news Down the rabbit hole to the stories mainstream media ignored
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Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly
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january 2, 2020 | Vol. 31, Issue 38
Another piece of Tower Records history diappears
editor’s note letters essay + streetalK greenlight 15 minutes news feature arts + Culture stage
04 05 06 08 09 10 14 20 23
11 dish plaCe Calendar Capital Cannabis guide asK joey
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Cover design by maria ratinova
N&R Publications Editor Debbie Arrington Associate Publications Editors Derek McDow, Thea Rood
N&R Publications Staff Writers/Photographers Anne Stokes, Allen Pierleoni
Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live. Editor Foon Rhee News Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Managing Editor Steph Rodriguez Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Arts Editors Rachel Mayfield, Maxfield Morris Contributing Editor Rachel Leibrock Contributors Ngaio Bealum, Amy Bee, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Joey Garcia, Kate Gonzales, Howard Hardee, Ashley Hayes-Stone, Jim Lane, Chris Macias, Ken Magri, Illyanna Maisonet, Tessa Marguerite Outland, Lindsay Oxford, James Raia, Patti Roberts, Dylan Svoboda, Bev Sykes, Jeremy Winslow, Graham Womack Creative Services Manager Elisabeth Bayard-Arthur Art Directors Sarah Hansel, Maria Ratinova Art of Information Director Serene Lusano Publications Designer Katelynn Mitrano Publications and Advertising Designer Nikki Exerjian Ad Designers Naisi Thomas, Cathy Arnold
Sales & Production Coordinator Skyler Morris Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Kelsi White
Advertising Consultants Sam Almaguer, Michael Nero, Vincent Marchese, Amy Yang Director of First Impressions/Sweetdeals Coordinator Laura Anthony
Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Assistant Lob Dunnica Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Rosemarie Beseler, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Mike Cleary, Tom Downing, Marty Fetterley, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Michael Jackson, Sylvia London, Calvin Maxwell, Greg Meyers, Jeremy Meier, Jenny Plummer, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Viv Tiqui
N&R Publications Editorial Coordinator Nisa Smith Marketing & Publications Lead Consultant Elizabeth Morabito
Development Consultant Greta Beekhuis Marketing & Publications Consultants Julia Ballantyne, Chris Cohen, Joseph Engle, Laura Golino, Sherri Heller, Rod Malloy
President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Director of People & Culture David Stogner Nuts & Bolts Ninja Norma Huerta Director of Dollars & Sense Debbie Mantoan Account Jedi Jessica Kislanka Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Hansen Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins
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Area and Los Angeles, his spokeswoman said in an email. These days, City Hall is counting on state help to remake the moribund Old Sacramento waterfront into an exciting visitor destination. When the council approved another $175,000 in design work on Dec. 10, Assemblyman Kevin McCarty was there in support and joked that when council members mentioned funding, they looked at him. It’s dead serious. While the city has pledged as Sacramento Mayor Darrell much as $47 million in hotel taxes, the early cost Steinberg wants the city to get estimates total $64 million. Also, the city is explormore done at the state Capitol. ing a partnership with the state, which owns one third of Old Sacramento land, and private property owners to run the waterfront. The city is also seeking state aid on When someone who used to be California’s most homelessness. After Steinberg and other big-city powerful legislator makes a point, you have to take mayors appealed to Gov. Gavin Newsom last year, it seriously. they received $1 billion in the budget, plus more It certainly got my attention when Mayor authority to build emergency shelters. Darrell Steinberg—who served as state Senate California cities, however, are still trying to president pro tem from 2008 to 2014—declared at recover from the 2012 demise of redevelopment a recent City Council meeting that Sacramento’s agencies, which they used for 60 years to build advocacy at the state Capitol must be more housing and other projects to address urban blight. successful. When the Legislature reconvenes Jan. 6, He’s right: The city should be getting more Sacramento will have a long wish list. It includes help and more money from the Legislature, which building more affordable housing; creating reconvenes on Monday, Jan. 6. jobs and broadening economic devel“We leave a lot on the table as a opment; investing in infrastructure city,” Councilman Steve Hansen and transportation; building agreed at a Dec. 3 committee a sustainable and “green” meeting to discuss the city’s “We leave a lot on the community; and improving legislative wish list. public safety and disaster table as a city.” Hansen said Sacramento, preparedness. as the capital city, may take its Steve Hansen Last year, Sacramento influence for granted so it isn’t councilman, District 4 fared pretty well on bills it working as hard as other cities. backed: 14 relatively minor He called for more coordinameasures became law, while five tion with local agencies such as were vetoed or failed. Regional Transit, and better use of In 2019, his first year as governor, the connections built by Sacramentans Newsom was somewhat distracted by deadly who have worked in the Legislature. wildfires and PG&E’s bankruptcy, the city’s Steinberg believes that local community leaders lobbyists at the state Capitol told the council’s Law and elected officials should pay as much attention and Legislation Committee on Dec. 3. In 2020, to state government as they do Congress and the Newsom will focus on his campaign priorities federal government, says his spokeswoman. He of climate change, environmental protection and proposes a multi-day lobbying blitz similar to the housing, said California Advisors, which the city annual Cap-to-Cap trip to Washington, D.C., orgapays $12,000 a month. nized by the Sacramento Metro Chamber. (Nearly Sacramento needs state help and money to get 400 officials and business leaders are set for the big things done. And that, as Steinberg says, means 50th edition April 25-29). The mayor doesn’t believe that Sacramento gets city officials must figure out how to win more at the state Capitol. Ω its fair share of resources, compared to the Bay Photo by Foon Rhee
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Re: “The marriage guru” by Raheem F. Hosseini (Feature, Dec. 19): If you have to state that you are not a cult, you are most definitely a cult.
MATTHEW CHOUEST S acr am en t o / v i a F a c e b o o k
Beware medical credit Re: “Bad teeth, bad credit” by Manuela Tobias (News, Dec. 19): It’s not just dentists. It’s any medical and veterinarian offices that accept it.
KRISTA HAUN Sac ramen to / via F aceb ook
Soviet planning Re: “Out of step on housing?” by Foon Rhee (Editor’s note, Dec. 19): Starting in 1928, the Soviet Union issued a series of “five-year plans.” Devoid of any connection to reality, the plans failed. Now, sadly, the progressive successors to the old communist ideology think they too can just “issue” a plan and everything will fall into place. As the owner of the most affordable privately-owned housing serving the poor in Sacramento and as a contractor I tell you affordable housing is a lie in California. Every level of government is working t to make housing as expensive as possible, planning only to get the taxpayer to subsidize it.
BRUCE BOOHER Sac ramen to / v i a em ai l
Cruel and irresponsible Re: “The problem with K.J.’s comeback” by Raheem F. Hosseini and Steph Rodriguez (Feature, Nov. 14): To say I was disappointed is a gross understatement. I thought it was a cruel, irresponsible, scurrilous piece of journalism. You tacked on the obligatory never been “arrested, charged or convicted,” but then set off to condemn and punish Kevin Johnson for something he’s never been arrested, charged or convicted for. You go so far as to imply anyone who voted for him or eats
at his restaurants or “takes” a selfie with him is an enabler of child molestation. You attack his Oak Park “empire” as if his efforts to revitalize the neighborhood are evil or dishonest. Within your screed you even mention sex exploitation in the restaurant industry, blatantly suggesting that Johnson’s opening restaurants only to lure vulnerable young women. You quote his competitors and his detractors liberally but never quote anyone who defends him or what he has done. In fact, his defenders you disparage as “fixers.”
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CHIC NEW O’S FR S EE WEE& ENTERTA VOLUME KLY INMENT 42, ISSU THURSD E8 OCTOBE AY, R WWW.N 18, 2018 EWS REVIEW .COM
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ab y les fu n n , r ta From n f e lt e t h e i a t i o ckee eart r t o hhe has the s h a tru ks thr oneo, lbut lf canathe kin gs’ mer cen ter rn rul e as gen n o r t h e era l ing man r vage se r?
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GINGER RUTLAND S acr am en t o / v i a e m a i l
As former chairman and longtime member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders has a proven track record of standing up for veterans and ensuring they and their dependents receive the care and benefits they deserve. Sanders pledges to eliminate the VA benefits backlog and stop the privatization of the VA. He also plans to fill nearly 50,000 vacancies, provide $60 billion to repair infrastructure and expand the caregivers program and mental health services. Sanders is the only candidate with the political will and tenacity to make his proposals law. His effort to generate the largest voter turnout of all time will sweep new people into Congress that share his progressive vision and allow him to pass his platform. He has received more donations from military members than any other candidate. For these reasons and many more, Sanders is by far the top choice for veterans to support.
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essay
By Eric Luchini
streetalk
By Graham Womack
Asked At truitt BArk PArk:
Hopes for 2020?
Ready to launch?
Phil lozAno retired
I hope the town gets their homeless taken care of, because the town needs to take responsibility like Stockton did.
Starting a weed business isn’t easy, especially for equity applicants Sacramento is one of several California municipalities promoting social equity in the legal cannabis industry. Money and privilege are still viewed as two vehicles that allow certain businesses to thrive and build market share in this projected new industrial boom. The city is working to diminish barriers for individuals who traditionally have lacked both. But the clock is ticking. So in early December at the Sacramento Cannabis Industry Association Training Center, 12 “students” gathered to enhance their cannabis knowledge and how it parlays into developing a successful business. They had raised some seed money and received a small push from the city of Sacramento. With a month of professional guidance, they initiated a business plan that, for several of them, contained more ambition than solid cannabis know-how. Diverse in age, ethnicity, education and socioeconomic backgrounds, the class was a mix of old-school, streetsavvy cannabis dealers, small mainstream business owners and business newbies trying to decide if they have a future in the legal cannabis space of 2020. They haven’t had the money. The participants were low income at some point in their lives. Two were previously arrested for cannabis crimes. They were all accepted into the Sacramento Grow Green Program, facilitated by the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce and funded by the city’s Cannabis Opportunity, Reinvestment and Equity program. “We don’t know what we don’t know,” some admitted up front. After the first few workshops, including “Cannabis 101” and “Cannabinoids and Terpenes,” they were surprised by the complexity of the ancient plant and this newly emerging industry surrounding it. Even the old-schoolers now moving down the path to legal operation found concerns in the
JAmes Word business analyst
Eric Luchini is director of training and communication with the Sacramento Cannabis Industry Association Training Center.
current state of an industry they previously knew with a different face. “Are we too late?” they asked. “Can we catch up?” And, “will grandma buy our products?” The 55-plus crowd will fuel the industry’s revenue over the next five years. Companies that have been legal, compliant and financially backed for several years already own valuable shelf space catering to grandma and grandpa and all shoppers in between. Social equity entrants arriving in 2020 must now find a market niche or fight for a fraction of this space. It won’t be easy or timely unless they stop thinking about legal cannabis as legal weed. Of the 12 students in this class, three are underway with products vetted from their gray market days. Several others are exploring niches should find success, but only if they embrace their opportunity, navigate the legalities and find their ideal customer base. A weed business is difficult. The chase for the golden ring—a brickand-mortar dispensary—may not be part of this current class’s goals. Financial resources, license expansion and prime locations are still questionable as we enter 2020. One couple from the class is taking a different path by opening a coffee shop on Florin Road, an area underserved for both quality coffee and cannabis. Their game plan to success: start with coffee, wait for rezoning then add CBD-fueled coffee when allowed. They see a niche, and hope to be able to exploit it. Ω
The chase for the golden ring—a brick-and-mortar dispensary—may not be part of this current class’s goals.
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I think the main thing I’m looking forward to in 2020 is Trump being impeached and removed. And I’m moving into a new house.
BridGet BArsot ti teacher
Just a new beginning for a new year, a new chapter. And for the coming election, to get a new president in there.
sAr Ad r Ai nurse
The thing I’m looking forward to the most is the election, Trump being out of office. But other than that, the Niners winning the Super Bowl would be nice.
krist y PAPke state worker
I’m looking forward to a brand-new life because I’m getting out of a long-term relationship. So I’m just looking forward to starting over and feeling like myself again.
CAmeron Gr ACe marketing worker
My wife is pregnant. So having our first kid, I’d say, tops the list.
A shared vision for
2020 Make these New Year’s resolutions stick BY YVONNE R. WALKER P R E S I D E N T, S E I U L O C A L 1 0 0 0
E
very single day, we have the opportunity to change people’s lives. In fact, we not only have the opportunity, but the responsibility, to make sure that in the fifth largest economy in the world, everyone can live the California Dream. The California Dream — the idea that every person can achieve a better life, regardless of where they start out — is central to who we are as Californians. But even with the fifth largest economy in the world, too many Californians cannot afford to live here. When people cannot afford basic necessities like housing, health care, education and child care, we know that our priorities are fundamentally wrong. Something must change. And through our leadership, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to change the priorities and choices of policy makers. We have the responsibility to end structural racism in order to validate that black lives truly matter. We have the responsibility to end poverty in California by ensuring that everyone has a livable wage — because nothing stops homelessness like a middle class job. We have a
responsibility in the fifth largest economy in the world to make sure that our reach always exceeds our grasp. As we discuss the wide variety of components that make up the California Dream, it quickly becomes apparent that this issue extends well beyond Local 1000.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan Fortunately, because we collectively lead and collaborate with so many different partners in California and across the country, we have the opportunity to make our voices heard, from demanding a universal $15 minimum wage to ensuring that each and every worker has a union, regardless of what they do or where they work. We know that is what raises wages and we know that is what strengthens our communities.
SPONSORED BY SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION LOCAL 1000
Because we lead, we have the opportunity in 2020 to elect the people that will lift up our values and our vision to create a California for All. We do all this despite the noise and the vitriol and the hate that is spewed across the news everyday. We do this to lead ourselves and each other through it. Together, as leaders, we will rise. The journey will not be easy and the path will not be straight. Not every day is going to be “your” day. We all know that things – life – gets in the way. But by leading this change together, we will collectively face the risks, share the sacrifices, and celebrate the victories. No one has to go it alone! Here, we are warriors together, when things are easy, but especially when things get tough. So, let us begin today by celebrating all that we have to be thankful for, starting with a final reflection on 2019 and our resolutions for the new year ahead. And let’s get out there and make our vision come alive in 2020! Happy New Year.
Yvonne R. Walker President SEIU Local 1000
SEIU LOCAL 1000 1808 14th Street Sacramento, CA 95811 | (866) 471-7348 01.02.20
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15 minutes
by Maxfield Morris
ma x fie ld m@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m Bill LaGrassa and Stan Lawrence at the Sacramento Executive Airport, where the Young Eagles take off.
More than a year since the Camp Fire, we look forward to 2020 by Jeff vonKaenel
On December 12, our sister paper, Chico News & Review, had its 44th annual holiday party. It had been 375 days since the Camp Fire in Paradise that killed 88 people, destroyed 18,000 structures and left 30,000 people without housing. For a year and 10 days the Butte County community had dealt with the aftermath of this fire, including disaster relief, a severe housing crisis, businesses upended, legal confusion and grief. CN&R has produced about 300 Camp Fire stories. With an audited circulation of 38,000, compared to an estimated 5,000 for Chico’s daily newspaper (no longer being audited), CN&R is the major source of information for Butte County. While many journalists came to Paradise from around the country in the days immediately after the fire, the CN&R staff provided ongoing coverage on water safety concerns, homeowners’ negotiations with insurance companies and government agencies and the housing crisis. We covered the day-today information that was so critical for Butte County residents. I have attended nearly all of the Chico holiday parties since 1980, when I became publisher of the paper. Most years, the parties are similar. The reporters, ad salespeople, designers, distribution drivers and family members are there. We have dinner, drinks and speeches. This year, the speeches focused on how much it meant to be part of a team that produced a newspaper that was so important to the community. Staff members who have never said a word at a holiday dinner stood up to speak. Longtime Arts Editor Jason Cassidy gave kudos to Editor Melissa Daugherty for maintaining her high editing standards even under the emotional and deadline pressures of the Camp Fire coverage. We know that our news stories will have an impact on those we cover and an impact on the community we serve. 8
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So it matters that we get it right. Skilled, experienced journalists can sift through confusing, contradictory and often misleading information to figure out what is really happening, which helps our community make wise decisions. I am also proud of the work that Sacramento News & Review has done over the last 30 years. This coming year in Sacramento, we have many important issues to cover; the housing crisis, the conduct of law enforcement and the budget crisis at Sacramento City Unified School District are just a few. Over the last three decades in Sacramento, The Sacramento Bee has also been providing accurate information on critical community issues. Even with greatly reduced staff, they still provide some excellent coverage. For example, Sam Stanton and Molly Sullivan’s recently reported on Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies who kept their jobs even after videos showed them abusing prisoners. Who knows what will happen with The Bee this next year—more cutbacks or even bankruptcy? While SN&R’s difficulties seem small compared to McClatchy’s, we face challenges as well. Our community, like Butte County, needs reliable information on critical issues. When traditional ways of funding journalism are not sustaining our news organizations, we need to develop new ways. Collaborative partnerships with other media and foundations, along with ongoing support from our readers through our nonprofit fund, could help make our model sustainable. If you appreciate our coverage, consider making a donation to independentjournalismfund.org. Support our advertisers. And thank you for reading. Ω
PHOTO BY MAXFIELD MORRIS
First-time flyers “Sorry I’m sweaty, I’ve been working on an airplane,” Stan Lawrence said, as he sat down in the Sacramento Executive Airport to talk about the Young Eagles program. The nationwide program began in 1992, started by the U.S. Experimental Aircraft Association to introduce youth ages 8 to 18 to aviation, and has since taken more than 2 million youths up in the air. More than 100 of those introductions to flight were helmed by Bill LaGrassa, a local flight enthusiast and Young Eagle volunteer pilot. Along with other volunteers, the pair work year-round with program graduates, giving them experience with maintenance, upkeep and even aircraft assembly. SN&R chatted with Lawrence and LaGrassa about the program, and about what it’s like to share aviation with Young Eagles.
What’s the goal of this all?
Lawrence: Well, the original goal was to fly a million kids by the year 2000—which we succeeded in doing. And since then, we’ve just been promoting young people into aviation. LaGrassa: That’s the main idea of the program, is you get people interested in aviation, and that’s what Stan has done by pulling our group together, the Young Eagles as well as EAA. … We may take a kid up, 8 years old, it might be his first flight; we may take someone up who’s 15 or 16 years old.
How do most people get involved in Young Eagles?
a couple of schools that he picks from. That’s why we teach them how to fly for free, actually, and we’re working on a [$10,000 EAA] scholarship.
What’s an average trip like?
LaGrassa: In most cases, we have a route that we fly out of Sacramento Executive, and we take them up for about a 20- or 30-minute flight. Lawrence: It’s a 45-mile flight, but we fly in a big circle. LaGrassa: I’ll take them out, show them my airplane, show them the engine, where it’s at, where the fuel is at—just the overall aircraft in itself. Then I load them in the airplane and try to introduce them to some of the instruments, et cetera, and then we tell them where we’re going to fly and then we take off … I usually take them up over the River Cats’ baseball field. And it depends on the interest level. The kids don’t have a lot of interest? You just take them around, do it that way; but if they do have an interest, they realize in the air how much they can see. They can see the city, they can see Golden 1.
What drove you to learn flying?
LaGrassa: As it turns out, my oldest son, he was in Germany and he learned to fly partially over there. When he came home, he took me up for a flight—and I said, geez, maybe I should learn just enough in case he can’t fly and I should fly. Make a long story short, I just kind of got hooked. In fact, I took lessons right here at Executive Flyers in 1998.
What was it about introducing people to flight that appealed to you?
LaGrassa: Well, I didn’t start flying until I was 60 years old. I took classes, and I’m so enthusiastic about it, I like anybody I can see that gets involved and excited about it. I share that excitement. You just get hooked on it, like anything else. It’s a great
Lawrence: Well, one of the things that we do is Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.
we try to work with disadvantaged kids. So one of our members used to be a soccer coach, and he recruits kids that are disadvantaged. So there are
Get more info on the Young Eagles program at eaa.org/ eaa/youth/free-ye-flights, and the local chapter at vaa25. eaachapter.org.
BUILDING A
HEALTHY
SACRAMENTO
Greater Sacramento Urban League Program Welcomes People of Color into Booming Cannabis Industry BY E D G A R S A N C H E Z
T
hirteen people of color made history recently by mastering the skills to enter Sacramento’s legal cannabis industry—with the city’s blessing.
Gateway proponents included Malaki Seku Amen, of the California Urban Partnership, an economic justice organization supported by The California Endowment.
The eight men and fi ve women became the fi rst to graduate from the Cannabis Opportunity, Reinvestment and Equity Program (CORE), at the Greater Sacramento Urban League (GSUL). They met 18 consecutive Thursday evenings, learning cannabis business development/ operations and marketing.
After negotiations, the Sacramento City Council created the tuition-free CORE in 2018. The $10,000 fee for a city permit to operate a cannabis business will be waived for CORE graduates. They will still be required to pay for state permits.
“CORE has been a long time in the making,” GSUL CEO Cassandra H.B. Jennings told guests at the December 19 graduation. “However, the progress we made is evident by our presence here to recognize” the league’s initial CORE class. After California voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, 20 years after they legalized medical pot, activists demanded a gateway for people of color in Sacramento to legally sell cannabis in their city. Underprivileged communities were disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, the activists said. Starting about 1970, thousands of people of color, particularly African Americans, were arrested for marijuana-related offenses. Their imprisonment separated families, depriving them of college educations and home ownership. Because of that disenfranchisement, black and non-black latinx people deserved opportunities to enter the legal cannabis sector, an expected $4-billion-a-year industry in the Sacramento region, the activists maintained.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg told the graduates: “As we celebrate all the fabulous advances in our city, it’s only meaningful if it’s inclusive and that it makes up ... for some of the gross injustices that have been done over time to too many people—especially people of color. “May you all start great and successful businesses.”
“ON BEHALF OF MY COHORTS, WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP [THE CORE PROGRAM] PROVIDED, GIVING US A HAND UP.” Billy Adams Graduate, CORE Program
Class speaker Billy Adams said: “On behalf of my cohorts, we really appreciate all the help [the CORE program] provided, giving us a hand up.”
“I think it’s a good gesture for the city to try to help those who were mostly impacted by the war on drugs,” Billy Adams (left), the CORE class speaker, said after the graduation ceremony. He and fellow graduate Miko Banks (right) displayed their certificates of completion. Photo by Edgar Sanchez
In an interview, graduate Miko Banks, a customer service representative for a noncannabis firm, said: “My plan is to purchase land and build an industrial, commercial building and allow other members of my cohort” to join her cannabis enterprise. Seku Amen, who aggressively pushed for CORE’s approval, could not be reached for comment because he was on vacation. The city has two CORE-training facilitators. The other: the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce, whose fi rst 50 students recently completed fi ve weeks’ training. They received certifi cates of completion, without a ceremony.
Your ZIP code shouldn’t predict how long you’ll live – but it does. Staying healthy requires much more than doctors and diets. Every day, our surroundings and activities affect how long – and how well – we’ll live. Health Happens in Neighborhoods. Health Happens in Schools. Health Happens with Prevention.
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BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state. Over the 10 years, residents, communitybased organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities.
For more info, google city of Sacramento CORE Program www.SacBHC.org 01.02.20
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An empty lot sits at 1600 Broadway across from Tower Theatre after the demolition of a former Tower Records building. Photo by Dylan SvoboDa
Tower of rubble Demolition of old Tower Records storefront takes Sacramento preservationists by surprise by Dylan SvoboDa
It may not have been paradise, and it may not have been paved over for a parking lot, but last month’s demolition of the old Tower Records building stung Sacramento historians and nostalgists alike. “It’s always a mystery when an owner fails to understand the intrinsic value of these irreplaceable assets,” Gretchen Steinberg, president of Sacramento Modern, an architectural preservation nonprofit, wrote in an email to SN&R. “You can’t fake history—no amount of brick veneer (or slick marketing/new neighborhood nickname campaign) is going to bring that mojo 10
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back once it’s been removed or knocked down.” The circa-1927 building at 2500 16th Street was technically the second storefront that late Tower Records founder Russ Solomon opened in the mid-1960s, part of a Sac-grown retail empire that would mostly thrive over the next four decades. Tower Records filed for bankruptcy and the record store closed in 2006, after which Dimple Records took the space, until its own going-out-ofbusiness woes forced it to close up shop in September. Two months later, the old, muralcaked building fell.
But was it historic? On that point, the building’s owner and local preservationists disagree.
DefInIng ‘hIsTorIcal’ Local preservationists call the building’s destruction a loss for the Broadway corridor, as well as a warning sign for other neighborhood landmarks. “Longtime Sacramentans know that these buildings had a very significant place in their hearts and minds, and were an integral part of the neighborhood’s and community’s collective memory,” Steinberg wrote.
But property owner Jon Gianulias has a much different view, calling the 1920s era structure “not historical.” The city’s preservation director, Carson Anderson, cast the deciding vote whether the building could and should be left standing. While sympathetic to those who believe that it should, Anderson determined that the former storefront was neither architecturally nor culturally significant enough to be protected as a city landmark, thus paving the way for demolition. Anderson explained that the building lost most of its architectural noteworthiness due to various remodels over the years. To him, the iconic Tower Theatre across the street and Tower Records’ former location at 726 K Street—also featuring a mural commissioned by Solomon—are more central to the company’s history. “In my judgment, those two buildings are more compelling in telling the story of Tower Records than a building that was not the first location and underwent several design modifications over the years,” Anderson said. Solomon began selling records out of his father’s pharmacy in the theater
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a cold ReMindeR building in 1941. He opened his first freestanding records store on Watt Avenue in December 1960. The franchise expanded to San Francisco in the late ’60s and Los Angeles in the early ’70s before going worldwide with hundreds of stores. The visionary entrepreneur passed away in March 2018 at the age of 92 following an apparent heart attack.
Still, advocates were caught off guard by the sudden disappearance of a building so synonymous with one of Sacramento’s most recognizable brands. After receiving a demolition permit on Dec. 6, Gianulias moved forward with the demolition days later despite advice from Anderson to first reach out to neighborhood residents and preservationist groups. Some folks, such as New Helvetia a changing bRoadwaY Brewing owner David Gull, were able to salvage some mural paint-spattered Preservation supporters point to other bricks, but only after many had already old buildings with local history that been torn down and hauled away. were preserved in some fashion as part “It’s a tough balance,” Gull said. “I of redevelopment projects. They say the own and operate a business on a corridor Hardin mixed-use apartment complex that probably needs a little more help. on K Street and the upscale And truthfully, more housing Carlaw apartments on R would be useful. But we also Street, both of which still need to try and respect incorporated existing “You can’t the legacy of what’s lost infrastructure, are when new things come into fake history.” examples of what place.” could’ve been done Gretchen Steinberg Gianulias is aiming to to Tower Records’ president, Sacramento profit off the Broadway former home and a Modern corridor’s renaissance with neighboring building a new project. A development at 1600 Broadway, plan is about six months out, he which is also slated for said. demolition. In recent years, the corridor has seen But Gianulias argues that repurposa bevy of new developments, such as the ing the former Tower storefront and the Mill on Broadway. Boosters see the area connecting building that he owns was as the next to grow into an entertainment unrealistic. and nightlife draw, after R Street with its “They had been [run] into by cars restaurants, bars and concert venue. and were not reinforced and fell to Others, however, worry that Broadway ground very easily,” he said. “Surprised they lasted that long, given unreinforced may be losing its distinctiveness. brick.”
Russ Solomon, founder of Tower Records, died in 2018.
new incentiveS to Save old buildingS Even as development interest creeps south from downtown and Midtown, Joan Borucki, executive director of the Greater Broadway District, said she’s trying to maintain the corridor’s melting pot vibe. “Broadway used to be a busy commercial hub,” she said. “And then it became just a corridor for commuters to get either from Interstate 5 or Highway 99. So we’re trying to bring back that Main Street vibe, but we don’t want to lose the eclectic diversity that goes on there.” Two blocks from the demolition site is a two-story brick building built in 1925 that houses New Helvetia Brewing Co. A little further east down Broadway sits Pancake Circus in a Googie-style building designed in the early 1960s by renowned Sacramento mid-century modern architect Sooky Lee. Both of these buildings, among others in the area, are potentially in jeopardy without the proper protections in other parts of the city, says William Burg, president of Preservation Sacramento. Despite its original brick facades, art deco architecture and plentiful neon signage, Broadway lacks a historical district status, which provides legal teeth for preservation efforts. Burg said the city conducted surveys in the early 2000s for a potential historic district, but stopped there. The Tower buildings weren’t part of the survey at the time, he noted. Designating buildings as historic makes it easier for developers to pencil out redevelopment projects, Burg said. He touted the state’s Mills Act and its newly approved historic rehab tax credit as remedies to the high costs associated with rehabilitation projects. Enacted in 1972, the Mills Act grants cities and counties the authority to provide tax relief to owners of historic buildings who actively participate in the restoration and maintenance of their properties. Sacramento adopted its Mills Act program in August 2018. The city has since entered into contracts with 10 historic property owners. The fate of the former Tower Records store could galvanize future preservation efforts, Burg suggested. “There are still a lot of potentially eligible historic resources on Broadway, and sometimes a demolition like this is a wake-up call,” he said. Ω
Sacramento’s best-known homeless charity is reminding the public that there are more people on the streets than ever—and fewer places to keep them warm and alive. Sacramento County’s most recent point-in-time homeless survey was conducted over the course of two January nights last year. The results, released over the summer, showed a jarring 19% increase in homelessness, with approximately 3,900 people living without shelter on any given night. Last week, Sacramento loaves & fishes announced that it was in “urgent need” of financial support due to increased demand for its services, which include everything from hot meals and survival gear to a drop-in preschool and legal aid. The charity is facing a run on its services at the same time that local government has pulled back. Sacramento County decided to pull the plug on its winter sanctuary program this fall after eight years, citing escalating costs. The program compensated 30 to 40 houses of worship to open their doors and provide cots and hot meals to approximately 100 single adults each night for four winter months. Meanwhile, the city of Sacramento recently closed its Railroad avenue triage shelter that could house approximately 200 people at a time. While the city has outlined a strategy to shelter some 850 people, none of those resources will be available before summer. The life-and-death implications of a lack of shelter aren’t theoretical. According to the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, 132 homeless people died in 2018, the most since the countywide tallies began in 2003 and a 54% rise since 2013. hypothermia killed one homeless person, while six died of upper respiratory causes, according to the coalition’s analysis of coroner data. Outdoor conditions caused the deaths of three people during the winter of 2016-17, one of whom died on the steps of City Hall. Loaves & Fishes relies on public and private donations rather than government funds. Its development director, Kala Haley-Clark, said that donors are especially needed at this moment and directed the public to sacloaves.org/donate.php. “Not enough of our neighbors know just how much we do for our guests, or how much we rely on our supporters to do what we do,” she said in the release. (Scott Thomas Anderson and Raheem F. Hosseini)
fluShing the gM The Del Paso Manor Water District board fired its general manager a week after he spoke to SN&R about the embattled district’s struggles. (Read “Circling the drain,” Dec. 19.) The board, which runs a district that provides water to roughly 1,800 customers in the Arden-Arcade area, scheduled a special meeting for Dec. 26 at 10 a.m. Shortly after opening the meeting, the board went into an approximately 90-minute closed session. Afterward, the board’s legal counsel announced G.M. Leo Havener had been fired for cause—though this cause was unclear to meeting attendees. “I heard it was because he talked to you,” district resident Carol Rose told SN&R. Since being elected in November 2019, Burt and Lenahan have clashed continuously with district staff. Former general manager Debra Sedwick and two staffers quit May 31. Havener, who was hired in August on a six-month contract, almost quit in november. He wasn’t present for the Dec. 26 meeting. “It’s a very hostile environment with these folks,” Havener previously told SN&R. Reached on Dec. 27, board president John Lenahan expressed surprise SN&R was doing another story about the district, said he was at work and quickly hung up. (Graham Womack)
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California Northstate University’s proposed hospital would be located in Elk Grove’s Stonelake neighborhood, near the site of its current school campus. Photo by Scott thomaS anderSon
Complicated diagnosis As Northstate University pursues a new hospital in Elk Grove, state regulators take action against its medical school by Scott thomaS anderSon
A private medical school that’s trying to build a controversial medical campus in Elk Grove has run into trouble with state regulators regarding its education programs. Over the summer, state officials ordered California Northstate University to stop offering two programs that haven’t been approved by the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education. Northstate is appealing the decision, even as it tries to convince skeptical Elk Grove residents that it can be a transparent developer. Now the project’s critics are pointing to the school’s ongoing regulatory issues as a sign that it can’t. For more than a year, the city has grappled with whether the public safety benefits of a hospital and emergency room outweigh displacing small businesses and imperiling a wildlife habitat. According to a citation issued by the state Department of Consumer Affairs, the trouble for Northstate started in the spring of 2018, some eight months before the 12
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private medical and pharmaceutical school announced its plans to build a teaching hospital and level-two trauma center in Elk Grove’s Stonelake neighborhood. The center would be adjacent to its current campus on West Taron Drive. On April 26, 2018, state officials launched “an unannounced compliance inspection” at Northestate’s Elk Grove headquarters. Regulators wrote that they found no administrative staff to provide access to the school’s student and institutional records for inspection. Furthermore, they determined that the school had failed to make corrections to a “school performance fact sheet” that the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education had mandated. Bureau regulators also took issue with two popular programs that Northstate offers. “Prior to and during the inspection, Bureau staff found that the institution advertises on its website and in the institution’s catalog, a Bachelor of Scienceto-Doctor of Medicine (BS-MD) program
sc o tta @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m
and a Bachelor of Science-to-Doctor of Pharmacy (BS-PharmD) program that is not approved by the Bureau,” officials later wrote in their citation. These events were generally unknown to the public as Northstate spent the first half of 2019 conducting outreach to assuage concerns about its proposed hospital. The project has been championed by Elk Grove Mayor Steve Ly, who has stressed that the proposed trauma center would reduce ambulance rides from 20 minutes to five minutes for city residents. But the proposed hospital has faced concerns that it would increase traffic, noise and crime in the Stonelake neighborhood. The hospital would displace at least seven local businesses and put a helipad near the federally protected Stonelake Wetlands Preserve, which some residents worry is a danger to birds using the flyway. This isn’t the first time Elk Grove has debated an embattled development project, one of which, a mall along the Highway 99 corridor, eventually sat half-built and abandoned for years in the wake of the
recession. The “ghost mall” has made some residents especially sensitive to projects that they believe aren’t fully fleshed out. “My No. 1 concern is they’re going to start a project without having the know-how and expertise to complete it,” said Daisey Hughes, who has lived in Elk Grove for 10 years. “I’m concerned because we don’t want another failed project in Elk Grove like the ghost mall.” California Northstate CEO Alvin Cheung has attempted to offer reassurances at Elk Grove City Council meetings, telling elected officials and the public that his company wants to build a first-class medical facility. But while Cheung made his public appeals, state regulators fined his private school for ignoring questions about the integrity of its educational programs. On July 19, state consumer affairs officials determined that Northstate still had not addressed the issues they had flagged three months earlier and cited the school for nine state code violations, fined it $6,501 and issued it an abatement order, demanding Northstate cease offering its bachelor’s degrees in medicine and pharmacy. Northstate is in the process of appealing the citations and orders. As of last week, Northstate was still advertising the two programs in question. According to Northstate’s official website, tuition, fees and related costs for its Bachelor of Science-to-Doctor of Pharmacy program runs around $79,000 a year and $190,000 to $210,000 for a four-year degree. Northstate University spokesman and attorney Paul Wagstaffe could not be reached for comment. For the grassroots group Neighbors Ensuring Stonelake Transparency, which first brought Northstate’s citations to light, the company’s regulatory issues offer a preview of what Elk Grove residents can expect from the hospital project. “I think it’s basically a sign of failure,” Hughes said. “We might be trusting them to build something that’s not in their abilities. This issue with the state is still out there and unresolved.” Staci Anderson, another Stonelake resident and member of NEST, agrees. “It underscores the fact that everything [Northstate] attempts to accomplish becomes mired in controversy,” Anderson said. “They continue to show they don’t do things the right way. In this situation, it’s the students who are paying a lot to be there—and are the ones who stand to really suffer.” □
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When Jennifer Montgomery resigned her seat on ratepayers are still getting a better than deal than the Placer County Board of Supervisors last with PG&E. spring to lead the Governor’s Forest Management “It was a business decision that was Task Force, 20 candidates vied to replace politicized,” Holmes said. her. Months after the board appointed Cindy Uhler’s board tenure has been sometimes Gustafson to complete Montgomery’s term, a stormy, with him aligning closely with quieter round of voting looms. developers and facing a 2010 recall effort. The five-member Placer County board makes But Uhler also fared well among voters in his numerous land use and policy decisions for one conservative district where President Donald of the fastest-growing areas in the Sacramento Trump received 53.5% of the vote in November region. But for years, largely the same people 2016 compared to Hillary Clinton’s 36.4%, have been making these decisions. And little according to the Placer Elections website. seems poised to change after the March 3 Uhler last won reelection by nearly 20 primary. percentage points over challenger Victor Bekhet. Just seven candidates filed by the Dec. This time, Uhler faces Suzanne Jones, who has 6 deadline for seats available in three board been affiliated with Defend Granite Bay, a group districts: Gustafson’s sprawling 5th District, opposed to development projects Uhler has which spans Auburn to Lake Tahoe; District supported. 3, which runs from Rocklin to Auburn; Uhler and Jones didn’t immediately and District 4, which includes reply to messages seeking comment. Granite Bay and east Roseville. Gustafson had a 26-year career Longtime incumbents Jim with the Tahoe City Public Just seven Holmes in District 3 and Kirk Utility District, where she candidates filed Uhler in District 4 have nine served as general manager. terms between them, and are She also spent five years for seats available running again. on the California Fish and in three board Holmes, who was first Game Commission and served districts. elected to the board in 2004, as CEO of the North Lake faces Craig Del Greco of Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Newcastle and Mike Murray of Association. Rocklin. “I had worked closely with Placer “He’s done a lot in 16 years,” Murray County for decades,” she said. said. “Sixteen years ago, I was in high school.” Her challenger, Christopher Kershner, also A member of the Placer County Republican sought the appointment when Montgomery Central Committee and a trainer by day for stepped down. Kershner, an Auburn business Stampede Consulting, Murray said he was owner, ran unsuccessfully for Auburn City motivated to run by board decisions such as its Council last November. His three opponents all support of Pioneer Energy, which hiked its rates won, and each received at least 50% more votes after borrowing $18 million from the county in than he did. start-up costs. Kershner opted to run for public office after Del Greco, who was unavailable for participating in a series of lawsuits related to comment, has also voiced concern about Pioneer prisoner civil rights claims against the Placer Energy, asking its governing board at its Jan. 7, County Sheriff’s Office, following a February 2019 meeting to consider increasing its reserves 2017 arrest. by 10 times, according to meeting minutes posted “I think everyone needs to be stood up for, not online. just people with resources, financial resources,” Like Uhler, Holmes has been a voting Kershner said. member on Pioneer Energy’s governing board. Holmes defended the long tenures of some He has reported the board’s actions to his fellow supervisors, including 21-year member Robert supervisors and advocated for Pioneer to his Weygandt, up for reelection in 2022. constituents. Holmes defended the two-way “When you look at the record, we’ve done a relationship, telling SN&R that Pioneer’s great job,” Holmes said. □
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The top
stories mainstream media overlooked in 2019
E
very year, Project Censored scours the landscape for the most important stories that mainstream corporate media somehow missed, and every year the task seems to get a bit stranger. Or “curiouser and curiouser,” as suggested in the subtitle of this year’s volume, Censored 2020: Through the Looking Glass, which includes the full list of the top 25 censored stories and much, much more about the never-ending struggle to bring vitally important hidden truths to light.
In the foreward, “Down the Rabbit Hole of ‘Media Literacy’ by Decree,” Sharyl Attkisson, an Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist, highlights the absurdity of “so many well-organized, wellfunded efforts to root out so-called ‘fake news,’” which—as we’ll see below—have significantly impacted the kinds of journalists and outlets who have historically produced the stories that make Project Censored’s list in the first place. “The self-appointed curators, often wielding proprietary algorithms, summarily dispense with facts and ideas that they determine to be false—or maybe just dangerous to their agendas,” Attkisson writes. “Thanks to them, we will hardly have to do any of our own thinking. They’ll take care of it for us.” Does that seem hyperbolic? Well, read on, dear reader. In Project Censored’s No. 2 story this year, you’ll discover Facebook partnering with a NATO-sponsored think tank to “monitor for misinformation and foreign interference.” It’s a think tank whose funders include the U.S. military, the United Arab Emirates, weapons contractors and oil companies. And whose board includes Henry Kissinger, the world’s most famous alleged war criminal. Who better to tell you whom to believe? Or better yet, decide whom you’ll never even hear from? In the beginning, Project Censored’s founder, Carl Jensen, 14 | SN&R | 01.02.20
was partly motivated by the way the early reporting on the Watergate scandal didn’t cross over from being a crime story to a political story until after the 1972 election coverage. It wasn’t censorship in the classic sense practiced by church and state since time immemorial, but it was an example of something even more insidious, because no clear-cut act of censorship or all-powerful censor was needed to produce the same result of a public left in the dark. Jensen defined censorship as “the suppression of information, whether purposeful or not, by any method—including bias, omission, underreporting or self-censorship— that prevents the public from fully knowing what is happening in its society.” The most obvious way to start fighting it was to highlight the suppressed information in the form of the stories that didn’t get widely told. Thus, Project Censored and its annual list of censored stories was born. Jensen’s conception of censorship may be light years away from how most media figures think of things. But while introducing this year’s list of stories, the volume’s co-editor, Andy Lee Roth, quotes media legend Walter Lippmann echoing the same sensitivity in his 1920 book Liberty and the News: “whether one aspect of the news or another appears in the center or at the periphery makes all the difference in the world.”
But Project Censored was never just about the individual stories; it was about the patterns of marginalization and suppression that could be seen through the lens of connecting them. In his introduction, Roth says, “identifying these unifying themes is one significant way to gauge the systemic blind spots, third rails, and ‘no go’ zones in corporate news coverage.” Patterns overlap and they don’t just connect issues and problems that those in power would rather neglect. They also connect people, communities and potential solutions, which those in power would rather see stay disconnected. So don’t just read the following as a list of stories “out there.” Read it as an opportunity to connect.
DOJ’s secret FISA rules targeting journalists The federal government can secretly monitor American journalists under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which allows invasive spying and operates outside the traditional court system, according to two 2015 memos from then-Attorney General Eric Holder. The memos were obtained by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and the Freedom of the Press Foundation through an ongoing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. This was reported on by The Intercept, whose parent company provides funding for both organizations, but was virtually ignored by corporate media. The secret rules “apply to media entities or journalists who are thought to be agents of a foreign government, or, in some cases, are of interest under the broader standard that they possess foreign intelligence information,” The Intercept reported. Project Censored cited three “concerning” questions the memos raise. First, how many times have FISA court orders been used to target journalists, and are any currently under investigation? Second, why did the Justice Department keep these rules secret when it updated its “media guidelines” in 2015?
And, third, is the Justice Department using FISA court orders—along with the FBI’s similar rules for targeting journalists with National Security Letters (NSLs)— to “get around the stricter ‘media guidelines’”? The corporate media virtually ignored these revelations when they occurred. The subsequent media interest in FISA warrants targeting Trump campaign adviser Carter Page “has done nothing at all to raise awareness of the threats posed by FISA warrants that target journalists and news organizations,” Project Censored observed. They ended with a quote from Ramya Krishnan, staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, summarizing the stakes: “National security surveillance authorities confer extraordinary powers. The government’s failure to share more information about them damages journalists’ ability to protect their sources, and jeopardizes the newsgathering process.”
Facebook partnerships and U.S. foreign policy In the name of fighting “fake news” to protect American democracy from “foreign influences,” Facebook formed a set of partnerships with three expert foreign influencers in 2018, augmenting its bias toward censorship of left/progressive voices. In May 2018, Facebook announced its partnership with the Atlantic Council, a NATOsponsored D.C. think tank to “monitor for misinformation and foreign interference.” “It’s funded by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force, along with NATO, various foreign powers and major Western corporations, including weapons contractors and oil companies, (including Chevron, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell),” noted Adam Johnson, writing for the media watch group Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (or FAIR). It went on to note that the major news outlets covering the story said nothing about any of the above conflicts of interest. In September, Facebook announced it also would partner with
two Cold War-era U.S. governmentfunded propaganda organizations: the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute. In October 2018, Jonathan Sigrist, writing for Global Research, described one of the greatest Facebook account and page purges in its troubled history: “559 pages and 251 personal accounts were instantly removed from the platform. ... This is but one of similar yet smaller purges that have been unfolding in front of our eyes over the last year, all in the name of fighting ‘fake news’ and so-called ‘Russian propaganda.’”
Proposed creation of largest protected area on Earth When news of unprecedented wildfires in the Amazon grabbed headlines in late August, most Americans were ill-prepared to understand the story, in part because of systemic exclusion of indigenous voices and viewpoints, highlighted in Project Censored’s No. 3 story—the proposed creation of an Amazonian protected zone the size of Mexico, presented to the United Nations Conference on Biodiversity in November 2018. The proposal, which Jonathan Watts, writing for The Guardian, described as “a 200m-hectare sanctuary for people, wildlife and climate stability that would stretch across borders from the Andes to the Atlantic,” was advanced by an alliance of some 500 indigenous groups from nine countries, known as COICA, the Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin, who called it “a sacred corridor of life and culture.”
“We have come from the forest and we worry about what is happening,” declared Tuntiak Katan, vice president of COICA, as quoted in The Guardian. “This space is the world’s last great sanctuary for biodiversity. It is there because we are there. Other places have been destroyed.” The Guardian went on to note: The organisation does not recognise national boundaries, which were put in place by colonial settlers and their descendants without the consent of indigenous people who have lived in the Amazon for millennia. Katan said the group was willing to talk to anyone who was ready to protect not just biodiversity but the territorial rights of forest communities. In contrast, The Guardian explained: Colombia previously outlined a similar triple-A (Andes, Amazon and Atlantic) protection project that it planned
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to put forward with the support of Ecuador at next month’s climate talks. But the election of new right-wing leaders in Colombia and Brazil has thrown into doubt what would have been a major contribution by South American nations to reduce emissions.
Billions of additional emissions from U.S. oil and gas industry Three months after the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that we have just 12 years to limit catastrophic climate change, Oil Change International released a report that went virtually ignored, warning that the United States was headed in exactly the wrong direction. The report, Drilling Towards Disaster, warned that rather than cutting down carbon emissions, as required to avert catastrophe, the United States under Donald Trump was dramatically increasing fossil fuel production, with the country on target to account for 60 percent of increased carbon emissions worldwide by 2030, expanding extraction at least four times more than any other country. References to the report “have been limited to independent media outlets,” Project Censored noted. “Corporate news outlets have not reported on the report’s release or its findings, including its prediction of 120 billion tons of new carbon pollution or its five-point checklist to overhaul fossil fuel production in the U.S.”
Modern slavery in the U.S. and globally An estimated 403,000 people in the United States were living in conditions of “modern slavery” in 2016, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, or GSI, about 1 percent of the global total. The GSI defines “modern slavery” broadly to include forced labor and forced marriage. Because forced marriage accounts for 15 million people, more than a third of the global total, it’s not surprising that females form a majority of the victims (71 percent). The highest levels were found in North Korea, where an estimated 2.6 million people—10 percent of the population—are victims of modern slavery.
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The GSI is produced by the Walk Free Foundation, whose founder, Andrew Forrest, called the U.S. figure “a truly staggering statistic, [which] is only possible through a tolerance of exploitation.” “Walk Free’s methodology includes extrapolation using national surveys, databases of information of those who were assisted in trafficking cases, and reports from other agencies like the U.N.’s International Labour Organization,” explained The Guardian, to compile its figures. There are problems with this, according to others working in the field, The Guardian noted. There’s no universal legal definition, and tabulation difficulties abound. But the GSI addresses this as an issue for governments to work on and offers specific proposals. “The GSI noted that forced labor occurred ‘in many contexts’ in the U.S., including in agriculture, among traveling sales crews, and—as recent legal cases against GEO Group Inc. have revealed—as the result of compulsory prison labor in privately owned and operated detention facilities contracted by the Department of Homeland Security,” Project Censored noted. Newly restrictive immigration policies have further increased the vulnerability of undocumented people and migrants to modern slavery.
Criminalized for self-defense On Jan. 7, outgoing Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown, who had been sentenced to life in prison in 2004, at age 16, for killing a man who bought her for sex and raped her. Brown’s case gained prominence via the support of A-list celebrities and Haslam cited “the extraordinary steps Ms. Brown has taken to rebuild her life.” But despite public impressions, Brown’s case was far from unique. “There are thousands of Cyntoia Browns in prison,” organizer Mariame Kaba, co-founder of Survived and Punished, told Democracy Now! the next day.
“We should really pay attention to the fact that we should be fighting for all of those to be free,” Kaba said. “When you look at women’s prisons, the overwhelming majority, up to 90 percent of the people in there, have had histories of sexual and physical violence prior to ending up in prison.” “In contrast to the spate of news coverage from establishment outlets, which focused on Brown’s biography and the details of her case,” Project Censored wrote, “independent news organizations, including The Guardian, Democracy Now!, Rolling Stone and Mother Jones, stood out for reporting that cases like Brown’s are all too common.” Later in January, Kellie Murphy’s Rolling Stone story quoted Alisa Bierria, another Survived and Punished co-founder, and highlighted several other cases prominent in alternative media coverage. In May, Mother Jones reported on the legislative progress that Survived and Punished and its allies had achieved in advancing state and federal legislation. “Corporate news organizations provided considerable coverage of Cyntoia Brown’s clemency,” Project Censored noted. “However, many of these reports treated Brown’s case in isolation, emphasizing her biography or the advocacy on her behalf by celebrities such as Rihanna, Drake, LeBron James, and Kim Kardashian West.”
It went on to cite examples from The New York Times and NBC News that did take a broader view, but failed to focus on sex trafficking or sexual violence.
Flawed sexual assault investigations at immigrant children’s shelters “Over the past six months, ProPublica has gathered hundreds of police reports detailing allegations of sexual assaults in immigrant children’s shelters,” the news outlet reported in November 2018. “[The shelters] have received $4.5 billion for housing and other services since the surge of unaccompanied minors from Central America in 2014 [and the reports reveal that] both staff and other residents sometimes acted as predators.” “Again and again, the reports show, the police were quickly—and with little investigation—closing the cases, often within days, or even hours,” ProPublica stated. In the case of a 13-year-old from Honduras named Alex that was used to highlight systemic problems, the police investigation lasted 72 minutes and resulted in a threesentence report. There was surveillance video
footage showing two older teenagers grabbing him, throwing him to the floor and dragging him into a bedroom. But ProPublica reported, “An examination of Alex’s case shows that almost every agency charged with helping Alex—with finding out the full extent of what happened in that room—had instead failed him.” “Because immigrant children in detention are frequently moved, even when an investigator wanted to pursue a case, the child could be moved out of the investigating agency’s jurisdiction in just a few weeks, often without warning,” Project Censored noted. “When children are released, parents or relatives may be reluctant to seek justice, avoiding contact with law enforcement because they are undocumented or living with someone who is.”
U.S. women face prison for miscarriages “There has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions, candidate Donald Trump said in early 2016, which led to a wave of denials from anti-abortion activists and politicians, who claimed it was not their position. These women were victims, too, they argued: That had always been their position. But that wasn’t true, as Rewire News reported at the time. Women were already in prison, not for abortions, but for miscarriages alleged to be covert abortions. And that could become much more widespread due to actions taken by the Trump administration, according to a 2019 Ms. Magazine blog post by Naomi Randolph on the 46th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, especially if the decision is overturned. “Pregnant women could face a higher risk of criminal charges for miscarriages or stillbirths, due to lawmakers in numerous states enacting laws that recognize fetuses as people, separate from the mother,” Project Censored explained, adding: One example that Randolph provided is in Alabama, where voters recently passed a measure that “endows [fetuses] with ‘personhood’ rights for the first time, potentially making any action that impacts a fetus a criminal behavior with potential for prosecution.” Collectively, these laws have resulted in hundreds of American women facing prosecution for the outcome of their pregnancies. In fact, a 2015 joint ProPublica/AL.com investigation found that “at least 479 new and expecting mothers have been prosecuted
across Alabama since 2006,” under an earlier child endangerment law, passed with methlab explosions in mind, which the “personhood movement” got repurposed to target stillbirths, miscarriages and suspected self-abortions.
Big Pharma ignores developing countries’ needs “The world’s biggest pharmaceutical firms have failed to develop two-thirds of the 139 urgently needed treatments in developing countries,” Julia Kollewe reported for The Guardian in November 2018, according to a report by Access to Medicine Foundation, which “found that most firms focus on infectious diseases such as HIV/ Aids, malaria and tuberculosis but had failed to focus on other serious ailments. ... In particular, the foundation called for an infants’ vaccine for cholera and a single-dose oral cure for syphilis.” It’s not all bad news. “The foundation’s report also highlighted 45 best and innovative practices that could ‘help raise the level of standard practice’ and ‘achieve greater access to medicine,’” Project Censored noted. “The report highlights examples such as the development of a child-friendly chewable tablet for roundworm and whipworm, which infect an estimated 795 million people,” The Guardian reported. “Johnson & Johnson has pledged to donate 200 [million] doses a year until 2020.” The possibilities underscore why attention is vital. Attention makes a difference, Project Censored pointed out: In an effort to mobilize investors to pressure pharmaceutical companies to make more medicines available to developing countries, the foundation presented the findings of its reports to 81 global investors at events in London, New York and Tokyo. As of April 2019, Access to Medicine reported that, since the release of the 2018 Access to Medicine Index in November 2018, 90 major investors had pledged support of its research and signed its investor statement.
But attention has been sorely lacking in the corporate media. “With the exception of a November 2018 article by Reuters, news of Access to Medicine Index’s findings appear to have gone unreported in the corporate press,” Project Censored concluded.
Pentagon to surveil social media to predict protests “The United States government is accelerating efforts to monitor social media to preempt major antigovernment protests in the U.S.,” Nafeez Ahmed reported for Motherboard in October 2018, drawing on “scientific research, official government documents, and patent filings.” Specifically, “The social media posts of American citizens who don’t like President Donald Trump are the focus of the latest U.S. military-funded research,” which in turn “is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to consolidate the U.S. military’s role and influence on domestic intelligence.” The Pentagon had previously funded Big Data research into predicting mass population behavior, “specifically the outbreak of conflict, terrorism, and civil unrest,” especially in the wake of the Arab Spring, via a program known as “Embers.” But such attention wasn’t solely focused abroad, Ahmed noted, calling attention to a U.S. Army-backed study on civil unrest within the U.S. homeland titled “Social Network Structure as a Predictor of Social
Behavior: The Case of Protest in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election.” Ahmed discussed two specific patents which contribute to “a sophisticated technology suite capable of locating the “home” position of users to within 10 kilometers for millions of Twitter accounts, and predicting thousands of incidents of civil unrest from micro-blogging streams on Tumblr.” Project Censored made no mention of any coverage of this story by the corporate media. Ω To learn more about Project Censored, including reading the expanded list of 25 underreported stories or purchasing the book, visit projectcensored.org. Paul Rosenberg is senior editor at Random Lengths News.
01.02.20 | SN&R | 17
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Colo’s spices up neighborhood Former Oak Park restaurateurs bring popular soul food north by Allen Pierleoni
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hings have been somewhat hectic since Kevin and Tamar McCree’s soft opening of Colo’s Soul Food & Seafood on Nov. 1. “We’ve been playing octopus arms” is how Kevin McCree puts it. But one look at the menu and a taste (or two or three) of what’s coming out of the kitchen and it’s apparent the McCrees have it together. Wrap your appetite around fried chicken smothered in homemade gravy, shrimp ‘n’ grits, fried catfish and oysters
dredged in house-made Cajun seasoning and fried to golden crispness. One luscious dish rarely seen in Sacramento is smoked, deep-fried ribs; a soul-food delicacy. Let’s not overlook the 10 homemade side dishes, from black-eyed peas and collard greens, to red beans and mac ‘n’ cheese. Don’t forget the cornbread. If you’re in a hurry, the menu offers an eight-item grab ‘n’ go lunch selection, starring an all-beef link, hot or mild. In fact, it was the grab ‘n’ go model (including barbecue) that established the McCrees in Sacramento after their move from Oakland. Their to-go stand, Cora Lorraine’s, operated inside Sam’s Market in Oak Park. They built a loyal clientele there (which has followed them to Colo’s) over five years. “A lot of our customers at Cora Lorraine’s came to us from North
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Sacramento and were always suggesting we find a location over here,” Kevin McCree said. “We had an opportunity with this building and took advantage of it.” Colo’s – short for “Cora Lorraine’s” (named in honor of Kevin McCree’s two grandmothers) – officially opens New Year’s Day. Several of their specialty dishes are served only on Sundays – gumbo and slow-stewed oxtails (the culinary term for beef tails, cut into segments and slow-cooked). Also, look for steamed “crab bags,” sort of a soul food version of a New England clambake. As for the recipes, “They’re mostly our originals, with a few inherited from our grandmothers,” Kevin McCree said. Kevin McCree is a culinary arts graduate of Laney College in Oakland, while “Tamar was born with a spoon,” he said. “We both had the passion to cook,” he said. “When we first met, I told her we would have a restaurant one day and she laughed. I said, ‘Watch, you’ll see.’ And now we’re here.” Soul food is a term that gets thrown around without much thought to context. For Kevin McCree, though, “It’s the most under-appreciated food on the earth. It’s labor-intensive and gets to be pricey (to make) if you’re not growing your own whole foods. It’s very comforting if it’s done right. You can taste every bit of flavor and a touch of love.” Further, soul food has a specific lineage. “I like to think it’s based around families and the very powerful history of the struggle the blacks went through in slavery,” Kevin McCree said. “Today, as we speak, the economic struggles black people are faced with kind of bring people together. When people see a soul food restaurant out here, it brings those who can identify with it a little hope for their lives. But it’s made for all to love and enjoy.”
Colo’s soul Food & seaFood 2326 Del Paso Blvd. 916-692-8948, www.colosgotsoul.com
We’re ringing in the neW Year With 20/20
upComing events MonDay, Jan. 6 Supporting Mothers in Recovery 5 p.m. Free Join other moms in the community and stay committed to your goals with the support of those who empathize with your experiences. Free playcare and snacks are offered for children, so you can really engage in the self-care time! Participants will receive journals and materials to do self-care activities. Call Joy at 916-290-8278 with any questions about this weekly gathering.
With the addition of North Sacramento Optometry, our vision for the future is “perfect”! Thank You All for these past 4 successful years!
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North Sacramento Optometry
North Sacramento Family Resource Center 1217 Del Paso Blvd., Ste B, Sacramento
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Job Coach 2 p.m.
Look good. See well. Pay wholesale.
Free Meet on-on-one with a trained job coach who will help you spruce up your resume, develop better job searching techniques, learn how to ace an interview and more! Appointment is preferred; each appointment lasts for approximately 30 minutes. North Sacramento-Hagginwood Library 2109 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento
TuesDay, Jan. 7 – ThursDay, Jan. 9 After-school Meal 4 p. M. Free Bring kids to the library for a healthy free meal after school. By satisfying hunger, the focus is put back on reading and learning. Provided for free to all youth 18 years and younger. North Sacramento-Hagginwood Library 2109 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento
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by Rachel Mayfield and Maxfield MoRRis
C O SH (2020)
Plan your year around these upcoming cultural touchstones
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Photo courtesy of the crocker Art MuseuM
CULTUREK! yum, yum! a new Wayne Thiebaud exhibit comes to the crocker this fall. Just don’t eat the paintings, you philistine!
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The kick-off Between Sacramento Republic FC’s recent Major League Soccer deal, plus plans for a big, shiny $300 million stadium in the middle of the downtown railyards, soccer is really starting to take off in Sacramento. And while the MLS hype is neat, it also opens the door for some world class soccer to take root in Sac by way of the National Women’s Soccer League. Following the 2019 U.S. Women’s World Cup victory, the NWSL has seen an increased interest in expansion to new cities, including Louisville and Sacramento. Last October, it was reported that Sacramento FC owners were close to acquiring an NWSL expansion team for the 2020 season, but plans were halted when the league announced they wouldn’t be adding any new teams until 2021. So what is there to look forward to in 2020, specifically? Probably more rumors and more buzz, but also (optimistically) an announcement for a 2021 women’s team with a name even wilder than Louisville’s “Proof Louisville FC.” Ultimately, we can look forward to thinking about looking forward to seeing an equal amount of men and women bonking balls off their melons. Very cool!
Go “Wild” for eco-friendly films
See diSh
Can world class socfragile existence cer come to Sac? The of the polar bear Washington Spirit and and the efforts of North Carolina Courage biologists to protect could use some competion. the charismatic animals. Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s Honeyland examines the work of a Macedonian bee hunter to save ailing bee populations and grapple with problematic beekeeping practices. Catch these films, plus some world premieres, workshops and discussions with filmmakers committed to sharing the world without a filter. (Jan. 16-20, various locations in Nevada City and Grass Valley).
See CalendaR
BottleRock it
Look out, a Cher-athon is coming your way!
The Memorial Day weekend festival set in scenic, wine-growing Napa Valley is just around the corner—May 22-24. It’s billed as the “first taste of summer,” despite its firm temporal existence in late-spring. Pre-sales have ended, which is interesting considering the festival’s line-up has yet to be announced. Those highly relevant tidbits of information are set to be released Jan. 6, with three-day tickets going on sale the following day. Last year, BottleRock featured headliners Imagine Dragons, Neil Young and Mumford & Sons, plus Santana, Pharrell Williams, Logic and many more. Keep an eye out for that exciting drop in a few days, or imagine which groups and artists could possibly crop up: Weird Al Yankovic? Lil Nas X? The options are endless. With three stages to fill over three days, there’s bound to be an artist of a genre that appeals to everyone’s sensibilities. Until the list gets released, consider the timeless culinary options the festival has to offer: wine, beer and food. (May 22-24, Napa Valley Expo)
A piece of the pie
Cher a little If we could turn back time, we’d probably irreparably damage the timeline of Cher’s career, forcing her into a neverending Burlesque Broadway tour that always seems to skip over the Golden 1 Center, probably because the Golden 1 doesn’t even exist. But we can’t manipulate time, so look out, Golden 1 Center, Cher’s coming to town. She’s come a long way—from playing Meryl Streep’s best friend in Silkwood to playing Meryl Streep’s mom in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. As part of her “Here We Go Again Tour,” she’ll perform some tracks off her ABBA cover album, Dancing
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Queen, along with some other hits from throughout her decade-spanning career. Sacramento’s the last stop before she calls it quits—not for real, just this tour. Probably. (May 6, Golden 1 Center).
Kalten-back Stephen Kaltenbach is the Davis artist responsible for a handful of iconic Sacramento works of art—including the fountain sculpture outside the Sacramento Convention Center, “Time to Cast Away Stones”; the enormous notattached sculpted head of a woman outside the East Sacramento Dos Coyotes on Folsom Boulevard, “Matter Contemplates Spirit”; and the Crocker’s permanent collection portrait of Kaltenbach’s father, “Portrait of My Father.” The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art will open a solo exhibition of Kastenbach’s work, “Kaltenbach: The Beginning and The End,” coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the artist’s departure from the world of conceptual art. It’s the first solo exhibition of Kaltenbach in 40 years, and the exhibit is curated by Constance Lewallen and Ted Mann. It strives to explore the artist’s relationship with time. Join the opening celebration Jan. 26 from 5-8 p.m. (Jan. 26-May 10, Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, Davis).
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Phot o cour tesy of hon eyla nd
For those with a stake in the future of the environment and humanity’s continued role living in it, there’s a five-day film festival right around the corner: the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, Jan. 16-20. Sponsored by the South Yuba River Citizens League, the 18th installment of the activism-themed film extravaganza returns with more than 100 films shown across Nevada City and Grass Valley. The films, varying from short-film to feature-length, document the many ways life is changing the world over. Eva Rendle’s All That Remains tells the story of the aftermath of the devastating wine country fires. Bare Existence sheds light on the
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Ph ot o by Piq sel s/c c by -sa 0
ith the New Year come new opportunities to take in the culture our region has to offer. From music festivals to touring acts, cultural shifts to film screenings, we run you through some great upcoming events. Grab your pocket calendar and save the dates, because this is SN&R’s not-verycomprehensive list of things to do in 2020.
See Stage
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The Crocker Art Museum has got a jam-packed lineup for the new decade, featuring art installations by Bill Viola and ceramic sculptures by Sacramento native Akinsanya Kambon, to name a couple. Winding down toward the end of the year, art-thusiasts can also look forward to a new Wayne Thiebaud exhibit. He’s best known for his bright, pop art renditions of confections such as pies, cakes and ice cream cones. Last year, his piece “Blueberry Custard” was auctioned off at $3.225 million, which seems a little high for a slice of pie— unless the paint is edible. Are people allowed to lick the paint? In addition to his more popular dessert paintings, this new exhibit will show off the span of his work, including cityscapes and figure paintings. On top of his new exhibit, he’ll also be turning 100 this November. Happy Birthday, Wayne! Here’s to a century of living and reasonably priced birthday cake. (Oct. 11-Jan. 3, Crocker Art Museum) Ω
Hang out with the bees in Honeyland at WASFM.
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n the cutthroat world of capitalism, “business is business.” But that’s not what you’ll find at Together Midtown where co-owners Rachel Minyard, Stella Manukyan and Arasia Manukyan have cultivated a creative space where small businesses thrive together. “We had this idea of a space that was really open and inclusive where multiple businesses could be functioning under one roof in a collaborative way where everyone is on the same team,” says Stella Manukyan, who also owns the Pomegranate Boutique with sister Arasia. “It’s community over competition.” Together Midtown houses several unique shops, including: • The Pomegranate Boutique • PURPOSE boutique • The Salon at Together • Mark Ohanesian Photography • Jenodora Atelier tailoring and styling services
• Sew Shop Sacramento • OAK + ASH floral design • Elysian Theory jewelry “We have businesses that are complementary, but different so it never feels like there’s a competition with one another. We tend to overlap with each other,” says Rachel Minyard, who owns PURPOSE. “It’s really about what we can do as a community to support and uplift each other and create an environment that’s inclusive, loving and successful, because we do want to be successful!” According to Manukyan, that collaboration makes Together Midtown a one-stop shop. “We’ll often have clients who will [come to] the salon and then we’ll help them with styling,” she says. “If they’re starting a new job or they’re a mom-to-be, we have great comfortable clothing for them. We have someone in house who loves to do portraits and do head shots — the whole space has a flow to it.”
Visit Together Midtown at 920 24th St. (near 24th and J streets). For more information on individual shop hours or events, visit online at togethermidtown.com or call 916-476-5533.
Events
Services
Friday, Jan. 3
Jewelry repair
The Billie Holiday Project
Call the shop for an appointment 916.346.4615
Step back to a time when swing was king! The Billie Holiday Project, led by Stella Heath, celebrates the music of Lady Day and evokes the electric and intimate feeling of experiencing Billie Holiday live in a 1930s Jazz Club. Attendants can look forward to popular tunes like “Blue Moon” and “Strange Fruit” as well as lesser-known songs and stories about the legendary artist. 7 p.m., $30. The Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the arts – home of B St. Theatre 2700 Capitol Ave., Sacramento
Friday, Jan. 3 Total Recall Sing along to your favorite 90s alternative songs performed every first Friday of the month by the cover band, Total Recall. 10 p.m., $5. Highwater 1910 Q St., Sacramento
SHoe SHine For more information, go online at www.shawnreginald.com or call 916-400-4060. Shawn reginald 1729 L St., Sacramento
GlUTen Free dininG Visit Sacramento’s first gluten-free cider taphouse. The establishment features a completely gluten-free kitchen, so everyone can sip and nibble in peace.
Midtown owned & operated House Made Jewelry, Repairs & Local Artisan Gifts 1111 24th Street (Corner K & 24th) • Open Daily
Cider House 1111 24th St., Sacramento
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Tips & tricks
MonTHly Moped SUBSCripTion Conscious commuting
Monday, Jan. 6 Acrylic Pour for Beginners with Creatively Carrie Create abstract art! Watch swirls, cells, and flowing textures form right in front of your eyes once you learn an easy and satisfying technique. 1 p.m., $45 plus the cost of supplies – for a list of supplies email Carrie at creativelycarrie@ gmail.com. University art 2601 J St., Sacramento
little relics 1111 24th St., #103 Sacramento
Zip around town in an easy to use moped. The fully electric vehicle is available through a monthly subscription of $99 a month and comes to your home fully assembled. Easy parking, reduced congestion and no carbon emissions! Order yours at zebranow.com.
parkinG app No Coins Necessary! The City of Sacramento has teamed with Parkmobile to provide more options to pay for parking at select locations using a mobile app! You can set up a free account by calling 916-722-7275 or visiting Parkmobile.com.
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Turning the tables Role-playing games get the theater treatment by Rachel Mayfield
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24 | SN&R | 01.02.20
Michael Pollock dives deep into character as a retirement home nurse.
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It was a typical holiday party at the retirement home— bright, cheery and full of music and laughter. All was well, until Al, everyone’s least-favorite retiree, ripped off a woman’s lower-lip and kick-started a zombie outbreak. That was the nail-(and face)-biting scenario of “’Twas the Bite Before Christmas,” episode six, season two of B Street Theater’s live role-playing game, Seekers of the Strange. Created by company member John Lamb, Seekers takes inspiration from tabletop RPGs—think Dungeons & Dragons or Call of Cthulhu—but it has a more theatrical approach. “I think a lot of people thought that, if you have a bunch of talented people role-playing, it’s basically theater.” Lamb told SN&R after the show. “You have actors up here trying to achieve objectives and telling stories. It’s just not scripted.” The episodes started in May 2018, and they centered around a television crew of paranormal investigators—played by core members Stephanie Altholz, Lyndsay Burch, Michael Pollock and Tara Sissom. Since then, stories have branched off to explore other characters and story threads. Lamb directs the game from a podium onstage, while the Seekers play out his scenario with little knowledge other than who their character is. It opens things up for plenty of improvised scenes and offbeat choices. “It’s typical to know only what your character knows,” Lamb explains. “So sometimes they’ll have back stories, which I write to build conflict with each other, which would be ruined if they discovered that before they do onstage.” “The first episode we ever played—you know, we each have our own private objectives,” says Altholz. “I had this objective just to get this book … I just became so myopic about it that my character—who was not a bad person—I just
murdered everybody on stage. And like, everybody helped me.” By design, audience participation is integral to Seekers. Before a show, audience members are given “secret tokens.” If a player wants to pick a lock or stab a zombie, they can solicit tokens from the audience to raise their skill level and increase their odds of picking … or stabbing. “I really wanted to get the audience involved and play with us, which is why I created the system with the tokens,” Lamb says. “To actually make the game mechanics make the audience part of the game.” They also have a bit of a cult following—a mix of older B Street subscribers and younger tabletopers, drawn in by Seekers lore and callbacks to past episodes. One hard-core attendee brings an inexplicably thick binder to every show. What’s in it? None can say. Probably character sheets, mostly. Lamb’s RPG experience dates all the way to junior high, when his mom gifted him his first Dungeons & Dragons set. He was hooked. Since then, he’s been running campaigns with friends for the past couple decades. The Seekers have also joined him for tabletop campaigns outside of the show. “We all at one point played a game with Johnny,” says Sissom. “But I feel like we’re all—in this theater—we’re all pretty nerdy. We’re just about as nerdy as you’re gonna get. But for me, I’ve never done anything like [Seekers] before, because I don’t know how many things like this exist.” Moving forward, the crew hopes to take their game show on the road, and maybe even make a stop at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which opens in August in Scotland. “We’re interested in traveling with it—almost— because John has put so much work into … all of these stories, and we play them one time in front of [a Sacramento] audience,” Burch says. “But like, what if we played another scenario again while traveling, played different characters?” Burch and the others believe that the game’s accessible nature and spontaneity can interest new viewers in joining. “It’s fun, it’s casual,” Burch says. “People can sit at tables or chairs and have a drink and play with us.” Ω
Seek out Seekers of the Strange 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5. tickets are $12. b Street theatre, 2700 capitol ave., bstreettheatre.org.
REVIEWS
Curtain up PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHEW MURPHY
this comedy that pits the residents against corrupt politicians who want to turn the town’s namesake waterfall into a sewage treatment plant. Pierini and Alexander play everything from a one-armed hardware salesman to a chain-smoking school teacher. B Street Theatre, 1/14-2/23 (B.S.)
Dear Evan Hansen Evan Hansen is a young man with social anxiety disorder whose desire to connect with someone leads him to commit a lie that results in a tragedy, but ultimately leads to his salvation—and a chance to fit in. It delivers a personal yet universally touching message about life that is rarely explored so well in a contemporary musical. Broadway Sacramento, 1/15-1/26 (J.C.) Catch Dear Evan Hansen on stage this season.
A new year, a new chance to catch some ace Sacramento theater. But where to start? Our critics highlight some of the shows they’re looking forward to in early 2020.
The Drowsy Chaperone The Drowsy Chaperone revisits a time before musicals had to have a hard-hitting message ... or be a stage version of a beloved Disney animated film. It has no deep message, no memorable songs, no cute animals. It’s just good, clean fun, with a lot of laughs, a lot of groans and a lot of madcap mayhem. Davis Musical Theatre Company, 1/3-1/26 (Bev Sykes)
Pump Boys and Dinettes This countrified musical is a guilty pleasure of mine, and it’s a real treat to have the opportunity to see Sacramento-based singer-songwriter-and-actor Sam C. Jones as Jim, who runs the gas station down on Highway 57. His “pump boy” partner and “the dinettes” fill an evening of songs from “Farmer Tan” to “The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine.” Sacramento Theatre Company, 1/8-2/16 (Jim Carnes)
Sister Act Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer who witnesses a murder committed by her boyfriend, goes undercover at a convent as Sister Mary Clarence. The mutual lessons Sister Mary Clarence and the mother superior learn from each other makes this not only a funny musical, but a nice lesson in the power of friendship. Woodland Opera House, 1/10-2/2 (B.S.)
Popcorn Falls
Dorothea Puente Tells All Ray Tatar, artistic director of California Stage, worked three blocks away from serial killer Dorothea Puente’s F Street Victorian in the early 80s, and he remembers when the bodies were dug up and the unsuspecting murderer was unveiled. Fast track almost 40 years later, and Tatar has commissioned well-heeled playwright Mark Loewenstern to write a play about the shocking story. California Stage, 1/24-2/23 (Patti Roberts)
The Field Longtime local theater veterans Adrienne Sher and Tom Rhatigan are debuting their new nonprofit company, Black Pointe Theatre, with The Field. The show, set in a small Irish country village, will play at California Stage, though the company will be nomadic with no permanent location. Black Point Theatre, 1/24-2/16 (P.R.)
Admissions When Capital Stage chose to produce playwright Joshua Harmon’s Admissions, the recent college admissions scandal had not yet been reported. But the play, which centers around a New England prep school admissions head who helps her son choose an Ivy League college, reflects both the admissions issue and another hot social issue—racial inequality. Capital Stage, 3/11-4/12 (P.R.)
Homegrown: A Festival of New Works The overarching title of the new Sacramento Ballet season is “Sights Unseen,” and that is particularly true of the “Homegrown: A Festival of New Works” program. It features three world premieres, including work by Sacramento Ballet alumnus Nicole Haskins. Sacramento Ballet, 3/26-3/29 (J.C.)
SCREEN PICK Ian McKellan gives his all as Gus the Theatre Cat.
Out of the bag It’s finally here—the movie we’ve all been waiting for. Have we all seen it yet? Good. Let’s talk about Cats. Based on the mysteriously popular Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, which is based on the slightly less-popular collection of poems by T.S. Eliot, director Tom Hooper’s film adaptation lies somewhere between an unfinished mess of wonky CGI and a swirling nightmare of body horror. There are mice with human faces, cockroaches with human faces … and let’s not forget feline tails that spring erect and vibrate rapidly. The cats slink and roll and leap around digitally, following a set of physics that don’t seem possible in the real world. It’s a classic tale of man’s hubris—Hooper pushed technology as far as it could go, challenging nature itself. Now humanity is forever cursed with the image of Rebel Wilson unzipping her cat skin to reveal a full set of clothes and even more cat skin. It’s one of the reasons why Cats—even though it was recently pulled from Oscars contention by Universal Studios— will probably have a longer cultural lifespan than any other movie released in 2019. Even if there isn’t any semblance of story, or emotional depth or layered social commentary, at the very least there’s Ian McKellan, performing his heart out, lapping up milk with his human tongue. Long after humans are gone and Earth is consumed by the sun, Cats will still be there, floating in the dark ether beyond space and time.
—RACHEL MAYFIELD
B Street favorites Dave Pierini and Greg Alexander play 20 roles—the entire town of Popcorn Falls—in
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illusTrATiOn BY MAriA rATinOvA
Leafy winter greens kale and bacon Salad, hawk’S proviSionS & public houSe
Post Oak Barbecue uses California white oak to smoke its variety of meats for up to 16 hours.
PHOTO BY AMY BEE
Naked BBQ: No sauce needed
Hawks Provisions has a handful of fresh salads made-to-order for any lunchtime craving. The Kale and Bacon Salad ($9) is comforting and comes loaded with lush kale topped with cranberries, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, hard boiled egg, crunchy sunflower seeds and, of course, bacon. The leafy dish is served on a large plate accompanied by a thick and creamy lemon Parmesan dressing with crushed garlic. Try it without the bacon for a vegetarian meal. This tasty mix of kale and hearty protein will keep you full ’til dinner time.1525 Alhambra Blvd., hawkspublichouse.com. —TeSSa margueriTe ouTland
Christmas in a can Sombra de Fuego, Track 7 brewing co.
Post Oak Barbecue 3200 Fulton Ave.; (916) 483-2090 Good for: Family meals, parties Notable dishes: Beef rib, Brisket
$$$
Barbecue, Arden-Arcade
When genuinely excellent barbecue comes along, it can be like seeing the world for the first time—a beautiful, flavorful world, where you don’t have to settle for bland, ketchup-infused vinegar or dried hunks of meat so over-seasoned, the cooks must be compensating for something. My eyes were opened by Post Oak Barbeque, a popular food truck that now has a permanent spot in the Country Club Estates area. Post Oak pays homage to the slow smoke traditions of Central Texas barbecue, using California white oak to cook cuts of meat procured from Niman Ranch for as long as 16 hours. This style of barbecue harkens back to the days when Texas butchers sold their cooked meats by weight and wrapped them in red butcher’s paper. It’s a tradition alive in many Texas towns today. Meats are cooked with indirect heat and typically only rubbed with salt and pepper. The result is naked barbecue where emphasis is on the cut, quality and flavor of meat rather than spices or sauces. People love to squabble about barbecue sauces, but one taste of Post Oak’s tender, thick-sliced brisket ($23) proves no sauce is needed here. The power of meat slowly marinated in its fatty juices is on full display. Endless hours of exposure to smoke creates a salty and bitter dark coffee ring of fat and meat that 26 | SN&R | 01.02.20
by Amy Bee
crumbles apart at the touch of a plastic knife. It’s delicious and hard to stop eating. The Pulled Pork ($9) proves just as alluring. The mound of shredded decadence looks like it’s begging for vinegar or mustard. But resist! Unadorned, the juicy-rich flavors shine crystal clear. I happened to visit when Post Oak finished smoking some of the most tantalizing Prime Rib ($30) I’ve encountered. An enormously thick-cut rib, bulbous with fat and char and blushing the perfect shade of pinkish-red, was served to me on a cafeteria-style tray. Can one ogle a prime rib? Why, yes, they can. After tasting the tender and fatty, falling-off-thebone, Flintstone-sized beef rib ($30, Saturdays only), I realized what Post Oak was showing me with its audacious naked barbecue: Love the fat. People want to trim the fat and slop on the sauces. But everything a good piece of meat needs to be great is already there—in the fat. The salt, the pepper, even the oakscented smoke are simply aides to facilitate meat’s full realization. Meats at Post Oak are sold individually by the half-pound, or as assortment platters (starting at $35). They offer delicious sides, including buttery mac-and-cheese and robust potato salad, but as Anthony Bourdain once warned, it’s better to get to the barbecue rather than waste space on sides, no matter how enticing. I feel better about the world now that I’ve tasted exceptional barbecue. Will I still find myself going with the barbecue closest to home most of the time? Yes. But Post Oak is first on my list for when I want the best. Plus, they have a food truck and deliver. Ω
An American imperial stout, Track 7 Brewing’s Sombra De Fuego limited release is a great beer to sip on a chilly night. And it packs a 10.8% alcohol by volume, so it’s quick to warm the imbiber right up. Pick up a four pack to-go for ($26.10) or a 10-ounce glass ($8.16). Its alluring dark hue pours frothy into a glass and its bold Mexican hot chocolate flavor is matched by cinnamon and vanilla notes. It’s like Christmas in a can with a little tinge of spice toward the end. Various locations, track7brewing.com. —STeph rodriguez
PLANet v
Dreams of (vegan) doughnuts Sacramento may have a shortage of some vegan breakfast goodies, but you’re never more than a doughnut’s throw from … well, another doughnut. Sugarplum has offered its plant-based doughnuts for years now. Get them when they’re fresh daily as they dry out quickly. Still, its Coffee Cake doughnut, with a bit of piped frosting and dusting of cinnamon sugar is a good choice. Finding a raised pastry gets trickier, but the Sac area has been upping its game. Family Donuts in Carmichael offers a cornucopia of vegan pastries each weekend. It even offers an apple fritter, high on the list of foods I still miss. For the most observant of vegans, you will want to check in about the sugars used; nearly all of these contain granulated sugar, an ingredient sometimes filtered through bone char—this is nowhere near as common a practice as it used to be, but just ask. New kid on the block Milk Money also has a solid vegan raised doughnut game. Its rotating menu offers one doughnut or beignet six days a week, and its vegan PBJ is one I’d mark my calendar for. —lindSay oxFord
Photo by Gretchen Gaither
Tim and Tom Zhang are the twin brothers behind Vite Ramen, an instant bowl with healthier ingredients.
Greek Food Imports tm
650 Fulton Ave
Instant ramen made healthy by James Raia
Among the staples of college life, none likely exceed the convenience and represent certain rites of passage better than pizza, beer and ramen. The go-to wonders’ degrees of importance are subjective, but none qualify on the healthy diet spectrum. It wasn’t long ago that twin brothers Tim and Tom Zhang, now 28, knew campus life and its eating pitfalls. They’re both UC Davis graduates but haven’t settled into post-collegiate culinary habits. Instead, an idea sprouted from their collective expertise—Vite Ramen. Tim attended culinary school, cooked in a Michelin star restaurant and earned a managerial economics degree. Tom has a degree in clinical nutrition. As much as healthy ramen may seem like an oxymoron, Vite Kitchens, the brothers’ company in Vacaville, has been an unqualified success. Vite Ramen is an onlineonly packaged food with ingredients that give credence to a still-rare phenomenon: Fast food has gone nutritious.
“We have had a lot of reaction, some that surprised us,” said Tim Zhang, who lives in Davis. “People are telling us that Vite Ramen is a complete meal, but we’ve also had comments from customers who are diabetics and comment they don’t have insulin spikes. Others say they don’t have post-meal fatigue.” The idea began with experiments in the Zhangs’ house in Davis in 2017. A Kickstarter campaign in August 2018 resulted in about 4,300 backers pledging nearly $250,000. The fund-raising goal was $10,000. Vite Ramen’s flavors are made with dehydrated broth, vegetables, spices and aromatics. The noodles are a blend of wheat flour, wheat gluten and quinoa flour and include high protein polyunsaturated fatty acids and fiber to balance out the carbohydrates. Macronutrients are well within the National Academy of Medicine’s recommended ratios. A 4.5-ounce packet of Vite Ramen (soy sauce chicken) has
575 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, 30 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, 1.3 grams of saturated fat, 14 grams of cholesterol and 500 calories. Each packet also has at least 25% of daily requirements for 27 vitamins and minerals. The vast difference in ingredients translates into vastly different tastes. While generic ramen is salt dominant, Vite Ramen has a more neutral flavor and a grittier texture. The three packs of ingredients need rigorous stirring into the hot noodles. Flavors linger. A little added salt works well. Vite Ramen is available in vegan miso, garlic pork and soy sauce chicken in six ($25.50) and nine ($33.95) packs. Specials are regularly offered on the company site (viteramen.com) or via its free newsletter. Discounts are available for students, military personnel and first responders. Ω
This New Year we want to share our Traditional Organic Greek Food with you! Here is a 20% Off Discount for everything from our crafted Artisanal Pastries to Sacramento’s #1 Organic Gyro! Come start off 2020 with good food at 650 Fulton Avenue! - Greek Food Imports Market - Café. Happy New Year, From the Panayotakopolous Family to Yours!
20% oFF For first time customers.
Must present ad upon purchase.
Expires January 31, 2020. 01.02.20 | SN&R | 27
wiNe
Ruggero Mastroserio entertains guests to his winery with his saxophone. Photo by Allen Pierleoni
Enjoy the beauty of Capay Valley with a glass of wine from our Tasting Room Join us for a unique experience featuring Taber Ranch wines, locally sourced beer, cider and artisan foods.
Our rolling hills, oak trees and vineyard provide a spectacular backdrop for your wedding or special event. Contact us today to learn more! open friday, SaTurday & Sunday 11am-5pm family & dog friendly! Join our wine club!
Taber ranch Vineyard & eVenT cenTer • info@Taberranch.com 530.665.3691 • 16628 counTy rd 81 capay, ca 95607 • www.Taberranch.com 28
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Making memorable wine, music Mastroserio Winery does things differently We drove over winding two-lane blacktops and through winter-scarred woods to reach the Mastroserio Winery in way-rural Somerset in El Dorado County’s underappreciated Fair Play wine country. A barking tan-colored dog approached us in the parking lot. Turned out to be Isabella, the tasting room mascot, part Labrador, part Rhodesian ridgeback. We quickly joined her army of BFFs. The Mastroserio tasting room perches on a rise, with a patio of well-arranged tables and chairs overlooking hills and vineyards. That wood-fired oven over there is where ownerwinemaker Ruggero Mastroserio cooks pizza and lasagna a la Bolognese from his mother’s recipe and serves them to visitors. We met Mastroserio inside the cozy tasting room, a renaissance man and wine sculptor. He holds degrees in geology, architectural engineering and music (he loves entertaining guests on his jazz saxophone). The winemaker part comes from training with maestros of vino in Italy, studying viticulture and enology at the University of Milan and UC Davis, then serving as winemaker at nearby Latcham and Granite Springs wineries.
Mastroserio began making his own wine in 2010, sourcing from his seven-acre vineyard and neighboring growers, then opening the tasting room in 2012. Wines sell from $20 to $75, with the signature 2010 Quartetto red blend at $185 (only three cases left). “I like to create pieces of art,” he said, which explains his “black label” series of reds. “The ‘white label’ wines are fermented in stainless-steel tanks, like everybody else does, but my ‘black label’ wines get particular attention,” he said. “My method is considered crazy by other winemakers.” That laborious process involves de-stemming the grapes by hand, 90-day extended maceration (leaving the grape skins in the fermenting wine longer than usual to intensify flavor), aging in white-oak barrels for three to five years before bottling, and further aging in the bottles. The wines are chemical-free, containing only wild yeast. “Winemaking shouldn’t be a business only, it should be a lifestyle and a passionate journey,” Mastroserio said. “I feel blessed to work with Mother Nature and create wines that become close to me. I feel I am doing some good not only for my own pleasure, but also in sharing it with others.” The $5 flight is four whites and four reds; for $10, taste four whites and 10 reds. Fee is waived with bottle purchase. Mastroserio Winery: 7351 Fairplay Road, Somerset; open daily 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; 530417-4321, www.mastroseriowinery.com. by Allen Pierleoni
UPCOMING EVENTS Mastroserio hosts jazz events on Saturdays from March through october, with some in winter months; call 530-417-4321 for details.
This column is produced by N&R Publications, a division of News & Review separate from SN&R Editorial. For more information, visit www.nrpubs.com
P
garden
Place
indiana Jones &
1/2 • 7:00 PM the teMPle of DooM
A rosy tradition
1/3 • 7:30 PM Grease 1/4 • 6:30 PM the BiG LeBowsKi
In three hours, volunteers prune entire McKinley Park rose garden
1/5 • 7:30 PM the Godfather by Debbie Arrington
1/7 • 7:30 PM conan the BarBarian 1/8 • 7:00 PM BLue hawaii
Rain can’t keep rose lovers out of this garden. The first Saturday of each year, the McKinley Park Memorial Rose Garden hosts its annual Prunea-thon. The goal: To finish pruning the garden’s 1,200 roses by noon. Scheduled for 9 a.m. on Jan. 4, this event attracts scores of volunteers—experienced gardeners and newbies alike—who systematically reduce unruly bushes to neat and tidy bare canes, rejuvenating the roses for another spring of abundant blooms. Last year’s Prune-a-thon looked like it was going to be a washout after a big storm was predicted. The morning saw a steady drizzle, but that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the 85 volunteers who showed up. During the event, Dave Coop of the Sacramento Rose Society gave pruning lessons to newcomers. “All had good questions and were eager to learn,” he said. “Yes, it was wet and a bit breezy, but not intolerable. It even cleared slightly late in the morning.” Despite the wet conditions, the job got done. “I was happy that we ignored the network weather reports that said this storm was going to ‘dump’ on us,” Coop said. Volunteers should have more comfortable conditions this Saturday. According to the National Weather Service, there’s only a 10% chance of rain, with temperatures in the 50s. In East Sacramento, the Prune-a-thon has become a New Year’s tradition as the garden community and McKinley Park neighborhood come together to nurture this beloved rose garden. Considered among
Photo by Debbie Arrington
Conditions were sunny but chilly for the 2014 McKinley Park Prune-a-thon. After a soggy 2019 pruning day, dry weather is forecast for the 2020 renewal.
Sacramento’s most romantic places and a popular setting for weddings, the rose garden was featured in the hit movie “Lady Bird.” Friends of East Sacramento, which now oversees this public garden and Clunie Community Center, provides refreshments and lunch for volunteers. “We order minestrone soup and clam chowder from Evan’s Kitchen to feed all the volunteers when we’re done,” said Lyn Pitts, the garden’s coordinator. “Everyone is invited and there’s no age limit.” Children and their parents are required to fill out a participation waiver, available by emailing friendsofeastsac@aol.com. McKinley Park is in the midst of a two-year construction project to build a 6 million-gallon stormwater vault 22 feet underground. Expected to be completed later this year, the vault project has torn up m uch of the park. When the vault is finished, $1 million in upgrades, including a new baseball field and benches, are scheduled for the park. The rose garden is getting some sprucing up, too. Pitts and her volunteers recently spread around the roses 150 cubic yards of wood chips donated by Florin-Perkins Landscape Materials. Usually, her crew cuts back large sections of the garden before the Prune-a-thon. Afterwards, Pitts and other experts continue to work on the bushes, fine tuning the pruning and giving each bush a little extra TLC. “We are behind schedule with the pruning,” Pitts said. “So January will be a very busy month catching up.” Ω
1/9 • 7:30 PM Jaws 1/10 • 7:30 PM the shininG 1/12 • 2:00 PM toy story douBLe feature 1/14 • 7:00 PM raGinG BuLL 1013 K street downtown sacramento • (916) 476-3356 • crestsacramento.com
event detAils Prune-a-thon, McKinley Park Memorial Rose Garden H Street near 33rd Street. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4. admission is free. Bring work gloves and pruners. Details: friendsofeastsac.org.
Debbie Arrington, an award-winning garden writer and lifelong gardener, is co-creator of the Sacramento Digs gardening blog and website.
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for the week of january 02
by maxfield morris
POst eVeNts ONlINe FOR FRee at
www.newsreview.com/sacramento
MUSIC THURSDAY, 1/2 VIC RUGGIeRO aND laUReN NaPIeR: Come and share some melodies with Vic Ruggiero and Lauren Napier playing together. 7:30pm, $6. Torch Club, 904 15th St.
FRIDAY, 1/3 aDaM alDaMa & FRIeNDs: Dance to the max with the super soulful sounds of Adam Aldama—and who could forget Aldama’s friends? 4pm, no cover. Strikes Unlimited, 5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin.
tHe BIllIe HOlIDaY PROJeCt: Actress-singer
04
sat
Is the Loch Ness Monster real? Is it journalistically irresponsible to even pose that question?
Debunking fake animals Natural History MuseuM, 10aM, No cover Few myths are quite as persistent as the famous cryptozoological marvels—Bigfoot, yeti, the Loch Ness Monster. Classes This Free First Saturday event at Sierra College Natural History Museum examines the many mysterious animals that humans think they’ve seen—and debunks them. You’ll hear why jackalopes, mermaids, chupacabras and more are not actual things, and you’ll have fun doing it.
tICKet WINDOW WYCLEF JEAN The Haitian rapper and
former Fugees member will be laying down some bars at Harlow’s, so catch him if you can 1/25, 8pm, $32.50-$38, on sale now. Harlow’s, showclix.com.
JOHN WATERS Put on your best
pencil mustache. The trashy, tasteless filmaker is making a stop in Sac for his “This Filthy World” Tour. 2/28, 6:30pm, $35-$55, on sale now. Crest Theatre, crestsacramento.com.
OF MONTREAL Crack open a can of
neo-psychedelia when this indie pop band comes to town. 4/3, 8pm, $20-$25, on sale now. Harlow’s, showclix.com.
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There will be activities including a Nessiedesigning session, monster track-making and other themed crafts. Plus, there will be snacks with monster themes: “Yeti spaghetti with a ‘Big Foot’ meatball.” Look forward to that, bring a friend who could use a dose of skepticism and look around the museum while you’re at it. 5100 Sierra College Blvd., sierracollege.edu/events.
Tickets! Tickets! Tickets.
THE AIRbORNE TOxIC EVENT You can rock ’n’ roll with these guys come summer. Don’t expect them to let you on stage, though. 6/30, 7pm, $45-$79, on sale now. Ace of Spades, concerts1.livenation.com.
HARRY STYLES Beautiful boy Harry Styles is coming back to Sac, this time for his “Love On” tour. You’ll need a ticket to see it, though. 8/27, 8pm, $29.50, on sale now. Golden 1 Center, ticketmaster.com.
Stella Heath and her talented jazz ensemble don’t just perform a couple of classic Billie Holiday tunes and call it a night—instead, they transform the Sofia into a 1930s nightclub, where they recreate the musical magic of Lady Day with both well-known tunes and deep cuts. 7pm, $30. The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave.
eNUFF Z’NUFF: The Illinoisy band from Blue Island will be rocking off the chain and down the street. 7pm, $15. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.
saVeD BY tHe 90’s: Catch the cover band that does the ’90s all the justice they deserve, all while using an incorrect but (sic)-worthy apostrophe in their name. 7pm, $18. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St.
tHe stRUM sHOP lOCal CONCeRt seRIes: Catch this local concert series, an effort by The Strum Shop to unify area musicians and give them a space where they can showcase their talents and earn some money for their hard work. 7:30pm, $10. The Strum Shop, 209 Vernon St, Roseville.
tOtal ReCall: Sacramento’s favorite ’90s cover band will be performing at Highwater the first Friday of every month, performing all of your favorite alternative songs. 10pm, $5. Highwater, 1910 Q St.
SATURDAY, 1/4 aCHIlles WHeel: The World Music category winners of the 2019 SAMMIES are performing and bringing the best of their genre-defying music to Harlow’s. 6:30pm, $20. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
BlaCKalICIOUs: The beloved California-bred duo has a hard-won reputation as one of hip-hop’s most progressive, forwardthinking creative forces. They’re acclaimed for the sublime combination of Gab’s verbal dexterity and lyrical eloquence, and X’s bracing beats and distinctive soundscapes. 10pm, $25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
lOs lOBOs-45tH aNNIVeRsaRY tOUR: Expect to hear hits from the past and new material during this acoustic and fullelectric concert celebrating their 45-year anniversary. 8pm, $35-$57. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway, Folsom.
HOODs: The hardcore punk band will be performing in town for one night, one venue only. 7pm, $10. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.
MaNIa! tHe lIVe Beatles eXPeRIeNCe: Mania!
Bring in the trash, John.
bills itself as California’s premier Beatles tribute band, capturing the imagination of both old and young with their attention
snr c a le nd a r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m
Online listings will be considered for print. Print listings are edited for space and accuracy. Deadline for print listings is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Deadline for NightLife listings is midnight Sunday. Send photos and reference materials to Calendar Editor Maxfield Morris at snrcalendar@newsreview.com.
to detail, including authentic Beatles instruments and costumes and the way they move, sing and play. 7pm, $30. The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave.
tHat GIRl laY laY: That Girl Lay Lay is coming to Sac for a night of 11-year-old rapping. 6pm, $25-$50. The Guild Theater, 2828 35th St.
WINteRFest 20: The wintertime festival features songs from Dark Signal, A Foreign Affair, The Color Wild, Nerv, A Summer Alive and more. Catch it while the season supports it. 5pm, $12. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St.
SUNDAY, 1/5 DaNNY WORsNOP: The singer, musician and vocalist from bands Asking Alexandria and We Are Harlot will be performing. 7pm, $20. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.
PIaNO MeN staRRING JIM WItteR: The Piano Men is a musical celebration of the 1970s—year by year, hit by hit—from the songbooks of Billy Joel and Elton John. 2pm, $20$45. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway, Folsom.
MONDAY, 1/6 tHe PICtUReBOOKs: The German musicians of The Picturebooks are coming to perform. 7:30pm, $10. Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J St.
WEDNESDAY, 1/8 YOUR sMItH: The Minneapolis band is coming to town for an evening of poppy R&B musical performance. 7pm, $12. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.
FESTIVALS FRIDAY, 1/3 saCaNIMe: Catch the wintry installment of SacAnime, featuring premium events and entertainment throughout the weekend. There are costume events, cosplay gatherings, live music and dance sessions. Noon, $15-$30. Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.
SATURDAY, 1/4 GReat tRaIN sHOW: Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of miniature railroading at this train show designed for children of all ages; for modelers, collectors and enthusiasts; for families in search of good old-fashioned fun; and for the simply curious. Each show features hundreds of tables of trains, accessories, scale models and collectible toys for sale, as well as huge operating exhibits, activities for kids, free seminars and more. 10am, $9-$10. Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd.
tRaCK 7’s 8tH aNNIVeRsaRY lUCHa sHOW: Track 7 Brewing is turning 8, and it’s celebrating with a lucha show extravaganza. You’re invited to join Saturday at the Natomas taproom for an evening of lucha libre wrestling, ’80s hair metal and, of course, craft beer. 7pm, $15. Track 7 Brewing Co.Natomas, 826 Professor Lane, Suite 100.
Saturday, 1/4-Sunday, 1/5
Great Train Show Cal Expo, 10am, $9-$10
It’s time for you to kick your appreciation of model trains into high gear. Sure, FeSTivalS you’ve got a Bachmann HO Scale Thoroughbred Train Set, but that’s amateur stuff. Show up to this festival and really get the goods. There will be hundreds of tables of vendors and enthusiasts showing off their miniature locomotives, their details—and, most importantly, showing off their passion for the hobby. Kids get in free, and there is a world of attention to detail that awaits you. 1600 Exposition Blvd., trainshow.com.
Sunday, 1/5
Saturday, 1/4
lUXURY WeDDiNG SHOW: Experience the only
THe BiG leBOWSKi: “The Dude” gets mistaken
mock wedding bridal show in Northern California. This unique and fun bridal show provides exhibitors an intimate face-toface opportunity to connect with brides and grooms. Noon, $15-$45. Hyatt Regency, 1209 L St.
FOOd & drInK Saturday, 1/4 21-DaY veGaN CHalleNGe WiTH THe COOKeRY SaCRaMeNTO: Go vegan and get healthy in 2020. The Cookery Sacramento will give you the information and support you need to try being vegan for three weeks. 11am, $20$35. The Artisan Gallery, 1901 Del Paso Blvd.
SaCRaMeNTO MaRGaRiTa FeSTival: Get your margarita on with Goldfield Trading Post and Bar Crawl Unlimited. There will be live DJs, raffles, giveaways and more. 11am, $25$45. Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J St.
FILM tHurSday, 1/2 iNDiaNa JONeS aND THe TeMPle OF DOOM: The 1984 flick about a trip Indiana Jones takes in India in 1934. He has to find a mystical stone, stumbles upon a secret cult at an ancient palace and other … interesting things happen. 7pm, $10-$22. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
FrIday, 1/3 DaviD CROSBY ReMeMBeR MY NaMe: A revealing yet inspiring documentary exploring the life and creative renaissance of music icon David Crosby. A cultural force for more than 50 years, Crosby faced an uncertain future after the 2015 dissolution of Crosby, Stills and Nash. 7pm, $8. Auburn State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way, Auburn.
GReaSe SiNG-a-lONG: Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. They unexpectedly discover they’re now in the same school. Will love blossom? Come sing along with the songs at this show of the aforementioned film. 7:30pm, $10-$22. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
PHOtO By dan PauL
for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies for help. You know it. Bring someone who doesn’t. 6:30pm, $10$22. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
Sunday, 1/5 THe GODFaTHeR: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son. My brother just watched this for the first time. Maybe yours can, too. 7:30pm, $10-$22. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
COMEdy laUGHS UNliMiTeD COMeDY ClUB: Jessica Michelle Singleton featuring Mike Eshaq. Jessica Michelle Singleton has a unique style of comedy delivered in a stream of consciousness flow, combining introspective observations and vulnerable personal stories, coupled with ideas from what some people refer to as hyperactive. Through 1/5. $20. 1207 Front St.
laUGHS UNliMiTeD COMeDY ClUB: Lost Boys Writing Session. Ellis Rodriguez hosts this writing session with focus on different topics, ideas and parts of comedy. Saturday 2/4, 6pm. No cover. Pro Am Showcase. New comics and seasoned pros share the stage at Laughs Unlimited to bring you the funny. Saturday 2/4, 8pm. $5. 1207 Front St.
PUNCH liNe: Jen Kirkman. Jen Kirkman is in town with an hour of jokes and stories that you haven’t already seen on Netflix. Kirkman will be selling and signing copies of her books after every show as well. Through 1/4. $23.50. Tag Team Comedy-2 Comedians. Same time. The name speaks for itself: Myles Weber and Chelsea Bearce take the stage together and perform Tag Team Comedy. They are joined with some of their favorite Sacramento comics. Sunday 1/5, 7:30pm. $17. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.
STaB! COMeDY THeaTeR: Real Live Comedians. Since 2013, Real Live Comedians has brought the country’s best comics to venues all over California for a thrilling night of hot, live stand-up comedian action that will make you really go for it! Friday 1/3, 8pm. $10. Dregs of Craigs. Sean, Steve and Dustin
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SEE MORE EVENTS AND SUBMIT YOUR OWN AT NEWSREvIEW.COM/SACRAMENTO/CALENDAR
SATURDAY, 1/4
than ever. 10am, $6-$15. Ali Youssefi Square, 701 K St.
Los Lobos harriS Center, 8pm, $35-$57
GRIZZLIES VS KINGS: The Kings square off
against the Grizzlies—who will win? 7pm, $12-$115. Golden 1 Center, 500 David J. Stern Walk.
If you’re not a fan of Los Lobos, there’s a good chance you’ve never MUSIC taken the time to listen to their music and learn to love it! You’ve still got time to do that before their stop in Folsom for their 45th anniversary. They’re sharing their newest album, Gates PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERO F. GIUNTI of Gold, and they’re inviting you tacitly by hosting the event and allowing you to buy tickets. Catch some new stuff, some old stuff, and some in-between stuff from this consummately professional band. 10 College Parkway, harriscenter.net.
CALENDAR LISTINGS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31
KENNEDY GALLERY: Confectioner’s Delights Exhibit. Experience the love and joy of the holiday season at Kennedy Gallery as local artists showcase works with the theme of “baking love into our holidays.” Through 1/5. No cover. 1931 L St.
dive deep into the bizarre underbelly of the internet’s biggest personal ads site and bring back comedy gold. Saturday 1/4, 7pm. $5. 1710 Broadway.
SACRAMENTO COMEDY SPOT: POC Improv Space. People of Color Improv Space offers a unique opportunity for students who identify as POC to explore the comedic arts in a safe and nurturing environment. Through 6/7. No cover. 915 T St.
MUSEUMS CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM: “White Out!” Exhibit at Railroad Museum. For a limited time, visitors to the California State Railroad Museum have a special opportunity to see a 251,000-pound rotary snowplow from the museum’s collection. Through 4/1. $6-$12. 111 I St.
ON STAGE B STREET THEATRE: Seekers of The Strange. Seekers of the Strange is a fictional, paranormal investigation team that embarks on a perilous and sanity-sapping foray into the unknown each month. Catch the story on page 24. Sunday 1/5, 6:30pm. $12. 2700 Capitol Ave.
CALIFORNIA STAGE COMPLEX: God Bless Us
BOOKS SATURDAY, 1/4 BOOK CLUB NORSE MYTHOLOGY: Every first Saturday of the month, discuss a novel or non-fiction title over a cup of coffee or tea. This month, in eager anticipation for Neil Gaiman’s Sacramento visit in May, the discussion will feature his book, Norse Mythology. 2pm, no cover. Colonial Heights Library, 4799 Stockton Blvd.
Everyone. Come join California Stage Complex for the 30th Annual Christmas Show, fit for all ages. Through 1/5. $20. 1721 25th St.
HARRIS CENTER: Shen Yun Performing Arts. Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, with a noble mission to revive the lost tradition of Chinese culture and share it with everyone. Through 1/7. $80-$180. 10 College Parkway, Folsom.
URBAN BOOK CLUB: Book club at the North Sacramento Hagginwood Library every first Saturday of the month. Noon, no cover. North Sacramento-Hagginwood Library, 2109 Del Paso Blvd.
WEST SACRAMENTO BLACK BOX THEATRE: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. Through 1/11. $20. 1075 W. Capitol Ave, West Sacramento.
SPORTS & OUTDOORS THURSDAY, 1/2 DAD’S KITCHEN ONE CLUB TOURNEY (JIM CASSIE RESURRECTION): Catch this annual
ART
golf tournament where folks share one club. 9am, $50. William Land Park Golf Course, 1701 Sutterville Road.
ELK GROVE FINE ARTS CENTER: Alternate Views. This competition show features art from community artists and members, plus artwork for sale. Saturday 1/4, 4pm. No cover. 9080 Elk Grove Blvd., Elk Grove.
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01.02.20
and get ready to perfect your triple axel! The 28th season of the Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink is bigger and better
SATURDAY, 1/4 1ST ANNUAL LAND PARK ELIMINATOR BOWLING TOURNAMENT: Get bowling with this inaugural event. 10:30am, $60. 5850 Freeport Blvd.
SUNDAY, 1/5 CAPTURING WAKAMATSU A POETRY WALK/ WORKSHOP: Taylor Graham, El Dorado County’s first poet laureate, and awardwinning Sacramento-area poet Katy Brown, will lead an exploration of farmhouse, barn and surroundings, then ask participants to write a poem inspired by what they’ve experienced. 1pm, $5-$10. Wakamatsu Farm, 941 Cold Springs Road, Placerville.
WEDNESDAY, 1/8 JANUARY 2020 SACRAMENTO KARMA YOGA: Karma Yoga is a path that not only opens our own heart, but is a pathway to transformational leadership and selfactualization. Simply understood, karma yoga is right works, the emphasis on what we do between our spiritual practices— work, chores, volunteerism, earning money, etc.—is actually where we have the greatest leverage points to awaken and catalyze our souls into expression. 5:30pm, $50. Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar, 1414 16th St.
Family Foundation’s 2nd Annual Bowling Classic. 2:30pm, $40. Strikes Unlimited, 5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin.
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS FOR IMMIGRANTS CONTINUES: Learn about the appalling conditions of confinement for migrants and refugees. Hear Anna Molander Hermann give an eyewitness account of the situation in San Antonio, and from other advocates working to support asylum seekers, immigrants and the children and families in Northern California and in detention camps. 3pm, $5 donation. Congregation B’nai Israel, 3600 Riverside Boulevard, Sacramento.
REAL MEN TALK: Real Men Talk will be a reoccurring event focusing on brotherhood, mental health and the overall well-being of the men in our community. The goal is to provide a consistent safe space for men to come together to heal, bond and create fellowship. 5:30pm, donation based. Sol Collective, 2574 21st St.
WEDNESDAY, 1/8 AFTER SCHOOL TEEN- EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM: The Roots and Wings afterschool program offers an opportunity for young women to deepen their connection to the environment, themselves and each other. 3:30pm, $60. Soil Born Farms American River Ranch, 2140 Chase Drive, Rancho Cordova.
CLASSES FRIDAY, 1/3
TAKE ACTION THURSDAY, 1/2 ANDREW YANG FUNDRAISER: Get some humor from local comedians supporting Andrew Yang’s campaign, unofficially. 8pm, $30. Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club, 1207 Front St.
SUNDAY, 1/5 COME BOWL WITH SACRAMENTO KINGS DE’AARON FOX AND FRIENDS: Watch De’Aaron Fox bowl in Rocklin for the Fox Whole
1ST FRIDAYS PAINT ON PURPOSE (P.O.P.) PARTY: Join Paint on Purpose and experience a different kind of paint party. Start the weekend with an adult-only evening that combines creativity, wine and a lot of fun. 7pm, $35-$45. Classy Hippie Tea Co., 3226-A Broadway.
LEGO MANIA: Like building with LEGO bricks? Join McKinley Library for their freeplay afternoon. LEGO and DUPLO bricks will be provided at this free, family program. 3:30pm, no cover. McKinley Public Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd.
one way to do it—by starting. This class is one place to do just that. 4pm, $50. Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, 6648 Lonetree Blvd. in Rocklin.
SATURDAY, 1/4 SATURDAYS AT THE MUSEUM FACT OR FABLE? CRYPTOZOOLOGY!: Stop by for Free First Saturday at the Sierra College Natural History Museum at Sewell Hall. This free event is open to the public. The topic this month is fact or fable? Cryptozoology! 10am, no cover. Sierra College, 5100 Sierra College Blvd. in Rocklin.
MONDAY, 1/6 ART JOURNALING: Use your imagination and all kinds of mixed media to create a freestyle art journal. Both inexperience and lack of talent are welcome! Please note, supplies are limited so feel free to bring your own, too. 4pm, no cover. Sylvan Oaks Library, 6700 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights.
BEGINNER’S COMPUTER WORKSHOP FOR WOMEN: Computer workshop for beginner’s women at Folsom Lake College, the week of Jan. 6-10. 10am, $20. Folsom Lake College, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.
TUESDAY, 1/7 STRUM FOR FUN: The Sacramento Guitar Society, a nonprofit educational and arts organization, is offering a free community service to get you on your way to playing the guitar. 4pm, no cover. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, 7340 24th St Bypass.
WEDNESDAY, 1/8 HOMEMADE KOMBUCHA: Join fermentation specialist Sacha Laurin to discover the healing power of kombucha. You will learn all about crafting this sparkling, detoxifying fermented tea that is loaded with active enzymes, probiotics, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. You will leave class with your own mother culture and a customized brew to start your first batch of many! 6pm, $35-$45. Community Learning Center & Cooking School, 2820 R St.
WOODEN PEN TURNING CLASS: Want to become a master wooden pen turner? There’s only
WEDNESDAY, 1/8
Homemade Kombucha Class Community Learning Center & Cooking SChooL, 6pm, $35-$45
If you’re like me, you have that one friend who makes their own kombucha, brings it everywhere and reuses FOOD & DRINK old store-bought bottles to carry it everywhere. If you don’t have that one friend in your life, that just means you have to become the kombucha friend. You can get there by taking this kombucha class, hosted by Sacha Laurin and detailing the science behind fermentation, as well as the many variables you can tweak to get the perfect kombucha. 2820 R St., sac.coop.com.
PHOTO BY MEGUMI NACHEv
THURSDAY 1/2
FRIDAY 1/3
ARMADILLO MUSIC
207 F ST., DAVIS, (530) 758-8058
BADLANDS
2003 K ST., (916) 448-8790
SATURDAY 1/4
SUNDAY 1/5
Poprockz 90s Night, 10pm, no cover
Fierce Fridays, 7pm, call for cover
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 1/6-8
The Unquiet Grave, 2pm, no cover
Mike Hellman, 8pm, no cover Spectacular Saturdays, 6pm, call for cover
After Hours with Apple, 9pm, M, no cover; Trapicana, 11pm, W, no cover
Industry Sundays, 9pm, no cover
BAR 101
Open Mic Night, 7:30pm, W, call for cover
101 MAIN ST., ROSEVILLE (916) 774-0505
CAPITOL GARAGE
1500 K ST., (916) 444-3633
CREST THEATRE
PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN SECONDS
Kevin Seconds with Bobby Jordan and more 9pm Friday, $5 Fox & Goose Punk
Capitol Fridays, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm
Dinner and a Drag Show, 7:30pm, $5-$25
Grease, 7:30pm, $10-$22
The Big Lebowski, 7:30pm, $10-$22
The Godfather, 7:30pm, $10
Conan the Barbarian, 7:30pm, T, $10$22; Blue Hawaii, 7pm, W, $10-$22
Sequin Saturdays, 9:30pm, call for cover
Sunday Funday, 3pm, no cover
Every Damn Monday, 8pm, M, no cover; New Year’s Eve, 7pm, T, $35
1013 K ST., (916) 476-3356
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 7pm, $10-$22
DRAKE’S: THE BARN
S’mores & Stouts, 5pm, call for cover
FACES
Karaoke Night, 9pm, call for cover
Absolut Fridays, 9pm, call for cover
1001 R ST., (916) 443-8825
Irish Jam Session with Stepping Stone, 8pm, no cover
An Evening with Kevin Seconds, Bobby Cassidy Joy, 9pm, $10 Jordan, Grub Mitchell and more, 9pm, $5
GOLDEN 1 CENTER
Grizzlies vs Kings, 5:30pm, $12-$231
985 RIVERFRONT ST., WEST SAC, (510) 423-0971 2000 K ST., (916) 448-7798
FOX & GOOSE
500 DAVID J STERN WALK, (888) 915-4647
Geeks Who Drink, 8:30pm, W, no cover
Open-Mic Night, 7:30pm, M, no cover; Pub Quiz, 7pm, T, no cover
Pelicans vs Kings, 5:30pm, $25-$300
Warriors vs Kings, 5:30pm, M, $39-$600
GOLDFIELD TRADING POST
The Picturebooks, 7:30pm, M, $10
630 J ST., (916) 476-5076
GUILD THEATRE
That Girl Lay Lay and Lil Jackie, 6pm, $25-$50
2828 35TH ST., (916) 905-7024
HALFTIME BAR & GRILL
5681 LONETREE BLVD., ROCKLIN, (916) 626-3600
Let’s Get Quizzical, 7pm, T, no cover; Cornhole, 6pm, W, $10
Paint Nite, 6:30pm, call for cover
HARLOW’S
Achilles Wheel, 5:30pm, $20; Blackalicious, 9:30pm, $25-$30
2708 J ST., (916) 441-4693
HIDEAWAY BAR & GRILL
Vinyl Soul/Ska/Punk, 8pm, call for cover
Shitshow Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover; Twisted Trivia, 8pm, W, no cover
HIGHWATER
Total Recall, 6pm, $5
Trivia Factory, 4pm, T, call for cover
2565 FRANKLIN BLVD., (916) 455-1331 PHOTO COURTESY OFBLACKALICIOUS
1910 Q ST., (916) 706-2465
Blackalicious
HOLY DIVER
with Roots & Tings 9:30pm Saturday, $25-$30 Harlow’s Hip-hop
JACKRABBIT BREWING CO.
1517 21ST ST.
Enuff Z’Nuff, Abeyance, Fallout Kings and more, 7pm, $15
HOODS, Sworn Vengeance, West Lords and more, 7pm, $10
Danny Worsnop, StarBenders and Justin Brodie, 7pm, $20
Trivia, 6:30pm, W, $5-$10
1323 TERMINAL ST., WEST SAC (916) 873-8659
KUPROS
Triviology 101, 7:30pm, no cover
1217 21ST ST., (916) 440-0401
voted sacramento’s
Karaoke up Front Wednesday-sunday amazing Food and specials nightly Country dancing in Back Wed, Fri, sat & sun salsa/West Coast swing thursdays new grand remodel will be finished soon – new Parking lot coming soon
staY tUneD For the best happY hoUr coMinG to sacraMento Join Us For pbr WeeKenD
1217 21st St • 916.440.0401 www.KuprosCrafthouse.com
Fri Jan 24th Michael Beck Band sat Jan 25th locked & loaded sun Jan 26th – Cliff huey
1320 Del paso blvD in olD north sac
2 steps from downtown | 916.402.2407 stoneyinn.com for nightly drink specials & events
Open Mic Night, 7pm, T, call for cover
Sacramento’S #1 UndergroUnd metal VenUe iS Back!
best dance club 2017/2018
Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Repeat.
Your Smith and Chelsea Jade, 7pm, W, $12
upComing sHows $10 coVer | doorS at 7Pm | 21+
live MuSic
January 31st emBryonic deVoUrment cUrSed | SeVer all Short FUSe february 1st hellway Patrol (Brazil) more tBa
1/10 NITE KATS 1/28 TODD MORGAN
HappY Hour
12Pm - 7Pm
1/29
karaoke
tue 9Pm - 2am, thu 10Pm - 2am
AMERICANA SHOWCASE W/ BANJO BONES
ComedY open miC
thu 8Pm - 10Pm
101 Main Street, roSeville 916-774-0505 · lunch/dinner 7 days a week fri & sat 9:30pm - close 21+
/bar101roseville
Visit for eVent updates & booking information
670 Fulton avenue, Sacramento, ca open daily 12Pm – 2am | (916) 487-3731
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submit your caLendar Listings for free at newsreview.com/sacramento/caLendar thursdAy 1/2
FrIdAy 1/3
sAturdAy 1/4
suNdAy 1/5
MeMorial auditoriuM
moNdAy-WedNesdAy 1/6-8 Deepak Chopra, 8pm, W, $200-$375
1515 J st., (916) 808-5291
old ironsides
Divine Blend, Shotgun Slim and Grey Seed, 8:30pm, $7
1901 10th st., (916) 442-3504
on the y
Live Music with Heath Williamson, 5:30pm, M, no cover
Lipstick!, 9pm, $5
Tuesday Night Karaoke with Jimbo, 9pm, T, no cover
Open Mic Comedy & Karaoke, 8pm, no cover
670 FultoN Ave., (916) 487-3731
opera house saloon
411 lINcolN st., rosevIlle (916) 970-9777
Dan Cribb & Gary Blodgett, 9:30pm, $7-$12
Remix, 9:30pm, $7-$12
placerville public house
Dana D, 8pm, call for cover
Nite Katz, 8pm, call for cover
80s & 90s DJ, 9:30pm, call for cover
Alex Vincent Band, 10:15pm, call for cover
414 mAIN st., PlAcervIlle, (530) 303-3792
powerhouse pub
614 sutter st., Folsom, (916) 355-8586
the press club
Country DJ, 9:30pm, call for cover
Lydia Pense, 3pm, call for cover; Industry Night, 6pm, call for cover
Las Pulgas, Gamma People and Your Friends, 8pm, $8-$10
2030 P st., (916) 444-7914
Karaoke, 8:30pm, T, call for cover; 98 Rock Local Licks, 9pm, W, call for cover High Fidelity, 9pm, M, call for cover; Night School, 9pm, T, no cover
root of happiness
Jazz Night, 8pm, W, call for cover
211 F st. dAvIs, (530) 212-8039
social niGhtclub
1409 r st., (916) 947-0434
the sofia
2700 cAPItol Ave., (916) 443-5300
DJ Stylo, 10pm, $0-$5
Louie Giovanni, 10pm, $0-$5
The Billie Holiday Project ft. Stella Heath, 7pm, $30
Mania! The Live Beatles Experience, 7pm, $30
the starlet rooM
Seekers of the Strange, 7pm, $12
Scandal Saturday, 10pm, $10
2708 J st., (916) 441-4693
stoney’s rockin rodeo
1320 del PAso Blvd., (916) 927-6023
the torch club
904 15th st., (916) 443-2797
Hot Country Fridays, 7pm, $5-$10
Stoney’s Saturday, 7pm, $5
Sunday Funday, 9pm, no cover 21+
College Night Wednesdays, 9pm, W, $5-$10
Travis Alan & Crossbuck, Lauren Napier and Vic Ruggiero, 9pm, $6
Jake Nielsen’s Triple Threat, 9pm, $8
Ten Foot Tiger and The Band Hayez, 9pm, $10
You Front the Band, 8pm, call for cover
DASH, 8:30pm, T, call for cover; Almost Blue, 8:30pm, W, $5
all ages, all the time ace of spades
Saved by the 90’s and Cover Me Badd, 7pm, $18
1417 r st., (916) 930-0220
cafe colonial shine cafe
Taco Tuesday, 4pm, T, call for cover ROA, ATM Machine and Jereme Greene, 8pm, $8
1400 e st., (916) 551-1400
Cloud Hats and Indigo Elephant, 8pm, $8
Welcome to
The human Side of Cider
Available at your favorite beverage stores, restaurants, and bars around Sacramento
commoncider.com SN&R
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01.02.20
Photo courtesy oF FrANkIe JAmes
Lydia Pense
Winterfest 2020, 5pm, $12
Marty Taters Open Mic, 7pm, call for cover
3520 stocktoN Blvd., (916) 475-1600
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with Sworn Vengeance and more 7pm Saturday, $10 Holy Diver Punk
TTodd Trivia, 7pm, T, no cover; The Brewery Comedy Tour, 7:30pm, W, $14
1520 termINAl st., (916) 379-7585
34
Hoods
Blues and Bourbon, 5:30pm, W, $10
Salsa Nights, 8pm, $7
yolo brewinG co.
Photo courtesy oF Artery recordINGs
Thee Word Thing, 7:30pm, W, no cover
3pm Sunday, call for cover Powerhouse Pub Rock
For more cannabis news, deals & updates, visit capitalcannabisguide.com.
when ‘the man’ lives next door see ask 420
39
“Accessories” by Sheilagh McCafferty and Madge Davis made with wire, beads and 32 cartridges.
“Cartridge Wall Display” by Clinton Petrino, made with repurposed wood, LED light strip and 225 cartridges.
the art of waste
Photos by Ken Magri
Art show highlights the vape cartridge waste-disposal crisis by Ken Magri
if the vape cartridge health crisis wasn’t enough bad news, another problem cropped up this year: empty THC and e-cigarette cartridge disposal. Due to leftover THC residue in used empties, the state has classified them as hazardous waste. That means recycling businesses won’t touch them, and waste management companies can only keep the cartridges in storage or throw them into landfills. To bring attention to this issue, Up Kindness, a local nonprofit organization, is hosting an art exhibition called Carts for the Arts at the Atrium 916 gallery on Folsom Boulevard. On display until Jan. 28, a dozen local
artists have tackled the subject of cartridge waste by using the products to make paintings and sculptures. A panel discussion at December’s gallery opening focused on the urgency of the issue. “I talked to the major hazardous waste companies, and right now no one will incinerate failed vape pens,” said panelist Maria Espinoza, director of services at GAIACA Waste Revitalization. “The issue with vapes is that they are mixed materials, including glass, metal and rubber along with the battery,” added Gary Altunyan at Easy Waste Management, a Los Angeles based waste specialist.
Disassembling cartridges and necklace that festoons downward separating the materials for recycling in front and back. Its neutral color is not cost-effective. Altunyan told scheme and measured curves recall SN&R that his firm found a few chipthe elegance of 1930s art deco, while and-grind facilities that accept vapes, making a contemporary statement but it requires consumers to remove about unwanted waste. or break off the battery or else it’s a Clinton Petrino went the other universal waste. direction with his “Cartridge Wall Heidi Sanborn, executive director Display,” which hides 225 disposable of the National Stewardship Action cartridges inside a simple abstract Council, was another panelist and painting. The cartridges were installed is an advocate for “take-back” in the back and are undetectable programs that require retailin front, except for tiny ers to accept returned light-emitting circles. waste products such After stripping out “The good thing as unused prescripthe cartridge tubes, tion pills, empty Petrino installed about the cannabis paint cans or, in colored LED industry is it knows about this case, used lights that viewers the waste problem and wants vape cartridges. can manipulate “The good with a remote to help fix it, which is very thing about the control. unlike Big Tobacco.” cannabis industry As with vape is it knows about cartridges, lithium Mindy Galloway the waste problem batteries present CEO, Khemia Manufacturing and wants to help fix a unique disposal it, which is very unlike problem. big tobacco,” Sanborn said. Because batteries For the exhibition, artists can catch fire inside garbage had the challenge of repurposing both trucks, drivers “are told to go to the disposable cartridges and standard nearest parking lot and dump that load, “510” style screw-in empties. These and not to let a quarter million dollar were all manufacturing rejects, donated truck burn up,” Sanborn said at the by Jupiter Research, a Santa Clara panel discussion. wholesale distributor for CCELL Lithium battery fires were reported cartridges. to have caused the recent Sandalwood Sheilagh McCafferty and Madge Davis created a dynamic choker “the art of waste” continued on page 37
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“the art of waste” continued from page 35
wildffire in Ventura, and the “Flapper Dress” Conception boat fire near by Martha Santa Barbara that killed 34 Jones uses 1,000 divers. repurposed vape For Sanborn, the solution cartridges. starts with passage of Senate Bill 424, introduced by Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson. SB 424 bans singleuse vaping products, while requiring vaping products to be reusable and retailers to offer a take-back program for recycling. “The bill only addresses cigarettes and tobacco vaping products now,” Sanborn said, “but it lays the groundwork for a similar bill we want to do [in 2020] with the cannabis industry to address vaping products.” In the art exhibition, Yennie Zhou cleverly incorporated hundreds of vape batteries into a large tree-like structure. Installed along one wall of the gallery, a thick slash of red interrupts her predominantly black-andwhite color scheme. vendor from Oakland, “because they are Seth Dougherty turned 300 single-use helping to eliminate my carbon footprint.” vape pens into a pop art-style lamp Turning carts and batteries base, beautifully topped off into artwork is an innovative with a repurposed lampresponse, but can only “Support shade. Martha Jones had highlight the problem, fun with her donated not solve it. In the brands that batteries by fashionend, manufacturers, advocate for solutions, ing 1,000 of them retailers and into a wearable and tell your dispensary government outfit. Featuring 11 regulators need you would like to see more tiers of dangling to find a solution horizontal stripes, sustainable packaging together. her design mimics Until then, options.” the beaded fringe the simplest thing on a 1920s flapper Heidi Sanborn consumers can do dress. executive director, National is to store their own During the panel Stewardship Action Council empties, or ask their discussion, attorney Tom vendor to take them back. Zuber said that because “Support brands that federal prohibition prevents a advocate for solutions, and tell coordinated approach, “remedies are state-by- your dispensary you would like to see more state.” Zuber also mentioned the unregulated sustainable packaging options,” said Mindy black market as the biggest contributor of Galloway, CEO of Khemia Manufacturing. THC vape cartridge waste. “The more awareness we bring, the more But some unregulated businesses are manufacturers will listen.” □ making an effort to lessen the problem, mostly by agreeing to store used empties until a solution is found. “If someone brings back my Carts for the Arts is on display through Jan. 28 at the packaging, I always give them a free Atrium 916 Gallery, 7300 Folsom Blvd.; atrium916.com. item,” said Thomas Shaffer, an unregulated
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In the beginning, there was only Tupperware. And a little leftover chili, too.
GettinG reacquainted with cannabis? r e c r e at i o n
al d c i d e m al &
ispensary
You r ca n n a bis c o nsu lta n ts sin ce 2009
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01.02.20
BY NGAIO BEALUM
as k 420 @ne w s re v i e w . c o m
The cop next door who lives next door to have a reason So, my sister lives to pester her. Maybe you can use the old “dryer sheet in a toilet paper in Rocklin, where trick to minimize the smell. marijuana is legal. She tube” Perhaps you could smoke on the just so happens to live back porch, or figure it out so that the wind blows the smoke away from next door to a Highway the officer’s residence. Being a good or family member requires Patrol officer, and one neighbor compromise. Remember, as long as day the officer caught you are on private property and the owner has given you permission to me smoking weed consume cannabis, cops are not supposed to bother you. outside. He then With that in mind, you drove a few can be magnanimous. Your side was the houses down Activists worked winner. hella hard to legalize the street Or Just don’t cannabis and he may get stoned at your to keep an sister’s house. not like it, but you are no eye on me Choose wisely. longer breaking the law (I guess), and he should mind his returned Any good own business. and said news about not to smoke weed? Yes! Senate Bill 34, the because he has a “Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Compassionate Care Act,” allows kid. Is he legally right dispensaries to give away free or to say this? low-cost cannabis to veterans and He has no legal right to order you not to smoke weed on private property. If you were just standing in the street or blazing while you were taking a walk, he could legally cite you for consuming cannabis in public. Yeah, I know the law is weird. But don’t worry. This problem happens from time to time. Cannabis is stinky. One good terpene filled preroll can make the whole block smell like weed. Some folks don’t like the smell. Other folks don’t want to explain weed to their kids, which is weird; you should teach your kids about cannabis and other drugs before middle school, so that they can make good choices. You can make choices as well. Here are some options: Politely but firmly tell the officer to quit killing your buzz. Activists worked hella hard to legalize cannabis and he may not like it, but you are no longer breaking the law and he should mind his own business. Or realize that it’s your sister’s house and you don’t want the cop
low-income medicinal cannabis patients, and it goes into effect Jan. 1. This is awesome. In the olden days, most dispensaries would give “cannabis care packages” to folks with serious medical conditions. Remember: The cannabis industry as we know it started as a way to help sick people find relief. Proposition 64 legalized weed, but made it so clubs could no longer donate pot to those in need. SB 34 fixes that problem. It’s nice to see the legislators get it right. Big ups to Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, for sponsoring this bill. Ω
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Free will astrology
ask joey
For the week oF January 2, 2019
Daddy issues
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We are all hostages of
by JOey GARCIA
@AskJoeyGarcia
My 82-year-old father doesn’t want my why are so many millennials diagnosed help and becomes angry when I suggest with depression and anxiety? My that he hire someone for yard work daughter and so many of her friends and housework. yesterday I dropped by say they have anxiety or depression. I unexpectedly and he was on a ladder don’t understand why so many kids are cleaning gutters. he didn’t see me but I struggling. hurried toward him. as he made his way People used to complain that there down, he missed a step and tumbled. I were too many lawsuits and pointed to half-caught him as fell on top of me. no an excess of lawyers. Now, there’s a broken bones, only bruises. But instead surge in licensed psychologists, social of thanking me, he yelled at me. I’m workers and marriage and family frustrated but also scared that if I leave therapists—professionals qualified to him alone like he asks me to, something diagnose mental and emotional health terrible will happen and I’ll feel guilty. concerns. Millennials have also endured what do you think I should do? a lot of helicopter parenting, that style Be less obedient to the thoughts of caretaking that leaves children and that say something terrible youth without decision-making will happen. It might or skills and with expectations of it might not. But when being rescued from facing Let’s talk about you let worries repeat problems. aging. Your dad in your head, you’re Life is rife with isn’t ready to lean on giving those thoughts decisions. Without skills, you. He pushes aside power and credibility. anxiety about making a After that, it’s easy your offers of help wrong decision flourishes. to convince yourself because he prizes his Feeling depressed after that something terrible independence. a decision goes awry is is about to happen. You natural, but isn’t seen as such. might even unconsciously Another contributing factor: the contribute to creating a education system has become an crisis. That’s called a self-fulfilling anxiety-and-depression-creation machine. prophecy. If you’re going to put so much All of this explains some emotional energy into a thinking process, why not anxiety and depression, but a rise in invest in thoughts that will bring you joy? clinical conditions is likely attributed to a Let’s talk about aging. Your dad isn’t greater understanding of psychology. Ω ready to lean on you. He pushes aside your offers of help because he prizes his independence. He doesn’t see himself as an aging parent on the brink of disaster. MeDItatIon oF the His self-image is of a person capable week of caring for himself and his home. To convince him otherwise might cause “Never forget that justice is irreparable harm. After all, you didn’t say what love looks like in public,” that he’s suffered any accidents or probsaid philosopher and activist lems. You’re just afraid that he might. Cornel West. Do you behave the There’s likely another issue. To rely same at work, in the club or on on you would mean he could become the street as you do at home? dependent on you. Can you imagine how vulnerable that might feel for him? So while it’s loving to remind him that you’re available if he needs you, it’s Write, email or leave a message for unkind to assert that he needs assistance Joey at the News & Review. Give your name, telephone number because he’s old. Actually, that pattern (for verification purposes only) and question—all of thinking is what’s old. Maybe it’s time correspondence will be kept strictly confidential. to let fear die. Instead, enjoy being with Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA your dad as he takes care of himself and 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 1360; or email his home. askjoey@newsreview.com. 42
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01.02.20
by ROb bRezsny
the joy of which we deprive ourselves,” wrote poet Odysseus Elytis. Isn’t that an astounding idea? That we refuse to allow ourselves to experience some of the bliss and pleasure we could easily have, and that we are immured inside that suppressed bliss and pleasure? I call on you to rebel against this human tendency. As I see it, one of your main tasks in 2020 is to permit yourself to welcome more bliss, to aggressively seize more pleasure and thereby free yourself from the rot of its nullification. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): At age 22, Taurus-born Dutch citizen Willem de Kooning sneaked into the United States. He was a stowaway on an Argentina-bound freighter, and stealthily disembarked when the ship made a stop in Virginia. As he lived in America during subsequent decades, he became a renowned painter who helped pioneer the movement known as abstract expressionism. His status as an illegal immigrant rarely presented any obstacles to his growing success and stature. Not until age 57 did he finally became an American citizen. I propose we make him one of your role models in 2020. May he inspire you to capitalize on being a maverick, outsider or stranger. May he encourage you to find opportunities beyond your safety zone. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): When British novelist E.M. Forster was in his late 30s, he had sex with another person for the first time. Before that he had published five novels. After that, he produced just one more novel, though he lived till age 91. Why? Was he having too much fun? Looking back from his old age, he remarked that he would “have been a more famous writer if I had published more, but sex prevented the latter.” I suspect that sensual pleasure and intimacy will have the exact opposite effect on you in 2020. In sometimes mysterious ways, they will make you more productive in your chosen sphere. CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Every part of our personality that we do not love will regress and become hostile to us,” wrote poet Robert Bly. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t suffer from this problem at least a little. That’s the bad news. The good news for us Cancerians (yes, I’m a Crab!) is that 2020 will be a favorable time to engage in a holy crusade to fix this glitch: to feel and express more love for parts of our personality that we have dismissed or marginalized. The result? Any self-sabotage we have suffered from in the past could dramatically diminish. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As a young adult, Leo-born Raymond Chandler worked as a fruit-picker, tennis racquet-stringer and bookkeeper. At age 34, he began a clerical job at the Dabney Oil Syndicate, and eventually rose in the ranks to become a well-paid executive. The cushy role lasted until he was 44, when he was fired. He mourned for a while, then decided to become an author of detective fiction. It took a while, but at age 50, he published his first novel. During the next 20 years, he wrote six additional novels as well as numerous short stories and screenplays—and in the process became popular and influential. I present this synopsis as an inspirational story to fuel your destiny in 2020. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The fame of Virgo-born Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto (1474-1533) has persisted through the ages because of Orlando Furioso, an epic poem he authored. It tells the story of the Christian knight Orlando and his adoration for a pagan princess. This great work did not come easily to Ariosto. It wasn’t until he had written 56 versions of it that he was finally satisfied. I suspect you may harbor an equally perfectionist streak about the good works and labors of love you’ll craft in 2020. May I suggest you confine your experiments to no more than 10 versions? LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Leonardo da Vinci worked on his painting The Last Supper from 1495 to 1498. It’s a big piece—about 15 by 29 feet. That’s one reason why he took so long to finish. But there was another explanation, too.
He told his patron, the Duke of Milan, that he sometimes positioned himself in front of his painting-in-progress and simply gazed at and thought about it, not lifting a brush. Those were times he did some of his hardest work, he said. I trust you will have regular experiences like that in 2020. Some of your best efforts will arise out of your willingness and ability to incubate your good ideas with concentrated silence and patience. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): By 1895, Henry James had already published 94 books. He was renowned in the U.S. and England, and had written the works that would later lead to him being considered for a Nobel Prize. Then, at age 52, although he was not physically fit, he decided to learn how to ride a bicycle. He paid for lessons at a bicycle academy, and cheerfully tolerated bruises and cuts from his frequent falls as an acceptable price to pay for his new ability. I admire James’ determination to keep transforming. Let’s make him a role model for you in 2020. May he inspire you to keep adding new aptitudes as you outgrow your previous successes. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When Sagittarian composer Ludwig van Beethoven created the Eroica symphony in the early 1800s, many observers panned it. They said its rhythms were eccentric, that it was too long. One critic said it was “glaring and bizarre,” while another condemned its “undesirable originality.” This same critic concluded, “Genius proclaims itself not in the unusual and fantastic but in the beautiful and sublime.” Today, of course, Eroica has a different reputation. It’s regarded as a breakthrough event in musical history. I’ll go on record here to say that I suspect you created your own personal version of Eroica in 2019. 2020 is the year it will get the full appreciation it deserves, although it may take a while. Be patient. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m going to speculate that sometime in the next six months, you will experience events that years from now you’ll look back on as having been the beginning of a fresh universe for you. What should you call this launch? I suggest you consider elegant terms like “Destiny Rebirth” or “Fate Renewal” rather than a cliché like the “Big Bang.” And how should you celebrate it? As if it were the Grand Opening of the rest of your long life. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In 2020, I believe you will be able to summon the insight and kismet necessary to resolve at least one long-running problem, and probably more. You’ll have an enhanced ability to kick bad habits and escape dead-ends and uncover liberating truths about mysteries that have flustered you. Frustrations and irritations you’ve grudgingly tolerated for far too much time will finally begin to wane. Congratulations in advance, Aquarius! The hard work you do to score these triumphs won’t always be delightful, but it could provide you with a curiously robust and muscular kind of fun. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Let’s say you wanted to dress completely in silk: shirt, pants, vest, scarf, socks, shoes, hat, underwear all made of silk. And let’s say your dream was to grow and process and weave the silk from scratch. You’d start with half an ounce of silkworm eggs. They’d hatch into 10,000 silkworms. Eventually those hard-working insects would generate 5 pounds of silk—enough to create your entire outfit. So in other words, you’d be able to generate an array of functional beauty from a small but concentrated amount of raw material. By the way, that last sentence is a good description of what I think your general approach should be in 2020. And also by the way, dressing in silk wouldn’t be too crazy an idea in the coming months. I hope you’ll have fun cultivating your allure, style and flair.
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