Inside Pocket Sept 2022 by Inside Publications

THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES, NEWS & OPINION IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL SEPTEMBER 2022 POCKETSACRAMENTO RHONDA EGAN POCKET • GREENHAVEN • SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael VISIT OUR WEBSITE: INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816 2 6 YEARS ***ECRWSSEDDM***POSTALCUSTOMER PRSRTSTD US CA1826PostagePAIDPermit#Sacramento

2 POC SEP n 22 Sacramento midtown east sac Fair Oaks Land Park Sierra Oaks ARDEN West Sac Tahoe Park oak park Greenhaven CARMICHAEL DunniganRealtors.com916.454.5753 In the last ﬁve years a lot of people from all over the place have ﬁgured out how cool Sacramento is...and we couldn’t be happier! We are unapologetically in love with our hometown and we want to share the love and share our favorite things: Getting a cone at Gunthers on a hot day, hitting the Saturday farmers market, seeing a show at the new Community Center, riding on the river trail we could go on and on! We are your neighbors and your friends. We have been there for our clients since 1968. Let us show you why Dunnigan is Sacramento’s Realtor. Fans Sacramento!of unapologetically

3POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM Lifetime motor and belt warranty Your Carriage House Door Professionals Eudy Door Co. Garage Doors & Openers 916-387-8664 6929 Power Inn Road Sacramento, CA 95828 eudydoor.com Mention this ad & receive a free remote w/installation of a garage door opener. Get Into Your Garage EVERY TIME! See and hear what’s happening in your garage. The LiftMaster Garage Door Opener, with a built-in camera and 2-way communication, provides peace of mind your garage is safe and secure. Exclusive, secure deliveries made possible through LiftMaster’s partnership with Amazon. License # 587706

4 POC SEP n 22 SEPTEMBER 2022 VOL. 9 • ISSUE 8 6 Publisher's Desk 10 Pocket Life 12 Pocket Beat 14 Out & About 18 Giving Back 20 Building Our Future 21 Inside The County 22 City Beat 24 Still A Bad Idea 26 Open House 30 Farm To Fork 32 Garden Jabber 34 Spirit Matters 35 Sports Authority 36 Animals & Their Allies 38 Open Studio 40 Restaurant Insider 42 To Do COVER ARTIST EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A BETTER PLACE. VISIT I NSIDE S ACRAMENTO.COM Ad deadline is the 10th of the month previous. NEW ACCOUNTS: CALL info@insidepublications.com916.443.5087 @insidesacramento PHOTOGRAPHYPRODUCTIONPUBLISHEREDITORDESIGN ADEDITORIALCOORDINATIONDISTRIBUTIONACCOUNTINGACCOUNTSERVICETEAMPOLICYSUBMISSIONSSUBSCRIPTIONS 3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only) LaurenSallyLaurenDanielInfoMicheleLindaCindyM.J.CathrynCecilyinfo@insidepublications.comHastingsRakicheditor@insidepublications.comMcFarlandFullerSmolek,AnikoKiezel@anikophotosMazzera@insidepublications.comorvisitinsidesacramento.comNardinelli,COO,daniel@insidepublications.comStenvickaccounts@insidepublications.com916.443.5087Giancanelli916.335.6503SG@insidepublications.comStenvick916.524.0336LS@insidepublications.comCommentaryreflectstheviewsofthewritersanddoesnotnecessarilyreflectthoseofInside Sacramento. Inside Sacramento is delivered for free to more than 80,000 households in Sacramento. Printing and distribution costs are paid entirely by advertising revenue. Inside Sacramento welcomes readers’ comments. Letters to the Editor should be submitted via email to editor@insidepublications.com. Please include name, address and phone number. Letters may be published as space permits and edited for brevity. No portion may be reproduced mechanically or electronically without written permission of the publisher. All ad designs & editorial—© Submit editorial contributions to editor@insidepublications.com. Submit cover art to publisher@insidepublications.com. Subscriptions at $25 per year guarantees 3rd class mailing. Pay online at insidesacramento.com or send check with name & address of recipient and specific magazine edition.

2 6YEARS

RHONDA EGAN This oil painting by Rhonda Egan is featured in the annual PBS KVIE Art Auction. Primarily a paletteknife painter, Egan loves the challenge of developing contrasting images in rapidly changing light. Shown: “Rhythm of the Flower Farm,” oil on canvas, 20 inches by 16 inches. The PBS KVIE Art Auction will be live on air and online Friday, Sept. 30, from 7–10 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 1, from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 2, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit kvie.org/ artauction and rhondaegan.com. INTERESTING PEOPLE, IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL SIERRA OAKS PASO NSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 SACRAMENTO, CA 95816 PARK CURTIS PARK HOLLYWOOD PARK SOUTH LAND PARK GRID OAK PARK NSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 SACRAMENTO, CA 95816 IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL

THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES, NEWS & OPINION IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL SEPTEMBER 2022 EAST SACSACRAMENTO EAST SACRAMENTO McKINLEY PARK RIVER PARK ELMHURST TAHOE PARK CAMPUS COMMONS NSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 SACRAMENTO, CA 95816 2 6 LESLIE MCCARRON THE MOST

SEPTEMBER 2022 ARDENSACRAMENTO ARDEN ARCADE

WILHAGGIN DEL

THE

2 6YEARS

SEPTEMBER 2022 POCKETSACRAMENTO RHONDA

PATRICIA PRENDERGAST 2 6YEARS LAND

MANOR CARMICHAEL

SEPTEMBER 2022 LAND PARK/GRIDSACRAMENTOTHEMOSTINTERESTINGPEOPLE,PLACES,NEWS & OPINION

THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE, PLACES, NEWS & OPINION IN AMERICA'S FARM-TO-FORK CAPITAL EGAN POCKET GREENHAVEN SOUTH POCKET LITTLE POCKET RIVERLAKE DELTA SHORES NSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

PLACES, NEWS & OPINION

5POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM Research shows that people living with chronic illness who receive palliative care generally live longer and report a higher quality of life and a better sense of well-being than those who do not. Palliative care can help you manage your symptoms, connect you to essential resources, and coordinate your care so that you can savor the moments that mean the most to you. Don’t miss out on the little moments. www.yolocares.org 530-758-5566530-758-5566

Up In In FlamesFlames

Last year, a three-story medical building on Scripps Drive was torched. It appears the ﬁre started in encampments beneath the building’s eaves, hidden behind bushes. While I was writing this column, I received notiﬁcation from the

URBAN FIRES ARE LATEST CRISIS LINKED TO HOMELESSNESS

By Cecily Publisher’sHastingsDesk C H CH

using guns to ignite gas tanks. Burnedout cars are a sad, common sight on our streets. Arson for its own sake is a reality.Urban fires destroy trees and natural vegetation, infrastructure, and commercial and residential buildings. They cause injuries and claim the lives of humans and animals. And urban fires touch people miles from the blaze. Smoke and pollutants reduce air quality. A recent vehicle fire near E Street in Midtown produced smoke and odor that traveled miles. Online air-quality maps show in vivid detail the damage from fire.

Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District saying firefighters responded to a 2-acre vegetation fire along the American River Parkway. Illegal encampments are common in the area. Downtown and Midtown are heavily impacted by urban fires. On May 5, an early morning fire was reported along a fence near the rear of a home in the 2700 block of T Street. The fire engulfed the fence and burned the home’s deck.

As for ﬁre investigations, local agencies have limited resources and expanded caseloads. Even if they

OPEN FLAMES PROVIDE HEAT FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN STREETS AND PARKS, AND GIVE LIGHT AT NIGHT. BUT A CANDLE CAN SPARK A FIRE. WITH NO FIRE EXTINGUISHERS NEARBY, FLAMES QUICKLY SPREAD.

W hile massive wildfires in California make headlines, the increase in fires around homeless encampments doesn’t receive the same attention. Sacramento endures this alarming trend with other major cities, including Oakland, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose. Sacramento’s 2022 homeless count found 9,278 unsheltered people in the county. Despite massive taxpayer investments, the numbers continue to move in the wrong direction. The county had 5,570 homeless in 2019, and 2,538 in During2013.the past decade, encampmentrelated fires grew with the homeless population. An April 2022 report by the Sacramento Sierra Club notes the Sacramento Fire Department responded to 536 encampment fires between 2013 and 2019, an average of 89 a year. The report cited 156 encampment fires in 2021.

Sacramento fire officials said the house began to burn, but crews tackled the flames and prevented extensive damage. Power lines nearby were affected. The fire’s cause has not been established, but a family member of mine lives in the area and says transients are always present and property destruction is common.

6 POC SEP n 22

In addition to human suffering on our streets, urban fires around encampments and related drug activities harm residents, neighborhoods and parkways. Drought makes the problem even more destructive. Urban fires devour resources needed to fight massiveTherewildfires.areseveral reasons behind the dangerous trend of encampment fires. Open flames provide heat for people living in streets and parks, and give light at night. But a candle can spark a fire. With no fire extinguishers nearby, flames quickly Investigatorsspread.report fire attacks at encampments often stem from disputes between homeless people. The sheer number of fires, and the danger of attacks from outsiders, have unnerved firefighters, investigators and communities.Open-airdrug users need fire to light pipes of deadly fentanyl and meth. Being in a drug-induced stupor impairs judgment and impacts the safety of anyoneEncampmentsnearby. accumulate trash, which becomes fire fuel. There are reports of individuals even setting fire to their possessions because nonprofit homeless providers issue new equipment and cash payments. Crime contributes to fire risk. Thieves steal cars and torch them, often

7POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM Full-Service Design-Build Remodeling Kitchens • Additions • Whole House • Garage Conversions 6220916.925.2577www.djkitchen.comBelleauWood Ln. Sacramento, CA 95822 Free In-Home Estimates. Call Today - (916) 505.1703 FLOORS & MORE Aquis Date Calibre 400 TRADITIONS FOR THE FUTURE EST. 1926 LYON VILLAGE 2580 Fair Oaks Blvd, Ste 30. Sacramento 916.487.7853 THENEWSTANDARD

determine an exact cause, it usually doesn’t provide satisfaction for the victims. Criminal charges only occur when there are competent witnesses. When we built a new home last year, we were required to install an expensive fire-suppression system. I hope we never need it. Residential and commercial fires are Beforedevastating.researching this article, I never thought much about the fire risk our community faces from encampments, open-air drug use and criminal activity. You cannot miss seeing the depressing charred remains after a fire. Added to the tons of trash on our streets, parks and vacant lots, parts of our city look more like a thirdworld country than California’s capital. This becomes one more reason why we need strong leadership to usher in new approaches and proven strategies to bring people off the streets and into shelter, and to start putting their lives together with rehabilitation programs. Housing alone will never solve this crisis. Cecily Hastings can be reached n

insidesacramento.ussharedPreviouspublisher@insidepublications.com.atcolumnscanbefoundandatInsideSacramento.com.FollowonFacebookandInstagram:@

8 POC SEP n 22 1131 K STREET • DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO JOIN US! LUNCH, DINNER & HAPPY HOUR FOR916.443.3772RESERVATIONS WWW.ELLA DINING ROOM AND BAR.COM “REGION’S BEST RESTAURANT” – SACRAMENTO BEE > edwardjones.com | Member SIPC * Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective 08/04/2022. CDs offered by Edward Jones are bank-issued and FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (principal and interest accrued but not yet paid) per depositor, per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your nancial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC). Call or visit your local ﬁnancial advisor today. Jeff Fletcher, AAMS® Financial Advisor 7220 Greenhaven Dr #2 Sacramento, CA 95831 916-393-1777 Compare our CD Rates Bank-issued,3.303.352.80FDIC-insured%%%3-year2-year2-year1-year APY*APY*APY* $1000depositMinimum$1000depositMinimum$1000depositMinimum FDI-1867K-A © 2022 EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. St. Francis Catholic High School 5900 Elvas Avenue • Sacramento, CA 916.737.504095819 RSVP Online: www.stfrancishs.org OPEN HOUSE Explore our beautiful campus and meet our students, faculty, and coaches. Discover why we’re not just a high school, we’re HER school. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2022 • NOON - 3:00PMUp In Flames

9POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM QUAILPOINTE,FAIROAKS—916.631.7151 FOUNTAINSATROSEVILLE—916.774.9772 LOEHMANN'SPLAZA,SACRAMENTO—916.282.4700 ELKGROVECOMMONS,ELKGROVE—916.686.6785 WILLOSALONS.COM Q F L E W Sacramento'spremierAvedaLifestyleSalons offering100%vegan,plantbasedhaircare. NamedBestHairSalon Newguests—Receiveacomplimentary BotanicalRepairTreatmentwithyourfirstservice! in2021bySacramentoMagazine EAST SACRAMENTO | 2563 FAIR OAKS BLVD. (LOEHMANN’S PLAZA) | 916.480.9985 POCKET | 1010-B FLORIN RD. (LAKE CREST VILLAGE) | 916.393.2020 AUBURN | 12124 NEW AIRPORT ROAD | 530.889.9985 LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED | SiteforSoreEyes.com | Most Vision Plans Accepted. The safety and health of our staff and community is our top priority. Please follow our safety protocols during your visit. Call for details SCAN TO BOOK YOUR NEXT TOAPPOINTMENTDAY! $25 $79† GET EXTRAAN EXAMEYE WHEN YOU MENTION THIS AD with an Independent Doctor of Optometry OFF** *Must purchase frames and lenses. Free second pair from a large selection with single-vision clear plastic lenses. **On the purchase of complete pair of eyeglasses (frames and prescription lenses). †Contact lens exam additional. Eye exams available by an NO INTEREST UP TO ONE YEAR^ FLEXIBLE PAYMENT PLANS AVAILABLE MANN’SPLAZA)|916480 WE ACCEPT PLUS,FREEFRAMES*2NDPAIR $100 OFF

OHANA WALK

THIS COUPLE HAS A HONEY OF A RELATIONSHIP

Jerry Johnson Photos by Aniko Kiezel Chris Perini, Ellen Johnson and Becky Haydis Roberts at Elk's Lodge farmers market.

Jerry says. Hint: Look for a bee with a whiteJohnsondot. and his wife Ellen are passionate about honeybees. They are equally passionate about educating the public about why honeybees are so important to our environment. Since 2008, the couple has brought “Uncle Jer’s Traveling Bee Show” to schools and libraries throughout the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area. During his youth, Jerry lived on his family’s farm in Fiddletown. His mother and stepfather were beekeepers, harvesting and selling raw honey. They had more than 10,000 colonies on the farm. The family drove up and down the Central Valley, transporting hives from one orchard to another. Today, beekeeping is mainly a hobby for the retired couple. The Johnsons maintain 10 colonies at home, each comprised of four large stacked boxes. “During the hot months, the queen typically lives in the bottom box. Because of the hot weather, the honey flows downwards. When it’s cold, the queen stays near the top box, where it’s warmer,” Jerry says. The Johnson backyard is filled with plants that yield pollinators to encourage year-round honey production. There are avocado and lemon trees, tomatoes, watermelon, pumpkin and a variety of flowering plants. “We work hard to keep our bees happy and well fed,” Ellen says. True to his passion, Jerry will remove and relocate unwanted beehives from your property. Last year, he and my neighbor, Chris Perini, another beekeeper hobbyist, removed a large hive from a tree down my street.By Corky Mau Pocket Life C M CM T he hum of bees is music to Jerry Johnson. On Saturday mornings, kids and adults gather around “Uncle Jer’s” booth at the Elks Lodge No. 6 farmers market in Greenhaven. They sample his home-grown honey and listen to his Honeybees 101 primer, where Jerry separates bee facts from myths. Look closely into the observation hive—a wood and glass box—where you can watch the bees in action. “Everyone loves searching for the queen bee,” “By the size of it, that hive probably had 40,000 bees,” Jerry says. Nobody got stung, but beekeepers aren’t always so Thelucky.Johnsons bottle two honey flavors: wildflower and blackberry. I’ve tried both and each are tasty, not overly sweet. Besides the farmers market, the Johnsons will be at the Lodi Grape Festival this month. The Johnson’s website has more information at beeshow.com.

You’re invited to the ﬁrst ACC Ohana Walk on Saturday, Sept. 17. “Ohana” is Hawaiian for family. The walk starts at 8 a.m. and is one of many events celebrating ACC’s 50th anniversary. The route follows the GreenhavenPocket Canal, a 2.5-mile course. There

10 POC SEP n 22

Bee Believers

11POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM www.ReneeCatricala.com | 916.203.9690 | CalDRE# 01077144 For 30+ years, Catricala Real Estate Group has been representing sellers & buyers in the Greater Sacramento area. Our client services include Probate, Relocation, Trade Ups, Downsizing & Senior Services. Contact us! • Children & Adults • Cosmetic Dentistry • Dental Implants 3001 P Sacramento,St.CAAlwayswww.sutterterracedental.com44-SMILEacceptingnewpatients. or visit us at A good place to ﬁnd a great dentist. Christopher J. Cantrell, DMD Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry Esthetic Smile Design As a dental professional I have the ability to educate, motivate and inspire my patients. The power of a smile promotes confidence, which can change lives. Bestforever.friends sacpetsearch.com sspca.org happytails.org saccountyshelter.net Brought to you by the animal lovers at INSIDE SACRAMENTO will be six checkpoints at half-mile intervals along the canal. Walkers can start at any station. Register online at accsv.org/ohana. Registration includes an Ohana T-shirt and picnic lunch at the ACC Campus. The fee is $15 for ages 9–19 and $35 for ages 20–79 (free for other ages). Proceeds support ACC’s residential facilities and community wellness programs.Contact Wayne Kurahara at kurahara@sbcglobal.net for information. MOVIE TIME Kids of all ages will enjoy this month’s movie at Garcia Bend Park on Friday, Sept. 16. Disney’s animated superhero ﬁlm “Big Hero 6” starts at dusk. Come early for a picnic dinner. Bring your own meal or try the food trucks. 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

BIG FIX IS DOING MORE THAN STRENGTHENING LEVEES

12 POC SEP n 22

“Encroachmentslevee.that must be removed in order to complete construction will not be replaced by the project,” the Army Corps says in a progress report on the Big Fix, the massive levee repair project. The bulletin explains if residents along the levee want to restore their garbage, which includes fences and gates, staircases, garden furniture, lawns, trees and ﬂower beds, they must obtain permits.Good luck with that. Those essential permits are issued by the state ﬂood protection board, which has a policy against issuing new permits for encroachments that impact the levee, such as fences and gates, staircases, retaining walls and landscaping.

This is how the levee was illegally privatized under the nose of public officials.Theabuse wasn’t limited to fences and gates. Staircases were carved into the levee. Trees and gardens were planted, picnic areas constructed. Households near the river treated the levee like a private park. No Thelonger.inspiration for my crusade on public access was Gary Buzzini, a retired Cal Fire chief who died in 2017 at age 75. Buzz was a Pocket outdoorsman who loved to explore the river. He was offended by private fences that blocked his path. One day, he discovered two locked gates and fences halting public levee access at Rivershore and Chicory Bend courts in South Pocket. Buzz investigated. Studying assessor’s maps, he realized the fences and gates were dangerously close to the levee. And they were on public property. He talked to people in the neighborhood and learned residents on Rivershore and Chicory Bend huddled together and paid for the fences—after they were denied permits to build them. They created an illegal playground on the levee. They figured nobody would stopTheythem.didn’t count on Buzz. He complained to city and state officials and got nowhere. When Buzz called me in 2014, I was delighted to help liberate the levee from the thieves who stole it. The fight for public access was on.Residents on Rivershore and Chicory Bend whined how they needed gates and fences for security. They said drunken teens and marauding motorcyclists would destroy their peace. City Council member Rick Jennings, newly elected and naïve, agreed to let homeowners move the fence a few feet onto city property—but only if the residents promised to keep the gates unlocked during daylight hours. Those gates have been open for eight years without problems. The blockades Gary Buzzini discovered on Rivershore and Chicory Bend are perfect examples of illegal encroachments. Buzz would be proud to know the Big Fix is doing more than strengthening the levees. It’s bringing public access to the river he loved. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.con. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Gary Buzzini

Buzz Would Be Proud

Life in Pocket, Greenhaven and Little Pocket wasn’t always this way. For decades, state ofﬁcials handed out fence permits like candy on Halloween. To obtain a permit for a gate across the levee, a resident needed a cocktail napkin sketch of the proposed barricade. Almost automatically, the permit would be Theapproved.laxsystem explains how nine private fences came to block public access to the levee. It explains how at least 11 swimming pools were dug dangerously close to the levee behind homes on Surfside Way and Benham Way.Finally, it explains why the Army Corps and its contractors must remove illegal fences and debris from the levee. The problems began about 45 years ago. A few residents who lived near the river ﬁgured out the state’s nonchalant attitude about encroachments. They took advantage.Leveegates permitted for 5 feet in height miraculously grew to 6 feet. A fence permitted as removable somehow had its posts anchored in concrete. Barbed wire, prohibited in residential neighborhoods, sprouted like spiderwebs. Some fences migrated, moving far from where they were allowed.

The Army Corps of Engineers doesn’t mess around when it’s time to rip out junk built by people who live near the Sacramento River

RG By R.E. PocketGraswichBeat

13POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM Scan the code to sign up online, or visit smud.org/HomePower to learn more. © SMUD 0855-08/22 ® A trademark/service mark of Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. Low-cost protection for your biggest investment • Up to $500 in electrical repairs and replacements per calendar year • All work is warrantied and done by SMUD-approved, licensed contractors • No deductible Get covered for just $7.50 per month with HomePower SM Do you know the value of your home? Wedo! Giveusacall tomaximizethereturn onyourmostimportant investment ShellyHaines Sr.LoanOfficer NMLS#257787 916-709-2340 StephanieValentine RealEstate DRE#02056206 916-519-4910 svalentine@golyon.com SHaines@prmg.net Incredible Adventures are waiting for her. Be a Girl Scout! Register today. girlscoutshcc.org/join Be a Girl Scout. Join today! www.girlscoutshcc.org/join

Jessica

By Laskey Out & About S acramento Picks It Up! recently sponsored three trash cleanup days along a 1-mile channel of Arcade Creek from Rio Linda Boulevard to Marysville Boulevard as part of the group’s “Keep Our Rivers Wild”Morecampaign.than75 volunteers removed a whopping 12,000 pounds (6 tons) of debris, which was then hauled away by the American River Flood Control District.Thecleanup events, co-hosted by the Arcade Creek Adopt-a-Creek Project with support from the ﬂood control district, brought attention to the poor conditions of the waterways and promoted the need for action by government entities.

Grant funds may be used to pay the costs of police services, parking and permits, private security, equipment, portable restrooms, event fencing and more.Applications will be accepted Oct. 1–31 for events to be held Jan. 1 to April 30, 2023. For information, visit sacramentofestivals.com.

14 POC SEP n 22 J L JL

CORRECTION An article in the August Out & About column erroneously identiﬁed the late Lloyd Harvego as founder of The Firehouse Restaurant in Old Sacramento. While Harvego purchased the restaurant in 1999, the founder was the late Newton Cope, who opened The Firehouse in 1960 and created the ambiance that continues today.

The $4.3 million project, which took seven years to complete, was funded by SCUSD and will serve approximately 330 elementary school students and their families, as well as students throughout the district and community.

“By teaching students how to grow, prepare and enjoy fresh, local and seasonal produce, we can begin to reduce childhood obesity and many of the health problems associated with it,” says SCUSD Superintendent Jorge Aguilar.Forinformation, foodliteracycenter.org.visit

VOLUNTEER GROUP REMOVES TRASH FROM LOCAL WATERWAY CITY OF FESTIVALS

Sacramento Picks It Up! is a volunteer group formed in 2021 to address contamination of local waterways, such as the 16-mile Arcade Creek, which is the largest drainage basin of all local creeks. The group’s 2,000 members create multiple weekly events in both urban and natural areas to protect the region’s habitats and resources. For information or to sign up for upcoming cleanup events, ﬁnd the group on Facebook or email sacramentopicksitup@gmail.com.

The city of Sacramento will accept applications beginning Oct. 1 for its next round of City of Festivals grants to support special events. To qualify for grant awards up to $7,500, events must be located in the city, be consistent with family-oriented themes, support arts and cultural entertainment and activities, promote a healthier living environment and enhance quality of life in the city.

The 4,500-square-foot facility features a cooking classroom, commercial kitchen, student gardens, ofﬁces and more to help the nonproﬁt advance its mission of developing food literacy in children across Sacramento.

SAC PICKS IT UP!

“I can’t put into words how much it means to us that Sacramento City Uniﬁed School District saw the value in our food literacy education and decided to invest in the students by building this and allowing us to operate it,” says Amber Stott, founder and chief food genius at Food Literacy Center.

COOKING SCHOOL The moment has ﬁnally arrived— Food Literacy Center’s new headquarters and cooking school at Leataata Floyd Elementary is open.

More than 75 Sacramento Picks It Up! volunteers remove trash from Arcade Creek.

URBAN AG The city of Sacramento has relaunched a program that provides tax incentives for owners of vacant, unimproved or blighted property who repurpose the land for urban agricultural.

SUPPORT SSPCA

YOUTH ACTION SAFE Credit Union is celebrating its third year of teaching ﬁnancial readiness to Natomas middle and high schoolers through a partnership with Councilmember Angelique Ashby’s Youth Action Corps. In a series of ﬁnancial education courses held at North Natomas Library, Food Literacy Center’s new cooking school opens at Leataata Floyd Elementary School. Spirit Wings sculptures can be found along K Street.

Dr. Dennis Godby, a 66-year-old naturopathic doctor in Sacramento, will walk solo across one-ﬁfth of the country beginning Sept. 12 to promote health equity.Asthe founder of Walk USA for Health Equity, Godby has been doing long runs and walks to bring attention to health and social justice issues for more than four decades. WUHE goals are to highlight America’s desperate health conditions in communities of color, promote healthy lifestyles, and provide education on getting and staying healthy. The trek will begin in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Sept. 12 and end 610 miles later in Knoxville, Tennessee, Oct. 11. Four more legs are planned to take Godby to Seattle, Washington, between 2023 and 2026. Each day’s walk will take approximately eight hours and will average 22 miles. Along the route, Godby will partner with community organizations to host public health events. For information, walkusaforhealthequity.org.visit

15POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

AFRICAN EXPERIENCEAMERICANPROJECT

KVIE ART AUCTION

Under an Urban Agriculture Incentive Zone agreement, landowners agree to maintain their parcels for agricultural production for ﬁve years in exchange for reduced property taxes during that period. For information, email planning@cityofsacramento.org.

The next round of ﬁlm-incentive grant applications opens Oct. 15. For information, visit ﬁlmsac.com/grants.

Sacramento’s Historic Preservation team needs your help. The city is seeking artifacts, photos, newspaper clippings and stories for the African American Experience Project to document the history of African Americans in Sacramento. The project consists of research, community outreach, workshops and oral histories, including recorded conversations with elders. History students from Sacramento State, volunteers and the city’s historic consultant are working collaboratively to gather material. Documents and recordings will be housed at the Center for Sacramento History. To be a part of this important project, visit cityofsacramento.org and search for African American Experience Project.

More than 250 pieces of art have been selected for this year’s PBS KVIE Art Auction, celebrating the work of Northern California artists and California Masters. The juried artworks are featured in seven categories: contemporary, ﬁgurative, landscapes, sculpture, still life, photography and California Masters recognizing works selected by the curator.Thelive auction will be televised and livestreamed Sept. 30 from 7–10 p.m., Oct. 1 from noon to 10 p.m. and Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. All proceeds beneﬁt PBS KVIE. For information, visit kvie.org/artauction.

SPIRIT WINGS

Make your charitable dollars go further by paying your registration fee for the 39th annual California International Marathon, coming up Dec. 4, through the Sacramento SPCA. By purchasing marathon tickets through SSPCA (one of this year’s CIM partnering charitable organizations), proceeds go back to the shelter, helping thousands of animals each year. To purchase tickets, visit sspca.org/ community-events.AlthoughtheSSPCA’s highly anticipated fall gala “Whiskers in Wonderland,” Saturday, Oct. 22, is sold out, there is a waitlist if tickets become available. To be placed on the list, contact Kristi Maryman at kmaryman@ sspca.org or (916) 504-2802. For information, visit sspca.org/fall-galasilent-auction.

Twelve film projects are being shot in town thanks to grants from the city’s Film + Media program funded by Measure U. Nine Sacramento region filmmakers and six from outside the area received a total of $67,500 to tell diverse stories with equally diverse casts and crews. The projects include a short film, a television pilot and 10 documentaries/ docuseries.“Sacramento Film + Media’s grant was an essential part in me and my team being able to complete our documentary film project and debut it right in the heart of Sacramento at the Esquire IMAX,” says Melissa Muganzo Murphy, executive producer of “The Big Hysto: A Black Womb Revolution.”

The next time you’re strolling down K Street Mall, look up and see Spirit Wings, a new series of sculptures that transform from birds to humans in ﬂight.The art pieces were installed along the corridor thanks to two local community leaders—Megan Blackwell and Phil Tretheway—and Sacramento’s young professionals program Metro EDGE.Seven sculptures, inspired by Sacramento’s original wetlands and native people, are scattered along a 1-mile stretch from the Delta King in Old Sacramento to 13th and K streets. The Spirit Wings locations are not revealed—ﬁnding each piece, by artist Garr Ugalde, is part of the fun while exploring Downtown. For information, visit spiritwings916.com.

WALK FOR HEALTH

FILMMAKER GRANTS

The 2022 cohort includes Athena Estrada, a junior at Kit Carson International Academy, who volunteers at local COVID-19 vaccination clinics to provide in-language support and translations, and Joshua Salazar, a graduate of West Campus High School, who serves as a teacher’s assistant, elementary school tutor and church member.

STUDENT LEADERS

students learn about budgeting, responsible spending, credit and how to pay for college. The program gives the kids a much-needed “head start,” says Emilio Barrera with SAFE Credit Union. “Most kids leaving high school do not have a true understanding of theirYouthﬁnances.”Action Corps, established in 2010, provides opportunities to develop work skills and create pathways to employment and higher education. For information, visit youth-action-corps.angeliqueashby.com/

New funding of $49.9 million will go toward improvements to the Sacramento Valley Station, the historic train station at Fourth and I streets. Funding from the California State Transportation Agency’s Transit and Intercity Rail Capitol Program will also help construct a new regional bus layover and vehicle-charging facility, enhanced regional transit stops and state-of-the-art transit fare payment technology.Thefunds were awarded to a regional partnership led by Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority and its project partners, the city of Sacramento, Sacramento Regional Transit, Downtown Railyard VenturesArea students participate in Youth Action Corps. Work at Sailor Bar enhances habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout.

POLICE ACADEMY

Work is expected to wrap up this month before the ﬁsh return from the Paciﬁc Ocean to spawn. For information, visit waterforum.org/ habitat2022.

The next Sacramento Police Community Advancement Academy begins Sept. 8, providing insight on the mission, operations and work of the policeThedepartment.academyincludes Q&As with department leaders, a panel interview with Police Chief Kathy Lester, presentations on current crime trends and the Violent Crime Reduction Initiative, and a tour of the academy and training facility. The academy is held every Thursday night for ﬁve weeks at the Public Safety Center at 5770 Freeport Blvd. To apply, visit resources/cops-and-clergy.cityofsacramento.org/police/

Photo by Christine Kohn

TRAIN STATION

16 POC SEP n 22

MIDTOWN WELLNESS

HABITAT ENHANCEMENT

Four high school students from the greater Sacramento region have been selected for Bank of America’s Student Leaders, an eight-week paid summer internship with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sacramento and Stockton. The Student Leaders program provides opportunities for students to gain ﬁrsthand job experience while serving their communities.

Two Water Forum projects are underway to enhance crucial habitat for native fall-run Chinook salmon and steelhead trout at Lower Sailor Bar in the American River and Nimbus Basin. The projects will lay approximately 41,000 cubic yards of clean gravel into the flowing river where spawning salmon and steelhead create nests to deposit their eggs. Woody material and riparian trees and bushes will be planted on side channels to give young fish a place to hide from predators and rest in shade, and for insects to grow for feeding the fish and other species.

Health and wellness activities continue weekdays through Sept. 30 at Fremont Park in Midtown. Workouts, including yoga, Pilates, boot camp and Zumba, are open to all ages and ﬁtness levels. No registration is necessary, but check out the class descriptions to determine if exercise materials, like a yoga mat, are needed. For class schedules, visit midtownparks. org.

Named for Tower Records founder Russ Solomon, The Russ Room is a live music venue, art gallery and community gathering place. For information, visit solomons.co/the-russ-room.

MUSIC ON K While you’re enjoying shopping at DOCO on K Street, stick around for the Live at 5 Music Series. The free concerts take place on the west plaza terrace near Macy’s on Thursday evenings through October from 5–7 p.m., and feature an eclectic range of sounds, including live acoustic acts and popular DJs. Check out this month’s lineup at docosacramento.com. After Live at 5, wonder over for free open mic nights from 7 p.m. to midnight on Thursdays at The Russ Room above Solomon’s delicatessen at 730 K St.

INSIDELIKEPUBLICATIONS

Governments.“Weareexcited

Sacramento Valley Station receives funding for improvements. Rendering courtesy of Steelblue for the city of Sacramento/Perkins&Will.

17POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM WWW.UMIMRI.COM 500UNIVERSITYAVE,SUITE117 SACRAMENTOCA95825 (916)922-6747 3.0TeslaMRI,theUltimateinHighDefinitionMRI X-RayandArthrogramServicesAvailable PatientComfortandDignityisOurPrimaryConcern AppointmentProcessisExpeditedtoRespectYourTime DTIAvailableforTBIDiagnosisPairedwithOurAIReporting Spa-likePatientCare Patients’IndividualsNeedsareAccommodated

TheBenefitsofUsing and Sacramento Area Council of that the state shares our vision of the Sacramento Valley Station, underscoring the importance of passenger rail as part of mobility in the Sacramento region,” says Don Saylor, CCJPA board chair and SACOG board member. “Their investment will not only establish the station as a transportation hub for the northern California mega-region, but will increase the safety and reliability of our rail and transit systems, ultimately improving the overall passenger experience.” 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

UniversityMedicalImaging:

THE ABILITY TO SHARE FIRE FACTS WITH THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN LONG IN THE MAKING.

18 POC SEP n 22

Larry Schluer Photo by Linda Smolek

By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Proﬁle

J L JL Bring On The Heat

D id you know we have a local ﬁre museum? I didn’t until I spoke with Larry Schluer, board member and volunteer docent manager of the Sacramento Regional Fire Museum in West Sacramento, which recently reopened after closing for the pandemic.

REGIONAL FIRE MUSEUM STOKES AN INTEREST IN HISTORY

“We have so much information and stories we impart when people come in,” Schluer says. “We have two huge pictures that came from the Wells Fargo Building at 555 Capitol Mall. I start my docent tour at the one that shows J Street and the waterfront in 1849— that’s all that existed in Sacramento at the“Aftertime. the first big fire in 1850, when 10 buildings burned down along the waterfront, the city started acquiring hand-pulled firefighting equipment. When they transitioned to a steam pumper (fire engine) that weighed a couple tons, horses were introduced to draw it. When the fire bell rang, the horses were trained to unhitch themselves and line up. The driver would pull a lever and the harnesses would fall down, the horses would get hitched up and they were out of

“It’s been tough,” admits Schluer, a retired firefighter. His family has put out blazes since 1865 when his greatgrandfather emigrated from Germany and helped found Woodland’s first fire company.“Weopened a few months before the pandemic, then we closed and now we’re open again. The biggest problem is getting the word out that the museum exists. People don’t know about us.” When he joined the museum’s board two years ago, Schluer made it his mission to spread the word. He constantly comes up with ideas to help the Pioneer Mutual Hook and Ladder Society, the nonprofit that runs the museum, capitalize on its collection of artifacts, documents and equipment from local fire service history.

19POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 1999Since 916-247-9555 monagergen.com CalBRE# 01270375 Get The Most For Your Home! Buying or Selling kvie.org/artauction

Sandy Delehanty, “Yosemite Valley Sunset” the station in 30 seconds, which is remarkable even now.”

Visitors can activate one of two working street boxes in front of the museum to send an alarm back to the office display. Other displays include a dorm room—complete with beds constructed at Folsom Prison—and a restored fire truck that visitors can sit in and “drive” with a two-foot steering wheel. “It’s a big crowd pleaser,” Schluer says. Not to be missed is Sacramento’s first aerial ladder truck, an 85-foot beast drawn by horses and dating from 1912. More than two years went into the restoration.Themuseum is open to the public, but Schluer encourages people to book private tours and parties to help sustain the museum. He’s planning additional activities, events and workshops and is recruiting docents—especially former firefighters—with the hope more visitors“Justfollow.about everybody leaves with a big smile on their face,” Schluer says. “Now we just need more people to know we’re here.”

The ability to share ﬁre facts with the public has been long in the making.

is proudly sponsored by Live: On TV or Online Sept. 30 – Oct. 2

The Sacramento Regional Fire Museum is at 3650 Industrial Blvd., West Sacramento. For more information, including hours and admission fees, visit sacﬁremuseum.org or Facebook. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous proﬁles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

The Pioneer Mutual Hook and Ladder Society was founded in 1990 to establish a fire“We’vemuseum.been collecting membership dues for almost 40 years with the idea of creating a museum someday,” Schluer says. To that end, the group gathered and stored equipment for years before moving into the West Sac building in 2019.One unique acquisition is a Gamewell fire alarm panel, an alarm center developed in 1939 for the Sacramento fire dispatch operation housed in Winn Park. When the city sold the building in 2019, the society jumped to acquire and restore this piece of history. “When the system was dismantled, the panels that were wired together were all cut apart,” Schluer says. “Our in-house electrician (Larry Hopkins) has been working to restore it ever since.”

The PBS KVIE Art Auction

“Work from home is here to stay, but I think to a degree much less than we think right now, at least in the long run,” says Riaan De Beer, Anthem’s vice president for development.

I tend to agree. Skeptics have predicted the demise of cities since the beginning of time. They take their hits, new ones emerge, people and businesses adapt, and cities ﬁnd different ways to make themselves appealing. Look at the streets teeming with people in Midtown and Downtown and all the construction and you might not know what we have endured.Wehave plenty of challenges, but the socio-economic and demographic forces that fueled the city’s renaissance haven’t disappeared. They were on hiatus. Smart people and smart money are betting a comeback is underway. Here’s hoping they’re right. Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

Alittle more than two years ago, Sacramento’s core suffered a nasty one-two punch. COVID-19 and the March 2020 lockdown removed about 100,000 state workers who poured into the central city each day. Suddenly, they were working at home—many still are—while many restaurants, bars and other small businesses depending on them collapsed.Throw in the late-spring and summer of sometimes violent protests over the murder of George Floyd and other outrages, and the central city became a ghost town by day and frequent crime scene at night. What ﬁnally seemed like a Sacramento renaissance months earlier dissolved into a sad, depressing mess.

Nellie Cruz, an associate at CBRE, the leading Downtown commercial real estate broker, said her ﬁrm initially expected the pandemic to result in companies moving from the central city to suburban locations.

Roaring Back PANDEMIC PUNCH DIDN’T KNOCK OUT CITY’S CORE

“We have seen some of that,” she says, “but we are seeing a lot of activity in the core.” CBRE recently brokered a deal with a tech company leasing 20,000 square feet at 621 Capitol Mall, and is tracking about 1,000 residential units under construction in the core. While rising interest rates and construction costs could slow things down, CBRE sees strong demand from companies that want to be in the center of Sacramento.Oneofthose is Anthem Properties Group of Vancouver, British Columbia. It has several projects underway, including a mixed-use building at J and 9th streets, long an eyesore.

20 POC SEP n 22 By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future G D GD few years ago are coming now and that it is very good.”

“In the end, people being able to interact face to face informally around

“Better days are ahead of us, in a big way,” says Sotiris Kolokotronis, whose SKK Developments built the Mansion Apartments and about 1,150 apartment units in the area over the past four years. “All the state workers are not back and that’s important, but this is not the ﬁrst or last time in the history of civilization we’ve had a tough situation likeKolokotronisthis.” is known for his optimism, but he’s betting more than good cheer on the central city’s comeback. His company, now a family affair with daughter Marisa and son Constantine playing key roles, has been riding an impressive string of successful projects.Hehas another 500 to 600 apartment units in various planning stages in the core city. Several projects could begin construction this year. “The city will be different,” he says. “That is still playing out, but institutional investors and smart money that were not coming to Sacramento a the water cooler, down hallways, is part of the greater energy that makes companies work and business work. It makes government work for that matter,” De Beer says. “Being able to go out to a lunch together and do a business meal. Those things are entrenched in our government and business culture. It will come back.”

Jump ahead to a hot evening this past July with several hundred people at an open house celebrating the new Mansion Apartments at 15th and H streets. The mood has shifted.

Phil Serna described the tax as a way to collect “valuable revenue” to fund general government functions such as regional parks. With Rich Desmond and Patrick Kennedy, Serna had three votes in the yes column. The fourth proved elusive. Supervisor Sue Frost was opposed and Don Nottoli categorically rejected the idea, telling Serna, “It’s not about the dollars.” Nottoli expressed concern about the impact cannabis would have on rural communities.

The tax measure looked dead. Then Serna maneuvered and arranged for staff to devise a special tax measure that needed support from only three supervisors to reach the ballot. The trick required the proposed tax to identify a special purpose (funding homeless services, including those on the parkway). Legally, this means twothirds of voters must approve the tax in November, not just a simple majority. Nottoli and Frost still said no, but only three votes were needed. If voters approve the tax vote in November, things could get more complicated. The entire county gets to vote, though the tax applies only to unincorporated communities. The regulatory process will have to reﬂect thatFrostdistinction.andNottoli are irked the tax could lose among unincorporated voters but still pass with help from voters in surrounding cities, including Sacramento, where cannabis is already allowed.Desmond says he will take into consideration how the unincorporated area votes, explaining it “will inform my decision on policy discussions and hope others, too.” As it stands, legal cannabis is advancing for the unincorporated area. But passing the tax measure is no guarantee there are enough votes on the Board of Supervisors to adopt a regulatory program that pleases the cannabis industry and its fans.

T he Sacramento County Board of Supervisors gave cannabis fans hope that commercial marijuana operations could become legal in the unincorporated area. Currently, the county prohibits commercial cultivation and sales, but that could change if voters approve a cannabis tax in November.Ormaybenot.Byanarrowvote, the board agreed to ask voters to establish a special tax on gross receipts from cannabis businesses. The money would fund county homeless services, including along the American River Parkway. County staff estimates the tax could generate $5.1 million to $7.7 million annually. But the process for making cannabis legal is more complicated than just putting a tax question on the ballot. State law allows local governments to regulate cannabis. In Sacramento County, only the cities of Sacramento and Isleton permit marijuana operations. The county and other cities bar the pot industry everywhere else. The prohibition will continue even if voters approve the tax. Permitting marijuana requires the county to establish a local regulatory scheme. While that only takes three supervisors in support, none have been willing to engage in cannabis policy discussions without assurances of an accompanying tax. Getting the tax question on the November ballot wasn’t easy. At ﬁrst county staff recommended a general fund tax requiring agreement of four supervisors and a simple majority vote by the Supervisorpublic.

Pot Has A Shot CANNABIS INCHES TOWARD LEGALIZATION IN COUNTY

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

HS By Howard Schmidt Inside The County

21POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

bycrimes,somethingresidentspredictable.side.whileresidentspretenseconstituents,orforthingsclear.dumpedandsheahiredValenzuelaaway.raisedChan.SteinbergoutsidetolistenedagitatorHenry.HalldefitheAValenzuelathemselves.servesherself.fewmonthslater,IlearnedextentofKatie’sjudgmentalciencieswhenshehiredaCitystafferwhocalledhimselfSkylerHenrywasaninsignificantlocalwithapodcast.Nobodytohispodcast.ThenhebegancelebrateprotesterswhogatheredthehomesofMayorDarrellandCityManagerHowardTheprotestersbrokestuffandhelluntilpolicetoldthemtogoSteinbergandChanaskedtonothireHenry.Shehimanyway.WhenIspoketoKatieaboutwhatbadideaitwastoemployHenry,insisteditwasafreespeechissueshewouldbeahypocriteifshehim.HerpoorjudgmentwasFromthere,Valenzuelamadeworse.Shebecameafull-timeadvocatehomelesspeople,dismissingignoringconcernsraisedbyabandoninganyofrepresentationforwhoelectedher.Sheengagedinvirtuesignalingtellingvotersshe’snotontheirThepublic’sresponsewasEvenprogressivebegantodemandthecitydoaboutviolence,propertyfiresandopendrugusecausedhomelesspeople. Going, Going… VALENZUELA RECALL FACES KEY HURDLE IN SEPTEMBER Now she

RG By R.E.CityGraswichBeat 8,000 valid signatures, Valenzuela will face an angry sea of voters next spring, almost two years before her term ends in December 2024. In a recall, Valenzuela’s political fate reduces to a yes or no choice. Voters will find a list of people ready to replace the councilwoman elected to represent Land Park, Little Pocket, Midtown and Downtown. Valenzuela wasn’t the first rookie politician to tell me she would follow her instincts. But she was the first who said she didn’t mind serving only one term. I told her if that were true, she would be the first politician in history OK with ending her career before it started.Iwrote off Valenzuela’s remarks as youthful, impulsive and selfrighteous. I missed the deeper significance, Katie’s fatal flaw as an elected official: her judgment. In a democracy, leaders serve the public, not might not make it that far.In September, the group “For a Better Sacramento” plans to submit petitions forcing Valenzuela into a recall election next March. If organizers and their 300-strong volunteer army succeed in delivering

22 POC SEP n 22 S oon after she was elected to City Council in 2020, Katie Valenzuela told me something remarkable. She said she would follow her instincts and didn’t care if voters tossed her out after one term.

23POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM Sign Up For Our Weekly www.InsideSacramento.comNewsletter following”“NotMuseumStateNewHomesomeQueues,shape?Getscompany!”“___Rae”forOscarEmploysNotlandingsbetweenNorwegianForestedensemble?aPartReally“Definitely!”Dull-coloredLong-lastingofchoralclosedwinner“NormagotinorcuestotheYork 31 Become a member 32 Author Violence”GendertoYearOur“Believing:ofThirty-JourneyEnd 35 Word after “fine” or “folk” 36 Soft shoe, for short 38 Was in first place 39 “And (EltonbyhighgonnaI’mbe___kitethen”John) 40 TVbecamestar“Hairspray”whoahost 43 Spill the tea, say 44 Eclipsed 45 bunds’Cummer-places 47 spannedRiver by the Pont Normandiede 49 Very peoplefunny 51 Suspend, lightsChristmasas 52 “Thinkin Bout You” singerR&B 57 “Stat!” 58 First FilmLanguageBestmovieMexicantowinForeign 59 Breastfeed 60 referentialSelf61 Enthusiasm 62 Two cubed 63 Muppet who had a Twitter beef with a rock 64 Alternatively 65 childrengiftsCommonfor DOWN1Overtake in a race 2 singerFalconercianMathemati-ZuberorJames 3 Authentic 4 Many dogs bark at him 5 synonym“Robot” that trademarkedLucasfilm 6 pressurethroughRecruits 7 Cain’s victim 8 Flex 9 dreamin’!”“Keep 10 necessitiesBare 11 “All Strong”Day pain reliever 12 tubesGardeners’ 14 Evaluate in the roomdressing 21 Soar, say 24 Laundry unit 25 Not closedquite 26 LightfootmayorChicago 27 devicepurchasingCrypto29 1,760 yards 30 4G ___ 32 Berry whose name is 75% vowels 33 Exam often:beforetakenthebar,Abbr. 34 facilitiesResearch 36 Tiny pest 37 Former 41 ___ stir-fried(spicy,chickendish) 42 Some informallycountry,Seoul’sshowsTVfrom 43 Buttery, flaky bread 45 panBowl-shaped 46 amendsMake 47 “Tsk, tsk!” 48 Oil holder? 50 Silly 52 Liberate 53 Stop, drop and ___ 54 Thus 55 Like a used firepit 56 Aptly named NBA team PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER © 2022 Andrews McMeel www.upuzzles.comUniversal5/1 We’re on the Map by Joe O’Brien5/2 www.cbshalom.org As tents and trouble spread across her communities, Valenzuela ignored questions about holding homeless peopleWhenaccountable.LandPark resident Kate Tibbitts was raped and murdered, her dogs killed and house set ablaze, allegedly by a homeless parolee, the advocacy position staked out by Valenzuela became unbearable. But Valenzuela hardly blinked. Last December, our hopelessly confused City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood proclaimed Valenzuela as City Council representative for East Sacramento, thanks to redistricting. Valenzuela rushed to East Sac, not with humility but with a speech about how East Sac needs more homeless camps.Recall plans were launched before she finished talking. No surprise, the city attorney was wrong. Katie doesn’t represent East Sac. Nobody does until 2024, thanks to the city attorney’s mistakes. But the damage was done. East Sac voters can’t recall Valenzuela because they didn’t elect her. But they can help organize their Land Park, Little Pocket, Downtown and Midtown neighbors. Prominent among recall organizers is Dan Tibbitts, brother of Kate Tibbitts. He says, “If we want our society to return to the days when we can feel safe in our own homes, we need to rid ourselves of politicians who care more about their social justice agendas than the wellbeing of their own constituents. We need to rid ourselves of Katie Valenzuela.”

I don’t know if “For a Better Sacramento” will submit 8,000 valid signatures by Sept. 7. But if they do, I’ll bet Valenzuela loses her job in March. The recall won’t be about politics or money or virtue signaling. It will be about a City Council member who serves herself, not the public. 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 @insidesacramento.com.Instagram: n

HELPS

Still A Bad Idea

YOUTH PLAN SPECIAL INTERESTS, NOT KIDS

24 POC SEP n 22

Schenirer owns a nonprofit that provides youth services. He says his organization would receive no money from this fund. I believe him. But organizations he works with could be eligible.Inrecent years, City Council member Angelique Ashby and Mayor Darrell Steinberg joined me to fight this proposal. This time they changed sides. They say they flipped because this iteration gives the council final say on which programs get funded. Seriously? We already have that authority. We don’t need a new measure to perfect it. How do you think the city should spend your tax dollars? What are your priorities? Should spending on youth programs (recreation, job training and the like) be untouchable thanks to a charter amendment, forcing essential programs to go unfunded? School districts bear the primary responsibility to serve youth. The city is neither an educational nor social service agency. Measure L makes us both. It

Of course not. The city already spends more than $23 million on programs for young people every year. We fund after-school programs, workforce development, youth employment, gang prevention and gun violence reduction, youth recreation, community centers, public safety academies and more. Here’s why Measure L is the wrong way to support our kids: Let’s start with why voters turned down the earlier two versions. Voters said “No!” because the plan is ballot box budgeting and fiscally irresponsible. The measure is an attempt to fund nonprofit organizations with tax dollars carved out from essential city services. puts the city on the hook to pick up where school districts fall short. What about crime reduction, cleaning debris generated by homeless camps and the crisis of homelessness itself? How about creating safe routes to school, addressing climate change with increased green mobility options, and spending more to repair and maintain parks that serve our youth? The city’s unfunded park repair bill is $178 million. Despite my protests, the City Council refused to spend a dime on parks and climate change at midyear.Theyouth fund measure would amend our city charter to devote another $10 million annually on youth spending. That obligation would be locked up forever, limiting our ability to fund critical programs. Options to close budget deficits would disappear. The youth fund lock box could lower our bond rating and decrease our ability to issue general obligation bonds for essential projects. The mayor says he wants to issue bonds for a youth athletic field on 100 acres the city purchased to address homelessness. Measure L could kill that plan. Should enhanced youth spending be the city’s only protected fund? I say no. We have many urgent problems to solve. We need budget flexibility and thoughtful decisions, not mandated payouts to youth programs. On any given Tuesday, the City Council can give money to youth projects. Measure L locks up our options and makes the youth fund the only program protected by the city charter. That’s poor fiscal stewardship of tax dollars. It doesn’t address constituent concerns. And it sets a terrible precedent for any special interest group looking to protect its funding. Uncertain economic times, inflation, falling incomes and a looming recession mean this is the worst possible time to pass Measure L. As voters already said twice, there’s never a good time for it.

BY JEFF HARRIS I t’s déjà vu all over again. My City Council colleague Jay Schenirer convinced eight members to place a youth fund guarantee on the November ballot. I said no, respecting the wishes of voters who twice rejected this misguided idea. Are youth programs a bad thing?

Jeff Harris is Sacramento City Council member for District 3. He can be reached at (916) 808-7003 or jsharris@ cityofsacramento.org. n

SUBSIDY

25POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM Fits-around-my-schedulecare. CalPERS members: This Open Enrollment, choose a plan that gives you access to Dignity Health. With more than 1,000 afﬁliated providers supporting our communities across more than 200 locations, Dignity Health has you covered with care that best ﬁts where you are and whatever your day brings. Learn more at DignityHealth.org/CalPERSOE

When Stan retired and their ﬁrst grandchild was born in 2017, the couple started house shopping in Sacramento.

“Our sons remained in Sacramento, and we promised if they ever had grandchildren, we’d move back to help take care of them,” Julie says. Until that happened, they planned to buy an actual country farmhouse.

“We found this two-bedroom, one-bath cottage in Curtis Park that was just over 1,000 square feet. The charm and many original features made up for the lack of space,” Stan says. The house had been flipped by developers who generically updated the small kitchen and bath in an inexpensive and more contemporary style than the couple would have“Withchosen.this house we have the best of both worlds: our country farmhouse near the family in the city,” Julie says. “Plus, we enjoy new modern amenities mixed up with our vintage, antique and repurposed treasures.”Woodfloors had been refinished but were dreary and dull. Nothing remained but dirt and weeds where a garage and workshop once stood. The yard was overgrown.

W alking up the garden path to the Curtis Park home of Julie and Stan Perez, one is instantly charmed by the Americana cottage feel of the property, complete with a beautiful U.S. flag waving in theThebreeze.couple purchased the home five years ago when family life made an unexpected turn. After raising two sons in a 3,500-square-foot home in El Dorado Hills, they moved to Pasadena. Stan—a retired CHP officer—became head of security for the Norton Simon Museum. The couple also established a business selling vintage farmhouse goods.

By Cecily Hastings Photography by Aniko Kiezel Open House C H CH IS PERFECT FOR CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY

Best of Both Worlds CURTIS PARK COTTAGE

26 POC SEP n 22

Stan and Julie Perez

“In a small home, larger furniture and accents actually make the spaces seem larger,” Julie says. “I believe in always repurposing objects before buying anything new. I think I was born in another era.”

“The before photos are depressing,” Stan says. “We worked many long months on this house and yard. It was a labor of love for both of us.”

The business is called The Warped Table and is a by-appointment warehouse in Hollywood Park serving designers and collectors with vintage and farm-style items. The couple also sells through antique shows, but during pandemic lockdowns, they focused their business model on Instagram. Their home is a showplace of treasures available at the Perez warehouse. The unique collectables, often large in scale, draw attention up and around. The small master bedroom features a king-size bed with a delightful repurposed wooden door as a headboard. The room seems open and spacious with a gorgeous view of the backyard.Thekitchen is the smallest the couple has ever had, but they adapted. “We used to store big quantities of supplies. We even had a Costco supply closet in El Dorado Hills. But now we use less, get by with less and shop more often,” Julie says.Adds Stan, “This move to downsize has been really, really good for us. It’s not always been easy but was well worth the effort.”

27POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

28 POC SEP n 22

The backyard received an amazing renovation. First, they added a shed for garden tools. Then they built a garage and covered dining patio. The garage was designed to become a guest suite someday, plumbed for a future bathroom. The farmhouse design features open rafters and French doors. The garden is now a maze of narrow stone pathways and garden beds planted cottage-style with billowing ﬂowers, fragrant herbs and lush foliage. Containers are planted with strawberries and tomatoes for grandsons to pick fresh. A hot tub sits among the beautiful garden surroundings. Antique planters, vintage ornaments and repurposed tools accessorize the outdoor space. The yard looks like it might need lots of work to maintain, but the couple has the watering on an automated drip system.

“I love just the charming aspect of our home—the original built-ins, wood Despite its small size we have lots of nooks and crannies for chatting and visiting—both inside and out. We are now a closer-knit family than ever before. “ „

29POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM ﬂoors, and wavy glass windows and doors,” Julie says. “This is now an ideal house for our family. Our small dining room has a huge extension table to host large family gatherings,” Stan says. “Despite its small size we have lots of nooks and crannies for chatting and visiting—both inside and out. We are now a closer-knit family than ever“Ourbefore.”home has both a lot of history and family togetherness,” Stan says. Julie completes the thought: “And that’s what really matters to us.”

@insidesacramento.usatcolumnsphotographyinsidepublications.com.orcom.publisher@insidepublications.Torecommendahomegarden,contacteditor@MoreandpreviouscanbefoundandsharedInsideSacramento.com.FollowonFacebookandInstagram:

Cecily Hastings can be reached at n

30 POC SEP n 22

Sweet Nectar

By Gabrielle Myers Photography by Aniko Kiezel Farm To Fork G M GM BECKER FAMILY

H oney swims thick and clear against my tongue. Golden drops, pure as the flowers that feed the bees, coat my throat. Translucent honey of various shades—amber, brown, caramel—lands on spoon after spoon. From the fennel and bottlebrush tang of wildflower honey to the fruit tint of blackberry and blueberry blossom honey to hints of coffee in Kauai honey, each variety represents a distinct and pure distillation of the flowers that initiate the nectar and pollen. With more than nine varieties of honey, The Bee Box on J Street in East Sacramento stands tall as the place in Northern California for honey lovers and locavores interested in sustaining our robust regional agricultural production.Withoutbees, we would not have many fruits, nuts and vegetables, including seeds from our greens and grapes for our wines.

Everything in agriculture depends on this little creature’s magical food-making process. With concerns for bee health and survival, our intimate connection and dependence on these prodigious pollinators are ever more apparent.TheBecker family of beekeepers, which owns and runs The Bee Box, has carried the torch and served local bees and farmers since 1920.Jeff Becker, head beekeeper, works alongside his father Jerry, who taught him the business. The next generation—the fourth in the beekeeper trade—is busy learning the ropes, represented by Jeff’s son Jace. Jeff’s brother Mark handles the ﬁnancial side of the business.Whenasked what he loves most about his work, Jeff says, “I get to do something I love every day with my family, which is very important to me. I love dealing with farmers and agriculture. Farmers are the most honest, hardworking and down-to-earth people you will everThemeet.”Beckers have a large spread of more than 10,000 local hives in the Sacramento area and another 6,000 hives on Hawaii’s Kauai island. The family is reluctant to provide details about hive locations and there’s good reason for security. Despite the dangers of getting stung, hive thieves exist and can be difﬁcult to catch.

BUZZES AROUND ALL THINGS BEES

The Bee Box supports local beekeepers through bee sales, offering 3 pounds of Italian and Carniolan honey bees with a queen every spring.

The store stocks an assortment of beekeeping supplies and hosts forums for beekeepers to learn from the Beckers and network with each other.

31POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

The Bee Box’s local wildﬂower honey offers essential natural relief to Sacramento residents suffering from seasonal allergies. Honey is especially good for human immune systems.

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

Horizontal bee hive crafted by Stuart Ratcliff

Starter kits for beginning home beekeepers.

The Bee Box also offers a variety of craft products by local artisans. A local beehive-maker, artist, illustrator and beekeeper, Stuart Ratcliff, sells his special horizontal hives at The Bee Box.The Beckers don’t have a secret answer to the question of how best to enjoy honey. They savor it just like the rest of us, drizzling their nectar on food or adding it to tea. With their commitment to bee health and knowledge sharing with our community, the Becker family elevates the caretaking of bees to the highest possible level. Visit The Bee Box at 4765 J St. or thebeebx.com.

Stuart Ratcliff

EVERY GARDEN NEEDS A TASTE OF CLASSIC SEASONINGS

By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber D

A bandoned last fall when its blueberry bush was transplanted into a more spacious container, the pot needed new tenants. Life intervened, I gave it scant thought, and the pot sat empty and forgotten. After much procrastination, the pot was reborn in spring with one of my favorite plant families: herbs. Tarragon, sage and thyme now thrive in that old pot.Every gardener should welcome herbs. Lavender and rosemary are not uncommon in Sacramento gardens. I grow four different lavenders and both upright and trailing varieties of rosemary. I snip chives for my eggs, baked potatoes and salads. My basil mutates to pesto or shows off in caprese salads. Home-grown oregano, garlic, cilantro and Italian parsley are staples at the Vierria Rancheria. The word herb has a generous meaning. Most herbs are herbaceous (soft, flexible, green stems), but some are woody. Others are grasses, trees and even underground dwellers. Fragrant and forgiving, herbs are easier to grow than flowers and vegetables. They can thrive in pots, in the ground, indoors or hydroponically. They require little fertilizer, space and are water-efficient. Once harvested, herbs can be dried, some frozen or used fresh in Primarilyseason.utilized to season food, herbs have medicinal uses that date back 5,000 years according to accounts by the Sumerians. Archaeological evidence points to medicinal use of herbs to more than 50,000 years ago. Today, herbs are used in teas, salves and essential oils. Growing your own herbs can save considerable money. Buying herbs at the grocery store is not cheap. After potting up my tarragon, sage and thyme, I checked prices of supermarket herbs. The trio would have cost more than $20 for the least expensive dried brand and much more for organic and high-end brands. A small bouquet of fresh herbs is pricey too and its shelf life is a few days. All herbs require well-drained soil and a minimum of six hours of daily sunlight. Pruning herbs is another word for harvesting. Once pruned, herbs regenerate more leafy goodness. To enhance your enjoyment of home-grown herbs and avoid common mistakes, these suggestions may be helpful:Fans of Southeast Asian cuisines, including Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian and others, should consider growing lemongrass. Its citrusy flavor is unique and delicious! I have grown lemongrass just for the Thai coconut-chicken soup tom kha gai. Lemongrass spreads as much as 2 feet in a single season, so it requires maintenance if not planted in a pot. You will only use the bottom 4–5 inches of the stalk for seasoning dishes. Mint is popular in the home garden and different varieties have unique scents: spearmint, peppermint, chocolate, apple, orange and pineapple, amongMintothers.isanescape artist and has an invasive growth habit. If you plant mint in the ground, expect it to take over the entire garden if not carefully monitored. Mint is best planted in a container placed on concrete, stone or pavers. Basil, with its hints of sweetness and anise, is a summer favorite. Harvest leaves before it flowers for the best flavor. Pinch developing flowers back to the next set of leaves to promote a bushier plant with more leaves. Basil is an annual so expect it to die when winterItalianarrives.flat-leaf parsley is essential for home cooks. Easy to grow, the versatile herb is best used fresh. Parsley is a biennial, which means it’s a robust plant the first year, but will flower and die the second year. Treat it as an annual.

32 POC SEP n 22

V DV

Herbal Delights

TheThruCHARADESept17SofiaTsakopoulos Center for the 2800ArtsCapitol Ave, Bstreettheatre.orgSac Charade, the classic romantic whodunit that starred Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, is adapted for the stage in this whirlwind production spanning the globe. Brought to life by only 5 actors, recent widow Regina “Reggie” Lampert is drawn into a cat and mouse tale of hidden identities and government subterfuge, aided by the handsome stranger Peter Joshua. But is that his real name? Is anything what she thinks it is? This genre blending mash up will have you guessing until the end!

QUEER: DRAG, DRUGS AND A TICK TOCK CLOCK

Jay “The Sport” Jackson dreams of being the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. But it’s 1905 and in the racially segregated world of boxing, his chances are as good as knocked out. When a crooked boxing promoter hatches a plan for “the fight of the century,” “The Sport” just might land a place in the ring with the reigning white heavyweight champion.

Cilantro is a cruel herb. Just when it’s needed for summer salsas and ﬁsh tacos, our Sacramento heat forces it to ﬂower and die. Like dill, cilantro grows best in spring and fall. To ensure summer cilantro, seed it in cycles. Once cilantro is big enough to harvest leaves, seed another, followed by a third seeding.Formore helpful information, visit sacmg.ucanr.edu and click “Herbs.” Soon, you will be snipping your own fresh and fragrant herbs!

Dan Vierria is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener for Sacramento County. He can be reached at masterg29@ gmail.com. For answers to gardening questions, contact the UCCE Master Gardeners at (916) 876-5338, email mgsacramento@ucanr.edu or visit sacmg.ucanr.edu. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

SUBMIT EVENTS TO ANIKO@INSIDEPUBLICATIONS.COM THEATRE GUIDETHEATRE Hot Tub Cleaning Service Battani 916-224-5251 heidibattani@gmail.com 1. Decontamination & Sterilization of Spa 2. Flushing of Jet Lines 3. Filter Degreased & Cleaned 4. Cover Clean, UV & Water Repellant Protection Applied 5. Exterior Cleaning 7. Water Chemistry & Chemical Adjustment 8. Spa Inspection 9. Repair Recommendations 10. Spa Covers & Repairs Available 10-Point Hot Tub Cleaning Service VISIT insidesacramento.com

33POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

THE ROYALE Thru Sept 25 Capital Stage 2215 J St, Boxoffice@capstage.orgSac

Sept 9 - 11 Cal Cap Black Box Theatre 9845 Horn Rd, Ste 100, Sac 916 807-7429 The story takes you on a journey of selfdiscovery through the duality of human nature and evolution. Growing up in the barrios of Barranquilla, Colombia is not conducive for a queer person to thrive. The very few queer people Jair knew, lived in hiding and departed too early from this world. So, he tried to fit in, he tried to be like everyone else, he wanted to be an exemplary sample of society. But the truth always has a way of coming out. Accepting the truth is harder than knowing it sometimes. As shame and guilt weighed down Jair’s anxious heart, he discovered drag and drugs. Drag and drugs freed him, allowing him a higher level of self-expression previously self-suppressed. But drag and drugs were only a temporary fix to a much deeper problem. During the 2020 quarantine, he sat in complete isolation, and his healing process began as the Tick Tock Clock of life waved its arms.

But you should know a qualifier is a type of word that adds or subtracts meaning to another word. In this case, the woman announced what kind of chaplain she wants me to be. Or perhaps doesn’t want me to be. Before I tell you my response, you need to hear what I’m thinking. It seems likely the woman hails from one of two spiritual camps. If she’s from Camp No. 1, she’s a firebrand Christian who wants to see my credentials. The question is her litmus test to allow or deny my entry. However, if she’s from Camp No. 2, she hopes I’m not a Christian at all. She may well have been wounded by the folks from Camp No. 1, people who tried to cram their brand of faith down her throat.Neither camp appeals to me, so I throw out an answer. “I’m just a chaplain who also happens to be a Christian.” My response is designed to impart some not-so-subtle education. Whatever camp she’s in, she needs to know chaplains come from all faiths. We shouldn’t be disqualified just because we don’t match her qualifications.

Hence the problem with qualiﬁers. They are used to disqualify people from their personhood. They don’t let us see the person God made. They qualify people as smart, fat, thin, pretty, homely, etc. They disqualify people. For a moment, I think about telling her Harvard has a humanist chaplain, Chris Stedman, who calls himself a “Faitheist.” But I think better of that. First, do no harm, right? I don’t tell her any of that, but instead point to the label on my ID.

Down With Labels

By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters NB M ost days at my hospice ofﬁce, I start by calling patients to arrange home visits. Today I set an afternoon appointment with a woman in her mid-60s who’s been given less than six months to live. She greets me at the front door with a question.“Areyou a Christian chaplain?” she asks, leaning into the word “Christian.” I’m not much of a grammarian, but I think she’s using the word “Christian” as a qualiﬁer. Please don’t get all bleary eyed over the idea of grammar. This remains a spiritual column.

34 POC SEP n 22

“Actually, my hospice group prefers I use the title “spiritual counselor.” She returns a hard look that suggests she’s not Honestly,pleased.Idon’t love the designation. I go with it because I’ve come to realize “chaplain” carries too much baggage. The title brings a lot of assumptions into both camps. One group supposes I’m there to convert them. The other assumes I belong to their exclusive theology club. Most of all, whatever camp the hospice patient hails from, I hope we can speak without qualifiers. She’s not just a hospice patient. She’s a person, and I hope to find the best way to affirm her. I need to help her drop the qualifying emphasis on my title. I don’t need to be a chaplain, counselor or even a Christian. I only need to be the person who’s unafraid to come alongside her pain.Finally, I say, “How about if I’m just Norris today?” Her face softens. She nods and reciprocates with her first name. She invites me inside. We sit and chat for 45 minutes. We pray. We cry. We trade a few awkward laughs.She’s a person. I’m a person. We both celebrate being God’s creation and fully qualified to share his love. I never do figure out what camp she’s in. Perhaps I’m not qualified to make that call. Perhaps no one is. 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 civi organizations, places of worship, veterans groups and more. For details and fees, visit thechaplain.net. n

IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT KIND OF CHAPLAIN HE IS

PAL programs were inexpensive, inclusive and organized. They proved youth sports led by volunteer cops can inspire kids and teach confidence and maturity.

Kid Gloves A PROGRAM TO KEEP TEENS OUT OF TROUBLE

35POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM TO 37

T here was nothing lovely about the old brick building at 3520 Fifth Ave. The roof leaked. The second-ﬂoor gym reeked of sweat and leather. But for years, the place was a magic castle. Young people climbed the stairs and left the streets behind. They pounded the heavy bag, skipped rope, shadow By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority R G RG boxed and learned to properly throw and take punches.

The Oak Park building was home to the Police Athletic League boxing program, the city’s premier recreational safe ground for underserved young people, ages 7 to 17. As Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the City Council ponder why today’s teens become tomorrow’s gangsters, the answer is found among the ghosts of 3520 Fifth Ave. Throughout the 1980s, the PAL boxing program, alongside PAL soccer, softball and basketball leagues, served 2,000 kids annually. PAL programs were inexpensive, inclusive and organized. They proved youth sports led by volunteer cops can inspire kids and teach confidence and maturity. This is how it happened. In 1974, a Sacramento police officer named Otis Grimble started a youth boxing team. Grimble had nine pupils, but lacked a ring and equipment. He knew about police athletic leagues in other cities, knew they worked, knew Sacramento had nothing similar. Joined by fellow cops, Grimble founded Sacramento PAL. They rented a loft above an auto shop at 14th and R streets with help from the Police Officers Association. Money came from a popular new charity, a football game between cops and deputies, the Pig Bowl.PAL needed a gym, and Grimble was lucky. Earthquake-safety regulations forced several old school sites to close. One was Lincoln School at Third and P streets. Lincoln was perfect. Grimble built a ring in the gym and acquired equipment. PAL boxing was in business. People who encountered Otis Grimble weren’t likely to forget him. Intense and boiling with energy, he moved like a welterweight. His tight, short-sleeved dark blue police uniform called attention to his muscular arms, worthy of a blacksmith. He loved amateur boxing and promoted the sport relentlessly, believing its power and authority could reform the most troubled teenager.

“I can’t estimate the number of youngsters we’ve kept off the streets, who have been steered in the right direction through the PAL’s basketball and boxing programs,” he said in 1981. PAL thrived under Grimble’s leadership and marketing skills. But by 1983, Lincoln School was set for demolition. The program needed a new home. After ﬂirting with a costly rehab at Donner School on Eighth Avenue, PAL settled on 3520 Fifth Ave., former home of the city recreation department. The old brick building soon became a boxing landmark. When former heavyweight champ George Foreman trained for a comeback in 1987, he went to Fifth Avenue. Then something terrible happened. On Feb. 14, 1988, Otis Grimble killed himself. His reasons were never made public. He was 50, a cop for 23 years, married with three kids. After Grimble’s death, PAL began a slow decline. Kids stopped showing up. Drug dealers commandeered Fifth Avenue.Theboxing ring was dismantled, the training equipment sold in 2001. Today the building is gone, replaced by a church.Thestory doesn’t end here. PAL recovered and found relevance in rugby. Dozens of kids signed up. The name was changed from Police Athletic League to Police Activities League, reﬂecting a broader mission.

By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies Harley enjoys dining with her pet parents at Skip’s Kitchen.

C R CR

Sacramentans love their dogs. With two municipal animal shelters, a state-of-the-art SPCA, 22 off-leash dog parks and dozens of mutt-friendly restaurants, Sacramento canines are living big.

nearly 50 years. While Buddy lounges under an umbrella-shaded tabletop on the long front patio, order traditional pub grub, including Welsh rarebit, Cornish pasties and scrambles with countrySacYardpotatoes.Community Tap House on 33rd Street provides a “family friendly gathering space. (That means dogs, too.)” A 3,800-square-foot outdoor biergarten, complete with ﬁre pits and communal seating, provides ample space for Red to romp and relax. Food is available by food trucks, pop-ups and delivery. While pooches are welcome, SacYard takes its pet policy seriously with 11 rules, such as dogs must be on leash, supervised at all times and never left unattended. Waste receptacles are provided for you-know-what.Speakingoftap houses, Sac City Brews Neighborhood Tap House is a laidback hangout in the Tallac Village Shopping Center in Tahoe Park. Its slogan: “Beer. Patio. Dogs. Food. Tallac.” While Baily searches out head scratches, dine on chickpea hummus with carrot chips and a veggie slaw with fried leaks. Fine dining isn’t exclusive to the upright species. Piatti in Pavilions welcomes Sparky in its sun-dappled courtyard. Think Italian villa with canopying tree branches and a riverlike water feature. Attentive servers are happy to maneuver around a wagging tail while serving up an arugula strawberry salad or spinach ravioli with lemon cream sauce. The patio at Danielle’s Creperie at Fair Oaks and Watt is a dog’s best French friend. With plenty of shaded seating and room for Roxy to roll over, patrons can indulge in French this Midtown winery also serves up culinary creations such as tempurabattered cauliﬂower and smoked carrot lox.

In addition to four-legged guests, a duck is a regular at Sibling restaurant on Capitol Avenue in Midtown. This brunch destination has a friendly, neighborhood vibe that will make Roco feel right at home while his humans indulge in a portabella Benedict or fried-mushroom calamari on the front patio.

36 POC SEP n 22

California law authorizes food facilities to allow pet dogs in outdoor dining areas as long as the city or county does not pass an ordinance prohibiting the pooches, and restaurant owners do not object. There must be a separate outdoor entrance and dogs must remain on leash and off chairs. Here’s a rundown of some popular dog-friendly destinations: Located in a historic building at 17th and S streets, Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Company rolls out the welcome mat for Max. “Dogs are amazing and vital members of our family,” says Emily Griggs with Hook & Ladder. “Having them around just puts everyone in a better mood.” Max will be happy hanging on the industrial-style patio while his owners nosh on grilled broccolini or a Sicilian pizza with kalamata olives and arugula.Yousay you want a Revolution? Bring Rover to Revolution Winery & Kitchen at 28th and S streets and snag a table out front. A vine-laden trellis and potted plants give the courtyard a charming ambience ﬁt for Fiﬁ. Known for its reds and whites, says Rebecca Scott with the brewery. “Dogs are part of the fam and they bring good vibes.” A 2,500-square-foot courtyard along Broadway is the ideal setting for Spot to stretch his legs while social distancing. Long low- and high-top tables encourage comradery between humans and non-humans. In addition to ales, lagers and IPAs, order up a grilled mushroom, pepper and onion Philly or fried eggplant Parmesan on a hoagie roll.

Sacramento’s legendary English pub, the Fox & Goose Public House, has been a Downtown favorite for

Alfresco With Fido

SACRAMENTO RESTAURANTS WELCOME CANINE COMPANIONS

“Water bowls and smiles” are provided at Oak Park Brewing Co., With F ido

Alfresco

Are you sick of all the political ﬁghting?

Braveraboutsomethingit.AngelsSacramento

Not only does Lido Café & Bakery offer water bowls on its front patio, this Carmichael breakfast-lunch spot has a section on the menu for “doggie meals.” Fluffy can gobble down grilled chicken, two scrambled eggs, a beef patty or a dog bone, served in a frisbee.Skip’s Kitchen on El Camino Avenue is another casual eatery not to be missed on the doggy diner itinerary. The front patio comes equipped with artificial turf, perfect for pooches, and bright red canopies for shade. In addition to salads, soups and sandwiches, don’t miss the fried macaroni and cheese bites and the rosemary sweet potato fries. Milagro Centre in Carmichael has a lineup of dining options that allow Daisy to tag along. Mesa Mercado, specializing in Oaxacan urban cuisine, provides outdoor seating with ambient overhead lighting. Chomp on mango tostadas, spinach enchiladas or sauteed plantains with mole. At River City Brewing, Rex has room under the table to wait for a nibble of flatbread pizza.IfScout needs more room to wag his tail, get food to go and dine in Milagro Centre’s spacious tiled courtyard featuring a Mediterraneanstyle fireplace flanked by two waterwalls, as well as picnic tables hidden along walkways out front. When leashing up Bella or Baxter for a night (or day) on the town, remember to bring a blanket or bed, a healthy treat and a water bowl if the restaurant does not provide one. If Sadie is more of a problem pooch than a mellow mutt, ordering takeout is a better fit. “All dogs should be potty trained, well behaved and friendly toward people and other dogs,” Griggs says. “Dogs showing aggression are not welcome.” 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

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

GoingNearReaders&Farsomewheredistantoroutexploringfortheday?Takeuswithyouandsendusaphoto!

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.

37POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM onion soup, sandwiches on baguettes and croissants, and a variety of sweet and savory crepes.

So are we. Help us do

FROM 35 Brick building in Oak Park was the home of the Police Athletic League. The pandemic delivered new setbacks. Rugby uniforms sat in boxes when the 2020 season was canceled. Other programs—ﬁshing in local ponds, skiing and snowboarding at Donner Ski Ranch, even a nascent boxing team— were“Wesuspended.weregoing pretty good, especially with rugby, but COVID-19 pretty much wiped us out,” says police Sgt. Ryan Enkoji, who oversees PAL. “We’re in the process of reorganizing, but it’s slow, what with retirements and ofﬁcers not having a lot of time to volunteer.”TheCity Council spends millions on youth programs and is eager to spend more. How about a few bucks for PAL? As youth programs go, none threw a better punch. 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 Learn more at: www.braverangelssac.org

MULTIMEDIA ARTIST LETS HER MATERIALS DO THE TALKING

Signs ofLife

In an expansive career, Couzens works with watercolor, mixed plastics, tape, twine, textiles and more. Her subject matter ranges from the sensual to the surreal—including body parts, DNA, spider webs and linear energy. A critic once referred to her abstract sculpture as “visual piñatas.” But Couzens is clear that art is not all fun and “Peoplegames.think, you’re an artist, oh, what fun. But for serious working artists, it isn’t about fun,” she says. “It’s about discovery and having the belief in yourself and the courage to try and understand what your truth is. Sure, there are things about it that are fun, but would you say a surgeon is having fun? It’s hard work. It’s hard to not know and stay in a place of not knowing and have the faith in yourself that you’re going to be able to get to solid ground.” Her faith pays off. Couzens has received numerous grants and fellowships. Her work is exhibited

W hen I ask artist Julia Couzens how she comes up with ideas, her answer is swift. “I don’t lead the work, the work leads me,” she“Isays.hold the materials in my hand and think, what am I noticing? What is triggering a response in me? The art really comes out of the process of how the materials evolve organically in the studio. It’s not an intellectual practice—the intelligence comes from paying attention to how I respond to what’s in front of me. I’m looking for signs of life.”

JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

38 POC SEP n 22

Julia Couzens

Photos by Aniko Kiezel globally in museums and galleries, including the 2019 Cheongju Craft Biennale in South Korea. Many institutions have collected her work, including the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Butler Institute of American Art, Crocker Art Museum, Manetti Shrem Museum at UC Davis and Yale University Art Gallery. Despite the notoriety, Couzens never stops growing. “The biggest challenge and most important character trait to making art work is to remain teachable,” she says.

39POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

“We need to shine a light on young artists and the gallery spaces that are sprouting up here,” she says. “But we also need critical mass. We need enough people paying attention and we don’t have that right now. Young artists are a precious resource. They’re the future.”

While Couzens recognizes she was lucky to arrive when she did, she laments the region doesn’t support up-and-coming artists the way it used to. With no active donor base, critical discussion or consistent media, she’s worried young artists will leave Sacramento for greener pastures.

As a child, she knew she was going to be an artist due to an innate creativity and encouragement from a “fantastic” art teacher. She was surrounded by artists thanks to her mother’s job as the founding editor of “West Art,” the West Coast’s first publication dedicated to contemporary art. Because of that exposure, Couzens knew she needed time before entering the art world. “I recognized the force of (the artists’) personalities, and while they were very compelling, I knew I wasn’t ready to jump into that competitive, aggressive social dynamic,” Couzens says.Instead, she got her undergraduate degree in English and philosophy and waited until she had “acquired a couple of barnacles” to attend the California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) in Oakland.Afterher husband’s job landed them in Sacramento in 1977, she took classes at Sacramento City College, which led to a master’s in fine arts at UC Davis in 1990. “I’ve always been kind of out of synch in my timeline—I didn’t just smoothly go from point A to point B,” says Couzens, who works out of a studio on the ground floor of her house on Merritt Island, outside Clarksburg, and a studio in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s been good, actually. It’s meant I haven’t gotten calcified.”

Check out Couzen’s upcoming solo exhibition, Me and My Other Me’s, at b. sakata garo gallery at 923 20th St. in October. For information, visit juliacouzens. 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: @insidesacamento. n

40 POC SEP n 22

By Greg RestaurantSabinInsider GS

HAWAIIAN KITCHEN BREEZES INTO HIGH GEAR K

Island Eats

au Kau, the new Hawaiian hotspot in East Sacramento, has already hit its stride. Open only four months, this home-style island eatery feels like it’s been part of the Sacramento food scene for years. I typically don’t judge a restaurant until at least six months after opening. Menus change, personnel shifts. The realities of opening a new business in any environment—not to mention a pandemic—mean things aren’t always at their best the ﬁrst few months. But Kau Kau nails it.

Partners Amanda Bridger and Chris Tocchini took over the space at the 57th Antique and Design Center formerly held by Evan’s Kitchen. The closing of that Sacramento institution upset many. Yet, Bridger and Tocchini have ﬁlled the considerable shoes of former owner Evan Ellsberry with incredible grub, stellar service and more than two scoops of aloha. With several generations of roots in Hawaii, Bridger brings a slew of family recipes and personal twists to create a bang-up menu. This is a kitchen where just about everything is house made. Even the spam. Chopped and pressed pork shoulder blended with secret seasonings makes up the house version. The house spam reaches into a number of dishes: spam musubi, spam

41POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM and eggs, and a spam plate lunch. The Hawaiian plate lunch—typically meat served with two scoops of rice and a scoop of macaroni salad—feels like a ubiquitous West Coast food at this point, with multiple chains serving it up throughout California. Kau Kau’s plate lunch is a step above. It’s good enough for dinner. Meats are prepared with care and the sauces, like the huli-huli on grilled chicken thighs, are bright and undeniable in flavor. Options range from kalua pork to fried chicken cutlet (katsu) to garlic shrimp. Those crispy shrimp with garlic sauce are reminiscent of shrimp trucks on the north shore of Oahu. Bite into one shrimp and you hear the wind off the Pacific and see farm cats peering around the corner of the truck in case you drop a morsel. This food is transportive. The brunch menu is equally fun and expert. Loco moco, the classic Hawaiian comfort food made from hamburger patty, rice and eggs and covered in gravy, is about the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve had my share. The chicken and waffle space on the menu is filled with macadamia nut waffles topped with chicken katsu. It’s a cheeky turn on a favorite.Tocchini runs the front of house and does a splendid job. His casual, friendly vibe belies an off-the-charts restaurant IQ. He manages to look cool during a brunch line out the door and never fails to make each diner feel like a special guest.The old room at Evan’s had a dark, clubby feel with wooden booths and low lighting. The overhauled dining room at Kau Kau is light filled and airy. The exposed ceiling has been whitewashed and provides reflected light for leafy plants along the clerestory. Banquettes line each wall and a large family table dominates the center of the room.

Photos by Linda Smolek

Sacramento’s ComprehensiveMostRestaurant Guide is now available @ InsideSacramento.com Search More than 80 Local Reviews by Neighborhood and Cuisine! As featured in...

A petite bar is tucked away in one corner with high chairs and a restrained beer and wine selection. Copper and stainless pipes running out from the bar are quirky, industrial and eye-catching. It gives the otherwise ﬂoaty room a little earthiness. If you were waiting awhile to try the new Hawaiian restaurant in East Sacramento, you need not. It’s up and running and has found its stride.

Kau Kau is at 855 57th St. in East Sacramento; (916) 431-7043. Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. Previous reviews can be found and shared at InsideSacamento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

River City Quilters’ Guild

View original artwork by regional artists in the center’s gallery—then purchase a ticket to win a piece of art at the rafﬂe drawing and reception Sunday, Oct. 2, from 2–5 p.m. Taste of North Sacramento Friends of the North Sacramento-Hagginwood Library Saturday, Sept. 24, 5:30–8 p.m. Angel’s Center for the Arts, 1023 Del Paso Blvd. • tastenorthsacramento.org

Sept. 23–25 Scottish Rite Center, 6151 H St. • rivercityquilters.org

This annual event showcases the best quilts in competition and includes product demonstrations, a country store, silent auction, food and work by this year’s featured artist Marie Nelson. Admission is $10; free for children younger than 18. Beer & Ballet Sacramento Ballet Sept. 30–Oct. 16 CLARA Auditorium, 2420 N St. • sacballet.org

Sohini Sangeet Academy Sunday, Sept. 11, 6:30 p.m. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St. • sohinisangeet.org

Sukoon: Suresh Wadkar and Zakir Hussain

42 POC SEP n 22

TO DO

THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

Sample food and beverages from area businesses, delight in the music of Sacramento’s Proxy Moon and bid in a silent auction to help expand programs at the library, which will be moving to a new home in the former SN&R building. Tickets are $25 for guests older than 12; $10 for kids 5–12. Purchase online or at Del Paso Boulevard Partnership at 1219 Del Paso Blvd. 44th Annual River City Quilt Show

By Jessica Laskey

Vocalist Suresh Wadkar and world-famous tabla maestro Zakir Hussain perform together for the ﬁrst time in the U.S. thanks to Binay Pathak, teacher and founder of Sohini Sangeet Academy. Tickets are $39–$250. Zakir Hussain at Crest Theatre. Ars Gratia Artis Sacramento Fine Arts Center Sept. 13–Oct. 2 5330 Gibbons Drive, Carmichael • sacﬁnearts.org

This year’s performance, with support from Bike Dog Brewery, features new works from Sac Ballet’s own dancer/choreographers. Attendees receive a glass of draft beer or wine with each ticket purchase. Subsequent beverage purchases help support the ballet.

Author Nora Rodriguez Camagna at Stories on Stage. “Tonka Dumptruck” by Kevin Wilhite at The Art Studios.

Pops in the Park East Sacramento Pops in the Park Saturday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m. South Natomas Community Park, 2881 Truxel Road • eastsacpopsinthepark.com

The chalk art and music festival comes to life on sidewalks surrounding 16th and 17th streets, and P and Q streets. Enjoy live music, vendors, food trucks, children’s activities and hundreds of volunteer artists creating stunning works of art. Also check out sidewalk art in dozens of other Downtown locations.

Presented by Councilmember Jeff Harris and East Sacramento Chamber of Commerce, this ﬁnal concert of the season features the high-energy band Hip Service with ﬁve vocalists, horn and funky rhythm sections, and dancers.

John Natsoulas Gallery Through Sept. 24 521 First St., Davis • natsoulas.com Don’t miss the ﬁne works, including paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures, by renowned funk artist William T. Wiley (1937–2021).

32nd Annual Chalk It Up!

William T. Wiley Exhibition

Chalk It Up! Sept. 3–5 Fremont Park, 1515 St. • chalkitup.org

Tales & Ales Brewfest

43POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

Stories on Stage Stories on Stage Sacramento

Friday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m. CLARA Auditorium, 2420 N St. • storiesonstagesacramento.com

Fairytale Saturday,TownSept. 10, 5–9 p.m. 3901 Land Park Drive • fairytaletown.org Local craft breweries pour unlimited tastes at this annual all-ages fundraiser. Enjoy live music, food trucks and a rafﬂe, and complimentary root-beer ﬂoats and hands-on activities for kids. Proceeds support Fairytale Town’s education programs and park improvements. Tickets are $85 for VIPs; $50 for adults; $10 for children 2–12; free for children 1 and younger.

This award-winning literary performance series presents an excerpt from author Kate Milliken’s book “Kept Animals” and Nora Rodriguez Camagna’s short story “Cinnamon Bread Under the Cherry Tree” read aloud by professional actors followed by a Q&A with the authors. Tickets are a $10 suggested donation.

The Art Saturday,StudiosSept. 10, 10 a.m.–9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 1727 I St. • theartstudiossacramento.com

Open Studio

This weekend features work by artists Pam Avery, Michelle Dahl, Kathleen S. Farros, Lori Franz, Rochelle Sherbert and Kevin Wilhite, with artist workshops and live music on Saturday evening.

Thursday, Sept. 15, 4–8 p.m. 1020 O St. • californiamuseum.org

44 POC SEP n 22

California Pop Culture California Museum

The Return of Badassery Starts Here

Darden Social Distance Theater Sunday, Sept. 4, 7–9:30 p.m. California Stage, 1725 25th St. • calstage.org As part of California Stage’s “A Month of Sundaes Series,” the band Darden, fresh off its European tour, performs in a unique alternative/ Americana style. Tickets are $20. Buy ﬁve or more and receive $5 off each ticket.

The ﬁnal event of the museum’s family-friendly Summer Soiree Series, presented in partnership with The Creative Space, features local vendors, food and craft beer for purchase, music by DJ Jerry Schultz, artists, exhibit tours and more. Admission is $5.

“Green Dress” by Davy Fiveash at Archival Gallery. Jewish Food Faire at Congregation Beth Shalom.

Davy Fiveash, Eryle Swanson & Sean Royal Archival Gallery

45th Annual Jewish Food Faire Congregation Beth Shalom Sunday, Sept. 18 4746 El Camino Ave. • cbshalom.org This annual feast features traditional Jewish cuisine, including stuffed cabbage rolls, potato knishes, lox and bagels, Israeli food boxes and mouthwatering baked items to go. Orders must be placed online by Thursday, Sept. 8, for drive-through pickup on Sunday, Sept. 18, in the Congregation Beth Shalom parking lot.

This signature event brings together more than 100 of the most influential local businesswomen, women in the community and aspiring young professionals. Enjoy wine tastings, hors d’oeuvres, a raffle, games and entertainment by Carrie Hennessey and Jennifer Reason. Proceeds go to My Sister’s House serving women and children impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Tickets are $100 in advance; $125 at the door. Great American River Clean-Up American River Parkway Foundation Saturday, Sept. 17, 9 a.m.–noon Various locations • arpf.org/garcu Join other volunteers for the largest annual cleanup on the American River Parkway. More than 1,000 volunteers each year remove 25,000 pounds of trash from more than 20 locations, including Discovery Park, William B. Pond Recreation Area and Sailor Bar. To register, visit the ARPF website.

Uptown Thursday,StudiosSept. 1, 6–9 p.m. 2415 23rd St. • uptownstudios.net

Sept. Second1–24Saturday Reception Sept. 10, 5–8 p.m. 3223 Folsom Blvd. • archivalgallery.com

Davy Fiveash presents “Sunday School,” a series inspired by his early inﬂuences as a queer artist growing up as a fundamentalist preacher’s son. Eryle Swanson shares a new series of sculptures with his signature acrobatic rabbits and ballerinas. Sean Royal completes this exhibition with threedimensional sculptures on the front wall.

Discover the special stories behind the historic homes of Poverty Ridge during three in-person tours (two home interiors and one garden/accessory dwelling unit) and three virtual tours. Virtual tours available on-demand for two weeks following event. Tickets are $30.

45POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM

46th Annual Historic Home Tour Preservation Sacramento Sunday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Various locations • preservationsacramento.org/hometour

Brighter Futures Gala

Help raise funds for Sacramento women and children experiencing homelessness and celebrate the accomplishments of program graduates. The event includes dinner, presentations, a live auction, awards ceremony and more. Tickets are $150; home package for two (virtual access to event and auction, and multi-course meal for pickup from a restaurant partner) is $200.

The city’s ultimate Louisiana food and music experience features authentic sounds, sights and tastes of Louisiana with Southern BBQ, Asian/Cajun fusion cuisine, a custom car show, games and more. Don’t miss blues performance artist Blind Lemon Peel on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Behind the Barre: Made in Sacramento Capital Dance Project Friday, Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. The Soﬁa, Home of B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave. • capitaldanceproject.org Twenty-four Sacramento artists participate in a four-week residency combining dance, choreography, art, tech and live music, culminating in the highly acclaimed Behind the Barre. Doors open one hour prior to performance for a local Maker’s Mart in the lobby. Pre-sale tickets are $30; week-ofperformance tickets are $35.

Open Studios

E Street Gallery Sept. 10 & 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 1115 E St. • e-street-gallery.business.site Artists

Crawﬁsh & Catﬁsh Festival

Women's Thursday,EmpowermentSept.29,6p.m. California Railroad Museum, 111 I St. • womens-empowerment.org

Stevens House, an 1881 Italianate Victorian, in Poverty Ridge Historic Home Tour.

This is Surreal Elk Grove Fine Arts Center Sept. 3–22 First Saturday Reception Sept. 3, 4–7 p.m. 9683 Elk Grove Florin Road • elkgroveﬁneartscenter.org Artists were asked to activate their unconscious minds to create works that evoke randomness, spontaneity and dream-like scenes inspired by Dadaism. Eclectic artist Vic L. Bicomong also exhibits in Foyer Gallery.

Sept. 10 & 11, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. Southside Park, 2115 6th St. • craw-fest.com

Registration closes Friday, Sept. 16. Sac Open Studios Verge Center for the Arts Sept. 10 & 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Sept. 17 & 18, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Various locations • sacopenstudios.com These self-guided artist studio tours span Sacramento County, West Sacramento and Woodland, and include more than 250 participating artists.

Aniko Kiezel, Jeffrey Paradis, Renee Marie, Carlaina Brown, Deborah Pittman, Marc Cardinet, Linda Gelfman, Cherie Hacker, Blair Inez and Larry Love display their art as part of Verge Center for the Arts Sac Open Studios. 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 Art on display at E Street Gallery for Sac Open Studios.

46 POC SEP n 22 2022CONTESTPHOTOGRAPHYWINNERSJudgedbyAnikoKiezel 3. 2.4.1. 5. First Place: 1. Sheila Van Noy Second Place: 2. Lisa Moncrief Third Place: 3. Mira Dalju

47POC n INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 6. 7 10.9.11.8. 12. Honorable Mentions: 4. Stacie Evans 5. Ted Freeman 6. Caryn Rocher 7. Robert Meza 8. Tracy Jimenez 9. Mira Dalju 10. Jehan Zohrab 11. Mary Ann Carrasco 12. Jerome Jeffries

We’reLocalExperiencedRealEstateProfessionalsYourNeighbor•LocatedonLakeGreenhaven An independently owned and operated member of BHH Affiliates, LLC. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and the Berkshire Hathaway H omeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® If your home is currently listed with a Broker, this is not intended as a solicitation. Equal Housing Opportunity. Need Funds To Help Get Your Home Ready For The Market? Ask About “GetReady Capital”Need Funds To Help Get Your Home Ready For The Market? Ask About “GetReady Capital” A p r o g r a m o f f e r e d b y B e r k s h i r e H a t h a w a y H o m e S e r v i c e s D r y s d a l e P r o p e r t i e sA program offered by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Drysdale Properties UCLA, UCD, CSUS -Degrees in Business Accounting&Psychology.Celebrating20YearsinRealEstate!Administration, Martha Macias MastersREALTOR Club, Life Member (916) 616-6600 Cell DRE #01263611 Masters DRE(916)PresidentialClubMember764-7500Cell#00842218 Nick LaPlaca Bernadette Chiang REALTOR/ DRE #01923176 Professional Interior Designer (916) 261-2888 cell (916) 381-2888 landline Also,Fluent in Cantonese 15 Skysail Ct. - On the Lake! 143 ft of Waterfront! Diamond in the rough! Mid-century cottage in soughtafter Westmore. This open & bright 2bd 1ba apx 914 sf, per 1111 Meadow Rd - West SacramentoSOLD! $365,000 (916) 718-4753 KearnsElizabethDREHablowww.ElizabethKearns.comLizGRealtor@gmail.comCellEspañol#01455250/RED#BS.146134GonzálezREALTOR,SRES Lake Greenhaven Shores contemporarysingle-story plan $899,500! DREMary@mjlee.com(916)BrokerMaryJewLeeAssociate425-3749Cell#00866853 Highly desirable 4 bd 2.5 ba Greenhaven single-story $599,500 826 Royal Garden Ave - Greenhaven! Elaine Ferguson SARREALTORLeadership Academy (916)Member905-2627 cell (707) 280-6179 DRERealtorEFerguson@gmail.comcell#02030590 PENDING! 2 Trotter Court - Pocket Area! Just 3 Days on Market! Cute, cozy near award winning elementary schools in the I look forward to assisting you with your Home Sale, StagingorDesign Project! Nestled in the Pocket’s “Park Place South Community!” Call Martha today! 1218 Cedar Tree Way – Pocket Area! $445,000 - Open SUN 8/28, 2-4pm!

Inside Pocket Sept 2022

Articles inside

Garden Jabber

Sports Authority

Open Studio

Spirit Matters

Farm To Fork

Pocket Life

Inside The County

Open House

Publisher's Desk

Out & About

Building Our Future

Pocket Beat

Still A Bad Idea