least they didn’t cry all night.’ Why are they crying? Because they’re soaking wet, freezing their asses off in the middle of nowhere, no protection, nothing.”

Tillotson talks about a young pit bull mix chained to a tree with two padlocks. “The chain was extremely heavy,” she says. “No water, no food. I tried to get him loose but couldn’t. Where is animal control?”

Earlier this year, Tillotson and Massaro shared their stories with the City Council’s Animal Care Citizens Advisory Committee.

They gave examples of chronic dog abusers who take mother dogs and their puppies from other homeless camps to sell or trade for drugs and alcohol. Before one set of puppies was taken, Tillotson and Massaro got the animals their first set of shots and put them on a spay/neuter list. “Now, guess what? These puppies are going to die because they’re not going to get their second shots,” Tillotson said. Massaro told the committee the mother dog now lives in a small cage. None of the dogs are being fed.

Volunteers bring food, water, coats and houses to dogs living in homeless camps on the river.

“The worst part of this situation is when we try to get help for these animals, nobody helps us. Nobody even gives us direction,” Tillotson said. Multiple calls to 311 and visits to Front Street Animal Shelter are ignored. Park rangers tell them it’s not their jurisdiction.

“It’s frustrating. I thought that’s what animal shelters did,” Tillotson said. “Guide us, give us direction. Help us help you—because basically we’re doing your job.”

Front Street Animal Shelter received $753,230 in COVID relief funding last year for a homeless outreach program. Front Street reports two registered veterinary technicians, an animal control officer and animal services coordinator go out on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The homeless outreach team “primarily responds to requests from owners, community members, case managers, other nonprofit organizations or when an animal control officer feels an owner could benefit from the program’s services,” says Ryan Hinderman, Front Street’s

communications and customer service manager.

He says they visit known encampments and transitional shelters, spending most of their time north of the river.

Tillotson and Massaro, who are at the homeless camps seven days a week, have yet to see the program in action. “We have never seen an animal control person down there,” Massaro says.

Massaro asked the committee for a response to their pleas. Committee

Chair Leah Christie Morris said the committee is a “listening body” that takes information to the City Council.

“I don’t have any answer that things will be different tomorrow,” she told them.

Lynette Hall, the city’s community engagement manager, and her staff took notes at the meeting. Their task is to follow up on complaints presented by community members about Front Street Animal Shelter’s management.

Hall “said she would get hold of us to talk, but we haven’t heard

a thing,” Tillotson says. “But we expected that. It’s not their priority.”

More than a month after presenting testimony of starving and abused dogs, Front Street was “still looking into this complaint,” Hinderman says. “While we do our best to respond, staffing challenges and the number of requests exceed our ability to respond to every request.”

Tillotson says, “Before I started doing this, I can honestly say I’d be that person advocating for a homeless person to have their animals. No more.

“For the animals, it’s not their choice. They should not have to live that way. It’s a whole different world for these animals. I cry myself to sleep and wake up with a pit in my stomach. What are we going to see today?”

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

Let

2400 J Street 916-441-1478 rellesflorist.com

sacramentowholesaleflowers.com 916-441-1736

Kitchen Collaborative

The best chefs I worked with never took sole credit for the elaborate meals they served. They emphasized team effort. Every decent kitchen needs a brigade, with many hands making each meal distinct.

The best writers I’ve learned from call on communities of writers for inspiration. They apprentice less experienced writers and encourage them to find their voices. Creativity needs a community.

Les Dames d’Escoffier Sacramento is building a community between our region’s food and beverage leaders and young female professionals in the hospitality industry.

I learned of Les Dames while working on a story about Davis Farm to School. Les Dames co-hosts the Village Feast, an event that funds the Farm to School program. Revenue from the fest also supports scholarships through Les Dames.

G M GM

By Gabrielle Myers

Photography by Aniko Kiezel Farm To Fork

LES DAMES BUILDS SUPPORT FOR WOMEN IN FOOD SERVICE

Rachael Levine, president of Les Dames d’Escoffier Sacramento and a chef from Yolo County, says the group aims to “uplift underserved women in the food and beverage industry.” The organization supports women with educational opportunities, including small business development, urban farming, viticulture, oenology, wine service and the culinary arts.

Les Dames creates social change not just through uplifting individuals, but through grants that help women as they advance in a traditionally maledominated field.

Les Dames d’Escoffier started in New York City in 1976. The goal, Levine says, was “to address gender bias in the industry as a whole and increase the presence of professional women. Working on a networking approach, the organization aims to support young, talented women through scholarship and philanthropy.”

The Sacramento chapter was founded in 2015, an offshoot of San Francisco’s group. To be a Les Dames member, women need five years of experience in food service, beverage and hospitality. The organization also welcomes women from agriculture and food journalism.

The essential work of Les Dames requires members to maintain active

roles in philanthropy and community service.

Grant opportunities form a big part of Les Dames’ work. The local chapter has connections with the Center for Land-Based Learning and provides scholarships to women involved in the California Farm Academy.

The Alchemist Community Development Corporation is Les Dames’ new partner. Three women in the Alchemist program received a $3,000 grant to help develop their own culinary micro-businesses.

Les Dames supports women in the Saint John’s Program for Real Change, a residential and job training program for women and their children transforming their lives after crises. Les Dames underwrites a tiny house on the Saint John’s campus as the residents transition from the culinary program into more permanent housing.

Goals for Les Dames include a mentorship program for women and a lecture series that focuses on hearthealthy cooking, personal brand enhancement and how women can finance small businesses.

This year is the 20th anniversary of Village Feast. The big day is Oct. 20 at noon, with a celebration and feast at Davis Central Park.

The Village Feast menu highlights a grand lunch based on the region’s bounty and sourced with local produce, eggs, meats and olive oil. “In this valley we grow everything for the rest of the world,” Levine says.

The Feast menu tells the story best: An aperitif of local olives, roasted nuts and rosé wine. Mixed local heirloom tomatoes with olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper and basil. Upper Crust Baking Company sarmentine baguettes and estate extra virgin olive oil. Grilled sweet peppers, summer squash, carrots and eggplant. Boiled fingerling potatoes, organic hard-cooked eggs, cannellini beans marinated with fresh herbs, olive oil and sea salt. And Superior Farms grilled leg of lamb with herbs and aioli, with a pear and honey galette for dessert.

For information on the Village Feast, visit davisfarmtoschool.org/villagefeast. To support Les Dames d’Escoffier Sacramento, visit lesdamessacramento. 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

Marcella White, Rachael Levine and Joni Stuart.

insert DOWN

1 Teapot component

2 Freshly baked bread’s smell, e.g.

3 Scottish boy

4 “I’ve had enough!”

5 Cultural

6 ___ for it (takes a chance)

7 Ga. airport that’s the world’s busiest

8 Big name in canned fruits

9 Right of the accused

10 “And ...”

11 Word before “Abby” or “John”

12 Fairy-tale beast

14 Shopping binge

16 Fifth Avenue store

21 The 411

24 Tea or toothpaste

flavoring

25 Family man, maybe

26 Perform better than

27 Very small: Prefix

28 Predictive sign

29 United ___

Emirates

30 Hippo’s skirt in “Fantasia”

31 Homer

Simpson’s stomach

35 “Desperate Housewives”

actress Eva

36 Pound sounds

37 Aptsounding name for an English janitor

39 “Whatever!”

40 Pine tree, for one

42 Ancient Scandinavian

43 Rules as a monarch

44 Ono who sang with John Lennon

47 African state from 1971-’97

48 Pungent

49 Joy

50 Cut in a dress

51 Type of list with tasks

52 Massage target

56 Days ___ (hotel chain)

57 Word aptly missing from _ix_d charg_

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

© 2022 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com

The

Team Effort

‘OUR’ KINGS ARE A BUSINESS LIKE NO OTHER

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By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

Golden 1 Center attracted its share of controversy over the years, but I want to focus on an emotional piece of the story.

Have the Kings finally created real civic pride, or is it just a basketball team? As I thought about this question, a friend posted on social media after the team clinched its first playoff bid since 2006:

“The local sportsball franchise won something important last night, and all over I see statements like ‘Finally, something to be proud of for Sacramento,’ ‘Way to represent!’

‘Sacramento Proud,’ etc.

“I do not get ‘our team’ thinking, and I never will,” the post went on. “Highly paid men working for even more highly paid owners in an arena the citizenry was starry-eyed enough to fund has always seemed like a big con game to me. Games are fun if you’re into them, but they are just that: Games. The highly paid men would leave tomorrow for a better deal if they could, and highly paid owners would likewise jump to another city willing to cut

them an even better deal on another taxpayer-funded arena.

“Enjoy the games, if you do. Buy the jerseys, if you must. But a sportsball franchise is a business, not a measure of civic pride. The presence of even a successful one changes little about the city in which one lives.”

Phil Serna, the Sacramento County Supervisor, posted this response.

“You’re obviously a proud cynic the likes of which intentionally ignored so much of the good that comes with a community’s love for their local pro basketball team. . . You conveniently attempt to distill the import and significance of the Sacramento Kings into nothing more than a politically controversial cost-center while entirely ignoring the social, cultural and historical significance of the organization and its relevance not just to the city of Sacramento but to our entire region and arguably beyond. . .

“If you don’t like the team or the team’s history,” Serna went on, “or the great game of basketball, or the city’s history and relationship with the team, or the ownership, or the fans, or the players, or the venue, or how the venue was paid for, or the public art

that is proudly featured in the Golden 1 Center, or the personalities involved in managing the team and operations, or the mascot and team colors . . . or, or, or. You, of course, are entitled to your opinion. That said, I think opinions like yours are misinformed, disingenuous, dismissive, flat, fleeting and otherwise laughable.”

Civic pride saved the team when it was all but gone to Anaheim or Seattle. No matter what you think of the Kings, I defy anyone to tell me the city would be better off with no team and no Downtown arena. If you saw the crowds outside Golden 1 Center during playoff games, the excitement was palpable. So were the good vibes.

After grim years of pandemic, civic unrest that led to boarded up businesses, our intractable homeless problem, crime and other challenges, people felt good. Before and after games, fans hang out Downtown, spend money, have fun and enjoy the communal boost that comes with cheering a successful, entertaining pro sports team.

That the owner and players are wealthy and may not be permanently attached to Sacramento is beside

the point. This is an entertainment product. We are free to patronize it or not. But if you follow the team, isn’t it more gratifying when the Kings succeed? If you couldn’t care less about basketball, isn’t there some joy in watching neighbors feel good about the team and, by extension, Downtown and the city?

I’m not claiming a good team makes the city great or our challenges less vexing. But sports can bring people together like few other experiences. When the team is good, fun and exciting to watch, filled with likeable players and coaches, and performing in a classy building, don’t you feel a little proud?

Maybe it’s just as simple as these words, spoken by another person I know: “When they win, people are in a better mood. That’s pretty cool. Especially after all this city’s been through lately.”

Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

INSIDE OUT

Land Park Volunteer Day

PHOTOS BY ANIKO KIEZEL

The Land Park Volunteer Corps celebrated its 100th park workday May 6. Despite rain, 114 volunteers showed up to work. Workdays are held monthly from the first Saturday in March through November. In the past, workdays have attracted up to 300 volunteers. The nonprofit volunteer group launched in 2011 to counter severe cutbacks in city park staff resulting from the 2008 recession. Currently, park maintenance staff levels are still lower than prior to the recession. For information, contact Richard Stevenson at stevenson-richard@sbcglobal.net.

Lights, Camera, Sacramento!

SHORT FILM HIGHLIGHTS OUR CITY’S NATURAL BEAUTY

If you jog along the American River Parkway and spot a tree with gnarled roots dangling over the riverbank, stop and say hello to “Mickey’s Tree.”

It’s a bit of Sacramento immortalized in the 40-minute movie of the same name by local filmmaker and composer Belton Mouras Jr.

“I’ve had so many adventures out there,” Mouras says of the trail he pounded thousands of times as a triathlete.

Recalling his late rescue dog, he adds, “Mickey and I would be out there almost every day and he led me to that

J L JL

By Jessica Laskey Meet Your Neighbor

tree. It’s exhilarating to be out there. A lot of people don’t get to experience the parkway to that degree, so I wanted to showcase all the nature that’s available to us right here in the film.”

“Mickey’s Tree” is Mouras’ debut film, but he’s worked on many creative projects as a composer and artist. Mouras was drawn to music early thanks to his mother, an avid pianist, and father, a Louisiana Cajun with roots in Zydeco, rockabilly, jazz and blues.

“Growing up playing music and then starting visual art, I realized that being a music composer is the perfect blend of the visual and auditory,” Mouras says. “To me, it’s just natural. Music brings the life and energy into the movie. You can have a great film, but the music brings in the juice.”

The movie bug bit the Carmichael resident when he agreed to serve as a producer for a friend’s film. After hanging out on set and landing a small role, Mouras fell in love with the medium and produced a short documentary project in Louisiana in memory of his father. He wrote

musical scores for other short films, including one in the 2012 “A Place Called Sacramento” Film Festival.

After Mouras retired from his day job as a real estate investor, he found himself with time on his hands. He built a creative outlet by writing, directing, producing and composing “Mickey’s Tree.”

“I wrote the script, grabbed a friend to be the technical director and the magic took over from there,” Mouras says.

He assembled the production team and a cast of local actors. Filming took 10 days in October 2021. The project wrapped last May and received its world premiere at the Palm Springs International ShortFest in June 2022, followed by a local premiere at the Esquire IMAX Theatre.

“I wanted to make this film as a way to thank Sacramento for being so supportive of me and my friends and family over the years,” Mouras says. “I also wanted to incorporate the human-animal bond and other parts of recovery. Hopefully it will inspire

others to hang in there no matter what they’re facing.”

Mouras is at work on his second film, an adventure feature shot in Costa Rica due out in 2024. Mouras has visited Costa Rica nearly every year for the past 15 years and hopes to highlight the country’s biodiversity. He’s made about 20 tracks for the new soundtrack, perhaps his favorite part of the production process.

“I learned so much making ‘Mickey’s Tree,’” Mouras says. “There were so many new learning curves. I had to be OK asking for help. But it was an incredible experience. I think everybody has the creative spirit in them, but life gets busy and it gets buried. When you get a chance at a creative outlet, go for it.”

“Mickey’s Tree” is available to rent on Amazon Prime and mickeystree.com.

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

Belton Mouras Jr.

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

HEAT’S ON

THESE ROSES CAN HANDLE A SERIOUS SCORCHER

Real deals thrive in Sacramento’s stellar rose gardens, including McKinley Rose Garden and World Peace. A visit delivers visual, in-person insight into choosing roses. Local nurseries also are excellent resources for selection and care information.

Time to name names from insider perspectives. Plucked from lists provided by Longanecker and David, these roses are endorsed by both: Gemini (orange-pink, hybrid tea), Marilyn Monroe (light apricot, hybrid tea), All My Loving (magenta, hybrid tea), St. Patrick (yellow, hybrid tea), Olympiad (red, hybrid tea), Crescendo (pink blend, hybrid tea), Julia Child (yellow, floribunda), and Sparkle and Shine (yellow, floribunda).

A few more recommended roses:

Hybrid teas—Jewel Grace (pink blend), Veterans’ Honor (red), Neil Diamond (pink and white).

Floribundas—Our Lady of Guadalupe (pink), Playboy (orange-red blend), Purple Tiger (purple), Celestial Night (purple).

Climbers—Fourth of July (red and white stripes), Altissimo (red), Soaring Spirits (pink and white stripes), Pearly Gates (pink).

Shrubs—Flower Girl (pink), Sally Holmes (white).

Sadly, my garden boasts just one excessive heat-tolerant rose on the lists—Memorial Day, a pink hybrid tea rose. However, Whisper and Mister Lincoln thrive to produce ample long-stem hybrid tea roses for bouquets. Afternoon shade is the secret.

“Ellie uses garden umbrellas in her rose garden to shade some roses and it actually adds to the garden experience when somebody visits,” David says.

David and Longanecker both prefer mulching roses with organic compost and not the more prevalent bark chips. Compost feeds the soil for an added benefit.

Roses require regular watering during periods of high temperatures, perhaps daily depending on the type of soil and if in containers. They are heavy feeders and perform best with fertilizer during bloom season.

“When it comes to newly planted roses, I don’t fertilize until after the first blooms and then at 50% less than a mature plant,” David says. “I don’t want to burn the roots.”

Embrace Sacramento’s first flush of rose blooms. Soon, our beloved roses may be scorched like a toaster Pop-Tart.

The American Rose Society says temperatures above 90 degrees for a protracted length of time trigger dormancy and dieback. Our national flower, the rose endures much more abuse in local gardens.

Since 2016, Sacramento braved five heat waves of eight consecutive days above 100 degrees. Two of those streaks were last year. One persisted for 10 days and averaged 108 degrees. A record 116 degrees incinerated Downtown last Sept. 6. Mercy!

D V DV

By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber

Roses, like humans, prefer morning sun and late afternoon shade for optimum summer performance and comfort. July, August and lately September have been excessively hot, forcing roses into survival mode.

“On many red roses, the edges will burn or, essentially the petals turn into potpourri,” says master rosarian Ellie Longanecker of Carmichael. “Blooms will decrease in size and the plant will produce fewer flowers and wilt.”

TJ David, co-creator (with Sylvia Villalobos) of the World Peace Rose Garden in Capitol Park, assesses Sacramento’s heat challenges as basically selecting the right roses.

Longanecker agrees. “Not all roses are created equal,” she says.

“The most important thing is to separate one’s biased opinions verses reality,” David says. “Many folks are in love with the names of roses but should focus on performance. Roses are often sold by pictures. I like seeing samples of the real deal before I make my decision.”

Longanecker says she is pickier about growing roses because she cuts and shows them in competitions.

“My first choice for cutting roses is mornings,” she says. “Second is when it is cool in the evenings and never midday when it is hot. Carry a clean pail and immediately submerge the stem in cool water that has a pinch of sugar.”

“Cutting a rose from one’s garden and giving it to somebody says I love or care about you in ways words may not convey,” David adds.

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

Secret, a hybrid tea rose, growns well in morning sun and afternoon shade.

Photo by Ellie Longanecker.

Art & Craft

MIXED MEDIA ARTIST COMBINES STYLES TO EXPLORE IDENTITY

By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

Davy Fiveash is never not creating. When I catch up with him by phone, I hear telltale scratchings of a paintbrush on canvas while we chat.

“I picked up crayons like every kid does and then I didn’t put them down,” Fiveash says of his lifelong love of art and craft. “I always knew I wanted to be an artist.”

On this day, Fiveash is in his East Sacramento studio working on his newest piece, a large-scale, mixed-media painting based on his childhood titled “The Evangelicals.”

As a kid growing up in Valdosta, Georgia, Fiveash was exposed to art through his mom, an

Davy Fiveash

Photo by Linda Smolek

avid crafter. He recalls staying up late watching old movies while she crafted and he drew. Today, Fiveash considers his artwork a mashup of craft or folk art. He uses fabric and other “less specific” materials and methods, and traditional media such as oil paint.

“Those early influences really matter,” says Fiveash, who left Valdosta to make art in Atlanta. He moved to Boston to earn a diploma at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and eventually an MFA at San Francisco Art Institute.

“Craft was what I saw, so that’s what I thought art was. I started rediscovering my appreciation for craft in art school. I wanted to learn to be a really good painter, but craft kept coming back. It bonds me to home,” he says.

Religion bonds Fiveash to Valdosta and heavily influences his art. As the son of a fundamentalist preacher, Fiveash spent at least three days a week in church drawing while listening to his dad preach.

“As a little queer boy being taught how to be righteous, I learned that being gay was the opposite of that. There was a lot of turmoil in my head,” Fiveash says. “There’s a real combination of religion and inner

turmoil in my art, especially in my latest series, ‘Sunday School.’”

Rabbits, lambs, deer and flowers play into his compositions, both as allegory and reflections of the natural beauty he started to appreciate after being hit by a car in San Francisco in 2010.

“It took a lot of recovery and I started to re-evaluate what was important to me, which came out in my art,” Fiveash says. “Flowers are gorgeous but difficult to paint. They don’t do anything but grow up, give us beauty, then die.”

The breadth of Fiveash’s work has earned him fans in the Bay Area and Sacramento. He’s had work accepted into several exhibitions, including back-to-back juried staff shows at the deYoung Museum, Crocker Art Auction, PBS KVIE Art Auction and Crocker-Kingsley at Blueline Arts.

It was through the PBS KVIE auction that he met D. Oldham Neath, KVIE’s then-art curator, who liked Fiveash’s work. She asked him to bring some pieces to Archival Gallery, a gallery and frame shop she runs in East Sac. She has represented him ever since. He painted a mural of oversized blooms, titled “Providence,” on one of the gallery’s exterior walls as part of Sacramento Mural Alley.

The scratching of paintbrush on canvas catches my attention again.

“I’m painting a rooster for ‘The Evangelicals,’” Fiveash explains. “This is the biggest work I’ve ever made. It’s taller than me! Fundamentalist ideals I struggled with as a kid are starting to re-emerge in politics, so I’m incorporating that into my work. Those experiences have turned into

something I can make art about for a really long time.”

For information, visit fiveashart. com.

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

Moveable Feasts

FAVORITES CLOSE, BUT QUALITY DINING LIVES ON

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By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

When Bandera closed five years ago, it was a gut punch to the Arden Arcade dining scene. But here we are, and local restaurateurs Brian and Susan Bennett filled the void at Howe Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Their restaurant, Bennett’s American Cooking, stepped into the Bandera location with steaks and seafood, wine and cocktails, and an upscale, casual vibe.

Decades ago, I enjoyed the garish atmosphere of Chinois at the same site. Mirrored walls, a dimly lit room, and 1980s hues of salmon and gray suggested a Euro disco could erupt at any moment. The scene spoke to a place and time. It was contemporary fun compared to its rival across the street, Ming Tree.

Then came the ’90s and Bandera, a signature brand of the Hillstone Restaurant Group (Rutherford Grill, Houston’s Steakhouse, Los Altos Grill),

gave University Village shopping center a dining anchor. Bandera rivaled Mace’s at Pavilions down the street. These were heady days of suburban dining.

Alas, those signature rooms are no more. But Bennett’s American Cooking carries on the legacy and makes a fine show. Lights are dim, portions large, pours heavy. The crowd is into it.

Brian Bennett knows about restaurants. With more than 40 years of experience, another eponymous restaurant in Roseville thrives and a Rocklin edition beckons. Bennett’s feels like a marriage of the prior tenant and Paul Martin’s American Bistro, a Roseville project Brian helped launch.

Borrowing from Bandera (and making good use of the inherited layout and tools) Bennett’s focuses on flame grilling and substantial meats. Steaks and chops share the menu with lasagna, chile relleno and one of the best meatloafs I’ve ever had (sorry Mom).

This meatloaf is a star, Paul Newman-level. Smokey and dense, thick-cut and savory, it sits in a glistening au jus topped with crispy onions. Do not miss the meatloaf.

And do not overlook the seafood. A prawn linguine with spinach, tomatoes, parmesan and garlic is a sizable serving of good taste. Salmon and halibut both pull their weight as well.

The standout is the blackened Pacific redfish. Blindfold me and I swear this dish came from a New Orleans kitchen. Two hefty filets, liberally spiced and served with a pile of butter-wilted spinach, make for quite a plate. It’s worth the trip.

Two warnings: Don’t think you can walk in on an “off night.” If you drop by on Monday, you’ll be lucky to get a table.

Bennett’s Monday night “2 for $65” deal includes two entrees, two salads and a bottle of wine for $65. It’s a deal that packs the place. Also, happy hour, Monday through Friday 2–6

p.m., delivers a host of solid noshes and a “country club” pour for less than market rate.

And bring a sweater. I assume the air conditioner at Bennett’s was designed to cool an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Oman. It keeps the dining room at near freezing temperatures day and night. It can overwhelm for much of the year, but provides a perfect retreat on a 100-degree summer day.

It’s sad to see favorite old restaurants close and neighborhoods change. But with stewards such as Brian and Susan Bennett, the current state of local cooking is encouraging.

Bennett’s American Cooking is at 2232 Fair Oaks Blvd. in University Village; (916) 515-9680; bennettsamericancooking.com.

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

Photos by Linda Smolek

TO DO

THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

By Jessica Laskey

The Art of Friendship

ARTHOUSE Gallery

June 10–July 3

Second Saturday Reception, June 10, 5–8 p.m. 1021 R St. • arthouseonr.com

This exhibit features two- and three-dimensional sculptural ceramics and mixed media art by longstanding artist collective Mud Mavens. Artists include Marcia Smith, Vicki Sarantopulos, Jose Pacheco, Paul Klein, Michele Fisher, Michael Chiechi, Lisa Culjis and Jill Kennedy.

Community Band Festival

Sacramento Valley Symphonic Band Association

Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.

Sunday, June 4, 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Carmichael Park, 5750 Grant Ave. • svsba.net

With 19 bands and ensembles, this is one of the largest community band festivals in California. Bring the kids, a picnic, lawn chairs and a sun hat, and enjoy two lovely days of free music.

“Guardian,” “Lounging With Friends” and “Discard Word Here” by Marcia Smith at ARTHOUSE Gallery.

Stories on Stage Sacramento

Friday, June 9, 7 p.m.

The Auditorium at CLARA, 1425 24th St. • storiesonstagesacramento.org

This award-winning literary performance series presents an evening of new work by former series directors Valerie Fioravanti, Sue Staats, Shelley Blanton-Stroud and Dorothy Rice, read aloud by professional actors. Tickets are $15, or $30 for a pass to the final three events of the season.

Plant Show & Sale

Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society

Saturday, June 17, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Sunday June 18, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. facebook.com/groups/641295969596002

This free event features exotic, tropical and hungry plants from all over the world. Experts are on hand to answer questions and help you pick a plant to bring home.

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

Celebration Arts

June 2–25

2727 B St. • celebrationarts.net

This play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage takes audiences back to the Golden Age of Hollywood. General admission is $23; seniors and students are $21.

Twilight on the Bufferlands

Regional San

June 8, July 12, Aug. 10, Sept. 20, 6:30–9 p.m.

8521 Laguna Station Road, Elk Grove • regionalsan.com/bufferlands

Exploring Central Valley habitats at dusk, visitors have a chance to see beavers, river otters, muskrats, raccoons, owls and more. Advanced registration is required one week prior to event.

Carmichael Summer Concert Series

Carmichael Recreation and Park District

Saturday, June 17 and 24, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Carmichael Park, 5750 Grant Ave., Carmichael carmichaelpark.com/summer-concerts-series-2023

Get ready to dance to the pop music of Kicks (June 17) and rock/blues tunes of Jax Hammer (June 24) at these free concerts. Picnics, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome. Concerts continue through August.

Jurassic World Live Tour

Golden 1 Center

June 30–July 2

500 David J. Stern Walk • jurassicworldlivetour.com

This exhilarating and unpredictable show brings the iconic Jurassic World franchise to life with more than 24 life-size dinosaurs operated by animatronics and performers. Tickets are $15–$90.

Mortality Census Schedules

Genealogical Association of Sacramento

Wednesday, June 21, 11:30 a.m.

Belle Cooledge Library, 5600 South Land Park Drive • gensac.org

Speaker Stephanie West reveals tips and tricks for searching the Mortality Census Schedules, “an underutilized resource.” Admission is free.

Films With Friends

Friends of Sutter’s Fort

Saturday, June 10

Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, 2701 L St. • suttersfort.org

Projected on the exterior wall of the fort, Watch Disney’s “Newsies” is based on the New York City newsboy strike of 1899. Bring blankets and chairs (no alcohol). Find your spot at 7 p.m. Movie begins at 8 p.m.

Dave Brown with Sacramento Bromeliad and Carnivorous Plant Society. Plant Show & Sale at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.

Jurassic World Live Tour at Golden 1 Center.

Koi Festival

Camellia Koi Club

Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

McKinley Park, 601 Alhambra Blvd., picnic area along H Street • camelliakoi.org

Learn about keeping, raising and breeding koi with club experts. Join the club and receive a Tosai koi for your home pond.

Sacramento French Film Festival

June 9–11

Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive • sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

“The Night of the 12th” by Dominik Moll, winner of the 2023 César Awards (considered the French Oscars), opens the festival. Next up are eight short and feature films.

Estampas de la Raza: Contemporary Prints from the Romo Collection and Royal Chicano Air Force

Crocker Art Museum

June 25–Oct. 1

216 O St. • crockerart.org

Featuring 73 screen prints and lithographs made between 1980 and 2010, this exhibit highlights a vital segment of contemporary American art.

Desire Paths: Marie Thibeault and Patrick Brien

Axis Gallery

June 3–25

Panel Conversation, Saturday, June 10, 3:30–4:30 p.m.; Reception 5–8 p.m. 625 S St. • axisgallery.org

This two-person exhibit of contemporary paintings examines abstracted notions of the landscape in response to the artists’ regions and experiences, both seen and unseen.

Community Indigo Dip Dye Day

Sacramento Center for the Textile Arts

Saturday, June 24, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.

Art Elephant Sale

Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. • sactextilearts.org

Participants have the opportunity to dye a bandana or piece of cotton. Cost is $15 and dye time slots should be reserved online. Also find great deals at the Art Elephant Sale, a swap-meet of art supplies and craft materials.

Koi Festival at McKinley Park.

Community Indigo Dip Dye Day at Shepard Garden and Arts Center.

“The Night of the 12th” at Sacramento French Film Festival at Tower Theatre.

Photo courtesy of Unifrance

“Micro Typhoon” by John Angell at Elk Grove Fine Arts Center

James Hartman

PBS KVIE Gallery

June 6–Aug. 4

2030 West El Camino Ave. • kvie.org

The artist’s bold regional landscapes, created using a palette knife and brushwork, are influenced by Dutch masters and the Bay Area’s “Society of Six” painters.

William Peterson, Kiny McCarrick and Sean Royal

Archival Gallery

June 1–24

Second Saturday Reception, June 10, 5–8 p.m.

3223 Folsom Blvd. • archivalgallery.com

Peterson presents a mixed-media series of real estate parcel maps embellished with period headlines and advertisements. McCarrick extends her inspiration to the natural world with embroidered landscapes. Royal shares his collection of colorful landscapes of Death Valley in a series of mixed-media panels.

Wide Open Spaces Waterworks by John Angell

Elk Grove Fine Arts Center

June 3-22

First Saturday Reception, June 3, 4–7 p.m.

9683 Elk Grove Florin Road • elkgrovefineartscenter.org

This annual show features artwork inspired by nature. Angell’s series of photographic encaustic work is in the Foyer Gallery.

Kismet: Stephanie Pierson and Tommy McKeith

Twisted Track Gallery

June 1–July 1

Second Saturday Reception, June 10, 5–8 p.m.

1730 12th St. • (916) 639-0436

Pierson’s collages use images of women from glossy magazines to create new, original work of the female persona. McKeith’s colorful multimedia and pen-and-ink drawings are full of allegory, historical imagery and mythology.

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

“Dish Towels” by Stephanie Pierson at Twisted Track Gallery.

“1961 South Land Park: $25.5K” by William Peterson at Archival Gallery.

“Shorebird Park” by James Hartman at PBS KVIE Gallery.

INSIDE OUT

PHOTOS BY SUSAN MAXWELL SKINNER

Summer Concerts

Free summer concerts begin this month in Carmichael.

The annual Community Band Festival kicks off with 19 volunteer brass and woodwind ensembles at Carmichael Park. Performances are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 3, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 4.

Also, get ready to dance at Carmichael’s Summer Concert Series. Concerts are held Saturdays from 6:30–8:30 p.m. at Carmichael Park (unless otherwise noted). Here’s the lineup:

June 17: June 17: Kicks (variety pop)

June 24: June 24: Jax Hammer (rock/blues)

July 4: 4: Fast Times (70s, 80s, 90s rock), La Sierra Community Center

July 8: 8: Dave Terry All Star Band (classic hits)

July 15: 15: Wasted Space (rock)

July 22: 22: Maya Latin Tribute Band (Latin)

July 29: 29: Hipper than Hip (rock)

Aug 5: Aug. 5: Todd Morgan & The Emblems (classic rock)

Aug 12: Aug. 12: On Air (classic hits)

Aug 19: Aug. 19: Latin Touch (Latin)

Aug 26: Aug. 26: Dyana and the Cherry Kings (rockabilly).

Sept 24 Sept. 24: Todd Morgan & The Emblems, 5 p.m., Gibbons Park

Picnics, blankets and lawn chairs are welcome at all concerts. For information, visit the Sacramento Valley Symphonic Band Association website at svsba.net and the Carmichael Recreation and Park District website at carmichaelpark.com/summer-concerts-series-2023.

Wasted Space

Ophir Prison Marching Band

Latin Touch Todd Morgan & The Emblems

THEATRE GUIDE

3: BLACK GIRL BLUES

June 8 – June 18

Presented by B Street Theatre

The Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts

2700 Capitol Ave, Sac 956 443-5300 Bstreettheatre.org

This exciting play is a tale of three close friends – Keisha, Jill and Stephanie – who grew up together and now at thirty years old are confronted with facing their demons. Keisha, an urban socialite, has her life crushed when she realizes her long-term boyfriend has had a child with another woman. Jill, a housewife in denial, admits to her husband’s betrayal.

Stephanie, an executive in the upper-echelon world, has to face the core of her mental illness. 3: Black Girl Blues meditates on the ways we choose to present ourselves and the forces that cause us to come clean.

Danielle will be hosting a talk-back after the Thursday and Saturday performances.

THE HOMBRES

Thru June 4th

Presented by Capital Stage Company

2215 J St, Sac Capstage.org

A look at the intimacy of male relationships through the point of view of Machismo culture, The Hombres follows Julián, a gay Latino yoga teacher, as he clashes with the Latino construction workers outside his studio—particularly the older head of the crew, Héctor, who seeks from Julián something he never expected.

BEAUTIFUL — THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL

June 13 – June 19

Presented by Broadway at Music Circus at UC Davis Health Pavillion

1419 H St, Sac 916 557-1999

The inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit song writing team to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. Content Guide: Younger children may

have difficulty following the plot. There is no foul language, but there is talk about the use of drugs. Teens will likely identify with the opening scenes when teenage Carole stands up for herself to pursue her passions and follow her dreams. Adult Carole faces marital strife and infidelity as she comes into her own as an artist.

BY THE WAY, MEET VERA STARK

June 2 – June 25

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

Celebrationarts.net

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage takes the audience back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, where you meet aspiring starlet Vera Stark, who works as a maid to Gloria Mitchell, an aging star grasping at her fading career. Worlds collide when Vera lands a trailblazing role in an antebellum epic starring … her boss. While Vera’s portrayal of an enslaved person turns out to be ground breaking, decades later, scholars and film buffs still grapple with the actress’ legacy in Hollywood and the impact race had on her controversial career.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO EARL PREMIER

June 18

Presented by Sacramento Seeding Creativity at Crest Theatre - FREE

1013 K St, Sac

https://linktr.ee/earlinsupportof

The World According to Earl, a short, animated narrative documentary by Deborah Pittman. It’s a tribute to her dad, an Unsung Hero, whose opportunities for education, growth, development were limited. A big part of his life goal was to empower his children, grandchildren, kids in the neighborhood with his knowledge that education was the way up and out. Admission is free to all, but you need to make reservation, so we can plan (safe seating, programs, reception).

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Kim Haywood REALTORSince 2005 (916) 217-2524 Cell

Kim.Realtor1@yahoo.com

DRE #01512036

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