Inside Pocket March 2022 by Inside Publications

26 S

YEARS

MARCH 2022

POCKET

PATRICK COSGROVE

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

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EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A BET TER PL ACE. 26 S

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PATRICK COSGROVE

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

info@insidepublications.com PUBLISHER Cecily Hastings EDITOR Cathryn Rakich editor@insidepublications.com PRODUCTION M.J. McFarland

PATRICK COSGROVE This is Patrick Cosgrove’s fourth cover for Inside Sacramento. He recently exhibited at Pence Gallery and was recognized by YoloArts.org as an emerging artist. His paintings and photographs reflect a search for rhythm, energy and expressive tension within the ever-present natural beauty of Northern California. Shown: “Mudbound Tractor, Grindstone Winery,” oil on canvas, 36 inches by 24 inches. This piece is available for $1,900. Visit cosgroveart.com or email patrickcosgroveart@gmail.com. Follow @patrickcosgroveart on Instagram and Patrick Cosgrove Art and Photography on Facebook.

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MARCH 2022 VOL. 9 • ISSUE 2 6 10 12 14 19 20 21 22 24 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 36 38 40

Publisher's Desk Pocket Life Pocket Beat Out & About Giving Back Inside The County Citizen Watchdogs City Beat Animals & Their Allies Big Bucks, Small Results Spirit Matters Garden Jabber Building Our Future Farm To Fork Sports Authority Open House Open Studio Restaurant Insider To Do

Same caring faces. Same quality care. Simple new name. For more than 40 years Yolo Hospice has been living out its mission of providing our unique brand of Quintessential Care for every patient, every family, every time. With the recent introduction of a new adult day facility called Galileo Place, the formation of a premier community-based palliative care program, and a 3-year-old merger with a longstanding Yolo County program called Citizens Who Care, we thought it was high time to rethink our name. Clearly, the organization is so much more than just hospice. The essence of all our programs comes down to adding life to days. We support both caregivers and their loved ones who are living with a life-limiting illness . . . no matter where they are in their healthcare journey. To that end, all of the organization’s offerings are now housed under the new umbrella name, YoloCares.. YoloCares It’s simple and reflects the truth about our broader community.

Citizens Who Care is now the volunteer arm of this shared community treasure. Our volunteers assist with patient care, provide respite for caregivers, work in the office or answer phones, host fundraisers and golf outings, help maintain the Mastick Therapy Garden, or serve on the Board of Directors. Wherever you find a place to volunteer at YoloCares, you are a Citizen Who Cares. Visit www.YoloCares.org to learn more.

Adding life to days

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Count Her In ST. FRANCIS EMBRACES A VERY SPECIAL STUDENT

ia Siino is a 17-year-old sophomore at St. Francis High School. She is the third of four children in her family. It doesn’t take long after meeting Mia to discover she is a fun, outgoing and determined young woman. Mia also happens to have Down syndrome. Mia tells me she loves working with little kids, dancing, hanging out at Starbucks, her friends and school. I find her enthusiasm contagious. “Her favorite day of the year is her birthday, and she loves to celebrate it for as long as possible,” says Mia’s mother, Karen Siino. School counselor Nora Anderson says Mia is always first to jump in and help with whatever is needed. Mia’s mom says her daughter strives for more independence and plans to go to college, get married, work and live on her own one day. Down syndrome is a genetic disorder where a person has an extra chromosome. The condition is associated with physical growth delays, characteristic facial features, and mild to moderate developmental and intellectual disability. A variety of therapies promote the greatest possible development, independence and productivity. The best path forward for Mia so far has been attending St. Francis High School—a first for the school. Mia went to public school from preschool through third grade. She was mostly in a special day class for students in special education. “We were told by our public neighborhood school that she could not attend there because they

Mia Siino

CH By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk

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CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL

didn’t have the support for her. It was a very sad realization that she would have to go to whatever school the district chose for her based on her diagnosis of Down syndrome,” Karen says. Mia’s parents learned about the benefits of inclusion and having their child attend general education classes. “When Mia was in kindergarten, she spent part of her day in the general ed class and did really well,” Karen says. “But more as guest and less as a student.” The family pushed for more general education time, but always fell short of having Mia “belong” in those classes. “Also, the expectations of her were too low,” Karen says. “We just wanted teachers to presume competence and give Mia a chance with appropriate supports to be included in all aspects of the gen ed classes.” Three other Siino children were attending St. Rose, a private Catholic elementary school, which was the family’s church community. “Mia loved the events at the school and started to ask about attending there,” her mother says. She continues, “We started to learn more about inclusion in Catholic schools and were encouraged by a friend, Beth Foraker, who runs the National

POC MAR n 22

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5900 Elvas Avenue Sacramento, CA 95819 www.stfrancishs.org/summer Catholic Board on Full Inclusion, to approach St. Rose about Mia’s attendance. The school was open and excited, and that was the start of six wonderful years for Mia.” When Mia started at St. Rose, her teacher treated Mia like every other student until she indicated a need for extra help. At that point, help was provided. “This is what we wanted for Mia: to presume competence, to give appropriate challenges, and to really belong in the school community,” Karen says. After graduation from eighth grade, Mia—who adores her older sister— wanted to follow her sibling’s path to St. Francis. “The more we learned about other Catholic high schools across the country that included students with intellectual disabilities, the more we felt that it was a possibility for Mia,” Karen says. St. Francis strives to educate the whole student beyond academic instruction. As a college prep school dedicated to serving young women, it provides a community of faith, excellence, leadership and service in a Christian environment. “The school was fantastic in allowing Mia to gain independence at her own pace,” Karen says. Mia’s counselor and

teachers gave her enough support to feel safe while navigating high school as any other student. “Those of us in the special needs community know that there are no ‘special’ grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops for those with special needs,” Karen says. “St. Francis has allowed her to attend high school in a safe and loving way.” “Mia has also had the opportunity to take a ministry leadership class and lead the school in prayer,” Elias Mendoza, the school’s principal, says. “Last year as a freshman, she was chosen by her peers to receive our Pillar of Faith award. We select a student that embodies their faith, lives out their faith and is an example to others. “I’ve had students thank me for bringing Mia to St. Francis because she brings a unique gift to the school.

“

Those around her are gaining a better perspective of those with different needs and how these students can be supportive, compassionate and inclusive.” Mia’s inclusion benefits the student body and staff. “It shows her peers how capable and competent special people like Mia can be,” Mendoza says. “The community at St. Francis has embraced Mia, and, in turn, her independence and confidence have soared,” Karen says. “Inclusion means that everyone wins!” 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

THE COMMUNITY AT ST. FRANCIS HAS EMBRACED MIA, AND, IN TURN, HER INDEPENDENCE AND CONFIDENCE HAVE SOARED. INCLUSION MEANS THAT EVERYONE WINS!

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Betty Eng, Rebecca Talley and Beverly Wong Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Well Read B

ook clubs are popping up all over the place. Members typically meet once a month, which gives everyone time to read the selected book. And there’s more than just books. Clubs are equal parts dining, socializing and reading. Some book clubs follow celebrity recommendations. Others focus on a genre, such as romance. Libraries or bookstores sponsor clubs. Even Netflix has one, where members can read works related to films. Some of my friends belong to Saturday Sleuths, a club focused on

CM By Corky Mau Pocket Life

POC MAR n 22

mystery and psychological thrillers. They meet on the second Saturday of each month, either at a member’s home or via Zoom. Beverly Wong joined three years ago. A favorite book was “The Last Flight” by Julie Clark. “There’s an intriguing plot about two women who decide to switch identities. It was a real page turner,” Wong says, noting books open up new experiences and club meetings offer a place to discuss those experiences. “Our discussions are lively,” she says. “Members have shared personal experiences that mimicked the plot in the book. We’ve talked about cultural differences in marriage, mental illness, psychopaths, sociopaths, etc. I’ve met really interesting women with diverse viewpoints.” My volunteer colleague, Rebecca Talley, at the Robbie Waters Library Bookstore joined Saturday Sleuths last year. She’s also in Rise Book Club,

BOOK CLUBS MAKE PAGE TURNING FUN organized by the Rise Wellness Center. The next meeting is March 7. Members will gather in person at the yoga studio or via Zoom to discuss “Mrs. Queen Takes the Train” by William Kuhn. Talley is an avid reader. Like Wong, belonging to a book club expands her reading experience. “I miss the nonfiction group that used to meet at the Robbie Waters Library. That club pushed me to read a genre I was unfamiliar with. Luckily, the Rise Book Club occasionally selects nonfiction books,” she says. A recent read for Talley was “Miss Benson’s Beetle” by Rachel Joyce. “Set in 1950, it’s about a British schoolteacher who leaves her dreary job and sets out on an adventure in search of the golden beetle of New Caledonia. I enjoyed the mix of history, whimsy, emotional seriousness, biology and travel elements.” A longtime member of book clubs, Betty Eng joined two clubs: Sacramento

Library Adult Book Club and Saturday Sleuths. “When I joined five years ago, Saturday Sleuths was sponsored by Belle Cooledge Library,” she says. “Today, we run it independently. People volunteer to enroll new members, track book selections and lead group discussions.” A committee chooses books, usually from Hoopla or Libby, free electronic lending services. March’s selection is “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. “I grew up reading Agatha Christie. When I read this book again, I found myself reflecting back on my younger years,” Eng says. Local book clubs are easy to find. Libraries offer at least seven varieties. Go to saclibrary.org/book club. There are around 20 Sacramento-area “meetup” book clubs. Contact Rise Wellness Center at (916) 838-4284 to inquire about its club. For mystery buffs, contact Saturday Sleuths at saturdaysleuths@googlegroups.com.

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ARBOR DAY Join other volunteers Saturday, March 12, for a park cleanup. The event starts at 9 a.m. in Parkway Oaks Park. Tools are provided. Councilmember Rick Jennings and Parks Commissioner Devin Lavelle are sponsors. California recognizes Arbor Day March 7, the birthday of horticulturist Luther Burbank. In 1875, he settled in Santa Rosa. During his 50-year career, Burbank developed more than 800 varieties of flowers, fruits and vegetables, including freestone peaches, Santa Rosa plums and the Shasta daisy.

Enjoy a trip to the Luther Burbank Home & Gardens city park in Santa Rosa to learn more about him. Meanwhile, grab a shovel and garden gloves. Register for the Arbor Day cleanup by emailing Lavelle at devinlavelle@gmail.com.

MARCH 1

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

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Under Contract LEVEE PARKWAY UPGRADES RUMBLE FORWARD

or years, people in Pocket, Little Pocket and Land Park asked me when the Big Fix—the massive repair job on the Sacramento River levees—would start. Now many of us can’t wait for the work to hurry up and finish. Sorry, but it’s going to be awhile. This year will see major progress when Army Corps of Engineers contractors move forward with something called “Contract 3” levee repairs. Levee upgrades under “Contract 3” will cost $40.9 million and ensnare much of Pocket and Greenhaven. Residents are getting accustomed to significant disruptions. Zacharias Park is closed for another year. Parts of Garcia Bend Park are fenced off again. The heavy labor takes place between Surfside Way and Country River Way, where cutoff walls are being carved into the levee to prevent seepage and collapse. This means people who enjoy

RG By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

POC MAR n 22

watching heavy equipment and haul trucks will be thrilled, especially along Pocket Road. On the other hand, those of us who pray for the day when cyclists, joggers and pedestrians can trek from Miller Park to Freeport on a first-class asphalt bike path must continue to wait. Our dream was promised by the city in 1975. Our patience will be rewarded one day, maybe in this lifetime. Last fall, the state flood board, which owns and controls the levees, published a 196-page report explaining exactly what “Contract 3” means. It took awhile, but I read every page. People who work in bureaucracies will understand when I say the “Contract 3” report is a classic government document that delivers important news in the most boring way possible. The report strives for slumber but rewards readers who can stay awake. I’m sure the document cost thousands of dollars to produce and hits every legal benchmark, even when it falls short of conflict and tension. There’s no love triangle in “Contract 3.” But there’s plenty of information. On the bright side, no animals are harmed in the making of these levee upgrades. The report stipulates that while some valley elderberry longhorn

beetles, burrowing owls and Swainson’s hawks might be forced to look elsewhere for lunch, contractors will deploy “impact avoidance minimization measures” to reduce disruptions. A few fish—salmon, sturgeon, steelhead and smelt—may be confused when underwater sump pipes are replaced. Crews will be careful. Rest assured whatever happens with those sump pipes will be better for fish than running a gauntlet of riverbank anglers. Finally, the report worries about bats. It devotes nearly six pages to bat safety. The trouble with bats is they roost in trees. They love cavities found in valley oaks, some of which are doomed to the chainsaw. Levee repairs require about 750 trees to disappear between Miller Park and South Pocket, mainly valley oaks. Leaving no bat cavity unexplored, the government identifies certain trees as “special-status bat maternity roosting habitat.” A “biological monitor” will be hired to protect bats. “The biological monitor would be empowered to stop activities that, in their opinion, would cause unanticipated adverse effects on special-status bats,” the report says without laughing. Neighbors in Pocket, Little Pocket and Land Park have survived three years of levee upgrades (creatively,

the government called those efforts “Contracts 1 and 2”). Coming next year is “Contract 4.” Then we can call it done. Meantime, the city makes slow but steady headway with the Pocket levee bike trail. Consultants have been hired for engineering and environmental matters, which means more reports to read. The Pocket levee top will be paved when repairs are finished. It’s not clear when the city will pave the Little Pocket levee top. Former City Council member Steve Hansen spent eight years blocking river parkway progress in Little Pocket. That bad attitude cost Hansen his job in 2020. His replacement, Katie Valenzuela, was elected largely thanks to her promise to finish the levee parkway and bike trail. Today Little Pocket, Pocket and Land Park fall under Rick Jennings, the parkway’s supreme advocate on City Council. The wheels of government turn slowly, but our progress is relentless. Just ask the bats. 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

READERS NEAR & FAR

1. Aideen Clark takes in the sun with Table Mountain in the background in Cape Town, South Africa. 2. Shu Sebesta in Budapest, Hungry. 3. Terri Cook on a cruise in Dubai, UAE. 4. The Nguyens, Georges, Hills and Sievers in Sayulita, Mexico. 5. The Olcese family at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. 6. Keith Syda at the Greek Temple of Athena at Paestum in southern Italy.

Visit our website at InsideSacramento.com, under “Near & Far,” for a map with past readers' photos! You can also submit photos directly from our website. It's never been so easy!

Take a picture with Inside and email a high-resolution copy to travel@insidepublications.com or submit directly from our website at InsideSacramento. com. Due to volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee all photos will be printed or posted. Find us on Facebook and Instagram: InsidePublications.

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A Bridge to Honor COMMUNITY REMEMBERS FALLEN POLICE OFFICER TARA O’SULLIVAN

Pastor Anthony Sadler from Shiloh Baptist Church referenced lyrics from the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which he said was “about providing comfort for those in need.” “Tara was a bridge,” Sadler told the audience. “She was created by God to help people cross safely through the dangerous crossings in life.” After thanking the O’Sullivan family for their sacrifice, and their strength and grace in the face of tragedy, Police Chief Kathy Lester called the dedication “bittersweet,” with the bridge serving as a way for O’Sullivan’s life, legacy and memory to live on and inspire. “When I see this bridge, I don’t think of bad things. I think of all the things the O’Sullivan family has done for our department,” Lester said. “No one has given more to this city than Tara and the O’Sullivan family,” said retired Police Chief Daniel Hahn. “It’s a debt that can never be repaid.” O’Sullivan was a graduate of Sacramento State University and its Law Enforcement Candidate Scholars’ program. She grew up in the East Bay and joined SPD in 2018. O’Sullivan was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call.

Attending the Tara O’Sullivan Memorial Bridge dedication are (from left) former SPD officer Joe Pane, Councilmember Jeff Haris, and Kelly and Dennis O’Sullivan, parents of Tara O’Sullivan.

‘FERTILE GROUND’

JL By Jessica Laskey Out & About

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he H Street Bridge near Sacramento State University has been renamed in honor of Tara O’Sullivan, the Sacramento police officer killed in the line of duty in 2019. City Councilmembers Jeff Harris and Eric Guerra, members of the Sacramento Police Department, city of

Sacramento, Sacramento State and the O’Sullivan family attended a February dedication for the Tara O’Sullivan Memorial Bridge. “We are here to celebrate someone who we lost, someone who we loved very much,” said Harris, who helped facilitate the bridge naming after hearing from community members.

Sacramento has been chosen as the host city for “Fertile Ground,” the 2022 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference running March 16–19 at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and other locations throughout the region. The 56th annual conference will feature opportunities for learning, teaching, connecting and collaborating around all things clay. The hybrid event will incorporate in-person and remote participation, including lectures, demonstrations, networking opportunities and engagement with vendors, nonprofits, schools and galleries.

VACCINE AMBASSADORS

The Sacramento City Council adopts Land Acknowledgement. Led by Mary Tarango, members and officials from Wilton Rancheria conduct prayers and blessings outside City Hall. Photo courtesy of city of Sacramento. More than 80 exhibitions will be on view as part of the NCECA conference at more than 50 local venues, including Archival Gallery, R25 and Shepard Garden and Arts Center. For the full exhibition guide and program schedule, visit nceca.net.

DIGITAL BOOKS The Sacramento Public Library reached a record-breaking 3 million digital book checkouts in 2021, one of 20 public library systems in the world that surpassed 1 million digital checkouts last year. “We’ve experienced tremendous demand for e-books and audiobooks over the past several years,” says Library Director/CEO Peter Coyl. “Readers love the convenience of having free access to thousands of materials on their device. You can take the library wherever you go.” Through apps like Libby by Overdrive, library cardholders can check out e-books, audiobooks and magazines 24/7, as well as find free online classes on subjects like music, sewing, cake decorating and more in Libby’s Extras section. For more information and to apply for a library card, visit saclibrary.org/ welcome.

SACRAMENTO LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Sacramento City Council has voted unanimously to adopt an official City of Sacramento Land

Acknowledgement to be read at the beginning of every meeting. The Land Acknowledgement honors and recognizes that the city was built on lands of the Nisenan, Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Miwok, and Patwin Wintun peoples, whose descendants continue to live here today. “We cannot make the future better unless and until we acknowledge and reckon with the past, especially the past around discrimination and the taking of land from indigenous peoples,” Mayor Darrell Steinberg says. At the first reading, Jesus Tarango, tribal chair of Wilton Rancheria, the city of Sacramento’s only federally recognized tribe, said he hopes that Sacramento’s Land Acknowledgement will prompt other jurisdictions to adopt their own. “What we have here is a beautiful land acknowledgement that acknowledges not only the Wilton Rancheria but all the tribes that were here in this region,” Tarango said.

move in this spring. Vista Nueva will be the city’s second hotel conversion using state-awarded Homekey funds after opening the La Mancha permanent supportive housing complex in a former Woodspring Suites in south Sacramento last year.

Sacramento County Public Health has partnered with The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and communitybased organizations that are part of Sac Collab to launch a Vaccine Ambassador Program to help increase vaccination rates in under-sourced communities. Ambassadors live in the communities they serve and are trained by Sac Collab’s network of communitybased organizations. As trusted local allies, ambassadors provide culturally relevant COVID-19 vaccine outreach, communication and information through peer support and community events. Formed in 2020, Sac Collab is a county initiative that supports neighborhoods badly affected by COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic, it has provided community case investigators, contract tracers, resource coordinators, business navigators and now vaccine ambassadors to support Sacramento County residents. To request ambassador support, visit surveymonkey.com/r/vapeventrequestform.

“Lust Series Tableware” by ceramic artist Dania Lukey is part of the Sacramento Potters Group: Art by Fire exhibit at Shepard Garden and Arts Center during the NCECA conference.

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING State funding of $29 million has been approved to convert a North Natomas hotel, Staybridge Suites, into housing for families experiencing homelessness. The site on Promenade Circle will become Vista Nueva, a permanent supportive housing community featuring 116 units and onsite services for families and children. It will be run by nonprofit housing developer Jamboree and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. City Councilmember Angelique Ashby says families are expected to

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Volunteers with Sacramento Picks It Up! recently hosted a Trash Dash at McKinley Park, Sutter Middle School and along Alhambra Boulevard. For information on how to participate in a clean-up event, visit facebook.com and search for Sacramento Picks It Up! Photos by Leah Garis

FREE TAX HELP Attention Arden and Carmichael residents! You might be eligible to file your taxes online for free via United Way California Capital Region’s Free Tax Prep program through April 18. Households that earned less than $65,000 in 2021 can file for free and receive up to $8,000 cash back from state and federal credits, including the federal and state Earned Income Tax Credit. The Free Tax Prep program provides tax help virtually and in person in multiple languages without a preparer fee. A virtual tax workshop will be held March 12 where certified volunteers will help participants prepare their returns

and answer questions before filing. For more information, visit yourfreetaxprep. org.

GROUNDWATER PLAN The North American Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan, a long-term plan for protecting the groundwater basin underlying parts of Sacramento, Placer and Sutter counties, has been approved after nearly five years of scientific study and public input. The basin is one of the Sacramento region’s primary sources for drinking water—especially during drought years—and provides more than half of the water supply used for agriculture.

During rainy years, when lakes and rivers are full, local water providers use more river water, which allows the groundwater aquifer to recharge. During dry years, more groundwater is used, which leaves more water in rivers to sustain the environment of the Lower American River and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The sustainability plan provides a roadmap for managing the groundwater basin over the next 20 years to adapt to climate change as required by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014. The plan was developed and approved by five groundwater sustainability agencies in Sacramento, Sutter County, South Sutter, Reclamation District 1001 and West Placer. The agencies agreed to implement the plan together and split the $1.15 million implementation cost over the next five years. For more information, visit nasbgroundwater.org.

NEW PUBLIC MARKET

Hieu Phan of Sacramento uses United Way’s Free Tax Prep to ﬁle 2021 taxes.

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The River District is getting a new community gathering spot. The Alchemist Public Market will include vendors, a farmers market and assistance for young food business entrepreneurs. APM is one of three Food-Anchored Resiliency Hubs within the city of Sacramento selected to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federally funded program that supports community-led efforts to reinvest in neighborhoods, protect the environment with energy-efficient utilities and improve health outcomes.

APM will provide underserved entrepreneurs a place to launch their businesses while creating a community gathering place where low-income neighbors can access quality produce from local sellers. For more information, visit alchemistpublicmarket.com.

SAC JAZZ CO-OP It’s not always easy to take a break, but the Sacramento Jazz Cooperative has decided it’s time. After six years, SJC will scale back live performances in favor of virtual offerings. “A dwindling membership, along with the ever-present threat of COVID, has just had too great an impact for the organization to sustain,” founding CEO Carolyne Swayze says. “We’re not going away, totally. You can expect to see more virtual performances and you’ll be likely to see some new faces and new places as we attempt to partner with other jazz organizations.” SJC will produce a couple more shows this spring. To stay apprised, go to thesjc.org. Check out past performances on YouTube. For questions, email Swayze at sjc@thesjc.org. “Don’t forget to keep the music playing,” she says.

SOLID WASTE FEE The Sacramento City Council has unanimously approved an increase in monthly solid waste disposal rates over the next three years. Beginning April 1, the average monthly solid waste bill will increase by $3.83 each year through 2024.

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“We Can Do This!” shares stories of Sacramento’s trailblazing political women. Book cover art by Jasmine Moffett. The rate increase will help cover the additional costs of collecting and composting organic food waste as required by a new state ordinance, as well as growing amounts of household waste due to the pandemic, and rising labor and processing costs. In 2020, the amount of garbage produced by Sacramento customers rose by 10.9 percent, recycling by 6.4 percent and household junk tonnage by 15.6 percent. The rate increase will also allow for additional benefits, such as more frequent street sweeping and more appointments for household junk pickup. The organic waste collection program was mandated to help jurisdictions meet climate change goals by diverting organic material that emits methane when buried in landfills. The city estimates that organic waste

composting will eliminate 31,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasses each year. The organic waste will be processed for use as compost on Northern California farms and may eventually be offered to Sacramento consumers. Starting in July, city and county customers will put their food waste and food-soiled paper products into their green waste bin. The city will provide free organic waste collection bins and compostable bin liners that can be dropped directly into the green waste bin. Financial assistance is available for income-qualified households to help with the cost of solid waste fees. For more information, visit cityofsacramento.org/public-works/ rsw. For county information, visit wmr. saccounty.gov/pages/curbsideorganics. aspx.

St. HOPE Public Schools, a free public charter school network, will serve free meals to students under the National School Lunch Program/School Breakfast Program during the 20212022 school year. All students will be served breakfast and lunch at no charge at PS7 Elementary School, PS7 Middle School and Sacramento Charter High School. Free meals are also available for pick up on the Sac High campus during the summer months for anyone 18 and younger. For more information visit sthope.org or email foodservice@ sthopepublicschools.org.

BALLET INTENSIVE Auditions are open for the five-week Sacramento Ballet Summer Intensive 2022. The program provides elite-level training in an inspiring, supportive and creative atmosphere to help young dancers become technically proficient and versatile, and to make a successful entry into the dance world. Auditions are open to students ages 14–20 who have achieved intermediate or advanced levels of ballet training.

The next in-person audition will be Saturday, March 5, at the Sacramento Ballet Studios at 2420 N St. If you cannot make the in-person audition, video submissions will be accepted until March 31. For more information, visit sacballet.org/summer-2022.

‘WE CAN DO THIS!’ “We Can Do This! Sacramento’s Trailblazing Political Women and the Community They Shaped,” a new book by author Christine Hunter, takes a deep dive into the stories of women who led Sacramento from the 1970s through

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the 2000s, and reveals a clear path for young women of today to follow in their footsteps. Through personal interviews and in-depth research, Hunter uncovered how and why these dynamic women were so important in the development of our fair city—especially at a time when women were still actively fighting for their place at the public table. All proceeds from the sale of “We Can Do This!” will benefit the Anne Rudin Scholarship, administered by the Sacramento League of Women Voters, which supports young women undergraduates who are pursuing an education in public administration, government or public policy-related programs. For more information, visit wecandothissacramento.com.

heidibattani@gmail.com As a Neighborhood Builder, the center will receive a $200,000 grant over two years, as well as comprehensive leadership training. The center will use the funds to accelerate its Economic Justice Program, which helps LGBTQ+ people experiencing homelessness obtain and maintain employment, and meet basic needs that increase employment stability and self-reliance. Pre-pandemic, transgender workers in the greater Sacramento area reported unemployment at three times

the rate of the population as a whole. Forty percent of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ+, many of whom became homeless due to family and community rejection. “Bank of America’s commitment and support help raise awareness of our organization and will help more local LGBTQ+ community members chart a path toward economic opportunity and stability,” says Robynne Rose-Haymer, the center’s deputy chief program officer.

NEIGHBORHOOD BUILDERS

Sacramento LGBT Community Center receives a 2021 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® grant.

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Support the Carmichael Rotary Club by reserving a to-go dinner for four. Proceeds will support local parks, food closets, schools and children’s charities. The tri-tip dinner, prepared by Jackson Catering, includes focaccia bread, salad and a baked potato. The cost is $100 for four dinners. An extra $10 buys a bottle of wine. The dinners will be ready for pick up from 4:30–5:30 p.m. Friday, March 11, in front of the Carmichael Grocery Outlet at the corner of Walnut and Marconi. To reserve the dinners, send a check made out to the Carmichael Rotary Foundation to 4856 Paisley Way, Carmichael 95608, or use PayPal at paypal.me./tritipdinner4four?locale. x=en_us. Orders and payments must be received by Tuesday, March 6. 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

The Sacramento LGBT Community Center has been named one of two 2021 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® awardees for its work addressing issues of community health and safety and workforce development.

ROTARY CLUB DINNER

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS SOUTH SACRAMENTO CLOTHES CLOSET WINS LOWE’S GRANT Brent Sorlien Photo by Aniko Kiezel

JL By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Proﬁle

f you need it, we’re here to serve.” This is the motto of Brent Sorlien, lead pastor of Southpointe Christian Center on Stockton Boulevard. Southpointe has served the South Sacramento community since the 1950s—it will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2025—and recently received some help of its own. Last summer, Southpointe was chosen from approximately 2,200 entries to receive a Lowe’s 100 Hometowns grant as part of the home improvement retailer’s centennial. The grant allowed Southpointe to update its clothes closet, which serves hundreds of people each week along with its on-campus food closet. The home improvement chain provided materials and labor. “The closet was housed in a converted two-car garage with no windows or doors,” says Sorlien, who came to Southpointe in 2016 to serve with his wife and assistant pastor, Jacki. “The team never complained, but winning this grant has enabled us to move into a clean, new, larger space with a washer and dryer onsite to clean donations and a dedicated space to wash, dry, fold and stage clothes, with a separate space for the closet itself.” The person overseeing all that washing, drying, folding and staging is volunteer Tabitha Sabido, who has run the closet for 10 years since taking over from her mother, Leea Rodriguez. Sabido says the new building and upgrades to the existing space “will help us be more organized so the process of accepting donations and helping clients come through will be faster and easier.” While the initial plan was to entirely remodel the current space,

Southpointe discovered it would cost nearly twice the grant budget, so they worked with Lowe’s to scale back to a two-stage model. A kit was used to build a permanent shed to serve as the closet. The old building is now used as a washing and storage area. The new plan provides a better environment for clients and staff, and attracts new clients. The closet’s previous location was tucked behind the food pantry, which meant the 100-plus homeless and low-income families who visit the pantry each week may not have even known the closet exists. The new building is more visible and accessible. The clothes closet and food pantry are open the first four Mondays each month from 7:30–10 a.m., staffed by volunteers. The food pantry provides dairy, paper and non-perishables donated by the Sacramento Food Bank, Food Source, Foods Co., Target and Costco, plus members of the Southpointe family. The clothes closet offers seasonally appropriate clothing, from casual to job attire. Donations come from the community. Clients don’t need to be church members or residents of the Southpointe area. As Sorlien puts it, “We have an open-handed policy. We don’t proselytize. If you need food or clothes, we’re here to help you.” Southpointe Christian Center is located at 7520 Stockton Blvd. For information, visit southpointecc.net. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Smoked Out

COUNTY BANS FLAVORED TOBACCO, AT LAST

nuff out those menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products. As of July, selling them is banned in Sacramento County. The prohibition means flavored smokes are banned locally no matter what California voters decide in November, when a referendum could repeal a similar statewide ban. Flavored tobacco is often marketed to new and youthful customers as a less-harsh version of the original. The County Board of Supervisors followed a 2019 ban of flavored tobacco by the Sacramento City Council. The state Legislature passed its own ban in

HS By Howard Schmidt Inside The County

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2020. The state’s prohibition is on hold awaiting the November referendum. Supervisor Patrick Kennedy said he considered proposing a flavored-tobacco ban for at least seven years. But after two terms and faced with an opponent in the June primary, he finally decided to act. Kennedy repeated arguments long made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—that flavored smokes are aimed disappropriately at youth and minority communities, especially African Americans. Supervisor Phil Serna agreed, saying the county should “make it more difficult for people to poison themselves.” Supporting the county measure were anti-smoking groups, including the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, Breathe California Sacramento Region and American Cancer Society. Several small retailers opposed Kennedy’s ordinance, claiming the county made no effort to reach out to their businesses. Many noted minors are barred from purchasing tobacco and

adults can make personal choices about smoking. Hookah lounge operators said the restrictions had cultural repercussions and would force their businesses to close. Tobacco opponents countered no lounges closed after the city imposed its ban. Supervisor Rich Desmond asked his colleagues about delaying the ban until the outcome of the November vote, which was prompted by a signature drive financed by Big Tobacco. Kennedy is apparently worried the state ban will fall in November. He said he’s “not confident in the initiative process to come out the way we would like,” and cited how Big Tobacco is likely to influence the vote with millions of advertising dollars. Any delay, Kennedy believes, will contribute to more deaths. Supervisor Sue Frost questioned how the ban would impact the local economy. County finance director Ben Lamera estimated the city of Sacramento might have lost $2 million in sales tax revenue. The county ban passed 3-1. Kennedy, Serna and Don Nottoli supported it,

with Frost dissenting and Desmond abstaining. The flavored tobacco ban takes effect July 25, allowing time for retailers to deplete inventories. Before then, retailers are prohibited from purchasing additional flavored tobacco products.

NOTTOLI’S LAST CHAIR Don Nottoli was named board chair for 2022, his final year before retiring after seven terms. His authority will likely mean longer meetings. Nottoli gives public speakers an additional 60 seconds to make their points, up from the normal 2 minutes. And that’s only if he watches the clock. Howard Schmidt worked on 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

Citizen Watchdogs GRAND JURY SERVES AS COMMUNITY’S VOICE

BY STEVEN M. GEVERCER

ho watches over our local government? Our tax dollars are spent on education, law enforcement, utility districts, parks, libraries, health services and fire districts, just to name a few. If a citizen has information that calls into question the integrity or work of a public agency, who is empowered to investigate as a community watchdog? In Sacramento County, it’s the grand jury. I’ve been privileged to be part of California’s legal system for almost 40 years. This past year, I was honored take the role of judicial adviser to the Sacramento County grand jury. Let me explain its importance. Civil and criminal grand juries originated almost 1,000 years ago in England. By 1683, grand juries were established in some form in all 13 colonies. While times have changed, the need for oversight of local government has not. In Sacramento County, 19 people with diverse backgrounds are

selected to serve one-year terms as grand jurors. Our grand jury reviews citizen complaints about local government, engages in independent inquiries and participates in criminal grand jury indictments. It is important work. Grand jury members are authorized to independently investigate the spectrum of county agencies, districts and any organization that relies on county government contracts and funding. For example, after a seven-month investigation, the grand jury recently issued a scathing report about the Del Paso Manor Water District. Concerns were identified ranging from water contamination to aging infrastructure to non-compliance with state water monitoring requirements. The report cited an ongoing lack of transparency by the water district’s board of directors to act on numerous recommended improvements made by its own consultants and other entities. The grand jury pointed out how failure to complete an estimated $35

million in repairs and upgrades may have disastrous results, including the potential failure of the entire water complex. Deanna Hanson, our current grand jury foreperson says, “Serving as a grand juror is a privilege and honor, as well as a wonderful learning experience. I was able to serve two terms and to work with very committed, intelligent individuals representing many areas of Sacramento County.” Any member of the public may anonymously report to the grand jury about wrongdoing or waste of public funds. The process is simple. Go to the website at saccourt.ca.gov/ grand-jury/grand-jury.aspx. You will find a confidential complaint form that you can complete and submit electronically. The grand jury will review the complaint and decide whether to investigate. “Community members are our eyes and ears,” Hanson says. “We rely on our residents to use the complaint process to report aspects of government that could be improved.”

When a grand jury report is issued, agencies are required to respond within 90 days. This process promotes transparency and accountability—a fundamental goal of the grand jury. We invite you to read past reports on our website. Just click on “Annual Reports.” If you have the time and want to make a difference, I encourage you to consider serving as a grand juror. Our grand jurors find satisfaction and pride in responsibly using their authority to help ensure local government properly serves the public. An online application form is available on the grand jury website. The Sacramento County grand jury works hard to serve you. I invite all civic-minded persons in Sacramento County to support its mission. Steven M. Gevercer is a Sacramento County Superior Court judge and judicial adviser to the grand jury. For information on the grand jury, visit saccourt.ca.gov/grand-jury/grand-jury. aspx. n

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Revolving Door CHANGING TIMES BRING A NEW CITY COUNCIL

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

s a guy who enjoys change, I love the Sacramento City Council. This council is all about change. Two members, Angelique Ashby and Jay Schenirer, are leaving this year because they want new challenges, the state Senate for Ashby, retirement for Schenirer. Jeff Harris doesn’t want to go, but he’s leaving because a reapportionment committee stole his council district out from under him. Another councilmember, Eric Guerra, wants to leave, but will stick around if he can’t catapult himself into the state Assembly. Katie Valenzuela, who represents East Sacramento despite never having been elected there, is thought to have eyes for the mayor’s office or

RG By R.E. Graswich City Beat

POC MAR n 22

Assembly. She tells me she wants to keep her council job. We’ll see. Speaking of the mayor, Darrell Steinberg will move onto other challenges and not seek a third term in 2024. Steinberg is tired of being mayor. Who can blame him? My guess is he would have a tough time getting re-elected even if he was full of energy. That leaves three City Council members certifiably happy in their jobs—Rick Jennings, Mai Vang and Sean Loloee. Jennings is running for a third term this year without significant opposition. If readers aren’t familiar with Loloee and Vang, that’s understandable. They are relatively new and represent the city’s eastern frontiers, north and south. There are many reasons why people want to leave City Council after two or three terms. The job can be numbingly boring and repetitive. Read any council agenda and imagine plowing through material such as “Rehearing—Third-Party Appeal: Curtis Park Village Fuel Center.” That’s a real agenda item.

Life is too short for “Rehearing— Third-Party Appeal: Curtis Park Village Fuel Center,” especially when you understand the Curtis Park Village Fuel Center is a perpetual controversy that started soon after the streets were raised in response to the 1862 flood. It’s the local edition of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce. One reason councilmembers leave is they learn they don’t have power to make big changes. For example, Steinberg and Valenzuela took ownership of the homeless crisis. They campaigned as uniquely qualified to create housing for all. How has that turned out? Not good. Steinberg and Valenzuela made a basic political mistake: They wrapped their careers around a problem they can’t solve. They told voters they had solutions where none exist. For their next trick, Katie and Darrell will make the Sacramento River flow backward. Their intentions are sincere, but muddled strategies made the homeless situation worse. Moreover, they infuriate residents who vote and pay taxes, neighbors who justifiably

believe their serenity and security have become irrelevant next to the attention and money Steinberg and Valenzuela devote to the unsheltered. Wiser politicians would have promised less and remembered who put them in office. The City Council can be a launch pad to slightly bigger political jobs in the state Legislature. Phil Isenberg, Lloyd Connelly, Deborah Ortiz, Dave Jones and Kevin McCarty were councilmembers who became legislators. Steinberg went from the council to the Legislature and boomeranged back again. Bob Matsui went from City Council to Congress. But even politicians who reach the state Capitol get restless. Jones left the Assembly to become California insurance commissioner, the perfect job for someone who wants to be forgotten. Unfortunately, Jones woke up and realized he wanted to be remembered. Now he’s waging an uphill battle against Ashby for state Senate. Having worked around City Council members for 30 years, I love TO PAGE 25

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Penny Scott

The Forgotten Ones LOCAL TRAPPER HAS ‘NEVER QUIT A DOG’

e got her!” Penny Scott’s text came Dec. 7, just after 7 a.m. A female German shepherd, thin and fearful, had been seen for at least six months along the American River Parkway near the Estates Drive access. By day, she roamed the neighborhood and adjacent river trails. At night, she slept in the backyard of a home that abuts the parkway, slipping through a gap in the fence and bedding down in overgrown brush.

CR By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies

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Runners, walkers and cyclists left food, but no one could win her trust. Early last December, a neighbor put out a call on social media. I reached out to fellow rescuers in the area. The response was unanimous—call Penny Scott. In less than 24 hours, Scott trapped the wayward pooch. Scott and her husband live in Antelope with three rescue dogs. She recently retired after 20 years in property management and working graveyard at Target. She found her way into dog trapping in 2016, when she responded to a Facebook plea to help catch two terriers near a freeway. “Six or seven people showed up,” she says. “We were running all over the place trying to catch these dogs. Eventually they were caught. And I thought, hmmm, that was kind of fun.”

In the past six years, Scott has trapped 464 dogs—mostly German shepherds, pit bulls and chihuahuas— in Sacramento and beyond. Her husband calls it “dogging.” She spends hours, sometimes sleeping in her car, to capture stray mutts that animal control officers cannot catch. “They don’t have the resources and time,” Scott says. “They will do a drive-by. But you can’t just set a trap and leave it.” Scott places a camera nearby so she can monitor the trap on her mobile phone. In addition to five traps ranging from 3 to 5 feet, Scott built a kennel trap, also called a “Missy trap,” made up of panels that can be broken down flat for transport and assembled on site. It can stretch to 10 feet if needed for the dog and situation. “If there are multiple dogs, you can get them all at the same time. Or for a bigger dog

who might need a longer trap,” she says. While she mostly works alone, Scott often relies on neighbors networking on Nextdoor, Facebook, and lost and found sites, and will team up with another local trapper. Scott’s lengthiest trapping endeavor—a Labrador Chow mix— took 28 days in Oroville. “He had been out there a year and half—we know that from Facebook posts of people trying to get him,” she says. Using her Missy trap, Scott caught the canine on the first day. But before she could secure him, he dug under the wire panel and escaped. “I was traumatized. I had never lost a dog like that.” For 27 more days, Scott drove from Antelope to Oroville—5,106 miles, 90 hours of driving. “I slept in my car five nights.” She placed a smaller trap inside the Missy trap “because I was not letting him get away again,” and put the whole thing on cement so the dog couldn’t dig under it. Scott trapped—and released—a neighbor’s dogs every day. She finally convinced the woman to keep her canines inside for at least 24 hours. “I caught him the next day at 1:30 in the morning.” Scott’s own dogs have their stories. Shylo, a herding dog, was trapped on a farm in Lincoln at 3:30 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Scott lured her by dropping bacon along a fence line and shooting meatballs with a slingshot. It took 26 days to capture Simone, a German shepherd, living for six months at the refuse center on Florin Road. Scott’s vet confirmed from a photograph that the shepherd had recently given birth. On the 21st day, mom brought three 8-week-old puppies, one by one, to the feeding station. “It was like a movie,” Scott says. “She licked the dogs and left.” Scott brought the infants to the trap every day. “Simone would come back to eat, but still wouldn’t go near the puppies.” Scott used the Missy trap with a canopy and a 150-foot rope tied to the door. On day 26, the shepherd entered the paneled encloser to eat. Scott picked up the rope and pulled the door shut. “She just sat down. She was calm. It was amazing.”

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At her Antelope home, Scott has sectioned off a portion of her backyard and converted her garage into a “dog room” with a large kennel for overnight guests. One wall displays photos of every dog she has trapped. But mostly the wayward canines go straight to the shelter in the community where she captured them. “I’m not in the business of rehoming dogs. I’m a trapper,” she says. “And I’m obligated to take them to the shelter because that’s the first place the owner is going to look for them.” The canines will receive medical care, including spay or neuter. Scott immediately posts all dogs on lost and found and social media sites.

“If I trap them at night, I bring them here because the shelter is closed. Or if they are really difficult, stressed out, I’ll bring them here to decompress. Once they stop nipping or cowering and hiding—start wagging their tail when I go in to feed them—then I know they’re fine, and they will make it at the shelter. “The forgotten ones are my favorites—that nobody can catch. And I stay until the end. I’ve never quit a dog.”

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Best friends forever.

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

IN THE PAST SIX YEARS, SCOTT HAS TRAPPED 464 DOGS—MOSTLY GERMAN SHEPHERDS, PIT BULLS AND

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CHIHUAHUAS—IN SACRAMENTO AND BEYOND.

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the ones who do their jobs, keep a low profile and know when to leave. I feel bad for members who stick around so long voters get tired of them, such as Steve Cohn, Heather Fargo and the late Robbie Waters. I worry about those who think they can play God and fix humanity’s eternal suffering, such as Steinberg and Valenzuela. Basically, the city’s job is to maintain a reasonable veneer of public safety, collect the garbage, make toilets flush, mow the grass in parks and fill potholes. If restless councilmembers conquer those mountains and need something bigger, looming in the dreamy halflight is always the Curtis Park Village Fuel Center. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Big Bucks, Small Results WHY POLITICIANS CAN’T, WON’T FIX SACRAMENTO’S HOMELESS PROBLEM BY B.C. PARKER GUEST OPINION

ew of us know what goes on behind the scenes as our elected officials try to “resolve” the homeless crisis. But this much is clear: Government has managed to exacerbate the problem. Why? Our officials have tapped into an ever-growing, seemingly endless taxpayer money supply with zero requirements to account for any meaningful, measurable results. What a deal! Imagine being hired for a job, producing terrible results and receiving massive bonuses year after year. Is it any wonder people are frustrated and believe politicians have failed? Homelessness has become a mechanism to control huge sums of federal and state dollars. Why would politicians shut off the faucet? They provide lip service to constituents and the media while making backroom

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deals and raking in campaign donations from labor unions. A common claim is homelessness is due to lack of affordable housing. Rarely mentioned is why it costs more to build an affordable apartment unit vs. a market rate apartment. The answer is the requirement of prevailing wage, which forces developers to pay higher rates for labor when building projects with public money. The average cost to build a new stick-frame “affordable” one-bedroom apartment is more than $500,000 per unit. That’s compared to an average of $385,000 per-unit for a market rate apartment. As recently reported in the Sacramento Business Journal, Lavender Courtyard, a 53-unit affordable apartment project for LGBTQ seniors will cost $27.5 million to develop, or $519,000 per unit. One simple solution to address the direct costs of building so-called affordable housing is to eliminate prevailing wage. But politicians will

not bite the hand that feeds them. Local media and taxpayers do not hold politicians accountable, so homelessness worsens and quality of life in Sacramento declines. Another homeless housing scheme is the Homekey state grant program. This slush fund recently incentivized the City Council to overpay for two hotels converted into permanent “supportive” housing with no charter or covenant that requires occupancy by homeless people living in squalor on the street. Speaking of living on the streets, who directs the homeless to squat in public right of ways? Is there an app directing them to the oleanders along Alta Arden, Roseville Road or Howe Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard? Do homeless activists send clients to these sanctuaries? Sacramento’s homeless crisis is the result of modern, progressive politics that aims to normalize lawlessness regardless of the impact on communities.

Elected officials have no intention of fixing the homeless problem or serving their constituents who own businesses, homes, pay taxes and contribute to our community. They are only interested in the grift. In this era of big government, politicians care only about how many dollars they can spend, not results. Perhaps politicians should step aside and let uncompromised citizens right this ship. Politicians do not possess the DNA of a business professional who identifies risk and opportunity and puts mitigation and contingency plans in place. Honesty and leadership are necessary for good governance. Unfortunately, among local politicians, these traits are in short supply. B.C. Parker is a concerned Sacramento homeowner. Please submit comments to editor@insidepublications. com. n

Not So Good OLD DAYS HAD PLENTY OF BAD TOO

occasionally get emails from readers who reminisce about the good old days. They hope I’ll commiserate with them about how horrible the world has become. One reader blamed the fall of America on the entertainment industry. “Back in my day, ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ led the way in promoting wholesome values,” he wrote. “Today’s shows promote violence and sexual promiscuity.” While I don’t have a time portal to check the writer’s premise, I do subscribe to video streaming. I scrolled through an old favorite, “Frasier,” which ran 1993–2004. During our parenting years, Becky and I often rushed the little ones to bed, turned the TV volume down low and bust a gut watching “Frasier.” It

NB By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

was good, clean entertainment, or so we thought. In the show, Kelsey Grammer portrays a Seattle radio advice psychiatrist, Frasier Crane. The show’s 37 Primetime Emmy Awards suggest its writing, acting and direction were pretty good. The good doctor is a fussy, uptight, cultured but arrogant broadcaster. Nevertheless, his sympathy toward working-class listeners, coupled with a strong sense of ethics, makes him likable. Good, clean show, right? Well, I wouldn’t be too quick on that conclusion. Frasier satirizes sexism and uses humor to almost normalize sexual harassment. In the supporting cast, Peri Gilpin plays Roz Doyle, Frasier’s radio producer whose open approach to dating is constantly ridiculed by the other characters. Worse yet, she endures unwelcome advances from the host of the “Gonzo Sports Show.” Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe, played by Dan Butler, is constantly touching, kissing and butt-slapping Roz. Ouch. Where was human resources when it was desperately needed in those good old days?

Worse, I’m appalled at how the main cast is entirely White. The U.S. population is about 13 percent Black, yet like many shows portraying America’s good old days, Frasier reflects racism by relegating African American actors to unwelcome interrupters. Perhaps I should rewind our time machine all the way back to Andy Griffith, a show that portrays Mayberry as the friendly, close-knit community we should strive to achieve. The series still confronts us— shamefully so—with a time when various shades of color or sexual orientation were little more than cameos or the subject of jokes. Why bring up old TV shows in a spiritual column? Because even the best classic shows disprove the premise that everything was better back then. I’m not trying to shame you for your entertainment choices. I’m only asking you to consider how morality can both improve while at the same time become derailed. If you read the Bible, you’ll know the notion of the coexistence of good and evil. In the parable of the wheat and thistles (Matthew 13:24-30), Jesus rebukes good-old-days proponents who

advocate spending our time rooting out the evil. In verse 30 he says, “If you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.” Yes, our world is getting worse, but this parable tells me it’s also getting better. The worst will always exist alongside the best. Evil is a parasite that feeds on good, not the opposite. So instead of commiserating about the passing of the good old days, let me encourage the Zen Buddhist teaching that “life must exist in the present or nowhere at all.” Just keep in mind the church-camp song from the good old days—“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” 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 the chaplain.net. n

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Urban Affair CONTAINERS BRING LOVE TO CITY GARDENERS

ne soggy morning, rain and wind buffeted Sacramento. At this perfect moment for baking blueberry muffins, my blue orbs were hibernating in the freezer. All were grown in containers last summer. Growing edibles and ornamentals in containers is a gardening option. In many cases, it’s required. Tiny new home lots and some urban dwellings offer enough “yard” for the dog to turn around. Available outdoor growing space may be concrete or a Midtown balcony, rooftop or alley. Containers and flowers go together like teens and texting. Inflation and the cost of food, continuing pandemic concerns and a boost in healthy diets are driving increased edible gardening. Pots are perfect! My in-ground growing space is limited because of a swimming pool and surrounding hardscape. What is not spreading roots in the earth has migrated to pots. I’ve had success

DV By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber

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growing flowering annuals, citrus (limes, Mandarins and oranges), potatoes, lettuce and other greens, garlic, onions, herbs, strawberries and blueberries in containers. I just planted ginger in pots. Flowering annuals can be swapped out to complement the season. Large pots will accommodate three or four different annuals for spectacular displays. Tending pots during Sacramento summers requires larger sizes, a minimum of 16 inches in diameter and just as deep to maintain moisture, keep roots from cooking and head off multiple daily watering. Larger containers are heavier, especially when filled with soil. Terra cotta, glazed ceramic, wood and concrete containers can be extremely heavy. Permanent locations or positioned atop casters to roll around is recommended. Lighter options include plastic, fiberglass and polystyrene foam containers. Metal may get too hot. Another option is grow bags, made from fabric, light and reusable. Edibles require a minimum of six hours daily sunlight, which can be a challenge in urban areas. Late afternoon shade is always a plus in summer. Pot feet, casters or pieces of wood will lift containers off sizzling surfaces and allow air circulation.

Unlike citrus, other fruit trees can be a challenge to grow in containers. They perform better in the ground. If a container is the only option, choose trees with a dwarf rootstock and a credential for surviving in small spaces. Use a half wine barrel. Other than rescuing gardeners from limited space, pots can solve issues of poor soil, diseased soil and pest problems. Gardeners unlucky enough to have root-knot nematodes in beds can create safe havens with bagged soil in containers. Nematodes are microscopic, parasitic roundworms that penetrate roots and cause plants to decline. Farmers have chemical options to combat root-knot nematodes. Those options are not available to home gardeners. A lab test can determine if your soil is infested. A visual inspection of a dying plant’s roots may show galls or knots. If your veggies have suffered in recent years, you may have nematodes. Like azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas and rhododendrons, the aforementioned blueberries produce best in acidic soil. Add elemental sulfur to your potting soil to lower the pH. Plant two or three blueberry varieties in close proximity for better yield and add sphagnum moss to the soil mixture to help retain moisture on summer days. Movable containers will allow you to relocate

pots to avoid late afternoon sun. Your blueberries will love a caring touch. Filling containers with yard soil is not an option. All sorts of problems can arise. Use bagged potting mixes from nurseries, which eliminate soil diseases and pest problems. Potting mixes allow good drainage and do not compact like the heavy, rocky dirt you would dig from the yard. Trellises work well for beans, cherry tomatoes and smaller melons in tight spaces. Be sure to place containers so larger plants do not shade out smaller ones. Watering containers can be time consuming. Most require daily water (twice daily during hot months). Selfwatering pots and drip irrigation is your BGF (best garden friend). Mulching the soil surface with bark chips, straw or shredded leaves helps keep roots happy. Happy roots mean happy gardener. 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 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

Mild Wild West CITY STEPS UP TO CALM DOWN OLD SAC

or the first time in several years, some business owners in Old Sacramento—battered by COVID-19, civil unrest and crime—feel hopeful. The historic district has long suffered an image problem. It had attractions and history, but never the critical mass and appeal to become a must-see attraction. Excitement was high before the pandemic. An inviting embarcadero was installed. More family-friendly events were planned. The future looked bright in April 2019, after the City Council agreed to invest $47 million to upgrade the Old Sac waterfront, with money leveraged to lure private investment. Then came the pandemic and civil unrest after the George Floyd murder. Shops and restaurants closed or were barely surviving. A part of Downtown that draws several million visitors a year became a ghost town.

GD By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

Another blow came last summer when back-to-back shooting incidents, including one caught on video, left two people dead and four injured. The video went viral on social media. A gunman fires down the embarcadero at an unseen target. Frightened patrons, including a couple with a young child, scurry away. “Our people didn’t want to come to work. They were scared to dodge bullets, literally,” says Stephanie Miller, owner of Rio City Café on Front Street. Kevin Fat, whose family owned popular restaurants in Old Sac for more than 40 years and Downtown for 80 years, agreed the shootings and other crimes are devastating. “With everything that was happening, these past three or four years have been really tough,” he tells me. “And I have had friends and families who usually come Downtown or to Old Sacramento express to me they won’t come down there with their families anymore because they don’t feel safe.” Worried for years that rowdy nightlife and scant police presence were a recipe for disaster, some merchants sent an angry letter to city officials several weeks before the shootings. Soon after, Scott Ford, who manages public spaces in Old Sac for the Downtown Partnership, helped Miller and others organize a town hall meeting.

“All the big wigs were there,” Dane Addison, manager of the Delta King, says. “The mayor, police chief, city manager. It seemed to take a room full of freaked out people because of the shootings to finally get the city to acknowledge that some of the stuff we had been saying was legit. We weren’t just a bunch of people complaining because we had nothing better to do.” With prodding from the Partnership and others, city officials responded. Police patrols increased. Security lighting was added along with money to keep streets and sidewalks cleaner. Most recently, the city committed $800,000 for the Partnership to hire two nighttime security guards, install decorative lighting and add bollards to make it easier to cordon off streets for events. Last October, the city approved $4.2 million for lighting, security cameras and other improvements. Just before Thanksgiving, Miller spent the weekend at the Delta King. She walked around at night to see if she felt safe after dark. “These things have really helped,” she says. “The police officers were present. The lighting was better. It gave me hope. It really has gotten a lot better.” Miller and the others know a cold weekend in November is not the same as a hot summer night when thousands of young people may crowd the clubs

and streets with behavior that turns off other visitors. “My management team feels more hopeful and safer over the course of the last couple of months,” Ford says. “That doesn’t mean it won’t change when summer comes again, but right now, there is a definite change for the better.” Ford and the others know they need to get the word out that security has been upgraded. Plans for more festivals and events this spring and summer can re-introduce the district and make people feel comfortable and welcome again, he believes. “The idea of spending $40 million on the waterfront was great,” he says, “but there are a lot of fundamentals you can take care of with a million here, a few hundred thousand dollars there, that can really be impactful and make things safer for everyone.” Let’s hope so. Nightlife in Downtown and Old Sac is getting busy again. People are desperate to get out and have fun. It’s popular to bash police these days, but we need more of them, not less, along with some rules and order, for people to feel safe. Gary Delsohn can be reached at dgelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Sebastian Bariani Photos by Aniko Kiezel

Well Oiled M

y first encounter with Bariani Olive Oil was my first encounter with California olive oil. Roaming the Berkeley Farmers Market, I found the Bariani stall and took my first oil shot, delivered by one of the brothers who grew the olives and pressed the oil. The oil coated my mouth in a grassy fattiness, soothed my throat and sank into my belly.

GM By Gabrielle Myers Farm to Fork

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Four decades ago in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., the only olive oil available to me was mild, light and imported from Italy and Spain. In California, I savor a drizzle of amber green oil pressed from olives a few miles from where I cook. This oil makes leafy greens and grilled fish or meats sing complex songs. A citrus salad of blood orange and Oro Blanco grapefruit transforms itself with the round herbaceous hit of olive oil’s unctuous drops. As I visit Bariani’s orchard and production facilities, the treasure of California olive oil inspires me to head to the kitchen and pick a green leaf or piece of sliced bluefin to dunk in the precious liquid. I inhale the olive presses’ sweet fruity scent and the hefty wooden aroma of the balsamic curing

BARIANI PRESSES ITS LUCK WITH SUMPTUOUS OLIVES

We’re Looking For Interesting Homes To Feature

oak barrels, marveling at the stainless steel holding tanks. Bariani uses Mission olives because they are a heritage variety in California. Sebastian Bariani makes his Forager nocino liquor with California black walnuts instead of traditional English walnuts. The California walnut is endemic to our area. This family’s commitment to the best production practices for olive oil taste and orchard health, a passion for what they love, and the communal yet independent spirit make me appreciate what Bariani brings to our table. The Bariani family emigrated from Lombardy in Italy to Sacramento in 1990. Santa, the mother, unhappy with the olive oil she found here, started growing olives and pressing her own with the help of husband Angelo and four sons, Sebastian, Luigi, Emanuele and Enrico. The family soon had too much oil, so they gave bottles to friends. The oil became so popular that friends suggested the Barianis go into business, and the company was born. What drives the Barianis is simple. As Sebastian says, “It makes us happy. This is what we love.” Located on a 180-acre orchard of heritage Mission and Manzanillo olives in Zamora, north of Woodland, Bariani maintains its family roots by limiting cultivation and production to what the family can manage. There’s no interest in Big Ag. By holding the work within the family, Bariani has mechanized

many parts of cultivation, processing, bottling and packaging. In the spirit of efficiency, the Barianis recently purchased an olive harvesting machine that can do the work of 100 people. The family maintains sustainable practices that replenish what is taken from the earth. In the spirit of organic agriculture, the Barianis distribute production wastes such as leaves and stems back into the fields for soil health, or give the material to a local rancher for cow feed. Olive paste, which results from the olive crush, is spread around the orchards with a manure spreader. Olive pits, pounded to resemble crushed granite at the end of the production process, are funneled into a furnace, which warms the production space and fuels the family smoker. As I drizzle Bariani’s early harvest olive oil on thinly sliced salmon and green garlic-laced purple mizuna from Full Belly Farms, I think about what Sebastian Bariani told me as morning winds whipped around us in late winter’s growing light: “What I love about farming is that every day is different. You can plan, but there are always problems, and you can find solutions. You have to constantly learn. No one is ever an expert.” Olives and their movement from orchard to table contain life lessons not just for the farmer, but all of us.

can be ordered at fishinglinepress.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Inside Sacramento is looking for creative homes to feature in upcoming editions of Open House. Send recommendations to Cathryn Rakich at editor@insidepublications.com.

Sac State’s College of Continuing Education Youth Programs

7th-12th Graders Monday – Friday

June 20 - 24 June 27 - July 1 July 11 - 15 July 18 - 22 July 25 - 29 Experience hands-on classes in STEM, creative arts, education, business, public safety and more!

www.cce.csus.edu/youth-programs

Gabrielle Myers can be reached at gabriellemyers11@gmail.com. Her latest book of poetry, “Too Many Seeds,”

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Photo by Aniko Kiezel

In A Pickle

FAST-GROWING GAME LOVED BY (ALMOST) EVERYONE

s an old sportswriter whose tastes favor unfashionable games such as boxing, horseracing and indoor track meets, I was suspicious when I heard people talk about pickleball. What’s that? I figured pickleball involved cucumbers and suburban backyard parties and lazy summer afternoons. A silly fad. Then I began to get emails from pickleball devotees inviting me to play. The emails bubbled with enthusiasm and fellowship. The authors insisted I’d love their little game. I normally respond right away to emails. These I deleted. A couple of months ago, I heard a sports club in Roseville was ripping out seven tennis courts and replacing them with 24 pickleball courts. Seriously? I’ve hung around sports clubs and know they don’t

RG By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority

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demolish prime real estate for fun. There has to be long-term economic benefits, supported by data. I figured either tennis was succumbing to the death grip that snuffed the life from boxing, horseracing and indoor track, or pickleball was legit. Whatever the truth, it was time to check out pickleball. The first step was to find somewhere to watch the game. As luck would have it, there were tennis courts near my home, and one day I noticed people setting up a small net across one of the courts. The net was perpendicular to the regular tennis net, bisecting the court. I’d seen this setup before, when coaches teach children how to play tennis. But these weren’t children. They were many decades beyond drinking age—old enough to remember when prizefights, horseraces and indoor track meets were big deals. A young man—apparently a coach— demonstrated various moves and a few strategies. With minimal fuss, the group began to play and was soon batting a plastic ball over the net with oversized pingpong paddles. The crowd was far more animated than most tennis players who tend to approach their sport with joy of a parole board. These pickleballers wanted to have fun.

They weren’t obnoxious, but neither were they slaves to traditional courtside manners and decorum. I was intrigued. My second step was to check out pickleball history and equipment. Turns out I was right about the summer backyard origins, but wrong about pickleball being a new fad. The game was invented in 1965 by a Washington state politician named Joel Pritchard and his friend Bill Bell when their kids got bored with badminton at Pritchard’s estate on Bainbridge Island. From that inauspicious start, pickleball percolated on the extremities until around 2010. Then it began to gain favor as an activity for older people. In recent years, the game has, as fans say, exploded. Participation topped 3 million in 2019. National pickleball championships became destination events. A pickleball hall of fame was established—a sure sign of something. As for equipment, it’s cheaper than golf. The composite paddle resembles a rectangular frying pan. The ball is neon plastic with holes. Nets can be folded up and carried home. Footwear is sensible. Headbands are optional. Finally, I checked with the Roseville tennis club that’s building pickleball

courts. Mark Tappan of Spare Time Sports Clubs was happy to explain the goals for his Johnson Ranch facility: “This will be a regional pickleball center, the second largest in California after a club in Newport Beach.” He says, “The beauty of pickleball is how easy it is. You can play in no time. You don’t need coaching. When you start out, you’ll always find someone who will help you out. It’s an extremely social sport.” Spare Time has six clubs in the Sacramento area, Elk Grove to El Dorado Hills. Tennis remains the cornerstone, but Spare Time sees a big future in pickleball. “It’s not as staid as tennis and we have to be careful to keep those members happy,” Tappan says. “They aren’t happy about losing courts, but pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the U.S. right now.” Sorry I deleted those emails. Where do I sign up? 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

Fred Donham of PhotographerLink

Family Ties A

llyson and Rich Carlson are good at making and executing plans. When the empty nesters decided to downsize a couple years ago, they made a mutually beneficial plan with their daughter and son-in-law, then house hunting for their own family. “When we decided to move from our large traditional bungalow in East Sac, we worked with them to find a home that could accommodate a newly built ADU in the backyard,” Allyson says. In 2020, the young couple found a sprawling 1970s Arden ranch with a huge yard and pool. “It was perfect for what we wanted to do,” Allyson

CH By Cecily Hastings Photography by Aniko Kiezel OPEN HOUSE

ADU SOLVES THIS GENERATION GAP

says. Her accessory dwelling unit plan was set in motion. Coincidentally, the Carlsons were building a second home near Tahoe. The new Arden ADU would serve as their Sacramento base and keep them close to family and friends. “I am blessed to be able to care for my two young grandchildren three days a week now,” Allyson says. The couple moved in last October after seven months of construction. The new unit is located behind the original garage and carport. It features 850 square feet with a great room and kitchen, one bedroom and bath. They designed a large storage space with outdoor access next to the garage, which adds to their privacy. Allyson’s sense of style is evident in every design choice. The space is a study in contrasts with black and white, warmed by wood accents, including dramatic ceiling beams. “We raised the roof so we could get extra height from a cathedral ceiling. It helped make the space feel much larger,” Allyson says. With one bathroom, the design team devised a multi-function room. The opening to the bedroom contains closets, shower and storage. The vanity and toilet have an entrance from the living space. Pocket doors connect the rooms.

Allyson and Rich Carlson

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Fred Donham of PhotographerLink

IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE

ccessory dwelling units or ADUs—separate living places tucked inside a single-family home or sharing land with one—are one of the fastest growing and most versatile home improvement projects. California adopted laws to make it easier and more attractive for homeowners to build ADUs. But before creating one, homeowners need to consider the legal, design and financial implications. For a homeowner, an ADU can be a source of rental income or serve as living quarters for extended family, a work-at-home space, a place to escape to, or run a home-based business. The projects are challenging, and best undertaken only by homeowners with the motivation, money, knowledge and confidence to see it through. An ADU can be one of three different projects: a newly constructed stand-alone, a home addition that creates separate living quarters, or a conversion of an existing space such as a garage into a separate dwelling. —Cecily Hastings

Allyson credits her design-build team with the success and swift completion. Contractor Bradley Builders brought in Ashlee Richardson, chief designer at Nar Design Group, for interior millwork design. “We had seen a huge increase in clients reaching out to us for designs of ADUs,” says Richardson, noting the firm has four ADUs in progress. “Because we design so many homes, kitchens and baths in East Sac, we are used to working in small footprints and love the challenge of making small, functional and beautiful spaces.” Allyson chose the furnishings and accessories. “In a small space like this, every inch had to be measured and considered,” she says. It didn’t hurt that she retired from a career in electronic logistics.

Fred Donham of PhotographerLink

POC MAR n 22

Richardson says Allyson knew exactly what she wanted. “She was a dream to collaborate on the cabinets and millwork.” Allyson considered the style and design of her daughter’s home, because someday the ADU will be hers. “Gratefully, we have a similar aesthetic and vision,” Allyson says. Allyson advises those considering living in a small space to be mindful of outdoor spaces. “We have a shaded private patio outside our bedroom that can give my husband Rich and I some privacy to work or relax,” she says. This is the family’s third downsize, going from 3,800 square feet to 1,900 to 850. “Because we were designing at such a small scale, it was important that we built with quality materials and elegant details. And that I just love everything that is in it,” Allyson says. Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. n

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Rhapsody In Blue CYANOTYPE ARTIST CREATES ETHEREAL IMAGES

Linda Clark Johnson Photo by Linda Smolek

n image of a fern emerges from the darkness like a majestic shadow. Delicate legs of a lily of the Nile float on the plane as though submerged. Leaves of bamboo shudder out of focus on a field of blue and green. These dreamy botanical images are the work of Linda Clark Johnson, a multimedia artist who specializes in cyanotype, one of the oldest forms of photography. English botanist Anna Atkins pioneered the process in the 1840s to document botanicals. Scientist and astronomer Sir John Herschel used the technique to create 19th century blueprints. The process entails mixing potassium ferricyanide and ferric ammonium citrate, applying the photosensitive solution to paper or cloth, placing an object on the surface and exposing it to the sun. The reaction between UV light and the solution produces a pigment known as Prussian blue that remains after development. This gives the print its characteristic aqua hue. “When I first saw (cyanotype), the color blue was so gorgeous and rich, I thought I have to try this,” says Johnson, who teaches and works out of her converted garage studio near UC Davis Medical Center. “It’s become a total love affair.”

JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

POC MAR n 22

Johnson was exposed to art early thanks to a childhood spent traveling with her dad, a civil contractor for the military. By age 8, Johnson had seen “every great art museum in the world” and was producing her own art projects. (She jokes that her middle name is “Project.”) After earning an art degree from Chico State with the goal of teaching, Johnson realized a classroom job would be tough to find. Voters recently passed Prop. 13. School arts funds were gutted. She shifted her creative focus and became a graphic designer. Johnson enjoyed a successful career “solving other people’s problems” for the better part of two decades until she heard a report on Capital Public Radio that teachers were again in demand. Johnson jumped at the chance to return to her first love. She earned her teaching credential and landed in a third-grade classroom. Those third-graders led Johnson to cyanotype. After reading up on the process and procuring a kit of chemicals—which are much safer than they sound and appropriate for children under supervision—she introduced the medium to her class. Her own fascination blossomed. Johnson’s work expanded over the years. Her collections include

prints nestled in vintage books (“Summer Reading”), wet cyanotypes featuring ethereal botanicals (“Solar Alchemy”), one-of-a-kind paper quilts created from prints and studio scraps (“Mend”), silhouettes of sleeping children in vibrant blue dreamscapes (“Dream Time”) and images of bird nests tinged with different colors (“Warm + Cozy Nests”). “I don’t understand how artists can do the same thing over and over again,” Johnson says. “I love the curiosity of learning new things, experimentation, problem-solving and coming up with my own solution. Who knows what I’m going to do next? I like pushing the limits of the medium.” Her design savvy and problemsolving skills came in handy during the pandemic. Suddenly, her classes and art sales were online. She discovered she didn’t hate marketing herself

when she was able to “keep my voice authentic and talk about what the work was really about.” The online transition proved so successful that Johnson will stay in the virtual marketplace for the foreseeable future. She participated in Verge Center for the Arts’ annual Sac Open Studios and was surprised by how many people turned out to see and learn about her process. “People are obviously anxious to get out and see art, participate

and engage again,” Johnson says. “Cyanotype is perfect for that. It’s definitely something anyone can do.” For more information, visit lindaclarkjohnson.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

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Pure Taste DINERS HAVE NO BEEF WITH THESE VEGAN OPTIONS

Photos by Linda Smolek

GS By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

POC MAR n 22

amie Cavanaugh, owner of Pure Soul Plant Based Eats, doesn’t mind if you aren’t vegan. “I care what I eat,” she says. “I don’t want to eat meat or dairy, but I don’t mind if the diners at my restaurant are vegans or vegetarians or just taking a meal off from their usual diet.” She adds, “I just want to serve good food.” And she does. Cavanaugh opened the small eatery in East Sacramento during the fateful

month of March 2020. Taking over a corner storefront previously occupied by The Wienery, Pure Soul battled shutdowns, lockdowns and slowdowns its first two years. Today it’s positioned to be busier than ever. What sets the restaurant apart is a playful attitude toward food and the ridiculously awesome, face-blasting flavor. This stuff is off-the-charts yummy. I speak as a lifelong meat eater. I have never entertained a vegan or

vegetarian diet, and reflexively wrinkle my nose when anyone suggests a vegan restaurant as a dining option. I’m a meat snob. But eating at Pure Soul feels like no sacrifice. This is plant-based comfort food. This is large-portioned, down-home, deepfried delights. The burgers are as big as my head and have meat-eaters telling Cavanaugh they are the best burgers ever. The tater tots topped with queso, guacamole, pico and jalapenos are a giant, guilty pile of deliciousness.

The tacos, filled with spiced jackfruit, are on par with the best taco trucks in town. The jackfruit mimics beef and pork in texture and you can’t tell you are eating vegan. Pure Soul’s housemade salsas are a thing to behold. Spicy, tangy, earthy, they raise the profile of every bite. Cavanaugh’s business partner, Erica Montgomery, brings more soul to Pure Soul’s menu with her scratch-made vegan soul-food recipes. “Auntie’s” potato salad, candied yams, and red beans and rice are all nice. But the collard greens deserve special praise. They are some of the tastiest greens in the West, meat-free or not. The small space doesn’t lend itself to slow indulgent eating. There aren’t too many seats inside or out. Pure Soul is a grab-and-go place, informal and casual. Another thing that sets Pure Soul apart are the clever names for many dishes. “Jackfruit & Diane” is the moniker for a pulled “pork” sandwich made with jackfruit and crispy onions smothered in house barbecue sauce. “Sweet Home Avocado” is a veggie

sandwich. “Baby Got Bacon” is a burger served with your choice of veggie meat patty, Beyond or Impossible. Pure Soul is one of several local vegan restaurants recently opened. Local chain Burger Patch just started their latest rendition in Land Park. West Coast chain Plant Power Fast Food opened an outpost last year at R and 11th streets. Both rely on a streamlined but tasty burger, fries and shake model. A successful vegan option is Vegan Deadly Sins, a vegan Chinese-American restaurant. Serving only takeout, the kitchen turns out Chinese restaurant standards such as egg rolls, hot and sour soup, fried rice and General Tso’s chicken, without meat. The flavors are spot on. Whether you live a vegan lifestyle or are looking to shrink your meat intake, explore the options. Our vegan scene, especially Pure Soul Plant Based Eats, sets a high bar. Pure Soul Plant Based Eats is at 715 56th St.; puresoulpbeats.com; (916) 476-5705.

What sets the restaurant apart is a playful attitude toward food and the ridiculously awesome, face-blasting flavor. This stuff is off-the-charts yummy.

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 at @ insidesacramento. n

“ R E G I O N ’ S B E S T R E S TA U R A N T ” – S AC R A M E N TO B E E

JOIN US! LUNCH, DINNER & HAPPY HOUR FOR RESERVATIONS 916.443.3772 WWW.ELLA DINING ROOM AND BAR.COM 11 3 1 K S T R E E T • D O W N T O W N S A C R A M E N T O

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TO DO THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Deep Roots; Fresh Shoots Sacramento Potters Group: Art by Fire March 15–19 NCECA Reception March 18, 5–9 p.m. Shepard Garden and Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. • artbyﬁre.org The Sacramento Potters Group: Art by Fire participates in the 2022 National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference with this exhibit showcasing recent works by current and past members who work with a variety of ceramic materials, techniques and firing processes.

Chrysalis

“In The Moment” by Robyn Brakel as part of “Deep Roots; Fresh Shoots” at Shepard Garden and Arts Center

Sacramento Ballet March 18–20 Soﬁa Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts, 2700 Capitol Ave. • sacballet.org This innovative dance program features bold new ballet pieces by internationally acclaimed choreographer Val Caniparoli, Sacramento Ballet artist Isaac Bates-Vinueza and Sacramento Ballet alum Nicole Haskins. Tickets are $65. Two-show package is $114 and three-show package is $162 for the rest of the ballet’s season.

Stories on Stage

JL By Jessica Laskey

POC MAR n 22

Stories on Stage Sacramento Friday, March 25, 7 p.m. CLARA Auditorium, 2420 N St. • storiesonstagesacramento.com This award-winning literary performance series presents work from “Your House Will Pay” by Steph Cha and “The Lockhart Women” by Mary Camarillo, read aloud by professional actors followed by a Q&A with the authors. Tickets are a $10 suggested donation.

Romantic Rachmaninoff Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Saturday, March 5, 8 p.m. SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, 1301 L St. • sacphilopera.org Conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl leads the orchestra in a program that includes Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, Montgomery’s “Starburst” and Barber’s “Violin Concerto” performed by guest violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen.

Mary Camarillo’s book reading at Stories on Stage

Awash With Color Sacramento Fine Arts Center March 29–April 16 5330 Gibbons Drive • sacﬁnearts.org Join Watercolor Artists of Sacramento Horizons for its annual membership exhibit. As the premier watercolor association in the Central Valley, WASH attracts artists of all levels.

Tilth and Tide R25 Courtyard Gallery March 12–19 NCECA Reception March 18, 4–7 p.m. 1719 25th St. • calstage.org As part of the NCECA ceramics convention, nationally renowned ceramicists Marian Baker and Ruchika Madan will display their two distinctive approaches to functional pottery with imagery exploring land and sea. New paintings of the American River by local artist Mardie Dalzell Driftmier will also be on display.

Layers Upon Layers Archival Gallery March 3–26 Second Saturday Reception March 12, 5–8 p.m. NCECA Reception March 18, 5–9 p.m. 3223 Folsom Blvd. • archivalgallery.com Presented in celebration of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts regional event, this exhibit showcases artwork using complex building techniques, glaze surfaces and post-firing work. The show includes Northern California artists Jennifer Brazelton, Gary Carlos, Shenny Cruces, Peter Harris, Tomoko Nakazato, Tiffany Schmierer, Shannon Sullivan and Sharon Virtue. Masks required.

The Children Black Point Theatre March 11–April 10 R25 Arts Complex, 1725 25th St. • blackpointtheatre.org This three-person play follows retired nuclear physicists Robin and Hazel and an unexpected guest who causes them to re-evaluate themselves, their relationships, and their past and uncertain future. Tickets are $20. Tickets are $15 for SARTA members, students and seniors, and on Thursdays and opening weekend. Proof of vaccination and masks are required.

Read Across America Celebration Fairytale Town Sunday, March 6, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 3901 Land Park Drive • fairytaletown.org Celebrate Read Across America week (weather permitting) with literacythemed hands-on activities and crafts. Stop by the Mother Goose Stage for a unique nonstop reading of your favorite kids’ books. Free with park admission: $8 for adults and children 2 and older. Members and children 1 and younger are free.

Annual Spring Sale Shepard Garden and Arts Center Saturday, March 5, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Sunday, March 6, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. 3330 McKinley Blvd. • sgaac.org Shop for jewelry, plants, crafts, flowers, antiques, art, food and more at this annual event to raise funds for the Shepard Garden and Arts Center, which hosts dozens of local clubs promoting an interest in horticulture, flower arranging, conservation, history, antiques and the arts.

“Tribute to the Gonelnk Navy” by Tomoko Nakazato as part of “Layers Upon Layers” at Archival Gallery

POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

Thank you Sacramento

for supporting your neighborhood, independent restaurants to ensure the uniqueness of our community!

Sacramento Home & Garden Show at Cal Expo

Sacramento Home & Garden Show

Mon-Thurs: 11a-8p | Fri: 11a-9p | Sat: 10a-9p | Sun: 10a - 8p

1110 Front Street | 916.442.8226 | riocitycafe.com

The Art of Lowriding California Automobile Museum Through May 1 2200 Front St. • calautomuseum.org Best known for their hydraulic suspension and eye-popping paint jobs, lowriders rose in popularity in the late 1950s and reached a peak in the 1970s. This carefully curated selection features some of Sacramento's most incredible lowriders, crafted from various examples of American automobiles.

The Art of Lowriding at California Automobile Museum

POC MAR n 22

Cal Expo Friday, March 1, noon–6 p.m. Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday, March 3, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 1600 Exposition Blvd. • sachomeandgardenshow.com The region’s longest-running home show features the newest in landscaping, patios, fencing, decks, heating and air, solar, insulation, remodeling, new construction, plumbing, kitchens, baths, closets, home furnishings, appliances, lighting, roofing, painting, gutters, home security, windows, doors, siding, tile, stone, granite, BBQs, pools, spas and more. Tickets are $7 for adults; free for kids 12 and younger; $3 for adults 62 and older on Friday. 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

Adrienne Sher (right) and Janis Stevens in “The Children” at Black Point Theatre

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ACROSS 1 Lyft rival 5 Complete the final details on 11 Big race sponsor 14 Church’s center 15 Make fizzy 16 “Lookie here!” 17 Late-week schusser, say? (Before: Like a more playful puppy) 19 Protrude 20 Altogether 21 AARP Bulletin readers: Abbr. 22 ___ of Maine (toothpaste brand) 23 Org. that handles a lot of baggage 24 Fella 26 Smear on 27 Coffee dispensers for a weekend brunch? (Before: Former cars with a planetary name) 32 Flash of light 35 “Touched by an Angel” co-star Della 36 Forty winks 37 Billionth: Prefix 38 Bum, as a ride 39 Golda who was Israel’s first female leader 40 Alias lead-in 41 Be dishonest with 1/4

42 Heavily built 43 Midweek H.S. equivalency test? (Before: Crammed) 46 Love all, say 47 Mr., in Mumbai 48 Parenthesis, essentially 51 Buddy, in Brisbane 52 Sweetie 55 Branched horn 57 “That feels great!” 58 Honking bird seen at the start of the week? (Before: Meerkat, e.g.) 60 Boot part 61 On the move 62 “Beg pardon ...” 63 Pronoun within “She-Ra” 64 Sampled 65 Word after “due” or “double” DOWN 1 Ill-suited 2 Farm buildings 3 “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” musical 4 Completely change 5 Exit, for a building 6 Hi-___ graphics 7 Biblical boats 8 Two queens, but not a king

9 Salt Lake City collegians 10 Part of mpg 11 Truth who said “Ain’t I a woman?” 12 Kind of sketch 13 Kitties that grow immediately when fed 18 Up, in baseball 22 T, to Socrates 25 Interred 26 Turn red, perhaps 27 ___-Cat (winter vehicle) 28 She played Donna on “Parks and Rec” 29 Hunters’ lures 30 Blond shade 31 Agile 32 Chew like a rodent

33 California/ Nevada attraction 34 All worked up 38 That fellow’s 39 Gunk in a child’s “pie” 41 Called the shots 42 Existence 44 Once named 45 Aged like hair 48 Hilo hello 49 Change back to 00:00, say 50 Cadbury egg ﬁlling 51 Calc or trig 52 ___ Raton, Florida 53 Aardvark’s snacks 54 Make less wordy, maybe 56 Warty hopper 58 “Welcome” site 59 Pennsylvania, e.g., in D.C.

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Need Funds To Help Get Your Home Ready For The Market? Ask About “GetReady Capital” A program offered by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties

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Inside Pocket March 2022

Articles inside

Restaurant Insider

Open Studio

Open House

Sports Authority

Building Our Future

Farm To Fork

Garden Jabber

Spirit Matters

Big Bucks, Small Results

Pocket Beat

Citizen Watchdogs

Animals & Their Allies

Giving Back

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