Inside Pocket September 2023

1423 – 41st Street - $2,195,000

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING FULLY REMODELED CLASSIC

4 bed 2½ bath East Sacramento with beautiful kitchen and family room combination. Fabulous entertaining backyard.

NATHAN SHERMAN 916-969-7379 DRE-01875980

4637 Sunset Drive - $625,000

SOUTH LAND PARK TERRACE PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP

3 bed 2 bath. Newly refinished hardwood floors, new carpet, fresh paint. Large family room. Huge 2-tiered backyard PAULA SWAYNE 916-425-9715 DRE-01188158

6 Zoolander Court - $779,900

PARK VILLAGE IN SOUTH LAND PARK 4 bed, 2 bath single story home on a cul-de-sac. Stylish kitchen with new cabinets and countertops, exceptional yard with fireplace and spa.

STEPH BAKER 916-775-3447 DRE-01402254

REMODELED BEAUTY IN HERITAGE PARK 2 or 3 bed 2 bath

HOA amenities include clubhouse, pool, spa, pickleball, tennis, yard service. Just sit back and enjoy

JOSEPH OLSON 916-835-2968 DRE-02083344

535 – 42nd Street - $1,300,000

NEWLY BUILT IN 2012 IN EAST SACRAMENTO. 3 beds plus loft, 3 full bath. Fully remodeled kitchen with high end appliances, mini-split HVAC, heated floors, custom lighting and more… NATHAN SHERMAN 916-969-7379 DRE-01875980

2462 Laurel Clark Avenue - $569,900

LIKE NEW CONTEMPORARY NATOMAS HOME 4 bed 2½ bath. Built in 2019 it features soaring 9’ ceilings and spacious open floor plan. Large kitchen island, granite countertops.

STEPHANIE GALLAGHER 916-342-2288 DRE-01705253

The Dunnigan Difference

8009 Johannisberg Way - $504,000

LUSH DROUGHT-TOLERANT LANDSCAPING WELCOMES 3 bed 2 bath beautifully updated, desirable floor plan with soaring ceilings. Top-of-the-line kitchen. Immaculate!

STEPHANIE FERRIS 916-402-9213 DRE-02016586

WONDERFUL PARK PALCE SOUTH HOME 3 bed 2 bath with a primary bedroom, new permitted HVAC, 1-year old roof and beautifully landscaped backyard.

MONA GERGEN 916-247-9555 DRE-01270375

Land Park (916) 454-5753 DRE#00707598

1183 Cedar Tree Way - $525,000

5936 Wheatsheaf Lane - $519,000

DISTRIBUTION ACCOUNTING ACCOUNT SERVICE TEAM

3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only) info@insidepublications.com

Cecily Hastings

Cathryn Rakich editor@insidepublications.com

M.J. McFarland

Cindy Fuller

Linda Smolek, Aniko Kiezel @anikophotos

Michele Mazzera Info@insidepublications.com or visit insidesacramento.com

Daniel Nardinelli, COO, daniel@insidepublications.com

Lauren Stenvick accounts@insidepublications.com 916.443.5087

Sally Giancanelli 916.335.6503 SG@insidepublications.com

Lauren Stenvick 916.524.0336 LS@insidepublications.com

NEW ACCOUNTS: CALL 916.443.5087 info@insidepublications.com

EDITORIAL POLICY

Commentary reflects the views of the writers and does not necessarily reflect those of Inside 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—©

SUBMISSIONS

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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

VISIT I NSIDE S ACRAMENTO.COM

COVER ARTIST

PAT MAHONY

Pat Mahony, a fixture in the California art scene, is featured in the annual PBS KVIE Art Auction. Her paintings of urban scenes, river landscapes, still life and more are filled with saturated tones and lush abstraction that create a harmonious balance between dark and light. Shown: “Daffodil Memories,” oil on canvas, 24 inches by 24 inches. Visit mahonyart.com.

The PBS KVIE Art Auction will be live on air and online Friday, Sept. 29, from 7–10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 30, from noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. See the entire art auction collection Sept. 1–27 at the PBS KVIE Gallery or kvie. org/artauction.

The Real Cost

DOLLARS DON’T BUY SUCCESS IN HOMELESS CRISIS

Strategies and services offered to homeless people are varied, depending on the situation. In Sacramento, the city and county provide services. So do numerous nonprofits and faith organizations.

Sacramento Steps Forward created a coordinated entry system. It starts with access from three sources: street outreach, partner agencies and 211— the primary entry point for homeless services. The pathway starts with assessments and prioritization.

C HBut every program requires homeless people to accept intervention. It’s important to understand a huge proportion of homeless individuals prefer life on the streets over help.

By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk

Another problem is the enormous government resources spent in California with little result other than the problem just getting substantially

worse. The state has spent $20 billion on homeless services in the past five years.

In 2023-24, our city plans to give $42 million to outside service providers for homeless programs. Despite this tremendous investment, the local homeless population has more than doubled in the past three years.

It’s fair to ask, what have we received from this spending? Civic expenditures and government-funded programs often lack accountability. Sacramento is no exception.

Assistant City Manager Mario Lara admits the city has not audited

spending on homeless programs. He says audits are being planned. But will a city audit gauge program effectiveness, or just audit dollars spent?

The cost of the homeless crisis is not limited to service programs. Almost every public agency has costs associated with homelessness. This includes police, sheriff and fire, parks and recreation, and more. Records show the city received nearly 100,000 calls involving homeless services since 2020.

The crisis impacts budgets of nonprofit business associations, including the Midtown Association, Greater Broadway Partnership and Downtown Sacramento Partnership. All spend dollars to keep streets, properties and small businesses safe and clean.

Let’s not forget private property owners and residents. You’re on your own for personal injury, theft and property damages.

Two years ago, I was invited to join the community advisory board of the local Salvation Army chapter. I was eager to help. Salvation Army programs for homeless people are exceptional. They produce measurable results and cost significantly fewer dollars to administer.

The Salvation Army is an international, faith-based organization. Officers who run programs are paid salaries less than $27,000 a year, plus housing and car allowances. Even national directors are paid no more than $60,000 a year. If they are married, spouses must serve as officers. They typically work three years in one location, then move. Many children of officers follow their parents into service as adults.

The Salvation Army runs several successful local programs: Family

Volunteers pack boxes of donated food for The Salvation Army's food distribution program.

Reneé

- Eiji and Kathy Yamamoto

Services (including childcare, youth sports and food distribution), Workforce Development, E. Claire Raley Transitional Living Center, Center of Hope shelter and Next Step Transitional Living Center. I recently toured them.

The Center of Hope Emergency Shelter at 1200 North B St. provides 125 beds with three meals a day. No drugs, alcohol or pets are permitted. The shelter is open 24 hours.

This summer, I had lunch with the shelter’s program manager. We were joined by a social worker and three residents. Each story was unique. One man was employed and waiting for housing. Another looked for work each day, which the program encourages for independence.

An older woman was thrilled with the resources. All were grateful and hopeful. Bible studies are optional.

The food distribution program in North Highlands collects donations of fresh, frozen and packaged foods. Volunteers box up items, including bread, dairy, fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, canned goods, rice and beans. Donations come from Sacramento Food Bank, grocery recovery programs and private donors.

Three mornings a week, the warehouse provides a drive-through that distributes one box per household. One of the largest local food banks, the program serves more than 1,000 people a month.

Workforce Development is located on Ninth Street with Next Step Transitional Living Center. Classes are held in culinary arts and construction through union partnerships. The transitional shelter for single men, clean and sober for at least 30 days, provides a bed and meals.

The program that stood out was the E. Claire Raley Transitional Living Center. The apartment complex has 35 two-bedroom furnished units for families with children. The site includes a gated campus with lawn, playground and vegetable garden.

Families are supported by case managers who help residents become independent. Rent is $750 a month. Residents can stay two years. The program graduates at least 100 families a year and changes lives. The model should be duplicated far and wide.

Despite the success of Salvation Army programs, the government only pays for the Center of Hope shelter and childcare program. This represents about 25% of annual local funding. Private donations cover the rest. Sacramento has other programs— including St. John’s Program for Real Change—that deliver great results for little money. In many cases, they receive no government funding.

How can local, state and federal governments spend incredible amounts and not demand better results? Sadly, elected and civic leaders have failed us. Again and again.

Readers ask how they can contribute to Inside Sacramento. Here’s how. Consider a paid supporting membership starting at $19.95 a year. Use the QR code and help support our mission to deliver local news. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at insidesacramento.com.

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

The Salvation Army's E. Claire Raley Transitional Living Center.

TRANSITION TIME

Pocket resident Devin Lavelle handed his gardening tools and District 7 parks commissioner responsibilities to Joe Flores, who knows the job. Flores held the same position in Oak Park and Curtis Park under former City Councilmember Jay Schenirer.

“Joe has been a strong, steady presence on the Parks and Community Enrichment Commission for many years. I admire his vision and commitment to establishing community partnerships. He’s a great leader for District 7,” Lavelle says.

Lavelle accomplished a lot. He organized 50 community events and, with help from 5,000 volunteers, planted more than 300 trees in local

C M CM

By Corky Mau Pocket Life

parks. Pocket Rotary Club gave him the Paul Harris Fellow award for public service.

Flores has the same passion. He was born into a family that believes in public service. He says, “It’s embedded in our family’s DNA. I enjoy staying connected to my neighbors, whether it’s through my parks role or through my work on the California Workforce Development Board’s Prison to Employment Reentry Programs.”

Five years ago, Mayor Darrell Steinberg launched 916 Day, a week of beautification and service. Flores plans this year’s effort for Sept. 9–16.

“I urge all residents and local civic organizations to participate in these park cleanup events,” he says.

Volunteers will plant trees at Land Park on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 9 a.m., replacing more than 70 lost in winter storms. Meet at the Anne Rudin Peace Pond.

OHANA WALK

ACC holds its second annual Ohana Walk on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 8:30 a.m. The route starts and ends at the ACC Senior Services campus. Entertainment begins at 10:30 a.m. A picnic lunch follows.

Last year, 750 people registered. This year, ACC hopes to surpass that number, with proceeds going to public wellness programs. Ohana Walk will celebrate local centenarians. Honorees get reserved seats in the VIP Pavilion, a complimentary lunch and other gifts. Families can organize walking teams to honor their centenarians. For information, visit accsv.org/ ohana2023.

CULTURAL FESTIVAL

St. Anthony Parish holds its annual Community and Cultural Festival on Saturday, Sept. 9, noon to 8 p.m. Admission is free, with food and drinks for sale.

Guests will find international food booths, a country store, live entertainment and family-friendly activities, including face painting, a wine spin and Oreo cookie challenge. Classic cars are on display noon to 4 p.m. For information, call (916) 4285678.

MUSIC IN THE PARK

Listen to smooth jazz at Garcia Bend Park on Friday, Sept. 22, at 6 p.m. The

CAR SHOWS

Classic car shows happen at Promenade Center on Thursdays, Sept. 7 and 21, 4–8 p.m. Car enthusiasts stand by to explain why these treasures are revered. Find the vehicles behind Device Brewing Company along Rush River Drive.

OFFICE HOURS

Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen represents Pocket and Little Pocket. She holds mobile office hours at Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library the first Tuesday of each month. Discuss concerns with her Tuesday, Sept. 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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

Vivian Lee Band entertains, with food and beverages available at food trucks from SactoMoFo.

Joe Flores (left) with Devin Lavelle

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

PARKS LEADERSHIP GETS NEW, FAMILIAR FACE

Surf’s Up

LOCALS FIGHT TO BLOCK ACCESS, BUT COURT SAYS NO

Nobody mistakes Pocket and Little Pocket for Palos Verdes Estates. But there’s a connection.

All three communities border a site of natural beauty. All have residents desperate to keep outsiders away. All have local authorities who sympathize with privilege and exclusivity, even when it’s illegal and leads to threats and violence.

Palos Verdes Estates is a rich community in Los Angeles County overlooking the Pacific. The city sits above Lunada Bay, one of California’s best surf breaks.

RG

By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

For decades, men from Palos Verdes intimidated, vandalized and assaulted people who visited the beach.

Trouble began in the 1970s and continued for 45 years. Surfers from Sacramento to Honolulu recognized Lunada Bay as hostile territory. Surfers call such places “localized.” In Palos Verdes, authorities knew Lunada Bay was dangerously localized. They approved.

The city owns the beach. Yet local officials refused to promote public access. They stood by when a group called Lunada Bay Boys attacked surfers and vandalized cars. They didn’t care when Bay Boys built a platform of stones and wood—Rock Fort—to harass visitors.

Eventually, visitors grew sick of threats, vandalism and violence. They complained to Palos Verdes officials. Nothing changed. So the visitors sued. They said the Bay Boys and city illegally localized Lunada Bay and prevented public access.

Lawsuits meandered through the courts. Several complaints filed against individual Bay Boys produced settlements. Another suit alleged the city conspired with Bay Boys to make Lunada Bay private and prevent public access.

To prove the point, visitors said Palos Verdes police were unconcerned about harassment at Rock Fort.

The case went to trial. The visitors lost. The court said the city didn’t build Rock Fort and thus wasn’t responsible for it. As for harassment, that’s not covered by the Coastal Act, the law that protects public access to state beaches. Palos Verdes and Bay Boys cheered their victory.

That might have been the end of it. But the visitors appealed.

This year, California Second Appellate District Judge Laurence Rubin and two colleagues reversed the verdict.

Rubin declared the city was responsible for Rock Fort and the Bay Boys’ behavior. Both actions violated

the Coastal Act. Why? They changed the way the public accessed the beach and ocean.

The appellate judges ruled if the Bay Boys obtained permits to build Rock Fort and block beach access, they might have been OK. But the gang lacked permits.

The court’s decision included a priceless quote from Timm Browne, former Palos Verdes police chief: “People here do not like outsiders in general. Umm, I mean, they pay a price to live here. Umm, they have beautiful views of the ocean from most of the homes in the city… so, uh, they are protective of their community as a whole, umm, I mean surfers and nonsurfers.”

When I read that quote, I thought about people who live near the Sacramento River Parkway and want to block public access to the levee and river in Pocket and Little Pocket. That’s how they talk.

The words also capture the sympathy for exclusivity demonstrated by the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. If you don’t believe me, walk the levee and look for messy temporary fences thrown up by nearby property owners.

Sacramento Levee Boys aren’t as dumb as Palos Verdes Bay Boys. Here, they obtained permits. Central Valley Flood Protection Board staff granted temporary fence permits to appease a few neighbors who complained about people on the levee looking into their backyards.

The flood board ignored the true objective. Neighbors near the river don’t care about a few trespassers. They want to kill the bike trail, scheduled for construction when the Army Corps finishes levee repairs.

The state flood board and city have spent 48 years servicing a few neighbors near the levee. That’s why it’s taken a half-century to build the bike trail. Special interests get far more love than the rest of us.

Pocket and Little Pocket aren’t Palos Verdes Estates. The Costal Act doesn’t apply to our levee. There are no surf breaks at Garcia Bend. But you catch my drift.

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

Lunada Bay, Palos Verdes Estates, is open to everyone.

‘Unlocking The Past’

HISTORY CENTER FILMS EXPLORE RACISM IN SACRAMENTO

The American Association for State and Local History has honored the Center for Sacramento History for its short film series on racism in Sacramento.

Three films in the series, produced by the center and local filmmakers, explore the Sacramento city manager’s fight to get the Ku Klux Klan out of government in 1922; the work of Sacramento’s first Black attorney, Nathaniel Colley, addressing housing discrimination in Sacramento; and John Sutter’s impact on California Indians. Three more films are planned.

“The goal with these short films is to tell stories from the region in a more complete and honest way, and to face and examine discrimination while acknowledging its long-term effects on our communities,” says City Historian Marcia Eymann.

The films feature footage, photographs and archival material from the Center for Sacramento History’s collections, as well as interviews with scholars and people from the community.

Watch “Unlocking the Past: A History of Prejudice and Racism in Sacramento” at centerforsacramentohistory.org.

GLAMOUR ROAD

The California Automobile Museum has a new exhibit, Glamour Road, focusing on art, fashion and automobiles that defined mid-century America.

Exhibits Manager ShaVolla Rodriguez spearheaded the show in collaboration with Tom Dolle, author of the book “Glamour Road.”

Visitors explore the seldom-told story of how glamour, fashion, design and styling became the focus of automotive marketing from the postwar 1940s through the 1960s. The exhibit is on display until late October.

The museum is at 2200 Front St. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for vintage (65 and older), $10 for military and students, $6 for youth 6–17, and

free for children 5 and younger. For information, visit calautomuseum.org.

RIVER PEOPLE

The Sacramento History Museum has debuted a new permanent exhibit, “Mómtim Péwinan, River People,” curated by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Exhibits and Collections Center.

The exhibit features four full-sized mannequins dressed in seasonal attire, plus regalia, tools, instruments and games from numerous tribal communities throughout the region.

The Sacramento History Museum is at 101 I St. and stands on Nisenan land in Nísem Péwinan territory, where many of the exhibit materials were gathered. For information, visit sachistorymuseum.org.

SUTTER’S FORT

Admission fees are waived to Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park while renovations to re-roof some of the fort’s buildings and install seismic upgrades are underway.

The $1.3 million project will further preserve and protect the historic structures and priceless collections at Sutter’s Fort—the oldest restored fort in the U.S.

Display items are stored onsite during construction, while some historic artifacts were moved temporarily offsite.

The fort is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the renovations, allowing visitors to observe the project firsthand and tour the central building.

The museum store is closed, but Friends of Sutter’s Fort has launched a summer pop-up shop at the historic Huntington, Hopkins & Co. Hardware Store adjacent to the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento. The pop-up shop is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Sutter’s Fort is 2701 L St. For information, call (916) 445-4422 or visit suttersfort.org.

ST. MICHAEL’S

St. Michael’s Episcopal Day School in Carmichael celebrates 60 years this month.

By Jessica Laskey Out & About

Founded in 1963, the school is dedicated to teaching traditional academic skills while helping each child develop intellectual, social, athletic and spiritual capabilities.

The private K-8 school is part of an English and American tradition of

The Sacramento History Museum’s latest exhibit features attire, regalia and more from regional tribal communities. Photo courtesy of Sacramento History Museum

This photo from The Sacramento Bee, June 10, 1962, shows picketing against housing discrimination in South Sacramento.

independent church-related Episcopal schools noted for their high academic standards, dedication to humane values and service to society. Students enjoy arts and athletics programming, STEM opportunities, frequent field trips, chapel and daily assembly, an onsite organic garden and more.

“We demonstrate the value of community engagement in preschool and continue through eighth grade,” Head of School Mary Heise says. “Every year, each class participates in service-based learning projects and charitable giving, which helps them develop compassion, broaden their perspectives and form real-world connections.”

Like many schools, St. Michael’s pivoted during the pandemic to distance learning. Upon reopening, it’s enjoyed record enrollment. For information, visit smeds.net.

SPLAT STUDIO

Dipped N Color Splat Studio, winner of this year’s Calling All Dreamers business incubator program, is open in its new storefront at 122 I St. along the Old Sacramento Waterfront.

The studio offers splat sessions and private parties so guests can connect,

create and de-stress by splatting paint on a canvas, walls—and even each other. For information, visit dippedncolorsplatstudio.com.

SSPCA GALA

A magical evening in the Emerald City takes place at the Sacramento SPCA’s annual fundraising gala, The Wizard of Pawz, on Saturday, Oct. 21.

This year’s event transports guests over the rainbow to a land of entertainment, food and a world where “there’s no place like home” for every companion animal.

The event sells out quickly. Tickets are $175 each or $1,750 for a table of 10. Tickets include table seating, food, beverages, auctions, entertainment and shelter tours.

The Sacramento SPCA is at 6201 Florin Perkins Road. To purchase tickets, visit sspca.org.

GAY MEN’S CHORUS

The Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus welcomes new Artistic Director Alex Heetland.

Heetland is a choral musician, music director and pianist who has a passion for creating queer community through singing. He has taught choirs and music theory all over the world and most recently served as the artistic director for the Quire of Eastern Iowa, a queer chorus based in Iowa City.

Heetland succeeds Christian Bohm, who retired at the end of the group’s 38th season in July. For information on upcoming concerts, visit sacgaymenschorus.org.

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

Alex Heetland is the new artistic director for the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus.

N e v e r F o r g e t Never Forget

LOCAL 5K KEEPS MEMORY OF FALLEN FIRST RESPONDERS ALIVE

The local 5K is among more than 80 events nationally by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organization founded by six siblings who lost their brother, firefighter Stephen Siller, on 9/11.

Siller was off duty when the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. He raced to his firehouse in Brooklyn and, finding the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel blocked, ran about 3 miles with more than 60 pounds of gear to the towers, where he was killed.

While keeping the memory of Siller and others alive is the main goal, the foundation created a way to make a difference in local communities through three programs.

The Fallen First Responder Program provides mortgage payoffs for fallen first responders who leave behind young families.

The Gold Star Family Home Program provides mortgage-free homes to Gold Star Families with small children.

The Smart Home Program builds adaptive homes for the military’s most catastrophically injured service members.

Over the past three years, the foundation paid off mortgages for the families of fallen Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Gibson, Stockton Police Officer Jimmy Inn, Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Ishmael, U.S. Marine Captain John Sax of Placer County and Cal Fire Captain Matt Brabo of Roseville.

“At our first race, Adam Gibson’s widow spoke,” Parra says. “She had just had a baby and talked about how the (foundation’s donation) allowed her time to get her life together and think about next steps instead of paying her mortgage. The crowd really rallied around her.”

Parra spent the last three years making connections for the 5K. She and her husband visited local fire stations to encourage participation.

At Station 5 in Natomas, they met city fire Captain Matt Schroeder, whose father was involved in 9/11 search and rescue. Schroeder and his wife, Michele, became the Sacramento 5K’s main volunteers and helped Parra reach more first responders. Their involvement made “a world of difference,” Parra says.

The Sacramento run includes speeches by family members of lost heroes, ladder trucks decorated with flags, the national anthem and honor guard duties performed by ROTC cadets from McClatchy High School.

By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Profile

As the 9/11 anniversary approaches, the third annual Sacramento Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk supports local first responders and helps remind us of brave acts 22 years ago.

“9/11 is a very personal day, in my opinion. It means something different to everybody,” says Mary Parra, volunteer race director. “What really makes this event unique is we have replica badges of all 343 firefighters who lost their lives in 9/11.”

The local run/walk is Nov. 4 at William Land Park.

“To me, New York feels so far away, but the very first year, a woman came up and found her boyfriend’s best friend’s badge,” Parra says. “She started crying and said it was so special. It’s a way for people to embrace someone who was special to them.”

“The event is a perfect pre-training ground for the California International Marathon and the Run to Feed the Hungry,” Parra says. “We also welcome people to line the route. It’s always nice to have the community come out to cheer on the (first responders) who are running and thank them for what they do.

“I have four kids,” she adds. “You never know when you’re going to be the one to call for help. We owe it to them because they make sacrifices every day for us.”

To register or for information, visit t2trun.org.

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

Mary Parra (center) with Sacramento Fire Captain Matt Schroeder and his wife Michele

Photo by Linda Smolek

Flex your well power.

The life you live and the people you love are a magical mix of chance and choice. When it comes to health care, the choices you make can really make a difference. If you’re comparing health plans during Open Enrollment, consider the advantages of a plan that connects you to Dignity Health’s award-winning doctors. And your choice of where to see them, from virtual care to medical complexes with on-site primary and specialty care, labs and imaging all in one location. All backed by nationally recognized hospital programs for heart, stroke, cancer care and other specialties.

Learn more about the Dignity Health difference and the plans we participate in at DignityHealth.org/CalPERSOE.

CalPERS members, choose a plan that gives you access to Dignity Health.

Right Steps Right Steps

CITY FINALLY ACTS TO CLEAR SIDEWALKS, MOVE HOMELESS

Unrestricted homeless camping on public property should not be accepted as an inevitability of city life. It’s neither compassionate nor practical to let unhoused people engage in unlawful behavior and flagrant drug use while they live in squalor on our streets.

This is why residents passed Measure O, the Emergency Shelter and Enforcement Act of 2022. Voters expected City Council members to see the measure as a mandate to prioritize public safety and clean up our city.

Citizens sent a message: Make our neighborhoods and Downtown feel safe again. Promote a successful

business environment. Elevate our quality of life.

Has City Council heard the will of the people? The answer, judging by council actions in August, is maybe.

The council voted on ordinance enforcement, critical infrastructure, fire code and emergency shelters. The moves are late but welcomed. Let’s call it a ray of hope.

Councilmembers adopted “response protocols” to clean up homeless camps, including criteria to prioritize camps that cause the greatest harm to public safety.

This is a tremendous help to city staff—employees who receive mixed direction and micromanagement about enforcement.

What is lacking in the council’s action was a resolution to enforce all laws and city codes equally for housed and unhoused individuals.

and Mai Vang voted no. Their votes were expected. Valenzuela and Vang consistently act to curtail law enforcement and defund police.

City Council empowered City Manager Howard Chan to select sites for “safe ground,” approved locations for street campers when sidewalk cleanups take place. This action was brought by Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a major reversal from his previous stance. It passed 5-4.

Additional authorized safe ground camp sites will support enforcement activities and cleanups, and give sidewalk campers a place to relocate. Safe ground facilities have some regulation and sanitation facilities.

They wanted to retain power to decide about homeless sites in their districts. These concerns are exactly why City Council failed to act for years. Steinberg was right to recommend placing this authority with the city manager. It’s obvious councilmembers can’t solve the problem.

Now the tide is turning. Cities are taking tougher, pragmatic actions to address homelessness. We need the same resolve.

By Jeff Harris City Realist

JHEnforcement of city ordinances has been demanded by county District Attorney Thien Ho, whose mandate is public safety. He said the August votes were “necessary first steps, but more needs to be done.” He’s right.

The August protocols passed 7-2. Councilmembers Katie Valenzuela

Councilmember Eric Guerra added clarity by calling for tent-free buffer zones around safe ground sites, plus good neighbor policies and direction for county officials to provide mental health and substance-abuse services.

Members Vang, Sean Loloee, Lisa Kaplan and Karina Talamantes voted against the proposal. They cited concerns about giving too much latitude to the city manager about the use of public funds.

If City Council adopted these resolutions two years ago, Measure O might not have been necessary. It’s a pity Sacramento suffered two years of degradation while elected representatives failed to reach agreement on homeless mitigation.

Homelessness demands bold action. The voters have spoken. Finally, the majority of our City Council has seen the light.

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

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Field of Dreams

MAYOR’S RACE FEATURES STRONG PROSPECTS, DANGERS

They take the stage like a Hollywood movie cast. Asian, African American, white. Three men and one woman. A doctor, a lawyer. Career politician. Community activist. A gay man. A Latino standing by. The only category not represented are Republicans.

The campaign for Sacramento mayor doesn’t officially start until December, when candidate nominations close. But the race has been underway for months, since Darrell Steinberg confirmed he wouldn’t compete for a third term.

Steinberg’s retirement answered the prayers of the business community, which despises him, and residents across Land Park, East Sac, Midtown and Pocket, who blame him for pouring gasoline on the homeless bonfire he vowed to extinguish in 2016.

No incumbent means an open field in the March 5 primary. But Steinberg lurks in the shadows.

Every mayoral hopeful— Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, former state Sen. Dr. Richard Pan, former City Council member Steve Hansen and activist Flo Cofer—must avoid any resemblance to Steinberg. Same with County Supervisor Phil Serna if he joins the show.

Comparisons with Steinberg swirl around McCarty and Pan.

By R.E. Graswich City Beat

All are creatures of the state Capitol, veterans of backroom deals, estranged from neighborhood

concerns that move voters in a mayor’s race.

McCarty served 10 years on City Council before nine years in the Assembly. He’s tempted to brag on his legislative accomplishments, most of which involve money for education. Good for him, but meaningless from a mayoral perspective. The city has no authority over education.

Steinberg boasted in 2016 about his connections to state government. He emphasized how those relationships would help the city. Voters swallowed it. This time they will expect more from anyone associated with the state Legislature.

McCarty left few fingerprints on City Council. He was rarely seen around City Hall. He treated his council job as a launchpad for the Assembly. His most significant council votes were big mistakes.

He voted three times against city participation in Golden 1 Center.

Had McCarty prevailed, Seventh and K streets would be an empty shopping mall. The Kings would be in Seattle. He won’t campaign on that record.

Pan has a different problem. He spent 12 years shifting between the Assembly and Senate, but nobody really knows him. His personality is—how to put it?—distant. He’s a pediatrician and med school professor whose bedside manner is more ice water than chicken soup.

If Pan is comfortable communicating through a stethoscope, voters will wonder why he seeks the mayor’s chair. Good question. The idea of Pan wrangling a raucous, profane City Council meeting is ridiculous. His legislative

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

We Can’t Wait

BY THIEN HO

The story is bleak. An unsheltered population grows by more than 250% in six years. Sixteen encampments. Daily assaults. Hypodermic needles on soccer fields. Children walking to school through human feces and urine. Unanswered calls to city authorities for help.

As district attorney for Sacramento County, my mandate is public safety. While our office would never prosecute someone for being homeless, laws apply to everyone, even unhoused people.

I was recently asked by Mayor Darrell Steinberg to offer diversion to every unhoused person faced with prosecution. The mayor’s proposal would mean dismissal of every misdemeanor committed by

an unhoused person. No input from victims. No evaluation of the crime.

The mayor’s idea, I instantly concluded, was inappropriate and unlawful.

Our office has taken appropriate steps. Together with the Superior Court, we developed strategies to divert defendants with serious mental illness or drug addiction away from incarceration. We now provide 12 alternative courts, serving almost 5,000 people.

Other recommendations will take time to develop. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants a ballot measure to create 10,000 new housing units for behavioral health patients. Archaic conservatorship protocols are under reconsideration by lawmakers.

But we can’t wait. We must act now.

Our office surveyed more than 1,600 residents. The message was clear. The time for pondering and talking has long passed. This is why in early August I gave the city 30 days to enforce its own codes and ordinances.

Our office can’t enforce city laws. We prosecute state misdemeanors and felonies. City ordinances and codes fall under the city attorney. Enforcement by

the city attorney has been inconsistent, to put it mildly.

To satisfy the city’s obligation to enforce its laws, I asked the city attorney to provide four attorneys, in different parts of town, to coordinate prosecution or diversion. I also spelled out requests for outreach and three temporary camp locations or shelters.

The temporary sites must be properly sited, not on streets or in parks or near schools, libraries, playgrounds or rivers. They must have 24-hour security, garbage removal and no nearby campers.

Areas of city prosecution must include sidewalk obstructions and pedestrian interference, park usage, storage of private property in public areas, vehicle encampments and traffic, and critical infrastructure.

I asked for monthly reports on how many people moved from supportive to non-subsidized housing, how many used city shelters or camp areas, and how many refused shelter. It’s important for the public to see these numbers every day.

Unfortunately, many unsheltered people refuse help. I asked the city to tighten the refusal option. After one

refusal, the individual will receive a warning. After the second contact, a citation will be issued but dismissed if the person accepts shelter. A third refusal brings a trip to jail and a misdemeanor citation.

I made other requests to the city. I want prohibitions on camping during the day and secure sites for unsheltered people to store belongings. My requests all comply with state and federal laws.

What happens if the city ignores my requests?

State law provides the public with protection from the decisions and indecisions of its leaders. If the city continues to allow public nuisances on municipal property, the city and its officials are accountable under the law. Dereliction of duty is not an excuse or a defense.

Our office has the responsibility to prosecute state misdemeanors. That’s what we will do. I ask Mayor Steinberg and his City Council colleagues to enforce the codes and ordinances they and their predecessors approved.

Thien Ho is district attorney for Sacramento County. He can be reached at (916) 874-6218 or daoffice@sacda. org. n

WHY THE CITY MUST ENFORCE ITS LAWS—NOW

Sacramento,CA95825

highlights included Medi-Cal stuff and the sanctity of vaccinations.

Which makes Pan a weird fit for muni government. The city’s public health duties are microscopic. If he’s interested in community health, Pan should run for county supervisor. The county runs health services.

Hansen is an intriguing candidate. Even people who don’t like the lawyer admit he was the smartest person on City Council. He out-smarted himself in 2020 after two terms. He barely campaigned against unknown Katie Valenzuela. She flanked him with support of the Sacramento River Parkway bike trail and bounced him from office.

Hansen admits he mishandled the parkway. (Another mistake was his refusal to speak with Inside Sacramento. We’ve reconciled.) He joined Lighthouse Public Affairs and improved his status with the professional class. He brings the brightest track record of any candidate on three problems: infill housing, public safety and homelessness.

If Hansen campaigns with the intensity he showed in 2012, he can advance to the November 2024 runoff and win.

Serna suffers from a substance deficiency. His late father was mayor 30 years ago, but left no lasting accomplishments. Few city voters pay attention to the county board, where Serna has managed to stay hidden and inconsequential.

Cofer, policy director for Public Health Advocates, is an interesting protest vote. She lacks funds and struggles to deliver her story to voters. Her platform is grievance, police brutality and institutional racism.

This is the deepest mayoral field since 2000, when six legit prospects competed and Heather Fargo won. In 2024, the winner can impress by not making things worse. That will be a huge improvement.

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

CITY BEAT PG 15

In late 2019, Karen Blaise and Matthew Shigihara purchased their midcentury modern home in Sierra Oaks. The couple previously lived in Land Park, where Blaise bought her first home in 1984.

“The home was in original condition, and we were excited to start a major redesign and remodel,” says Shigihara, an architect known for his design of two Sacramento water intake structures. “We were thrilled to give a new life to the home originally built in 1960.”

“After we met in 2007, I vowed I’d never leave Land Park,” Blaise says. “Matthew even designed a striking contemporary home that we considered building in place of our older home on Fifth Avenue. But sadly, the city’s design ordinance didn’t allow what we had envisioned.”

1960 Rebirth

By Cecily Hastings

Open House

RENOVATION REVIVES A SIERRA OAKS CLASSIC

Blaise’s brother lives in Wilhaggin, and the couple visited Arden often. In their eyes, it lacked Land Park’s appeal. “But when this Huntington Road home came on the market, we both agreed we’d found the perfect project,” Blaise says.

The couple embarked on a one-year renovation. “Our plan was to repurpose the rooms to fit our lifestyle. Where the dining room was is now my studio,” Shigihara says. “The kitchen, dining area, half bath and laundry room were totally redesigned.”

The home remains its original 2,600 square feet. But the couple reduced the structure to its original cinderblock walls.

The result opens with a generous entry hall that steps down into a great room. A view of new front landscaping highlights the room, along with a linear fireplace façade. Contemporary and classic modern furnishings create an open layout on new cork tile floors.

A former family room is now the dining area, which flows into a cook’s kitchen. An extra-large island makes a statement with a granite countertop. Natural finish walnut cabinets maintain the midcentury design aesthetic.

A six-burner gas range is topped by a rectilinear hood suspended from the ceiling. An enormous skylight between kitchen and dining areas brightens the space. A counter-height fireplace faces

Photography by Aniko Kiezel

Karen Blaise and Matthew Shigihara

the kitchen. The room opens to the backyard, redesigned by Shigihara.

The bedroom wing earned a repurpose. The couple combined two of the four bedrooms into a master suite with a large bathroom and walk-in closet.

“The effect is that we simplified the rooms and layout,” Shigihara says. One of the two remaining bedrooms is a guest suite with an attached bathroom. The other is Blaise’s studio. She’s a retired architectural administrator and talented craftsperson.

“We both have our hobbies—Matthew is also an artist— and now we both have the perfect studios to enjoy them,” she says.

Shigihara’s paintings and ceramic work, along with Blaise’s beadwork, are displayed throughout. The couple collects local art and ceramics, displayed on built-in shelves.

The exterior was transformed with white and black paint, new windows and front door, new hardscaping and landscaping. A Japanese design aesthetic comes to mind, something that appealed to the couple.

The back features an original covered porch updated with skylights. It creates a shady outdoor room for living and dining. Raised planters in weathering steel and fiberglass hold a sculptural collection of small trees and succulents.

Shigihara paid special attention to the fence design, with a variety of surfaces and details. He built much of the fencing.

“My favorite part of the home is the attention to the lighting,” Blaise says. “The windows and skylights provide gorgeous light throughout the day. But at night it is equally compelling because Matthew used innovative lighting details inside, and the landscape lighting is visible through the windows and creates wonderful visuals.”

A talented couple created the home of their dreams. The neighborhood got a beautiful transformation.

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

Help Us Restore Law and Order to our Neighborhoods

Another homeless encampment has sprung up in an otherwise quiet East Sacramento residential neighborhood. This is the result of a sweep from the Midtown park. The situation is getting worse. There is nothing to stop them from pitching a tent in front of your house! Ask any police officer.

•We are NOT against homeless people. Homelessness can happen to anyone.

•We are NOT homeless Homelessness can to anyone.

un housed as well as us. People who are incapable or unable to help them un housed as well as us. who are or unable to them manner of reasons need our government to support them back to a level of manner of reasons need our government to support them back to a level of human decency that every person in this country deserves. human that every person in this country deserves.

Please report Any & ALL concerns! Report everything to 311!

GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM: 916-445-2841

MAYOR’S OFFICE: dsteinberg@cityofsacramento.org

JONavarro@cityofsacramento.org Engage@cityofsacramento.org

POLICE CHIEF: Klester@pd.cityofsacramento.org

Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho: daoffice@sacda.org

Community Relations: communityrelations@sacda.org

Phil Pluckebaum (candidate for District 4 City Council Running against Katie Valenzuela) Info@philpluckebaum.com

Midtown East Sacramento Advocates: info@midtowneastsac.org

KCRA news@kcra.com

Fox40 news: news@fox40.com ABC News10: news@news10.com

CBS News KOVR: news@kovr.com KFBK RADIO 916-924-3901

Capital Public Radio (916) 278-8900

Sacramento Bee 800-284-3233

Sacramento Business Journal 866-853-3661

Turning Point Mental Health Clinic: 916-520-2460

Sacramento Mental Health Treatment Center (Director) hcaido@hcai.ca.gov (916) 326-3600

MCKINLEY PARK

•cluniecc@cityofsacramento.org

•Sacrecreation@cityofsacramento.org

•communications@annunciationsac.org

•We ARE against our government not doing what is necessary to protect the

•We ARE our government not what is necessary to protect the greater part of our society rather than protecting the criminal element greater part of our rather than the criminal element.

The Declaration of Independence declares:

•We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

These rights must be protected at all costs...for EVERYONE whether

These must be at all EVERYONE whether housed, unhoused, mentally ill or mentally competent. housed, unhoused, ill or competent. Contact your representatives and demand that they RESTORE LAW AND ORDER. The more we complain the better chance for positive change.

CITY COUNCILMEMBERS:

D1 Councilmember Lisa Kaplan District1@cityofsacramento.org

D2 Councilmember Sean Loloee Sloloee@cityofsacramento.org

D3 Councilmember Karina Talamantes District3@cityofsacramento.org

D4 Councilmember Katie Valenzuela kvalenzuela@cityofsacramento.org

D5 Councilmember Caity Maple District5@cityofsacramento.org

D6 Vice Mayor Eric Guerra eguerra@cityofsacramento.org

D7 Councilmember Rick Jennings rjennings@cityofsacramento.org

D8 Mayor Pro Tem Mai Vang district8@cityofsacramento.org

COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:

D1: Supervisor Phil Serna SupervisorSerna@saccounty.gov

916-874-5485

D2: Supervisor Patrick Kennedy SupervisorKennedy@saccounty.gov 916-874-5481

D3: Supervisor Rich Desmond Richdesmond@saccounty.gov 916-874-5471

D4 : Supervisor Sue Frost SupervisorFrost@saccounty.gov

916-874-5491

D5: Supervisor Pat Hume PatHume@saccounty.gov

916-874-5465

Assemblymember Kevin McCarty 916-319-2006

State Senator Angelique Ashby 916-651-4008

must act now by letting our demands be known to our government...loud and clear.

Read Me A Stor y Read Me A Story

LITERARY PERFORMANCE SERIES UNITES WRITERS, READERS, LISTENERS

Everybody loves a good story— better yet, having a good story read to them. Stories on Stage Sacramento, a literary performance series, delivers stories to appreciative audiences by bringing page to stage and pen to performance.

Founded in 2010, the nonprofit SOSS offers stories of all shapes, sizes and types of literature—from poetic to personal, fabulous to funny. This award-winning reading series features stories by local, national and international authors performed out loud by professional actors. Each SOSS program has a different format and focus. Stories bond reader and listener while extending community, passing on a culture that is amusing, exciting and entertaining. In this intimate experience, sharing is the key to the door of togetherness. “Sitting in a room, sharing a live performance with a group of people is so exciting,” says Jessica Laskey, SOSS executive director, who runs the series with her husband, p joshua laskey, SOSS artistic director.

“Add to that the shared experience of the authors being present,” Jessica says, “and the entire evening ends up feeling alive and collaborative in a rare and special way.”

Earlier this year, six pieces of flash fiction told brief but complicated stories of rodeo life, past loves and trust in as few as 300 words. Professional actors gave life to the tales.

in seven minutes or less before an approving audience.

A panel of three all-star judges, including journalist Vicki Gonzales, retired Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen, and actress and voiceover artist Neketia Henry, chose who would go forward in the contest.

SOSS has even seeded a similar series in nearby Davis. Merging storytelling with theater, the series fits right into the art community at the E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts in Midtown.

CLARA, formerly the century-old Freemont School, accommodates the Sacramento Ballet, Alliance Française, Brazilian Center, Capital Stage, McKeever School of Irish Dance and Sacramento Preparatory Music Academy. Creativity is contagious. Upcoming events include works from stalwart SOSS volunteers in September and creepy tales in “Friday the 13th Horror Night” in October. Go to storiesonstagesacramento. org to find a multitude of ways to appreciate words in motion. The website and YouTube link visitors to blogs, podcasts and earlier performances. The site overflows with titles and authors and ways to unite writers, readers and listeners.

By LeAne Rutherford Meet Your Neighbor

In another recent performance, a poet, a dramatist, a novelist and a writer of creative nonfiction competed in a Literary Death Match, which turned competition into more than a bit of clowning. The evening delivered an exhilarating assortment of four famous and budding authors performing their most robust writing

SOSS presents "Fall-unteers Night" at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, at The Auditorium at CLARA, 1425 24th St., featuring stories by longtime volunteers and authors Joella Aragon and Ana Cotham. For tickets and information visit storiesonstagesacramento.org.

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

Jessica Laskey and p joshua laskey

Photo by Linda Smolek

Spiritual Progress

RUDE PASSENGERS EXPOSE OUR IMPERFECTIONS

There’s nothing I love more than travel. Like the circuitriding preachers of old, I’ll fly anywhere to speak to a crowd. The only way travel improves for me is when I use frequent-flyer points for free flights.

So I was in a good mood recently as I took a free seat on a Southern California flight to see my family.

My usual airline doesn’t assign seats, so I’ve developed a strategy to find the best seat. Unfortunately, the strategy failed me this time. I took the last available spot, a middle seat over the wing.

As the plane began its ascent, the sun bounced off the wing directly into my eyes.

Squinting with a hand above my eyebrows, I asked my seatmate if she’d mind lowering her window shade.

N B NB

By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

Without bothering to look away from her tablet, she said, “I got this seat for the view. Sorry.”

Really? I wasn’t sure how anyone might consider a wing so picturesque. I wondered if there might be a spiritual way to convince her that it was in her best interest to close the shade.

First, I took the biblical highroad, trying to “pray for those who spitefully use you.”

True, I wasn’t really praying. I had mixed motives. I hoped the sight of me praying with face in palms might guilt her into lowering the shade.

When that failed, I began thinking unchaplain-like thoughts. Buckle your seatbelt lady, this just might be a turbulent flight.

I remembered how sometimes bright sunlight forces me to sneeze. I plotted a glance toward the glaring wing view in hopes I might squeeze out a sneeze. Surely then she’d close the shade. I’d apologize. Hand her a towel and call it a baptism.

Alas, no sneeze. God bless me. Then I thought about evoking a sneeze by pulling a nose hair.

Yes, I was being petty. I prayed harder. “Forgive me, Lord, for thinking such terrible things. Amen.”

But my prayer failed to restore my spiritual equilibrium. Quite the opposite. I reached for the airsickness bag and played with it a moment, wondering if I ought to recall the famous Clint Eastwood “Dirty Harry” line, “You’ve got to ask yourself one question. ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do you, punk?”

I leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “I’m sorry, God. I guess I can be a real jerk sometimes.”

Then I thought of another religious “jerk.” His birth name was Saul, but God struck him with a blinding light to rebuke him for preaching hate. And even after that blinding revelation when Saul’s name changed to Paul, he still found himself entangled with lessthan-perfect attitudes.

In Romans 7:19, the renamed Paul wrote: “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”

My plane event tells me how easy it is to bring unholy intentions to plain events.

However, if we choose to see these irritations as moments to remember God, they can become a reality check on how we walk in this world. That’s called “spiritual progress.”

In the end, I realized it’s not about my ability to be perfect, but my ability to confess my imperfections to a forgiving God.

The late Rev. Ray Stedman may have said it best: “Sometimes God simply folds his arms to wait and lets us go ahead and try it on that basis. And we fail, and fail miserably, until, at last, out of our failures, we cry, O wretched man that I am!”

But take heart. That just means, like me, most of you are frequent flyers in God’s grace.

Norris Burkes can be reached at comment@thechaplain.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. Burkes is available for public speaking at civic organizations, places of worship, veterans groups and more. For details and fees, visit thechaplain.net. n

Forgotten Savior

LEW MOREING KEPT CITY’S BASEBALL DREAMS ALIVE

Barstow is not a beautiful place to die. But that’s what happened to Lew Moreing.

Moreing was a celebrity in Sacramento, a pivotal figure in the city’s baseball history. I thought about him the other day when I realized he’d disappeared from the consciousness of local sports fans and everyone else.

Nobody attending a River Cats game today would recognize his name, or

R G RG

By R.E. Graswich Sports Authority

know what he did to save baseball in Sacramento.

Moreing died at home in Barstow, a Mojave Desert railroad town, in 1935. He had a heart attack. His wife Edith checked on him one May morning. She found him barely alive. She called a doctor, but help arrived too late.

Today he’s forgotten. But for decades after his death, anyone who knew anything about local baseball would know the Moreing legend.

In 2005, Bee sportswriter and baseball authority Mark McDermott declared Moreing the second most influential baseball person in Sacramento history. Moreing’s significance was eclipsed only by Art Savage, who brought the River Cats to town in 2000.

Moreing was a creative businessman whose interests spread from railroads to farming to mineshafts. His

contributions to local baseball went like this:

In December 1919, the Senators, the city’s Pacific Coast League team, were bankrupt and poised to move. Sacramento was the smallest town in the league and couldn’t support a decent professional team. Buffalo Park, a grandstand at Broadway and Riverside, held just 6,000.

Operators from bigger cities swooped in to buy and move the Senators. A group of local merchants, led by Leo Lobner, owned the club. Lobner wasn’t a baseball guy. He ran a clothing store. Outsiders dangled $33,000 as a Senators purchase price. Temptation ran high.

Lew Moreing had other ideas. He offered to save the Senators, cover their $14,000 debt, and build a new stadium at Buffalo Park. The merchants, not ready to be vilified for losing the town’s ball club, sold to Moreing.

The new owner was shrewd. He convinced PCL owners to give him 45% of road gate receipts, rather than the standard 40%, to acknowledge Sacramento’s small size. He required visiting teams to play Sunday morning games against the Senators in Stockton for zero box office share.

Moreing was serious about his new ballpark. In 1922, he enlarged capacity to 10,000, rejuvenated concession areas and built a department storestyle restroom for women, a luxury in baseball. Naturally, he changed the name from Buffalo Park to Moreing Field. Total costs exceeded $100,000.

The Senators became profitable for Moreing and his brother Charley, who worked in the front office. The community supported the team. Moreing found other ways to make money, mostly by selling Senators players to major league clubs.

Lew Moreing's stadium at Riverside and Broadway became Cardinal Field. Destroyed by a windstorm in February 1938, it was soon rebuilt.

Braver Angels Sacramento

In 1930, creativity sparked when Moreing learned a stadium in Des Moines, Iowa, debuted night baseball. If Des Moines could perform under lights, why not Sacramento? He ordered $10,000 in poles and lamps for Broadway and Riverside. Three weeks later, the Senators played the first night game on the West Coast.

The Great Depression ended Moreing’s adventure. Crowds shrank, debts grew. By 1934, Moreing was unable to pay bills related to his multiple businesses. Bankers foreclosed and seized the Senators. The team cycled through ownerships and moved to Honolulu in 1960.

Those are the contours of Moreing’s story. But his life transcended sports.

Born in Stockton to a father who rode a covered wagon into California, Moreing inherited his family’s grain and ranching business. He helped his dad build a 30-mile railroad from Stockton to a coal mine west of Tracy. After moving to Sacramento in 1910, he and brother Charley farmed 30,000 acres in Natomas, where the Kings would one day play.

Moreing headed to Barstow in 1934 to resurrect his mining career. He was rebuilding his fortune when he died at age 63.

Friends organized a charity game for Edith at Moreing Field. They raised $2,250. The widow sold the family home in the 1500 block of 39th Street. A newspaper ad said, “Selling for less than one-half of original cost.”

A final insult, Moreing Field was renamed Cardinal Field. A windstorm blew the place apart in 1938.

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

Gov. Gavin Newsom included $50 million in the 2020-21 state budget to stop the killing of adoptable dogs and cats in California animal shelters.

It was a bold move. Then came the hard part. How should those dollars be spent? Where can they make the biggest impact?

Here’s where things went wrong. The governor assigned the responsibility of dishing out the money to the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program.

Last year, Koret passed $15.5 million to animal shelters through grants. Another $12.5 million went to consultations, staff training, bootcamps and webinars. Did the governor envision a “no-kill state” by means of Zoom and webinars?

The first grant cycle focused on keeping animals out of shelters by encouraging “community sheltering”

C R CR

By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies

Where Is Spay & Neuter?

LET’S NOT WASTE REMAINING STATE DOLLARS

and “finder fostering.” Koret wants to stop the killing by diverting dogs and cats away from shelters through reduced intake and “surrenderprevention programs.”

The city’s Front Street Animal Shelter embraces this approach. Staff turn away healthy stray cats, many as young as 8 weeks old, regardless of whether they are altered. Management says shelters are “scary” places. Cats will find their own way home. For dogs, the public is asked to house, feed and care for healthy strays until owners or new homes are found.

The county’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter also turns away healthy stray cats, but on a capacity basis, says Shelter Director Annette Bedsworth. “If on that day, the best decision is to be outside the shelter, then yes,” the animal will be turned away. “Because there is no place for that cat to go in the shelter,” she says.

Does this approach reduce the number of unwanted cats and dogs in our community?

“New shelter trends, including the ‘community sheltering’ and ‘reduced intake’ models, have completely ignored our need for bolstered spay and neuter,” says attorney Hilary Bagley Franzoia, who headed

the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Animal Cruelty Unit and Animal Cruelty Task Force.

Another Koret grant focused on increasing “inclusivity.” Suggestions include simplifying or eliminating adoption applications, which can be viewed as a “barrier.” Koret also encourages reducing or eliminating adoption fees, which allows people to adopt regardless of income.

Earlier this year, Front Street adopted out 223 animals over eight days with a no-fee adoption event. Under the “foster-to-adopt” practice, 30 dogs went to new homes without being spayed or neutered.

Last month, the Bradshaw Animal Shelter adopted out 186 dogs and cats during a no-fee event. Under “foster-to-adopt,” 32 dogs and 88 cats were released unaltered.

“By rejecting unaltered stray animals at intake and releasing unaltered shelter animals as fosters without requiring spay/neuter, the trenders have caused more pain and suffering, more bad death on our streets, and facilitated more preventable breeding than any time in recent history,” Bagley Franzoia says.

“Our shelter tries to be inclusive to all potential adopters,” Front Street

Shelter Manager Phillip Zimmerman says. “Asking if someone is renting or owns their home not only forces people to lie to us if they believe we are looking for a way to disqualify them from adoption, but it also targets lower income families and (people of color), many of whom may not own a home.”

Animal advocates say there’s a good reason to inquire about housing status. If the adopter rents, does the landlord allow pets? If not, where will the animal end up when discovered by the landlord? Back at the shelter or, worse, on the street?

“Rather than granting money to shelters that follow their diversity and inclusion directives, Koret should be using their influence with the governor and state officials to solve the alleged veterinarian shortage,” Bagley Franzoia says.

The national shortage of veterinary professionals makes it difficult for shelters to attract and retain veterinarians and offer spay/ neuter surgeries, says Sacramento SPCA CEO Kenn Altine. “Allocating sustainable resources toward the hiring and retaining of veterinary staff is a valuable investment in the future of animal care in our community,” he adds.

Who Loves Their Garage Door Guy?

56 Catwoman?

58 Bird in a Poe poem

61 “Dagnabbit!”

62 Clothing you don’t want to be seen in, for short

63 Protective cover?

64 Speck in the sea

65 From scratch

66 Tree whose leaf is on Canada’s flag

67 Fish that can swim backward

Our clients do.

Wecalled Russ, and he was there in two hours. It was determined our system was too old to be xed so he gave us a couple of quotes for new systems and actually recommended the one that cost less. He did not charge us for that visit because he was unable to x the problem! The following Monday we received a call from Russ saying he had found a system that he thought would t and he could come the next day to install. Well, he came the next day, the system did NOT t and he had to return it but did nd one that eventually did! The operative word here is eventually. Russ was at our home all day! He did not charge any extra and now we have a garage door and opener that WORKS!!!! I want to thank Russ and let him know would recommend him to anyone needing garage door services. I only wish I knew more people that did.

-DonnaR.on

Altine reports that 2.7 million fewer spay/neuter surgeries were performed during the pandemic. “Unaltered and underaged animals are flooding into shelters,” he says.

Bagley Franzoia says, “Koret’s efforts should be spent on all aspects of free spay/neuter, including ways to recruit or entice veterinarians to perform it.”

To be fair, at the end of 2022, Koret offered grants to increase spay/ neuter services in California animal shelters. The Sacramento SPCA received $705,000 over two years to attract and retain qualified staff. Front Street Animal Shelter received $53,500 to alter pets of homeless people.

However, according to Koret’s report to the Legislature, only $8.6 million was awarded statewide for spay/neuter. Yet applications for spay/neuter grants exceeded the $50 million allocated to make California no-kill, clearly demonstrating the need.

Bradshaw’s director Bedsworth believes in targeted spay/neuter. “The

No. 1 ZIP code of animals entering the shelter is in the Florin area,” she says. Bedsworth plans to “spay and neuter all of the Florin area” using local vets and reimbursing those doctors with Koret grant funds.

“I don’t want this community to put out any money. If I can ultimately show that spaying/ neutering this one ZIP code made a difference in the number of animals entering the shelter, it’s going to speak volumes,” she says.

The big question: Where will the remaining $22 million be spent? Bagley Franzoia says, “We are at a place where the only viable solution is to mandate spay and neuter and have the remainder of the state money be devoted solely to strong public spay/neuter campaigns, which is where the state money should have been spent to begin with.”

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

68 Get cheeky with DOWN

1 Person being gossiped about on TMZ

2 Amazon Echo assistant

3 Bed frame strips

4 Titular Greek god of an Anais Mitchell musical

5 Appear that way

6 Subway alternative

7 A lot of dough goes into them

8 ___ sandies (nutty cookies)

9 Boho-chic purse

10 A long way off

11 Dump

12 Golfer’s peg

13 Conclusion

21 Enjoyed a roller coaster

22 Student getting oneon-one help

25 “From the top!”

26 “Raspberry ___” (Prince song)

27 Tosses into the mix

29 Word after “bass” or “treble”

31 Fearlessness

32 “Step right up!” shouter

33 Came up, like an issue

34 Capital of Latvia

36 Fury

37 Dragons breathe it

38 Spike on a cowboy boot

39 “Fore!” for one

42 “No ___!”

(words after a diss)

43 Smidgen

46 Clerics’ homes

49 Unsettling

50 Use the pink side of a pencil

52 Largest members of the oceanic dolphin family

53 Royal bride of 1981

54 Julie Andrews and Judi Dench, e.g.

55 Comes down in flurries

56 Osso buco meat

57 “___ do” (“Seems good enough”)

58 L.A.-based NFL player

59 Arroz ___ cubana

60 One getting special treatment, for short

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

©

2023 Andrews McMeel Universal www.upuzzles.com 3/1

Local Perfection

DIXON RANCH BRINGS TIMELESS QUALITY TO TABLE

For almost six years, I cooked at a farm-totable restaurant that bought a whole lamb every week, locally raised, sustainably grown.

We butchered down the lamb into meals and made salumi and sausage with the scraps. Bones went into our Brodo, a mixed meat stock. We cooked and sliced kidneys and tongues for salads or antipasti dishes. Every part of the lamb was used and appreciated.

I also worked for restaurants and catering companies that relied on industrial produced lamb cuts, racks and deboned legs, shipped from Australia or New Zealand, where the animals were brought to slaughter in mass for lower cost.

G M GM

By Gabrielle Myers

Aniko Kiezel Farm To Fork

As a diner, I have been to countless restaurants that opt for lamb raised, slaughtered and packed in Australia or New Zealand and shipped here. This lack of attention to local sheep ranchers and their fine products always astounds me.

Local meat products are healthier for us, benefit our native grasslands and don’t require transport halfway around the world. Local lamb from a place such as the Emigh ranch in Dixon is not significantly more expensive than factoryfarmed meat from overseas.

When I lived in Dixon, I saw how that town and the lush grasslands around housing developments supported vibrant and nourishing flocks of sheep. When I first tasted Emigh lamb, it was from a little shop the family opened in a Dixon shopping plaza.

Packed with flavor, tender and juicy, the leg and rack of lamb expressed the town’s bounty of grasslands and the undulating pastures from Dixon to Rio Vista.

The Emighs have been in the sheep ranching business for five generations. Martin and his daughters Catie and Sarah work land his great grandfather ranched in the 1800s.

“We’re doing the same thing that my great grandfather did,” Martin says. “We’re not doing anything different than they were back then. So, we’re just carrying on the family tradition.”

Photography by

Martin Emigh with his daughters Sarah (left) and Catie and grandkids.

The Emighs have a sustaining flock of Rambouillet/Suffolk sheep, and sometimes they add to the flock to meet customer needs and raise those sheep from a young age until slaughter.

Sheep are born at the ranch and set on irrigated pasture through the winter. When spring grasses start to flourish, the sheep are set out on the family’s hills near Rio Vista to eat ryegrass, clover and fescue. This is what the Emighs call “dry” or non-irrigated feed.

After this feed source is exhausted, the Emighs bring the sheep back to the ranch’s irrigated pasture.

“They’re always growing, always moving forward with their growth pattern. And then we just feed them out here until they’re ready for market and harvest,” Martin says.

Lambs live this natural grass-fed life until they are harvested at between 8 and 13 months of age.

With the variety of the sheep’s diet, one can imagine the animals are healthier and more robust, and contain more health benefits than meat from animals confined to feedlots.

This practice is less expensive and more economically sustainable for the Emighs, as the animals eat pasture grasses and not expensive feed. Traditional methods conserve water by pushing sheep to eat natural grasses rather than wasting tons of water irrigating fields that get overgrazed.

Sarah says the sheep they raise “are already natural. We’re not certified organic, but we raise the lambs organically. We don’t use fertilizers. We don’t use growth hormones. We never have, never will.”

Martin and his daughters are directly involved in the ranch work, marketing and delivery of the

lamb. Affection and respect among family members is obvious. As Sarah describes, “It’s kind of a lifestyle. It’s just what we do. We wake up in the morning and we’ve got different jobs, different tasks every day, and we just do what needs to be done.”

You can find Emigh lamb on their website in smaller cuts, as well as lamb halves or whole.

Enjoy dishes made from the Emigh ranch lamb at Localis, The Waterboy, The Kitchen, Ella, Mulvaney’s and OneSpeed. V. Miller Meats sells Emigh lamb for customers to cook at home.

For information, visit emighlamb.com.

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

Sidewalk Solutions

‘SAFE GROUND’ BRINGS ALTERNATIVES TO STREET CAMPS

Our core city suffered blows in recent years. Early in 2020, with a Downtown renaissance underway, COVID-19 stopped everything. Two months later, protests over George Floyd’s murder turned destructive. Restaurants and businesses boarded up and closed.

With state employees working remotely and several deadly gun crimes generating news, the core was a ghost town, recovery a pipedream.

Today a fair amount of pre-pandemic energy is returning. The Kings’ brief playoff run brought thousands Downtown. Increased police presence made people feel safer. We still miss state workers, but restaurants are crowded and nightlife jumps again.

That’s why it’s good to see the city take a more aggressive approach to removing homeless encampments. A swarm of tents and litter at 28th and C streets was disbanded in July, with

G D GD

By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

most occupants transferred to the expanding and city-sanctioned “safe ground” campsite at Miller Park.

Other illegal encampments remain. Tents encircle the old post office on I Street. The camp at 19th Street between J and K illegally blocks the sidewalk and features several aggressive, unleashed dogs and piles of junk.

Anyone with a heart can understand the encampments provide occupants some sense of community and safety, but tents need to be removed. Our community is fed up.

People living in deplorable conditions on the street, many with mental health and substance-abuse issues, aren’t getting help they need. Encampments are bad for businesses trying to make a comeback. There’s a major disconnect between officials promoting Downtown as safe, fun and on the way back while they allow a dangerous mess.

Much of the wrath, from the business community, media and others, is aimed at Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who campaigned on a promise to make progress on homelessness.

“The encampments need to go,” Steinberg says, “but we have to address the plight of people and we have to do it in a way that is not only legal, not only moral.”

He continues, “Absent any approved destination, people ejected from one

spot often just move a few blocks away, which is an exercise in futility that leads to more frustration.”

Steinberg and his City Council colleagues have tried several approaches, but this has been a stubborn crisis. While there has been progress, including a tenfold increase in shelter beds since Steinberg took office, and the upcoming delivery of 350 “tiny homes,” Downtown encampments remain a blight.

Now, with the August approval of his resolution directing City Manager Howard Chan to quickly identify hundreds of additional “safe ground” encampment sites like those at Miller Park, Steinberg says the city has found “a potential game changer.” The mayor believes sanctioned camps provide a legal basis to move people off streets and sidewalks.

But the city’s partners need to do more. Depending on where they’re located, it’s a safe bet we’ll see neighborhood opposition to the new “safe ground” locations.

County government, now in partnership with the city, has to step up and provide more mental health and substance-abuse treatment and follow-up. Things need to happen more quickly.

District Attorney Thien Ho, who threatened the city with civil or criminal action for not following its own

ban on encampments, needs to work more closely with law enforcement to get people into diversion and other programs.

The business community, quick to criticize, needs to offer solutions and resources to help create an all-hands approach that has proved effective in places such as San Antonio.

Steinberg knows skeptics will say the city isn’t doing enough. They are weary of hearing him and colleagues talk about the crisis. People want to see progress, not just hear about it.

“I don’t blame anyone for skepticism,” the mayor tells me. “This is about doing, not saying. But I do believe giving the city manager authority to create more safe grounds gives us a chance to answer what some people who complain never ask, which is, where are the people going to go?”

We should all hope the new approach works, and that others with a stake in solving this crisis do their part. When I revisit this problem in a few months, it would be great if there’s tangible progress everyone can see.

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

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

The PBS KVIE Art Auction is proudly sponsored by

Doctor’s Orders

Anyone faced with a health care crisis has probably experienced how the nation’s health care system doesn’t adequately serve the patients it’s supposed to serve.

“Health care has evolved from a personal, human support network to a rush-through of doctor appointments, a push-through at the pharmacy and fragmented communications with other sub-specialty medicine,” says Dr. Sarah Almilli, founder and CEO of ELAK and a licensed advance practice pharmacist.

ELAK is a local health care service with a membership subscription model for patient care. The goal is to bridge the gap between an overworked health care system and quality care. The word “elak” means “for you” in Arabic.

Born in Egypt, Almilli and her family moved to Kuwait before settling in San Diego. After college and postgraduate pharmaceutical training, she went to work for Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento. Along the way, she gained clinical and executive leadership experiences in health care.

Almilli designed ELAK to provide subscription boutique services for patients. She says, “Under our model, patients receive personal and timely support with understanding of various medical conditions, understanding medicines and pharmaceuticals, and serving as an intermediary between patients, medical professionals and pharmacies.”

She notes two disparate realities in modern health care. First, the number of people with chronic medical conditions is growing. Second, the number of primary-care doctors and staff can’t keep up with demand.

“The average number of weeks for a patient to see their primary-care

C H CH

By Cecily Hastings Meet Your Neighbor

physician in California is two to three weeks,” she says. “The average length of visit for the patient and the physician is 16 minutes. The doctor typically spends the first five minutes on the biggest problem, and then one problem per minute afterwards.”

At pharmacies, timeframes are even more compacted. Patients wait in line for 30 minutes to consult for 30 seconds with a pharmacist. “The patient most often goes home overwhelmed and unprepared. This follows a potentially new diagnosis, or a draining hospital stay with medications they know nothing about,” she says.

Next steps are predictable. Patients ask friends or family members for unprofessional advice or turn to the internet for dubious research. “Patient compliance to medication use suffers, which is a major reason patients need to return to urgent care, emergency departments or repeat hospital stays,” she says.

The solution, she believes, is quick, easy and consistent access for patients in crisis or facing newly diagnosed problems. Help must be available after normal work hours and on weekends. Another important component of Almilli’s subscription service is follow-up care. Pharmaceutical staff contact patients once a week or more as needed. “And when it’s time for the doctor’s visit, our staff goes with the patient to close any knowledge or communication gaps,” she says.

Subscription or boutique medical services are becoming popular as patients live longer and experience more health challenges. For years price barriers kept boutique medical services beyond the reach of many people, but prices have become more reasonable as more providers begin to offer local subscription coverage.

For information, visit elakhealth.org or call (818) 913-9043.

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

Sarah Almilli

Photo by Linda Smolek

HER SERVICE BRINGS PERSONALIZED HEALTH CARE HOME

Shady Propositions

CHOOSE THESE TREES FOR BOUNTIFUL BENEFITS

Sacramento’s majestic urban forest is a shady embrace. As fall approaches, return the love by replacing or adding trees to the landscape.

Trees, arm in arm with farm to fork and tomatoes, are as Sacramento as it gets. We jog, nap and dine under trees, often not acknowledging the benefits our woody friends provide.

The urban forest accommodates family gatherings, recreation and relaxation. It yields food. Trees purify air, cool homes, save energy, provide wildlife habitat and prevent soil erosion. Trees are beautiful, boosting property values.

The city’s Urban Forestry Division reported 305 street trees lost and 191 park trees downed during January storms. Officials lack precise figures for tree losses on private property, but estimate 1,500 were swept away last winter. Many more vanished from drought, stress and diseases.

More than 30% of East Sacramento is under tree canopy, which is

remarkable considering Sacramento was a prairie with scattered oaks in the 1850s. Willows and cottonwood grew along the rivers. There was no urban forest for early settlers.

Because of a concerted effort to transform flat, hot Sacramento into a shady oasis, we enjoy the results. According to “The History of Sacramento’s Urban Forest,” written and researched by E. Gregory McPherson and Nina Luttinger, Sacramento’s sparse tree count of oaks and sycamores were decimated by fires, floods and gold rush “transients” who felled trees for structures and fires.

Tree conservation and replanting began with John Sutter’s son, who donated a portion of his father’s land grant for “town of Sacramento” open space. Later, nurserymen from New England, the Crocker family and a city planner named John Nolen (Del Paso Park and the master plan for William Land Park) contributed to parks and tree conservation.

Today’s best Sacramento landscape tree choices are dictated by weather patterns, landscape limitations, water efficiency, disease resistance and beauty.

By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber

Pam Bone, landscape horticulturist and UC Master Gardener, is a frequent lecturer on trees. Bone currently lists these trees with capsule comments as her top 10 for local landscapes: Acer campestre—Hedge maple: Small (25 feet tall), lush, narrow

growth habit makes it ideal for shading the sunny side of a house with limited space. Yellow fall color. Adapts well to heavy clay, as well as some drought.

Arbutus unedo—Strawberry tree: Small, evergreen tree or multi-stemmed shrub with interest year-round. Urnshaped flowers in late fall and early winter, followed by round, yellowturning-to-red, strawberry-like fruit.

Diospyros kaki ‘Hachiya’—Japanese persimmon: A fruit tree that makes wonderful shade and is practically maintenance free once pruned to proper form. Large, leathery leaves turn brilliant red in fall. Oblong fruits are great for baking.

Laurus nobilis—Grecian laurel, sweet bay: This versatile evergreen is where culinary bay leaves come from. Best planted outside of a lawn and, once established, kept on the dry side.

Pistacia chinensis—Chinese pistache: Medium-size. Loves heat, good in well-drained lawns, drought tolerant. Great fall color of orange and red, but occasionally yellow.

Nyssa sylvatica—Tupelo: Great in lawns. Prefers moist soil, grows well in clay soil and tolerates poor drainage. Becomes a blaze of bright red, orange and yellow in fall.

Quercus coccinea—Scarlet oak: Large and adapted to well-drained lawns, yet tolerates some drought. Leaves turn reliably red in fall.

Quercus lobata—Valley oak: Our majestic, native white oak is an

excellent, large shade tree for the home. Native oaks provide benefits for birds, animals and insects.

Quercus macrocarpa—Bur oak: Large shade tree. Does well in lawns, but can take some drought when mature.

Ulmus parvifolia—Chinese elm, lacebark elm: Attractive, mottled orange-brown bark. Graceful, arching branches. Choose a tree with wellspaced branches to prevent splitting out. Adapts well to lawns and along streets.

Bone also recommends deodar cedar, crape myrtle, trident maple, river birch, London plane, eastern redbud and golden rain trees. Sacramento Tree Foundation has recommendations on its website at sactree.org.

Find the right tree, plant the tree and take a bow. You have done a treemendous good deed.

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

Photo by Linda Smolek

Artfully Sustained

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS DRIVE THIS INNOVATION CENTER

Shira Lane

Photo by Linda Smolek

ext time you’re strolling Front Street in Old Sacramento, stop at the Art Café at Atrium 916.

You won’t be served food. You’ll be served art—a ball of clay or a canvas and paints to bring out your inner artist.

“I wanted there to be a place where people can come and just hang out and make art and connect with others,” says Shira Lane, the Israel-born, Australia-raised founder of Atrium 916. “Art can be isolating and intimidating, so the Atrium is designed to be zero-barrier and as accessible as possible. Just walk in and ask a question. We’re like the atrium of the heart: As you go through us, you get more oxygen.”

Lane didn’t intend to open a full-service creative, innovation center for sustainability, but that’s what she built. The documentary filmmaker worked in Los Angeles and San Francisco before arriving in Sacramento in 2016. She saw the local talent and was inspired to create Upcycle Pop, an artistically oriented recycle market.

“I thought it would be a one-time thing for my own happiness, but the artists really liked it and the landlord really liked it and asked if I’d consider creating a coworking space in the building until it was sold,” Land says. “At first it seemed like too much work, but the artists really wanted it, so I said as long as it was completely zero-waste and could host art installations educating people on sustainability, then I’d be interested in putting in the effort.”

Lane focuses on organic sustainability. In 2006, she worked on a feature documentary about the dairy industry—inspired by her own dairy allergy—and she “fell down the rabbit hole.” She learned how unsustainable the food industry is.

That led to work with organizations such as Bono’s (RED) and Earthjustice to “do everything that I can to help drive us (to more sustainability),” Lane says. “We all dream of that beautiful future, but how do we get there? When I take my last breath, I want to know I did all that I could.”

Atrium 916 is a big part of how Lane realizes her dream. The coworking space on Folsom Boulevard grew into a hive of 18 community organizations, so Lane incorporated as a nonprofit in 2019 with a name inspired by the building’s light-filled atrium.

When COVID-19 hit, city officials asked Lane if her artists would sew masks for free to distribute to the public. Lane suggested they set up a marketplace where the masks could be sold for a modest price to make sure artists were fairly compensated.

That grew into a $35,000 operation. Lane expanded to include other items made in Sacramento. There are now more than 115 makers represented in the Atrium’s online marketplace, Sacramento.Shop.

Atrium 916 moved to Old Sacramento at the height of the pandemic when the Folsom Boulevard building was sold and inperson marketplaces were shut down. It’s one-tenth the size of the previous building, but Lane says there’s plenty of affordable space for artists, makers and creatives to develop and find a business model. Atrium’s staff provides mentorship.

Atrium is home to a gallery of rotating exhibits, plus open mic nights, jam sessions, workshops and business roundtables. During the pandemic, Atrium was the lead advocacy group on securing CARES and ARPA funds for local artists. They hosted creative economy meetings for the city “to make sure they could actually hear the creatives.”

Lane’s plans include a TV series highlighting local artists, a mobile art café and creative recycling solutions throughout Old Sacramento.

“We’re constantly piloting these programs intersecting art, sustainability and economic development,” Lane says. “We’re exposing people to the fact that, hey, sustainability is possible. It’s not as hard as you think.”

Atrium 916 is located at 1020 Front St. For information, visit atrium916.com.

By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacrmamento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n THERE ARE NOW MORE THAN 115 MAKERS REPRESENTED IN THE ATRIUM’S ONLINE MARKETPLACE, SACRAMENTO.SHOP.

Double Parked

SOUTHSIDE FOOD HEATS UP WITH 2 NEW KITCHENS

GSBy Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

Southside Park is changing. Known as a quiet corner of the grid, a sleepy residential neighborhood centered around a tree-lined park, Southside isn’t considered a dining destination.

With two recent arrivals, Southside Super and Betty, the reputation gets a reboot.

Southside Super is a breakfast and lunch counter. Taking the space of June’s Cafe on V Street between 9th and 10th, this small, mighty enterprise delivers Vietnamese and Korean comfort food.

It’s cozy and comfortable. The eight-seat counter and handful to tables cater to quickly arriving crowds. Open since April, the restaurant has fans who stop in for the

grab-and-go case and short-order menu filled with dishes found in Vietnamese and Korean home kitchens but rarely in restaurants.

Korean kimbap, a seaweed-wrapped dish similar to sushi but on a totally different flavor spectrum, is available

to go. This is a hearty lunchbox stuffer that travels well and hits hard with punches of kimchi, bulgogi and pickled radish.

Simple-sounding yet complex plates such as spicy chicken or ginger chicken over rice are good any time. Vietnamese

lemongrass beef noodle salad is a winner for breakfast or lunch.

For me, the standout is the Vietnamese meatball sub. It’s the best meatball sandwich I’ve had in years.

The meatballs are a hearty yet delicate mix of steamed pork and jicama. They fill a pocket-sized baguette. A dose of pickled veggies brightens the dish. But that’s not all. The topper is a bowl of intensely spiced tomato sauce, perfect for dipping.

I wasn’t sure I’d like a cross between a banh mi, Italian meatball sub and French dip. But now I can’t stop thinking about it.

Southside Super’s vibe is casual, with the petite kitchen on display and a cash register wedged into the corner like an afterthought. The cooking is serious. Every dish is vibrant and comforting. Every face in the place has a smile (when not stuffed with meatballs).

A few blocks away you’ll find Betty, a wine bar and bottle shop. Open less than a year, Betty turned a quiet storefront into a wine destination. Thursday night tastings are a draw with local winemakers such as Craig Haarmeyer and his radically delicious chenin blancs. Niche varietals show

up from Spain, France, Croatia and elsewhere.

Betty is welcoming. A tidy bottle shop and cozy patio provide plenty of space to sip wine and sample the kitchen’s substantial options.

Rarely does anyone visit a wine bar for the food, but the offerings at Betty are worth the trip. Lobster rolls and charcuterie boards get things started. A great lunch selection of sandwiches— oil-packed tuna, Italian cold cuts, porchetta and more—makes the wine bar a midday destination.

On top of wine, Betty offers curated groceries, cleverly paired with approachable selections of vino.

Whether your goal is to share a bottle with a friend, work your way through a beautiful selection of small plates or pop by to pick up a bottle, Betty has you covered.

Southside Super is at 921 V St.; (916) 822-4275. Betty is at 1103 T St.; (916) 415-8635; betty-wine.com.

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

Photos from Southside Super by Linda Smolek

TO DO

THIS MONTH'S CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTS

By Jessica Laskey Calendar Editor

LIVE PERFORMANCE

Beer & Ballet

Sacramento Ballet

Sept. 29–Oct. 8

James Hargrove Outdoor Performance Stage at CLARA (2420 N St.); sacballet.org

Tickets: $60

Kick off the ballet season with new works from the company’s own dancerchoreographers. One draft beer from Bike Dog Brewery or other beverage is included with each ticket.

Thurgood

Celebration Arts

Sept. 29–Oct. 22

2727 B St.; celebrationarts.net

Tickets: $21 students/seniors; $23 general

Follow the impressive 58-year career of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to sit on the Supreme Court, in this play by George Stevens Jr., directed by James Wheatley.

Fall-unteers Night

Stories on Stage Sacramento

Friday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m.

The Auditorium at CLARA (1425 24th St.); storiesonstagesacramento.org

Tickets: $15

Hear the work of longtime SOSS volunteers and authors Joella Aragon and Ana Cotham read aloud by professional actors Kellie Raines and Betsaida Lebron.

ART

PBS KVIE Art Auction

Art Preview Sept. 1–27

Auction Sept. 29–Oct. 1

2030 W. El Camino Ave.; kvie.org/auction

Over three days, this annual auction showcases 276 works of art by emerging, well-known and worldrenowned Northern California artists. The event is broadcast live on KVIE Channel 6 and online.

Sac Open Studios

Verge Center for the Arts

Sept. 9 & 10, Sept. 16 & 17, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Various locations; sacopenstudios.com

Take a self-guided tour of artist studios all over the region. Weekend 1 features studios west of I-80/Hwy 99, including West Sacramento and Woodland. Weekend 2 features studios east of I-80/Hwy 99, including Elk Grove.

Move Like Water ARTHOUSE on R

Sept. 8–Oct. 10

Opening Reception Saturday, Sept. 9, 6–9 p.m. 1021 R St.; arthouseonr.com

Check out new work inspired by the flow of water from Sacramento artist Cara Gregor in an exhibit curated by Kari Sullivan.

A Marriage of Arts & Crafts: Evelyn and William De Morgan Crocker Art Museum

Sept. 17–Jan. 7 216 O St.; crockerart.org

Explore the fruit of the union of Arts and Crafts ceramic designer William De Morgan and Pre-Raphaelite painter Evelyn Pickering in this exhibit drawn entirely from the collection of the De Morgan Foundation in the U.K.

Maureen Hood and Gary Dinnen

Archival Gallery

Through Sept. 30

Second Saturday Reception Sept. 9, 5–8 p.m. 3223 Folsom Blvd.; archivalgallery.com

Maureen Hood presents SEVEN FIVE, a new collection of mixed-media collage featuring figures, groups and floral themes. She’s joined by Gary Dinnen with new animal sculptures in his signature style.

On My Gay Wizard Shit

Axis Gallery

Sept. 2–Oct. 1

Second Saturday Reception Sept. 9, 5–8 p.m.; Artist Talk Sept. 23, 4 p.m. 625 S St.; axisgallery.org

This series of paintings by Danielle Wogulis explores themes of power, nature, the human body and fantasy.

FAMILY FRIENDLY

The River City Toy Train Show

Toy Train Operating Society

Saturday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Carmichael Elks Lodge (5631 Cypress Ave.); ttos-sv.org

Admission: $10 general; free for children 12 and younger Shop more than 75 tables of trains for sale, plus enjoy operating layouts, food and a free train set drawing for kids 17 and younger.

Chalk It Up!

Sept. 2–4

Fremont Park (1515 Q St.); chalkitup.org

The chalk art and music festival returns to bring sidewalks to life with hundreds of volunteer artists, plus live music, local vendors, food trucks, kids’ activities and more.

FOOD

Taste of North Sacramento

Friends of the North SacramentoHagginwood Library

Saturday, Sept. 23, 5:30–8 p.m.

Angel’s Center for the Arts (1023 Del Paso Blvd.); tastenorthsacramento.org

Tickets: $25 per adult, $10 each for kids over 12 Support your library at this familyfriendly event featuring food and beverage vendors, a silent auction, children’s activities and live music by jazz duo Snapdragon. Proceeds benefit North Sacramento - Hagginwood Library.

BBQ Party

Carmichael Presbyterian Church

Saturday, Sept. 16, 3–5 p.m. 5645 Marconi Ave.; carmichaelpres.org

Dig into free BBQ with all the fixings, plus ice cream, live music, games and prizes to recognize the church’s 50 years of community service.

OUTDOOR

20th Annual American River Bike Fest American River Parkway Foundation

Saturday, Sept. 9, 6 a.m.–2 p.m.

William B. Pond Recreation Area (5700 Arden Way); arpf.org/bikefest

Tickets: $80/$30 for adults; $50/$15 for children Hop on your bike or take a nature walk along the parkway’s 23-mile trail. After the ride, enjoy a festival featuring lunch, live music, kids’ play zone, community and wellness corner, craft beer garden and more. Individual tickets are available for cycling and festival or festival only. Proceeds benefit ARPF’s Parkway Connect program.

Twilight on the Bufferlands

RegionalSan

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 5–9 p.m. regionalsan.com/bufferlands

Explore Central Valley habitats at dusk on this free tour. Look for beavers, river otters, muskrats, raccoons, owls and more. Advanced registration is required Sept. 15–19. Contact Roger Jones at jonesro@sacsewer.com or (916) 875-9174.

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

Sacramento Ballet Dancer Julia Feldman in Beer & Ballet.

Photo by Tony Nguyen

READERS NEAR & FAR

1. Steven and Maria Dooley in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

2. Debbie Towne and Steve Casarez at Chillon Castle near Montreux, Switzerland.

3. Cornelis, Chitra, Chazel and Chloe Hakim in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.

4. Ken and Cassandra Mennemeier in Juneau, Alaska.

709SanAntonioWay,EastSac!

SOLD! ElkGrove-5DaysonMarket!

SOLDin3Days!

“Mary’sguidancewaskeythroughouttheprocess. Herknowledge,experience,expertiseandadvice wereinvaluable. Sheisanoutstanding REALTOR® andIwouldlovetheopportunitytoworkwithher again!” Five Star Review H H H H H HHHHH Debra R, Seller

ThinkingofListing? Let’sTalk!

“LizKearnswasrecommendedbyourneighbor,and wasveryprofessionalineveryaspect. Becauseof Liz’sexperience,localknowledge,andexperienced andsoldfasterthanexpected. Andlikeourneighbor, wehighlyrecommendLiz!” Shannon & Miriam, Sellers

JustListed! $489,000

Solid 3bd 2ba 1-story with charming brick front facade, tile roof, family rm w/frplc, formal living rm, granite counters in kitchen. Inside laundry/pantry. Apx 1573 sf, per county. 9 fruit trees, low-maint front yard w/drought tolerant landscape, quiet street, near shopping, great schools & restaurants. Won’t last!

6572BenhamWy-Greenhaven/PocketArea!

SuccessfullyRepresentedBuyers!

SOLD! East Montecito Ave!

Elaine’sdiligenceandexpertisemadeheratrue

Elaine

(916)

381-2888 landline

7141WestmorelandWy-Greenhaven/PocketArea!

SOLD! Fischbacher St, Sacto 95816!

Distinctive light & bright 3br 2.5ba two-story home of 2017sf, per county, on a spacious & private 0.27 acre lot w/solar heated pool and a gate within steps of the Sacramento River. Upgrades include quartz kitchen counters, wood floors, remodeled primary suite, whole house fan, newer 50-yr comp roof & HVAC system. Clear pest report and within the Didion Elem boundaries (K-8th). Asking $819,900

SuccessfullyRepresentedBuyers!