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Volume 31, iSSue 36
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december 19, 2019 | Vol. 31, Issue 36
’Tis the season for snacks, wine and making decorative wreaths at Nina Booth’s Holiday Wreath Workshop.
04 05 06 greenlight + 15 minutes 08 10 news 16 feature 22 arts + Culture 28 stage editor’s note letters essay + streetalK
36 dish plaCe Calendar Capital Cannabis guide asK joey
30 34 36 43 54
Cover design by sarah hansel
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 Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Copy Editor Steph Rodriguez Calendar Editor Maxfield Morris Contributing Editor Rachel Leibrock Editorial Assistant Rachel Mayfield 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
1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Fax (916) 498-7910 Website newsreview.com Got a News Tip? sactonewstips@newsreview.com Calendar Events newsreview.com/calendar Want to Advertise? Fax (916) 498-7910 or snradinfo@newsreview.com Classifieds (916) 498-1234, ext. 5 or classifieds@newsreview.com Job Opportunities jobs@newsreview.com Want to Subscribe to SN&R? sactosubs@newsreview.com Editorial Policies: Opinions expressed in SN&R are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permissions to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. SN&R is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or review materials. Email letters to snrletters@newsreview.com. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel.
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editor’s note
Out of step on housing? by Foon Rhee
fo o nr @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m
Steinberg said he wants the city to “work arm in arm” with SHRA and isn’t being critical, but the agency has come under scrutiny before. While a 2015 city audit found that the cost for its housing projects were comparable to other California cities, it An artist’s rendering of Mirasol also called for SHRA to be Village by SVA architects. more transparent about its finances. image Courtesy of saCramento Housing and redevelopment agenCy As a rule, affordable When it opens, Mirasol Village in Sacramento’s housing is more expensive River District will not be your grandfather’s to build than market-rate. Since federal money public housing project. The entirely new is involved, workers must be paid the prevailing neighborhood will feature affordable housing, of wage, which increases construction costs by 25% course, but also a light-rail stop and amenities to 30%, SHRA says. And to guarantee that a unit such as a park, community garden, fruit tree stays affordable long term, a public subsidy is orchard and residents’ services center. necessary. However, there’s some sticker shock: the SHRA officials stress that Mirasol Village, 487 units in the Sacramento Housing and in particular, is much more than just a fixed-up Redevelopment Agency project carry an average public housing complex. It includes new construction cost of $425,000. And they will take infrastructure and streets and promises to break five more years to complete. the cycle of generational poverty. That runs counter to what Mayor Darrell Mirasol Village will cost about $310 million Steinberg and the City Council badly want— total, including $220 million for housing. Of more affordable housing built more quickly and the 487 units, 218 are affordable, 143 tax-credit cheaply to start making significant progress in affordable, 68 workforce and 58 are unrestricted. the rent and homelessness crisis. The remainder of the cost is for the park, Steinberg is proposing that 30% of all light-rail stop and the center that will provide affordable housing that the city helps finance comprehensive services to residents, including should cost less than $100,000 per unit in public job training, adult education and youth programs. money. He says paying $300,000 to $500,000 After a decade of planning and other work, per unit means the city can’t meet the need. demolition is complete of the old 22-acre Twin “We’re not keeping up, and we’re not getting Rivers site and its 218 units, built during the ahead,” Steinberg told SHRA officials at the 1940s as one of Sacramento’s first public housing Nov. 12 council meeting. developments. After new water and sewer lines, On Dec. 3, the council directed SHRA to roads and sidewalks are installed, construction of work on a plan that includes cabins, a motel the first housing is to begin in early 2020. The first conversion and parking lots where people can residents are scheduled to move in late 2021, but sleep in their cars—with the goal to add 500 the entire project won’t be complete until 2024. beds for the homeless in 2020. It had been known as the Twin Rivers project, Also, the mayor wants the city to play a bigger but was recently renamed Mirasol (Spanish for role in the very complicated financing of affordable sunflower) Village after input from area residents housing. That includes new state money: The city is and businesses. The streets will be named after expected to get $2 million a year from Senate Bill different butterflies. 2, passed in 2017. In addition, City Hall is looking Mirasol Village may turn out to be as at using some new sales tax money from Measure transformational as advertised. Still, in this U, approved in 2018, to float a $100 million moment in Sacramento, it seems at least a little affordable housing bond. out of place. Ω
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Re: “Childhood trauma lasts a lifetime” by Bob Erlenbusch and Drew Factor (Essay, Dec. 5): Please include adopted children. The trauma that we face is of critical importance and is seldom recognized or acknowledged.
John Casey via Facebook
Is homelessness solvable? Re: “A warm place to sleep” by Lisa Bates (Feature, Nov. 28): Some problems cannot be solved. Perhaps this is one of them. People of goodwill deal with it every day of the year, to no avail. Hopefully, such people will not stop trying to deal with problems of people.
hugh MontgoMery Colusa / v i a em ai l
Drug-makers are greedy I am a low-income retired senior who has had to return to part-time work to make ends meet. I have had to absorb several steep rent increases over the last several years, one of which was 12%. I simply cannot afford to pay rapidly ever-increasing prescription drug costs, and there is no need for it. There are other countries all over the world that don’t charge their citizens these outrageous drug prices. For example, the anti-retroviral medication Truvada costs a whopping $1,800 a month in the U.S., while it costs only $8 in Australia for the exact same medication. This is simply outrageous and disgraceful and can only be explained by one word: greed! I am asking that the greed stop here and now.
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several guilds. Recently I joined a new one whose intent is more to talk and share. One of our members told us about the 25 Million Stitches Project, and we decided to join. What a great idea to raise awareness of the global refugee crisis. I just wanted to commend Jennifer Kim Sohn on starting this fantastic community project. I love this idea because it is so apolitical. It needs no further words or actions; it lets the viewer decide what to think about it. It only wants to raise awareness of what is happening around us.
renate Parisek w al p ol e, M as s. / v i a e m a i l
Whiter shades of pale Re: “Sacramento is no Portland” by Jeff Doll (Essay, Nov. 28): Now ask a person of color how they feel visiting Portland. Such a vibrant tapestry of shades of white.
Justin Lehr via Facebook
Re: “Sacramento is no Portland” by Jeff Doll (Essay, Nov. 28): He lives in Elk Grove and is giving opinions on Sacramento livability? Zero credibility and part of the problem.
JosePh Cruz via Facebook
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essay
by Patrick kennedy
streetalk
by Patrick Hyun Wilson
Asked At the Golden 1 Center:
Thoughts on MLS team? Joe Flores
Supervising the sheriff
employee
I think it’s a step in the right direction. ... If actual residents in targeted communities are actually constructing the stadium ... then I am for that.
New Sacramento County inspector general is only a first step There is no secret in Sacramento County about the controversy surrounding the county’s Inspector General and the Sheriff over the past 16 months. It has been a festering wound ever since Sheriff Scott Jones terminated the then-IG’s access to Sheriff’s Department facilities in August 2018, virtually making it impossible for the IG to conduct his work. Since then, the Board of Supervisors has taken steps to enhance the duties of the IG and to avoid a situation where the sheriff will take such actions in the future. Among other things, a new scope of work was approved giving the IG clearer investigative authority over department policies and procedures, incidents involving officer-involved shootings or violence and other community concerns. The board also maintained its right of subpoena power should that be necessary to secure evidence in dispute. Additionally, at our meeting on Dec. 10, the board approved language for a memorandum of understanding between the board and the sheriff intended to provide an avenue for dispute resolution to avoid any future IG lockout. At the same time, I as chairman of the Board of Supervisors have overseen the national recruitment process for a new IG, as well as candidate interviews. This process resulted in the board authorizing the county CEO to negotiate a contract with the chosen candidate, and those negotiations are underway. He is Mark Evenson, who has 32 years of law enforcement experience, including 10 as the police chief in Brentwood. I expect to have the new IG on board shortly, and we will then begin an extensive community engagement process. Contrary to the misconceptions of many, the IG does not report to the sheriff. He or she is independent of the sheriff and answerable to the Board of Supervisors. Does this mean that the sheriff or any future sheriff cannot lock out a future IG? Unfortunately it does not. Under the state constitution, the sheriff is duly elected, and the Board of Supervisors has little authority over how he operates his department. However, for now, it is my hope that the new memorandum 6
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PAtriCk mCGill freelance video editor
I look forward to it a lot. My biggest concern would be the representation of local talent on the team. … I really hope we get some of that.
Patrick Kennedy is chairman of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and represents District 2.
will put into place a mechanism to avoid such a situation. Having an IG in place is critically important to oversight of the Sheriff’s Department. An IG brings expertise and experience to the process that we civilians rely on. But is it enough? I say no. We still need broader community oversight and a way for the community to provide greater input into the department’s operations. A Sheriff Community Oversight Commission could facilitate public transparency and accountability. Working with the IG, and respecting legal privacy concerns, the commission would provide additional oversight of the Department’s policies, practices and procedures and advise the board, the department and the public. Such a commission would provide an opportunity for greater community involvement and opportunities for robust community engagement. As a board, we also need to revisit the process by which the IG is selected. The current process does not provide adequate opportunities for the community to participate. While this is essentially a personnel matter—where certain aspects of the process have to remain confidential—that does not mean we cannot give the community more chances to participate. Over the coming months, I intend to work with community members, experts and county staff to address the need for an oversight commission and reform the IG hiring practice. I am hopeful that through community engagement and researching best practices in other areas across the nation, we can get this done. Ω
Peter virGA-hyAt t hair stylist
I’m not really into sports, so it’s not really my thing. A lot of sports there’s a lot of violence and a lot of things I don’t really support, but I see it as an outlet for people.
JACquelynn moore engineering geologist
The new stadium is cool. I kind of wish it was not so close to downtown because I’m worried about traffic, but it seems like a good way to work that land over there.
Jer Alene sAntA mAriA hair stylist
I think it’s awesome, I’m not a huge fan of soccer, but it’s great for the community … It’s going to get busy but I think it’s just going to make Sacramento a lot better.
vAmsAlu FAntAhun soccer club director
It’s huge for Sacramento. I think it is a great thing. It has both [a] business side, and soccer-wise, Sacramento is one of the biggest talent areas, so it is great for those young kids around here.
Striving to do
MORE This tale of two organizers shows the power of people united 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
SEIU Local 1000 organizer Rose Gudiel leads the union’s MORE program. Photo courtesy seIu LocaL 1000
T
his time of year, people reflect on what they’ve accomplished and what they aspire to do in the year ahead. As they celebrate the holidays, they take time out to renew their faith and share their values. One of the moral leaders who inspires me most this season is Rev. William Barber. He is the national leader of the Poor People’s Campaign, a call elfor moral revival modeled after Dr. King’s original campaign of the same name. In this moral movement, he says it’s not about left and right or conservative or progressive; it’s about right and wrong. He recently launched a new campaign reminding us to do MORE— mobilize, organize, register, educate. Rev. Barber started organizing more than 20 years ago. He worked to build bridges between non-traditional allies. And it worked. Their efforts successfully blocked voter ID laws intended to keep poor people from participating in elections. This movement helped secure a narrow victory in the 2008 presidential election for Barack Obama in North Carolina. But the North Carolina legislature blocked people from voting, creating a very conservative legislature passing regressive policies that increased inequality and poverty. Rev. Barber fought back by launching a series of protests in 2013 at the North Carolina state house called
Moral Mondays. By the end of that summer, more than 1,000 protesters were arrested over voter suppression. Rev. Barber is still organizing. He is touring more than 20 states as part of his MORE Campaign. That tour will culminate June 20, 2020, with a People’s Assembly and Moral March on Washington, D.C. to demonstrate our power. Here in California, SEIU Local 1000 member Rose Gudiel is helping to organize our participation in the MORE program. During the Great Recession, she learned firsthand the power of people united when a big bank tried to foreclose on her home. Her protests at the bank’s offices gained national attention. With the help of her union, she fought and won, keeping her house. Her experience transformed her into an organizer who connects with Rev. Barber’s vision. She sees how the right uses racism to divide working people and keep them from being more powerful. This led her to fight for the right of fast food workers to earn $15 an hour, and then connect to our fight for $15 an hour for thousands of our own members in our last contract campaign. Rose is always trying to do MORE. Inspired by Rev. Barber, she sees how issues are interconnected, linking racial justice, environmental justice, tax fairness, and aligning our spending priorities. She shared her vision about how budgets are choices, as Rev. Barber explores in his poor people’s budget. Shifting small amounts of
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resources from the multi-billion dollar war budget, for example, could provide clean drinking water for everyone in the country. (California alone needs clean drinking water for 1 million people.) Today, Rose is helping to organize thousands of people to come together for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 20, 2020, to walk with me and Rev. Barber. She is one of our shining lights, and while the days grow shorter and nights grow longer, Rose continues to fill me with hope. This season, let’s envision a world that could be different. Let’s follow Rose’s lead to find that spark, then use it to ignite our passion and our belief that through our actions we can change the world.
Yvonne R. Walker President SEIU Local 1000
SEIU LOCAL 1000 1808 14th Street Sacramento, CA 95811 | (866) 471-7348
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greenlight
15 minutes
by Maxfield Morris
ma x fie ld m@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m Jalen Justice is a dancer from Sacramento fresh from a tour with Daddy Yankee.
2019: These books changed my thinking by Jeff vonKaenel
I spend a crazy amount of time reading books in print and listening to audio books, maybe more than 20 hours each week. I read a lot of wonderful books this year, including the following five books. Each one also challenged my thinking and let me see the world from a different perspective. Shanna Zuboff, in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, demonstrates brilliantly how a small number of people controlling a small number of internet companies have significantly changed power relationships in our society, using individuals’ emotions as raw materials. Unlike traditional capitalism that made profits by providing goods and services, the winners in the new tech world accumulate obscene amounts of wealth and power using technology to modify what we think and what we do. Zuboff provides the road map to where we are and where we need to go. It is a remarkable book. As is No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know about Domestic Violence Can Kill Us, by Rachel Louise Snyder. She explains how domestic violence is part of a bigger problem with male social roles. Using reporting from men’s anger management workshops, Snyder shows us how difficult it is for men to change. It was a real joy to see her speak at this year’s Family Justice Center gala in Sacramento. While humans had the speaking roles, trees were the major characters in Richard Powers’ novel, The Overstory. The novel is a tale of interlocking character development of trees and humans; each human has a tree that plays a major role in his or her life. For example, a scientist was mocked for her early work showing how trees communicate with each other, and then later, it was proven to be true. I went on a John Steinbeck binge this year. I read a biography and many of his novels. I re-read The Grapes of 8
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Wrath, a book full of universal truths, one of which is that we are part of a larger social and political framework that shapes us, as we shape it. Some of the language used against the “Okies” eight decades ago resembles current attacks on undocumented immigrants from Mexico. It has been 83 years since the Great Depression, yet only one fourth the life of an oak tree. George Will and I differ politically. But thanks to his excellent audio book, The Conservative Sensibility, I have now spent 24 hours in Will’s head. This experience left me with a much greater appreciation for real conservative thinking. His book delivered steady punches against progressive views, as well as the current Republican party. Frankly, I would not want to go into the ring with Will. I’d send Steinbeck instead. Other books I recommend from this year’s reading include Svetlana Alexievich’s The Unwomanly Face of War, Greg Lukianoff’s The Coddling of the American Mind, Roxane Gay’s Hunger, Steven Greenhouse’s Beaten Down, Worked Up and Michael Pollan’s How to Change Your Mind. In fiction, please check out Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered, Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House, Richard Russo’s Chances Are, Karen Russell’s Orange World and Other Stories and Yukiko Motoya’s Lonesome Bodybuilder. Every year, my reading is possible because of our local public library. A special shout-out to its ever-improving audio books section. I am putting together my 2020 book list and would love to hear your suggestions. Ω
PHOTO COURTESY OF JALEN JUSTICE
Dancing through life When Jalen Tyre Justice was in high school, he had a choice to make: Pursue track and field through college, or chase the dream of a career in dance. He was juggling both at the time, running in the 2011 National Junior Olympics while dancing for studios around Sacramento. Dancing won, and the 22-yearold Justice tours, teaches and taps his days away as a professional dancer. He’s competed on America’s Got Talent, danced on American Idol, danced with Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, E40—the list keeps growing. Most recently, Justice has been touring with Puerto Rican singer Daddy Yankee. He spent the last year in L.A. and moved back to Sacramento several months ago. He’s taught at Sac Dance Lab, danced at Studio T and other local studios. SN&R caught us with Justice to talk about dancing, growing a brand and his quest to experience as many things as he can.
What’s it like coming back and teaching dance? Honestly, to be able to teach in Sacramento is something I’ve wanted to do since I started dancing here. I just always knew that we had a good environment and so many good dancers here—and so many great teachers. So I always wanted to be one of those teachers. … I got a lot of experience and I got to share it with a lot of local kids, show them it’s possible to do more through dance than a lot of us believe, you know?
churches and events and perform. And after we did that so many times, I was like, “Yo, this is way more fun. This is something I could see myself doing more with.” I didn’t know how, but I could see doing more. So I had a moment again when I joined Chapters and we got this job to dance for a car show opening. They flew us out to China and we got to dance in the grand opening for these cars. For me, it was like, I got paid for that, and I got to spend 10 days away from school and do that job. It made me take it even more serious and realize that it’s not going to be a dream anymore, it’s something that’s really tangible. I think that was the real moment, actually.
How do you view choreography? I love choreographing, honestly. … I wasn’t called to it at first. I definitely didn’t like it. I was like, “I feel awkward. I don’t want to do this.” But over the years, I’ve gotten to know myself, and it becomes more of an expression for me.
What kind of dance are you doing now? Dancing with Daddy Yankee, we’re doing more of Latin dancing, not ballroom, but more salsa and hip-hop and some jazz. That’s the kind of style we’re doing right now, but when I’m not training and doing that job, I’m tap dancing, I’m doing ballet classes. I’m trying to do ballroom again, so I’m going to try to do that in Sacramento actually.
Is there a day that goes by that you don’t dance? I can say every single day, yes. I make myself take a break sometimes, like, a day? It doesn’t always last the whole day. For me, I’m not really tired from dancing. All I need is a two-hour, three-hour nap here and there and I’m OK because I’m not used to sleeping a lot. So I dance every single day. It keeps me going. □
Was there a moment that you knew you wanted to do this much dancing? Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.
The first moment was when I was dancing with my sister …. We would go around to all these different
Check out Justice’s Instagram @jlntyre for some dance moves and modeling photos.
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Photo illustration by maria ratinova
The miracle clue Authorities used DNA to identify a Sacramento arson victim and the Golden State Killer suspect, but is there a downside? anyone with information about Perrean Gray’s disappearance and murder is asked to contact the sacramento Police Department dispatch center at (916) 264-5471 or sacramento valley Crime stoppers at (916) 443-hElP (4357). anonymous tips can be submitted using the free “P3 tips” smartphone app. Callers may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.
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by Raheem F. hosseini
Almost 20 years later, the burned body in the torched dumpster finally has a name: Perrean Gray. Gray was in her 20s when she went missing from San Francisco in 2001. Local authorities didn’t know that on June 29 of that year, when a dumpster fire on the 7900 block of 18th Avenue in Sacramento’s Colonial Village neighborhood led to a grisly discovery. After extinguishing the flames, firefighters found a charred corpse and |
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alerted police. The body spent the next 18 years as a “Jane Doe.” Meanwhile, Gray’s loved ones held out hope. According to a community-driven Wikia page tracking Gray’s disappearance, reports of a hospitalization record in 2003, a false sighting in Oakland four years later and the family’s belief that she might be living in Las Vegas fed that hope. Back in Sacramento, what seemed like a separate mystery
ra he e mh @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m
waited on technology to catch up to human determination. Two years ago, investigators sent degraded DNA evidence to be phenotyped at Virginia’s Parabon Nanolabs, which led to a better physical model of what the victim might have looked like before the fire, KTXL’s Fox 40 reported. On Nov. 26, Sacramento police said they were finally able to confirm the charred remains belonged to Gray
through advanced DNA technology and a private genealogy laboratory. Police spokesman Officer Karl Chan said he couldn’t provide additional details about the identification process or how many other unidentified homicide victims his department is working to name, but the department said in a release that its homicide detectives “believe that the death of Perrean Gray is related to her disappearance” and sought the public’s help in connecting the dots. The county coroner’s office was still trying to notify one of Gray’s next of kin on Dec. 5, but had concluded that her official cause of death was from “acute thermal injury”—or death by fire. “This is a cold case that hopefully with a new lead we are going to be able to finally have closure, and a resolution for the victim’s family,” Chan added by email. Gray’s identification occurred in what some consider a golden age for DNA-aided crime fighting.
HigH-interest tootH-pullers see neWs
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tHe imploding Water district see neWs
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sucked into a sexist cult see coVer
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beats
timeline to Help
But the technology has quickly eclipsed the public’s expectations, renewing questions about human error and privacy safeguards. With the Trump administration making plans to catalog the DNA of every immigrant caught crossing the border—including asylum seekers—the time to consider the unintended consequences of unlimited genetic surveillance is running out.
tHe gsk precedent It’s difficult to quibble with the results. Thanks to a mix of genetic breadcrumbs, dogged detective work and people’s fascination with their ancestral roots, accused serial predators Joseph James DeAngelo and Roy Charles Waller— better known as the alleged Golden State Killer and NorCal Rapist, respectively— were both arrested last year, more than a decade after the last crimes attributed to them. In both ice-cold cases, investigators used the suspects’ DNA leavings from long-ago crime scenes to fish for hits on GEDmatch, an open-source genealogy website. Detectives landed partial hits, leading them to the suspects’ distant relatives and, eventually, the suspects’ doors. The increasingly common use of open-source genealogy sites to find notorious boogeymen has opened a vein of ethical questions that the courts have been slow to revisit since 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that collecting DNA samples from violent crime suspects was as standard as collecting fingerprints or mugshots. But much has changed in six years. Sheldon Krimsky, a professor of humanities and social sciences at Tufts University in Massachusetts and chairman of the Council for Responsible Genetics, analyzed the privacy policies of approximately 30 ancestry companies for his book Genetic Justice—and found they “varied quite a bit.” “Most companies sell the information to other institutions,” he said. The buyers of this genetic material include universities and pharmaceutical companies that want a large sampling to conduct research and product testing. “The [purchasing] company is not interested in your ancestry,” Krimsky noted. “They’re interested in everything else about you.” Krimsky said that when a consumer agrees to let an ancestry company use their DNA to find distant relatives, that
opens the door for other entities to use is expected to be a years-long death it in ways the consumer may not have penalty case. intended. Krimsky also said that the Since their arrests, Waller and ancestry markers used by websites such DeAngelo have been held in separate as GEDmatch, 23andMe and others eighth-floor cells at the downtown are different than the forensic markers Sacramento jail. While their authorities need to locate suspects. So if apprehensions may represent the best investigators have gotten their genetic outcomes of DNA sleuthing, Krimsky said clues from a public database, can they it’s worth considering what else may tumble be sure they’ve gotten what they need? out of Pandora’s box. “Finding suspects is an important “Searching around for suspects is part of police work, but there a good thing,” Krimsky said. are limits,” Krimsky But, he added, “We have to cautioned. figure out what the precHe said there edent of this means.” “Searching around have been instances a legal where people for suspects is a good have been falsely thing. We have to figure out patcHWork accused of crimes what the precedent of this Outside of freebecause of human market ancestry error in creating means.” companies with DNA profiles. “It Sheldon Krimsky divergent fine print, can happen even if chairman, Council for Responsible there is also a legal you’ve never been Genetics patchwork at play. convicted of commitCalifornia is one of ting a crime,” Krimsky 30 states that currently said. authorize the collection The trustworthiness of DNA of DNA samples from people evidence could become a central defense who have been arrested or charged strategy in either the Golden State Killer or of certain crimes, but not convicted, NorCal Rapist trials. DeAngelo, 74, is accused of sexually according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. While California assaulting and murdering 13 people restricts that collection to people across 11 counties during nearly a arrested for felony crimes, eight states decade spanning the 1970s and 1980s. authorize DNA collection for certain Authorities believe DeAngelo got his misdemeanor arrests. start in the early ’70s, when the former As for suspects who have been police officer is alleged to have led a exonerated, released without charges double life as a sadistic home invader or convicted of lesser crimes that don’t and torture-killer dubbed the East Area permit DNA collection, their genetic Rapist, among other names. profiles can be destroyed, but it isn’t After the Golden State Killer’s DNA always simple. Sixteen states require profile from a Ventura County rape was formal requests, while two—Oklahoma uploaded to GEDmatch, investigators and South Carolina—don’t have a hit on several possible relatives whom process for expunging one’s DNA a team used to build a large family record. tree. Once investigators zeroed in on Krimsky noted that several states DeAngelo, they surreptitiously collected don’t allow authorities to consider more DNA samples from his car and a familial DNA profiles, which happen discarded tissue to compare against the when the standards of a genetic match crime scene samples. are relaxed to allow more hits. Detectives essentially replicated “The movement is to get as much their process in the NorCal Rapist case. DNA on databases so police can keep Waller had been a safety specialist checking them,” he said. “Whether or with UC Berkeley for more than two decades until his September 2018 arrest. not there’s going to be a stopping point, I don’t know.” Ω The 59-year-old faces 45 felony counts related to rape and kidnapping, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for Dec. 16, online court records show. DeAngelo won’t appear be in court again until Jan. 22, part of what
City leaders recently unveiled their projected timeline for launching a five-point homeless shelter strategy, one they say could house roughly 850 people by June. The plan, which some council members have been fine-tuning for months, was ultimately solidified in a joint effort by City Manager Howard Chan and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. SHRA executive director La Shelle Dozier told the council Dec. 3 that the strategy is to leverage $8.5 million in local funds in the first few months of the year, and then $22.5 million in state funds, which her agency can draw on by spring. According to the plan, the city and SHRA will open a parking lot where 20 families can sleep in their vehicles sometime in January. Next, officials will focus on securing “scattered site” shelters for women with children, housing about 150 families in apartments through a special voucher system. Dozier said that could be done by March. A proposed shelter would open in Meadowview in April, housing 100 individuals, followed a month later by one in the Broadway-Alhambra corridor. Additionally, the city plans to engage in another motel-to-shelter conversion by June, making space for 100 more individuals. Finally, the city will also try to find a site for some 50 sleeping cabins. Stephen Watters, executive director of First Step Communities, who has long advocated interim housing communities, told council members that they were on the right track. “I think we’re going to have an opportunity to see what works best, and what works best for certain populations,” Watters said. (Scott Thomas Anderson)
WatcHdog ligHt After 15 months without having someone to watchdog one of the state’s biggest law enforcement agencies, Sacramento County supervisors on Dec. 10 selected a retired Brentwood police chief to monitor the Sheriff’s Office. Before being appointed inspector general last week, Mark D. Evenson ran the small, posh Los Angeles County agency for almost 11 years until 2017. Before then, most of Evenson’s career was spent with the Seattle Police Department. Numerous speakers, including those associated with the local ACLU chapter and Decarcerate Sacramento, expressed skepticism about Evenson and the scope of services that defines his powers, especially since the reason the inspector general position lay vacant for more than a year was because Sheriff Scott Jones unilaterally forced out former I.G. Rick Braziel in August 2018. Supervisors spiked a clause in the contract that would have prevented Jones from doing what he did last time—banishing an I.G. who criticized the fatal freeway shooting of Mikel McIntyre, a mentally ill black man who struck a deputy with a rock and was running away when he was killed. “What are we learning from those mistakes?” asked Ryan McClinton, an organizer with Sacramento Area Congregations Together and one of multiple speakers urging the county to create a civilian review board with subpoena powers. While that didn’t happen, Supervisor Phil Serna, a critic of the sheriff’s handling of the situation, pointed to a new dispute resolution process that would bring in a retired superior court judge as mediator if the sheriff and i.g. butt heads again. “What I think this does do is it gives the entire community … some breathing room,” Serna said. (Raheem F. Hosseini)
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SaCraMenTo Bee phoTo illuSTraTion/GeTTy
Bad teeth, bad credit Pressured by some dentists, patients hit by inflated bills By Manuela Tobias
Manuela Tobias is a journalist at The Fresno Bee. This article is part of The California Divide, a collaboration among newsrooms examining income inequity and economic survival in California, and is an abridged version of the full story, which is available at Calmatters.org/divide.
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Kenda Williams, 51, went to West Coast Dental in Torrance to treat the shooting pain in her molar. She spent the day in a drug-induced haze. Williams later found out she had signed up for two credit cards that day to cover her dentist’s $9,055 bill. Unemployed and on Medi-Cal, the Los Angeles resident had no idea why her bill was so high, or why she had been approved for so much credit. “I thought I was just getting a root canal,” Williams said. “They were giving me a bridge. I already had a denture that was brand new. They’re claiming I asked for a bridge and I did not. They knew I could not afford it because I was unemployed. All I went in for was a root canal.” She does not recall signing up for the cards, and she said the signatures on the |
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consent forms do not match her own. The dental office did not send in an authorization form to her insurance provider, a Medi-Cal managed care plan, documents show. The insurance company later reimbursed her for $1,070 worth of services, but she still owes about $6,000. Across California, patients like Williams are wading into years of debt because of high-interest credit cards used to finance dental treatment. They have succumbed to requests by dentists to put their high-priced services on a controversial segment of the health-care industry: companies that offer loans for “out-ofpocket” medical care. An investigation by The Fresno Bee for The California Divide, a statewide media project examining economic inequality,
has found that some dentists appear to be inflating bills and pressuring patients to put their services on a credit card. These credit contracts, which can be easily arranged in the dentist’s office, often have deferred interest provisions, which means that if the patient does not pay in full within a certain time period, interest on the initial loan is charged, with rates ranging from 13% to 29%. The Bee also found that some dentists charged for care in full before services were performed, leaving patients like Williams paying their bill without ever having their treatment completed. Legal aid organizations report that low-income Californians are particularly at risk of falling into debt traps with medical credit cards because of ongoing struggles with the state insurance system. Medi-Cal doesn’t cover major dental care unless it is medically necessary, and a limited number of Medi-Cal and Medicare providers render the full range of covered services. “We definitely see dentists refusing to run the [Medi-Cal authorization] request a lot,” said Eric Schattl, supervising attorney at the Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. “So then they’re guiding people toward the card early on in the process, even if they know they are MediCal recipients.” West Coast Dental in Torrance declined to comment about Williams’ case. But advocates say the terms of medical credit cards are too complicated for most people to understand. They are particularly confusing in high-pressure situations, like the moments of excruciating pain leading up to important dental procedures. “It’s a dentist pitching this product. Your relationship with the dentist is a very intimate relationship. You have to trust the dentist—they’re in your mouth,” Schattl said.
Millions of aCCounts Nationwide, more than 6 million accounts are active with CareCredit, a product of Synchrony Bank. It is the most popular medical credit card on the market, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The card can be used to finance anything from veterinary services to LASIK eye surgery. It is offered at 109,000 dental offices nationwide. Of the thousands of consumers who filed complaints against Synchrony Bank nationwide in the last five years, 177 consumers, including 43 Californians,
mentioned the word dentist or dental. There could be hundreds more, however, as most people opted not to publish their complaint narratives. The Health Consumer Alliance, a statewide coalition of legal service offices, says it has reviewed and helped consumers on 28 dental credit card cases so far this year, and 55 cases in 2018. Central California Legal Services, based in Fresno, estimates they reviewed 24 cases since 2013. Medical credit cards are not all that different from other credit cards on the market. But customers don’t need to go to a bank to take them out; health-care providers can fill out a client’s application and have it approved in seconds. “The reason that they are popular is that they’re marketed in a way that oversimplifies in an almost misleading way what the person is obligated to,” said Gina Calabrese, a professor of legal clinical education at St. John’s University. Beginning next July, a new state law will prohibit health-care providers from signing up patients for deferred interest credit products in their offices. The credit industry and dentists had worked to water down the bill; the original version would have prohibited providers from offering or promoting such products. Lisa Lansperry, a spokeswoman for CareCredit, said an internal survey showed 94% of their customers were satisfied in 2018. She added that if a consumer has a complaint, the company takes it seriously. The California Dental Association, which represents more than 27,000 dentists, endorses the cards because many people lack adequate insurance to cover the dental treatment they urgently need, according to spokeswoman Joie Harrison. CareCredit has 120 partnerships, more than 70 of which are paid, with industry groups, including the California Dental Association. Both CareCredit and the California Dental Association declined to disclose whether the dental association was paid for promoting credit cards to patients. The appeal for dentists is clear. Minus merchant credit card fees, their immediate payment is guaranteed, and gone is the administrative burden. “In a private office we don’t want to chase down payments,” said Mark Cave, the dental director of Fresno’s Clinica Sierra Vista, who also has a private practice in Visalia. “If we have to hound you for $25 we lose relationships over that with patients. You owe me $300 but you’re sending me $25, and I’ve got bills to pay, too, or we can go to CareCredit.” Ω
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14 | SN&R | 12.19.19
Photo courtesy of carol rose
Circling the drain Arden-Arcade neighborhood water district faces insolvency amid mass resignations and infighting by Graham Womack
The Del Paso Manor Water District is tiny, with only about 1,800 customers and surrounded by Sacramento Suburban Water District, which served 100 times as many customers last year. For the past year, however, the Del Paso Manor district experienced major drama, throwing it into chaos and uncertainty over whether it can even survive. DPMWD provides drinking water in the Arden-Arcade area to houses built largely between the 1940s and ’60s. Two wells are currently down and the district has an estimated $20 million to $30 million in deferred work, according to interim general manager Leo Havener. “It’s an extremely aging infrastructure,” Havener told SN&R. “It’s pretty much outlived almost its entire lifespan.” The district has attempted to finance infrastructure work in recent years with an approximately $5 million bond issue in 2010 and a series of subsequent rate increases. This hasn’t sat well with Marissa Burt, John Lenahan and Trish Harrington, who campaigned against the increases, were elected to the board in November 2018 and have clashed with staff since. At the district’s Nov. 5 board meeting, former general manager Debra Sedwick—who resigned May 31 along with two of DPMWD’s three staff members—told the board that personnel files she’d left in a locked filing cabinet at the district’s Maryal Drive office wound up in an unsecured box. Sedwick told SN&R the files contained copies of marriage and birth certificates, Social Security numbers and other sensitive information—“what is needed for somebody to steal your identity. And that’s what makes me nervous.” Sedwick, who has requested an independent investigation, isn’t the only person to reach their breaking point with the board. Chief legal counsel Adam Brown resigned Nov. 27 after unsuccessfully advocating for an investigation of the file breach. Harrington quit three days later. Havener himself briefly quit during the Nov. 5 meeting before Brown persuaded him to stay on the condition that he not be required to attend any
A Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office vehicle sat outside Del Paso Manor Water District on July 21. The district has been engulfed in controversy over the past year.
additional board meetings before the end of his six-month contract in February. “It’s a very hostile environment with these folks,” Havener said. “They have failed to take legal counsel’s advice, and I’m unable to assist them in trying to do things in a way that should be done correctly.” Burt and Lenahan, who didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment, and Harrington campaigned on a number of promises, including that they could cut operational expenses by 25%. “I can tell you there isn’t 25% fat in there, so I don’t see them being able to do that one,” Sedwick said. Another board member, Bob Matteoli, objected in a Nov. 5 written statement to the new board’s frequent use of ad hoc committees and requested they all be dissolved. One of these committees authorized removal of files from the district’s old office in July, with some files going to the new office and the rest being sent to a landfill. Sedwick said personnel files at the new office were also broken into. Asked if a board member was responsible, Havener replied, “I can neither confirm nor deny that. This is one of those areas I wish I could tell you because I am hell-bent by the Brown Act.” According to a letter obtained by SN&R from Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters, who represents the area, both the District Attorney’s Office and Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission are now paying attention. Carol Rose, who lives across the street from the district’s old offices, acknowledged there’s been talk of a recall election, though it’s unlikely to happen. “Of course we’ve talked about it,” Rose told SN&R. “But No. 1, it’s expensive and No. 2, I don’t think we’re going to be able to save this district.” Havener sees the district ultimately having to merge with another. “It’s not a matter of if,” Havener said. “It’s truly a matter of when.” Ω
building a
HealtHy
Sacramento
WALKSacramento Strives to Ensure the Safety of Sacramento Students By E d g A r S A n c h E Z
F
ive days a week, thousands of boys and girls throughout Sacramento walk to school and back—putting themselves in peril.
Sacramento City Unified School District, to enhance pedestrian/bike safety.
At many corners, the children face motorists who might run red lights and stop signs, without yielding to pedestrians.
“CHildrEN aNd ParENtS SHouldN’t HavE to worrY aBout SaFElY gEttiNg to SCHool.”
The situation has reached a crisis: According to recent reports, in 2016—the latest year for which numbers are available—40 youths, age 14 or under were injured or killed by drivers while walking in Sacramento. That’s the highest rate among California’s large cities. “Children and parents shouldn’t have to worry about safely getting to school,” Alicia Brown, of WALKSacramento, said recently. “But the reality is that our streets prioritize cars over pedestrians and create dangerous conditions for students.” Getting motorists to stop for pedestrians is a key goal of WALKSacramento. The nonprofit works with transportation and land-use planners, elected officials and community groups to create safe, walkable environments for all citizens, ranging from children and seniors to people with disabilities. In 2017, The California Endowment awarded a three-year grant to WALKSacramento’s Safe Routes to School Program (SRTSP) which seeks to reduce car-pedestrian accidents before and after school. WALKSacramento has since partnered with nine South Sacramento schools, all in the
Alicia Brown WALKSacramento
Soon after receiving Endowment funds, WALKSacramento documented a lack of sidewalks on streets leading to Fern Bacon Middle School. Citing that report, Sacramento County successfully applied for a state grant of about $1 million, which helped pay for bike lanes to Fern Bacon, as well as for the ongoing installation of sidewalks adjacent to the school, said Brown, an SRTSP coordinator. This semester, WALKSacramento has worked with Elder Creek Elementary, the largest elementary school in the Sac City Unified District. Elder Creek had fast-moving cars zooming past it all day, and many drivers delivering their children to the school in the morning, then picking them up later.
“we want to continue to partner” with walKSacramento, said thule doan (left), principal of Elder Creek Elementary School, one of nine South Sacramento campuses that have worked with the pedestrian-safety nonprofit, through a California Endowment grant. alongside is alicia Brown (right) of walKSacramento. Photo by Edgar Sanchez
This fall, the traffic woes have been alleviated to a degree, Elder Creek Principal Thule Doan said. That said, an Elder Creek third-grader was recently struck by a car in a nearby crosswalk, Doan said. The boy suffered minor injuries. Part of the solution: Each morning, some parents now drive their children to the George Sim Community Center parking lot on Logan Street. Parents and students then walk to the school, along a ½-mile safe route that doesn’t require crossing any intersections. Most of the route is on the south side of Lemon Hill Avenue, beside Morrison Creek.
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.
paid with a grant from the california endowment
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, visit WalkSacramento.org www.SacBHC.org 12.19.19
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And then out came the penises.
The
Marriage
Guru* *Preaching chauvinist ideology made Justin Sterling a millionaire— and his largest following may be in Sacramento
There had to be more than 200 of them, all sorts, not standing at attention so much as listlessly wanging there, like underfed POWs too exhausted to protest this latest indignity. Bob avoided looking directly at the withered army. Did he pay $500 for this? To drop trou inside a hotel by the Oakland International Airport in front of an egalitarian group of strangers? This weekend had already been unpleasant. Now it was scary. “At that point the thought that went through my head was, ‘Oh my God, this entire thing is an effing cult,’” Bob recalled. “Now I’m really worried. Now I’m seriously thinking that I want to find a way to bolt out of here.” But Bob felt stuck. He reluctantly climbed out of his trousers. Tubes of Halloween makeup made the rounds. Drums thrummed. The man in charge told the disrobed horde to paint each other for war and chant tribal gobbledygook. Then he ordered his volunteers to bring up the blindfolded nonbelievers from the basement. Welcome to “Men’s Weekend.” For almost 40 years, the Sterling Institute of Relationship has lured both men and women to these top-secret, nonrefundable retreats with the promise of unlocking their true potential. Founder and CEO A. Justin Sterling didn’t respond to multiple attempts to reach him, but a consistent portrait of his seminars has emerged in news coverage, on message boards and from former attendees who spoke to SN&R. It’s not a very flattering one. According to Sterling, men are only capable of rage and fear, and must be unconditionally loved and obeyed. He’s like Andrew Dice Clay without the self-awareness. And after two straight days of mansplaining how relationships worked better in the caveman days, Sterling cranks the knob to weird. Men strip naked and work themselves into a lather. Women curl into fetal balls and cry themselves hoarse. Black-clad volunteers film the “breakthroughs,” yet the
BY RAHEEM F. HOSSEINI ra h e e m h @ n e ws re vi ew. com
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participants have to pledge they won’t divulge what happened. The whole thing is exploitative, coercive, even cult-like. But it’s not technically a cult, says cult specialist Rick Alan Ross. “Now, why is it not a cult? Because Sterling really isn’t an object of worship,” Ross explained. “He’s more of a con man.” While the number of men who stick with Sterling after their weekends has dwindled down to fewer than 40 members across Northern California, that may not matter to the aging guru. At the age of 77, Sterling still draws hundreds to his pricey weekend retreats and pockets the proceeds thanks to an entirely volunteer labor force. If he is running a pyramid scheme, it’s one in which only the man at the top profits. As for the people below, it can be a different story. A Sacramento woman says her husband came out of a Men’s Weekend this year changed for the worse—forsaking his sobriety, alienating their children and all but running their finances into the ground. Their marriage is stuck in a nosedive, but she can’t bring herself to eject. “I know we won’t last very long if we continue with the Sterling [Institute],” said Haley, who, like Bob, asked that their names be changed or withheld because they said they fear reprisals. “I don’t think he’ll get out.” Instead, she’s decided to follow her husband deeper into Sterling’s world, one that has a foothold here in Sacramento. Meanwhile, hustlers like Sterling have never done better.
TrusT The process Haley shut her eyes and pretended to sleep for the six-hour ride to Los Angeles. Everything had come together last minute for her Women’s Weekend. Her husband returned home that night from his men’s group with enough cash to cover the registration and late admission fee, almost $700. The guys all chipped in. She would leave tonight. She would finally understand. It had been nearly a year since someone mentioned the local men’s group and Haley suggested her husband check it out. It seemed harmless at the time—a bunch of guys hanging out once a week to play cards and shoot the breeze. She and her husband—let’s call him “Phil”—were having problems, and his guys’ nights seemed to better his mood. But the weekly bonding sessions soon took over their lives. If Phil and Haley had people over, it was his men’s group buddies and their wives. If they went to a birthday party or barbecue, it was at these people’s homes. Conversations at these get-togethers often turned to “the weekend,” spoken of in reverent, vague tones. Phil signed on first. That’s when Haley learned this group had a name. His registration
paperwork said “Sterling Institute of Relationship.” She Googled it and saw the word “cult” repeated. Phil had already left for Oakland. Three nights later, Haley hopped on the freeway to watch him “graduate.” A queasy feeling rode shotgun. She parked outside a rundown hotel near the airport. Inside, she saw shirtless men, panting and oozing weird body paint. They were all keyed up. Women in black evinced poker faces and moved like chess pieces. “It was a really strange energy,” Haley remembered. An hour passed without explanation. Finally, the doors of the conference room swung open, releasing a rank odor. She followed the other wives and well-wishers inside to find roughly 200 men piled onto bleachers stacked against the walls. They were bare-chested and sweating. There was her husband. She looked away. A low rumble filled the room as Justin Sterling appeared. Haley didn’t think he looked like his picture. He said something into his microphone headset, then left. He made no speech. The big moment already happened behind closed doors. Instead of diplomas, the new Sterling men got nuts, the metal kind, 2-inch bolts spooled around necklaces, clunky metaphors for their reclaimed manhood. The Sterling wives grinned like jackals. They’d been telling Haley for weeks to wait until her man completed his weekend. Best sex they would ever have. She and Phil drove home separately. There was no second honeymoon. Phil had always been grounded, familyminded, Haley says. But there was a chink in his armor, an exploitable vulnerability. “He always wanted to fit in somewhere,” she said. “I think that’s how they got him. They made him feel like he belonged.” Phil now had his brothers. He asked for a divorce. The other Sterling husbands interceded. Divorce is for quitters. Phil returned, but only after Haley agreed to his terms: He wanted final say over all their decisions. “I knew that was the whole Sterling concept so I just went with it,” Haley said. A month passed. Phil still spurned sobriety. He continued to ghost his kids. Bills went unpaid. Only his fellow Sterling men mattered. “It’s crashing down faster,” Haley said of their marriage. The other Sterling husbands said Phil learned the wrong lessons from the weekend. The other Sterling wives told Haley she needed to do her weekend, so that man and wife could finally be on the same page. Phil had already talked about finding “a Sterling woman,” so what else did she have to lose? But it wasn’t just a last-ditch effort to save the marriage. Haley was also curious about Sterling’s mysterious spell. How does he make a good man turn up the contrast on
his darker traits, she wondered. And will the same thing happen to her? They arrived in Los Angeles around 2 a.m. that Friday and crashed. Around noon, she walked into a much nicer venue than where her husband spent his weekend. The poker-faced women in black were everywhere. No one smiled. Their shtick vibed grim and avant garde. “It did feel very cultish at that point,” Haley said.
retreat was in session. There would be a single meal break during an unspecified hour. The woman gave the same spiel each morning. Hunger, isolation, deprivation—these became the unspoken underpinnings of the weekend. And then she introduced Justin Sterling. He emerged from the double doors in the back and climbed into a director’s chair placed on the stage. “Like he was God,” Haley recalled.
“at that point the thought that went through my head was, ‘oh my God, this entire thing is an effing cult.’” Bob former member, Sterling Institute of Relationship
She followed a line into a room divided by a folding wall. Forty-five minutes later, the wall receded. The recruits migrated. Four female volunteers took flanking positions by the stage and sound equipment. They wore headsets and pointed video cameras. But nothing happened. That nothing expanded for two hours. The recruits stewed. This was part of it, someone grumbled. It’s how they break you. Haley heard the word “cult” circulate. She guessed half the room was skeptical. Women griped, but no one walked. They had already coughed up $600 and may have felt indebted to the “big sisters” who recruited them. Plus, the sponsors had dropped them off, so how would they get home? After an interminable wait, a 50-ish woman dressed in business attire strode to the front and robotically welcomed them. She instructed everyone to surrender their cellphones and outlawed food, even gum or mints, while the
The female recruits, even the skeptics, burst into applause. Their weekend had finally begun.
culT of personaliTy A. Justin Sterling didn’t start life under that name. According to earlier reporting and a background check, Sterling was born Arthur Kasarjian, circa 1942, in Brookline, Mass., to Jewish-Armenian parents. By the 1970s, he had landed on the warm West Coast and settled in loosey-goosey San Francisco. In a scathing 1999 profile, Details Magazine reported that Kasarjian was convicted of grand theft and impersonation around that time, snagging three years on probation. Bad start in the counterculture capital. Cue Hollywood? According to IMDb, an actor by the name of Arthur Kasarjian booked bit TV parts in the late
“THE MARRIAGE GURU”
continued on page 18
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“THE MARRIAGE GURU” continued from page 17 1970s and early 1980s. A federal arrest warrant issued in Los Angeles in 1989 belied a third reinvention. Kasarjian had already rechristened himself “A. Justin Sterling” by 1979, the San Jose Mercury News reported in 1996. The Sterling Institute of Relationship was born two years later. According to cult expert Ross and former Mercury News reporter Sarah Lubman, Kasarjian got the idea from a self-help seminar he attended years earlier. It was called EST, an acronym for Erhard Seminars Training. EST revolved entirely around the bombastic personality of its founder, Werner Erhard, a former Philadelphia car salesman who deserted his wife and four children, teutonized his given name and remade himself out West
Kasarjian modeled his version off the master’s. The struggling actor created the biggest role of his life. “A. Justin Sterling” sounded stuffy and important. He charged women for the privilege of his advice before moving onto men. The Sterling Institute formally incorporated in 1981. It became a road show, packing hotel conference rooms across the country. The 5-foot-7 Sterling stomped across stages in raised black boots. He espoused tough-guy clichés. His mantra was “fuck it,” at least for the men. For the women, it was to love and obey. His audiences sometimes pushed back. Sterling didn’t debate his detractors so much as ridicule and exhaust them with circular logic. By the second day, they were so starved for silver linings that Pyrrhic wisdom felt like
Who is A. Justin Sterling? 1942: born Arthur Kasarjian 1979: changes name to Justin Sterling 1981: founds Sterling Institute 1989: federal arrest warrant issued 1992: releases book on relationships 1994: first wife leaves him 2016: second wife gets restraining order
And here’s his house, a 6-bedroom, 5-bath estate in Piedmont valued at $2.9 million. as a General Patton for personal epiphanies. Everything Sterling would do—down to using deprivation and humiliation to erode people’s defenses—Erhard did first, Ross said. Ross called Erhard “the granddaddy” of what’s known as large group awareness training, or LGAT, an unsexy term for a potentially harmful model. 18
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real epiphanies. Sterling’s corny jokes about the differences between men and women drew more laughs. He paired off his crowds and had them role-play angry outbursts. The men mostly savaged imaginary wives, said Bob, who did his weekend in 1996. The women vented mostly at unavailable husbands, remembered Haley, who went this year.
lawsuits in 2017 and 2018. The Franchise Tax Ribald sex talks occurred. Attendees were Board also tagged him with a nearly $106,000 kept awake and ordered to take cold showers. lien in 2017. Sterling talked and talked and talked. He Sterling’s influence has waned over the two pitted the men against each other, having them decades that Sacramento marriage compete to remain in his inner circle, counselor Alan Hill has been Bob said. Only at that point loyal to the program. In does he challenge them the ’90s, Hill says, the to get naked. With institute benefited the women, he from the boomchallenges them and-bust popularto strip down ity of Promise emotionally and Keepers, an grieve what evangelical they’ve lost, Christian orgaHaley said. nization that Ross said elevates men’s this process status within has many names—coercive their households persuasion, and encourages A. Justin Sterling established influ“sexual purity” founder and CEO, ence techniques, and recruitment. Sterling Institute of thought reform, even “But then the Relationship brainwashing. Promise Keepers blew “First you break them, up when the women started then you change them, then you picketing and talking bad about lock them in,” Ross explained. “In that them,” Hill said. sense, it is somewhat cult-like.” Sterling’s grip on Northern California is Sterling doesn’t explicitly deny running a down to the Qun Men’s Division, made up cult when he poses that very question to himself of four teams—two in Sacramento, one in on his website. Here’s what he says instead: Oakland (where the institute is based) and one “Not being an expert on cults, I’m not in Santa Rosa. All together those teams are really qualified to say. When I started doing comprised of only 39 members. these seminars, it was not with the intention That makes Sacramento Sterling’s last of starting a cult. If what we do happens to fit stronghold. into what some people consider is a cult, I can’t THE LAST STRONGHOLD debate that.” So there you go. Cults are in the eyes of the Alan Hill phoned his daughter, then his ex-wife, beholder. and said the words. Their brother, their son— Where EST spread its 60-hour “training” his first son—was dead. He’d hanged himself in course over a couple of weekends, Sterling the garage. packed it all into one three-day crush. But just Hill, a Native American Bear Dancer, like his mentor Erhard, who also went through sequestered himself inside his sweat lodge nasty divorces, Sterling blew up his own and wept. About 15 minutes later, two marriages by practicing what he preached. His Sterling men entered and flanked him. One first wife accused him of domestic violence told Hill to follow his grief wherever it led. and divorced him. His second wife took out a The other didn’t let Hill out of his sight for temporary domestic violence restraining order the rest of the day. against him in Alameda County in 2016, court “It was the men who held me up at the records show. time,” Hill said. Ross said Sterling’s second wife called Hill’s son died in January. Eleven months him a couple years back. What did she have later, the father said he’s still standing, all to say? due to the sacred bonds he’s forged through “The same thing that I’ve heard from all the Sterling. women that are exposed to men that believe “I’m committed to healing,” Hill said. his philosophy,” he said, “that he was abusive, “There’s a huge healing component to the controlling, dominating, had no respect for her. Men’s Weekend—and I can’t talk about it.” And was just a narcissistic, self-obsessed jerk.” Hill takes his secrecy oath seriously, and He sure is rich, though. According to propblames the controversy surrounding the Sterling erty records obtained by SN&R, Sterling’s real Institute to weekend attendees blabbing online. estate portfolio is valued at nearly $4.8 million. “I attribute it to men being dishonorable. I attriThis includes a swanky estate in the East Bay bute it to men being feminized and gossipy,” enclave of Piedmont, another residence in he said. the Oakland hills, a trio of condominiums in Now 63, Hill has been a Sterling man since Rancho Mirage and another in New York. he completed his weekend some 23 years But it hasn’t been all financial windfalls. ago. He has held various leadership positions Creditors have successfully dogged Sterling for within the division that encompasses Northern nearly $538,000 in civil judgments, background California, and believes he has sponsored about records show, most of that connected to two 125 Men’s Weekend participants, including
“If what we do happens to fit into what some people consider is a cult, I can’t debate that.”
“My son was a graduate of the Men’s Weekend, but he didn’t incorporate the disciplines,” Hill said. “He was actually afraid of the power that he discovered that he had. It was really that fear that killed him.”
DEAR JUSTIN
some patients he’s seen as a licensed marriage and family therapist. “Oh, absolutely,” Hill said. “One of the things we do as therapists is tell our clients about the resources available to them.” Hill credits this particular resource with almost everything good in his life, including an 18-year marriage to a fellow Sterling graduate, 31 years of sobriety and obtaining his psychology degree. In the Sterling bubble, men can be men without apology. In their view, society has been watered down by femininity. It’s an incredibly binary view of gender, but one that resonates with men and even women of a certain age or upbringing. Sometimes it’s the 1950s, sometimes it’s a prehistoric cave, but it’s always better, easier, than the here and now. For men who feel alone or left behind, Sterling tells them they don’t need to worry about society’s evolving standards. They are perfect just the way they are. Hill only wishes his son had heeded that message.
what you’re left with is Justin Sterling’s true philosophy: Men are fragile creatures who cannot change. Just let them be. Or, as Hill puts it, “We’re not the brightest bulbs in the shed. We’re just men.” That dismal take on mankind has become Haley’s current reality. At SN&R’s request, she agreed to pen an open letter to the guru shilling it. For maybe the first time, Sterling will have to let a woman have the final word:
At the height of his popularity, Sterling had his relationship institute, a nonprofit, and, briefly, something called The Justin Sterling Show Inc. But the Franchise Tax Board suspended Justin Sterling (or whatever your real that show in 2000 for failing to file tax returns. name is), A year later, the FTB revoked his nonprofit’s tax-exempt status, essentially putting the final I have done your weekend. And based on nail in the coffin of an educational charity that how you treated us, I am sure you will dismiss had weirdly close ties to his institute. this rather than look at the real issue at hand. The Sterling show still limps along, under But I hope you will take a moment to realize the radar and in the shadows. Next year the I only want what’s best for all the vulnerable price to attend the weekends goes up to $700. people you reach. And if your purpose is true, Instead of advertising, past “graduates” are then so should you. urged to recruit wherever they can—even at In your weekends, you use secrecy, sleep their 12-step meetings. deprivation, tearing down and building up. “I’m not surprised that he’s still out there,” Through it all you preach your sexist beliefs, said ex-reporter Lubman, who is now a corpobut you mix in sprinkles of common sense so rate communications partner with SoftBank that the attendees don’t see they are absorbing Group International. “I mean, what else is he your destructive theories. going to do?” Our world already has so much hate and While Sterling will eventually fade out of segregation, we cannot afford more. The favor, there will be plenty more “large group reality is you are destroying good people and awareness training” gurus to take his place, families. Truth is, this is why you keep things says Ross, who keeps a running tally of them secret. If people knew what you teach, nobody on his website, Cult Education Institute. would attend and you would be broke. “They have never done better than they’re Most entrepreneurs love the free publicity, doing right now,” Ross said. “There are many but because you use abusive mind control more LGATs now than there ever had techniques to instill your sexist been before. And they’ve done a beliefs, you do not want people lot of damage.” to know until you got your LGAT “granddaddy” money. Sadly, then it is Erhard has made a too late. comeback, and there’s I started this letter a Sterling splinter wanting to question group that’s overtaken how you could sleep its inspiration. And at night. The truth is while Ross recently there is no questionparticipated in the ing you, because you criminal trial of the will do just as you malevolent LGAT do in your weekends mastermind behind Sterling Institute for to the women who the alleged celebrity sex Relationship website question you: gaslight cult NXIVM, the internet what they said, belittle, has changed things. It’s both disrespect and cause them to easier to expose frauds and to feel so confused it is easier to just perpetrate them. accept what you say and move on. “You can start an LGAT next week if you I guess the question I want to leave with want. And nobody can do anything to stop you is: Why not use your charisma to help you,” Ross said. people truly heal and be better humans based As for where the Sterling Institute falls on on research, education and human ethics? the spectrum of dangerous group-think semiOtherwise, if you have nothing positive to say, nars, Ross said he considers it a “destructive” maybe you shouldn’t be saying anything at all, one. “And it’s very oftentimes more destruclet alone trying to teach others. tive for women because they’re the ones that Sincerely, are expected to capitulate and subordinate A concerned Woman, Mother, Wife and themselves to male authority.” Human It’s a pretty infantilized view of masculinity, one in which men must believe they are in charge, yet remain totally unaccountable for their actions. Scrape away all the toughWeb extra: An extended version of this story and guy talk and chest-thumping bluster, and “Haley’s” full letter to Justin Sterling are available at
“A man’s role is to make sure he doesn’t become feminine in his actions and attitude.”
“First you break them, then you change them, then you lock them in.” Rick Alan Ross founder and executive director, Cult Education Institute
sacblog.newsreview.com.
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The North Sacramento Family Resource Center offers support for hundreds of families. Photo courtesy NsFrc
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North Sacramento Family Resource Center serves as community hub for people with kids By Allen Pierleoni
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osemary Schapira has been on the job only since October, but there’s no doubt about her mastery of the complex social-services network she runs. As program manager of the North Sacramento Family Resource Center, directing a staff of 20, she’s clear on the mission: “We’re a community hub here to support anyone in the community who has a child (ages zero to 17) in their life,” she said. “The most important
thing we do is adapt to families’ needs. Whatever the family tells us it needs, we can get it through our many resources.” Parents, she said, “need support and someone to hear them out along the way. If anything, we’re here to empower them. “It’s so important they understand that learning happens in the home and that they are their child’s first and best teacher,” she said. “So when their child gets to kindergarten, it’s not a case of starting to learn, but continuing to learn.” The NSFRC is one of three such centers around Sacramento, under the umbrella of the Sacramento Children’s Home. Its services are prodigious and include support groups, parenting workshops, help with housing and employment, transportation, intervention and legal assistance, as
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well as free classes and workshops on everything from nutrition and babybonding to socialization and stress management. “It depends on what the family is searching for,” Schapira said. Of course, not everything literally occurs on site. “We facilitate a lot of our services through referrals to other very knowledgeable resources in the area, but we don’t just send families on their way and hope for the best,” Schapira said. “We follow up to make sure they’re getting what they need.” Home visitation also is an integral part of the program. “Our home visitors meet with parents where families live,” Schapira said. “They offer another supportive person in their lives, someone who can be there with you and make sure you’re getting what you need.” The center’s base is in the hundreds of families, and Schapira has seen many new faces since she arrived. “Word of mouth spreads,” she said. Another way the center recruits new families is through creative outreach activities. “We love to be out in the community, meeting families,” she said. “We go to places where we know they will be – grocery stores, laundromats, apartment houses, places of worship. We just went to a turkey giveaway, where more than 70 families filled out interest forms. We followed up and invited them here to learn more about us.” So, is the center making a difference in North Sacramento? “Definitely,” Schapira said. “I strongly believe powerful interactions create a lifetime of change, and every day we’re making them with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and children. “It’s an organized storm,” she added, “and sometimes life is messy. The great thing is, we understand that.”
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by Olivia MOnahan
Photo courtesy of kenny rePrado
From the streets
The front of Sol Collective was painted by Miguel Bounce Perez and Shaun Burner.
The Trust Your Struggle collective’s latest exhibit uses graffiti art to spotlight social injustices
T
he smell of freshly dried paint permeates Sol Collective. The Sacramento gallery’s onceblank walls have transformed, via dozens of cans of MTN 94 spray paint, into a floor-to-ceiling mural that represents the divine feminine. She sits, extending a turquoise hand, guiding the viewer forward to take in the room’s art—and message— along the way. Nearby, handsaws hang from the wall, handpainted with bold pops of color and precise lettering that screams “Resist.” Ten feet down, there’s a photo of a mural painted to depict Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old African-American teen shot dead in Florida in 2012 by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted of his death to great controversy and criticism. Martin’s eyes stare penetratingly from under his hoodie. The sadness and longing captured in his eyes is commanding—an invitation to stop and take in the collective pain felt by his death. Elsewhere in the room, the light shines off a golden-hued painting that shows images of black and brown children. The exhibit, on display through Jan. 2, represents nearly two decades worth of art and activism from the Trust Your Struggle artist collective. Each piece, all created with spray paint, is dedicated to those whose voices have been silenced.
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Left: Members of Trust Your Struggle collective and Sol Collective at the new exhibit’s grand opening. Art will be on display through Jan. 2. Photo courtesy of kenny rePrado
Founded in 2003, the collective includes more than a dozen artists from around the country, including Sacramento residents Shaun Burner, Franceska Gamez and Miguel Perez. Gamez, one of the most recent additions to the crew, painted one of the exhibit’s largest pieces—the striking “Parts of a Whole,” which examines the feminine form layered with images of staircases that lead to different parts of the body. With the collective spread out across the country, it’s rare they’re able to gather as a group. Still, they have created hundreds of large-scale murals, public
art exhibitions and installations over the years. The collective has also hosted arts education workshops across the globe—Sacramento, New York, Manchester, England and Colombia. All the events are done with a similar mission: Use art to speak to current social justice issues that affect communities locally and globally. “We all had a desire to speak about injustice and to highlight people who were doing something about it,” said Trust Your Struggle co-founder Robert Liu-Trujillo. “Whether that be a collaboration for a local cause that is subtle or an overt denunciation of a
Bye Bye Blue lamp
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“We speak through a visual language to tell our stories, and the stories of those left behind or forgotten.” Shaun Burner, Trust Your Struggle artist
PhoTo CourTeSY of kennY rePrado
Trust Your Stuggle artists paint across the country. This large mural’s home is Miami.
particular action by the U.S. government or other states against people, it is important to us.” The collective’s primary medium has evolved since the dawn of time. Graffiti can be traced as far back as cave paintings on walls throughout indigenous cultures, emerging in more recent history in places as disparate as the 1800s railroads and World War II trenches. In modern times, graffiti is rooted in counterculture. Over the years, the art form blossomed from an expression of love (one of modern graffiti’s originators, Cornbread, first took his art to the streets to impress a girl), to a cultural phenomenon adopted by hip-hop pioneers, who infused politics and social justice into its themes.
Modern graffiti has given some of art’s biggest names their start: Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and others. In 2017, “Untitled,” a piece painted under Basquiat’s graffiti name, SAMO, sold at auction for $110.5 million, a record for an American artist. Despite its widespread impact, the form still has its critics, mostly from law enforcement. It’s this criticism and conflict that forced artists to find alternative avenues for their work, taking graffiti to the canvas. As artists who started in the streets, Trust Your Struggle members knew they needed to do more to PhoTo CourTeSY of kennY rePrado
A Trust Your Struggle mural painted by Miguel Bounce Perez, Shaun Burner, Thitiwat Phromratanapongse and Franceska Gamez, also located in Miami.
get their message across. Founded in the Bay Area by original members Ben Rojas, Scott La Rockwell and Trujillo, the collective formed through a desire to spread a message with art. Since then, it’s grown to include 14 members across the country. “We were all creating artwork that spoke on similar topics. We had all been involved in other crews and decided to join forces after a show we did called ‘In Struggle We Trust,’” Trujillo says. Eventually, the collective recruited other artists, including Burner, who joined in 2006. Burner, who had a hand in multiple pieces in the show, says the group is not about creating pretty, decorative art. “We speak through a visual language to tell our stories, and the stories of those left behind or forgotten,” he says. Each artist’s work represents a personal point of view, but with a common thread, Burner says. “For some of us, we infuse our cultural traditions in with the pieces, for some of us we infuse our political beliefs,” he says. “But for all of us, it’s so much more than just paint on a canvas. It’s life, as an art form.” Ω Catch the Trust Your Struggle art exhibit at Sol Collective, 2574 21st St. Through January 2; facebook.com/TrustYourStruggleCollective.
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As 2020 approaches, Sacramento prepares to wave goodbye to one of its longtime staples of live music. The Blue Lamp is hosting its last event on Saturday, Dec. 21: the Bon Voyage Blue Lamp party. For a little more than six years, Gabi and Ben Garcia have acted as a cornerstone of Sacramento’s independent music landscape with their all-inclusive venue, the Blue Lamp, which they acquired in 2013. Originally a strip club in the 1960s and ’70s—hence the lack of eye-level windows and blackened walls—the venue in its varied incarnations has welcomed some of underground’s finest in a wide variety of genres. Nef the Pharaoh, Hobo Johnson, the surviving members of The Ramones, ’90s hip-hop legends Souls of Mischiefs—there has been no shortage of headliners willing to perform on Blue Lamp’s weathered stage in front of its intimate, die-hard crowd. For some, it was not the history of the place that drew them; it was the people who ran it. “Gabi and Ben didn’t just run a venue, they made that place a home,” said local artist April Walker, who performs as SpaceWalker. “They are the only spot to welcome everyone in. Whether it was some crazy death metal, or hip-hop, or some clown telling jokes and juggling fire, they just wanted to see folks happy and watch their city thrive.”
By the way, the fire-throwing clown? That happened. So did an all-male revue show, the Black Arts Matter burlesque shows, the Drunk Poetry shows, the Stephon Clark fundraiser, the Planned Parenthood show … the list goes on. With a dedication to the local art scene, the Garcias rarely found a show they didn’t like, an idea they wouldn’t try or a local act that they wouldn’t give the opportunity. “Loading in your equipment felt like showing up to your parents’ house for dinner,” reminisced Vinnie Guidera, who has thrown a variety of shows there. Now the dynamic duo is relocating. A year ago, they purchased Cafe Colonial, the historic Stockton Boulevard venue that was in danger of closing for good until the two swooped in. They’ll continue to impact Sacramento music, art and culture for years to come in one of the few all-ages venues in the city. Gabi and Ben Garcia have provided welcoming spaces, especially within ignored music communities. “Sacramento doesn’t love us like that,” local hip-hop artist Flossalini recounted. “They see hiphop, and their brain immediately goes to whatever awful stereotype they have in their head—and because of that, a lot of local venues just wouldn’t touch us. But not Gabi and Ben. They stood with us by giving us a space to perform.” While the fate of the building is currently a mystery, it is already sold. Gabi says this final show will be a send-off into the pair’s next chapter. “We’re looking forward to moving on, the youth that we’ll get to affect,” Gabi said. “It’s our Bon Voyage. We promise to send Sacramento a postcard from the other side of the world after we sail away on our yacht.” Get out to Blue Lamp on Dec. 21 to wish it a proper goodbye. There will be yacht rock playlists, finger foods, strong drinks, tons of laughs and probably a lot of tears. Ω
Photo by Maxfield Morris
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put your favorite bands and musicians on the ballot! The holiday season, the Red Xmas crew gets communal.
Photo by Ashley hAyes-stone
Coal hard cash The Red Museum presents a brand new sequel to last year’s holiday show by PaTRick Hyun Wilson
How does Santa Claus judge whether a child has been naughty or nice? With more than 2.2 billion children in the world and more each minute, not to mention the rising costs of coal, the task can’t be easy for jolly Saint Nick. Maybe in the internet age some of that weight can be taken off his shoulders— at least that’s what Anthony Siino and Devin McMindes imagine in their play, Claus for Concern: An Original Christmas Play. Siino and McMindes wrote the play to premiere for one night only, Saturday, Dec. 21 at A Very Red Xmas II, the sequel to last year’s holiday variety show hosted at the Red Museum. The event is an experimental holiday performance art extravaganza organized by the venue’s operators, Jennifer Jackson and Brett Loper, who are bringing in talent from across Sacramento. “It’s kind of a fun way to get a lot of different kinds of people involved, maybe even doing things that they don’t usually do, creatively,” Jackson said. “I think because it’s a DIY space people expect something different, and so letting people get outside of their own box is OK.” Featuring a frustrated Santa struggling with the price of coal, the devious Grinch, a dutiful/ murderous elf, a snotty boy, a pouty girl, a child named “Lil Jerkoff,” a character playing former vice president Al Gore, Claus For Concern isn’t your typical holiday play.
The Red Museum is the perfect stage; it’s not-so-serious regard for holiday traditions and production values encapsulate the tone of A Very Red Xmas II. This year, the show is hosted by local comedian Melissa McGillicuddy and features performances by J. Irvin Dally (who will be releasing a new EP the same night), family soul band LaTour and hip-hop trio Weirdoze. There will also be puppetry by Tyler Baldwin, sets by Chopstick and Holiday Special, appearances by Krampus and Santa Burg, one horse open sleigh rides by Kylie Jackson (aka piggyback rides) and the premiere of Claus For Concern. “There’s a lot of stimulants, for sure,” Loper said. “It’s all kind of riffing on Christmas in some way.” McMindes and Siino are not veteran playwrights. Siino’s history with theater is limited to one high school performance as John Proctor in The Crucible. Despite limited experience, the passion for creation drives Siino to do his best. “I think the truth is, a lot of Red Museum stuff, and particularly my art, is all based around sort of forgetting what it means to have to work through all of these tiers of gatekeeping. Really, it’s about just saying, ‘Hey, we have ideas. Let’s just do things. Let’s just do it,’” Siino said. A Very Red Xmas II carries on that ethos of creation, building a communal experience around the holiday season, which can be difficult for some people. “There are a lot of really traditional things about the holidays that don’t resonate with a lot of people. So this is capturing the things that a lot of people … like about the holidays, which is really just coming together,” Jackson said. “We’re poking fun at the tradition, but it’s still there a little bit, because there is something cozy about it.” Ω
new categories this year: • Revival/back from the dead band, • Spoken word (with music)
Nominations end
01.08.20 Levi Mozes SAMMIES 2019 Nominee R&B/Soul
Nominate your favorites now at Catch A Very Red Xmas II 8 p.m. saturday, Dec. 21. tickets are $12. the Red Museum, 212 15th st. For more info, visit the Facebook event page.
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It’s all good and all green as the City of Sacramento gifts Midtown patrons free parking during one of the busiest times of the year.
Photo courtesy of city of sacramento
Check parking off your list City offers free street parking in Midtown after 4:30 p.m. and all day weekends through Christmas
by Debbie Arrington
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hen you’re dashing to find the right last-minute gift or make it on time to a holiday get-together, the last thing you want to worry about is getting a parking ticket. Good news: The City of Sacramento is offering free parking in the heart of Midtown’s business district through Dec. 25, Christmas Day. According to the city, the goal is to make it easier for people to dine, shop and attend events in the area. Besides Midtown, parts of Downtown Sacramento and Old Sacramento are part of the free holiday parking zone, too. In this special area, parking meters will be all “green” after 4:30 p.m. weekdays and all day and all night weekends.
(Parking is free all day Christmas, too.) The free parking zone is bordered by I Street to the north and L Street to the south. The southern border extends down to Capitol Avenue between 17th and 21st streets. This special corridor runs basically from the Sacramento River on the west to Interstate 80 on the east; or more specifically, from Front Street in Old Sacramento to 29th Street in Midtown. Included in this free parking zone are two Midtown landmarks – Memorial Auditorium and Sutter’s Fort – as well as Golden 1 Center in Downtwon. Note: This offer of free parking only applies to the city’s street meters and parking kiosks. Off-street parking lots and structures will still charge their usual fee.
For more details on where to park in Midtown, click on sacpark.org.
Events
Services
Thursday, dec. 19
JeweLry repair
Gratitude Lab Engage in a 30 to 45 minute embodied experience of gratitude! Connect with your breath, meditate and explore how nature can inspire. Then, create art and express gratitude with other participants. Feel free to bring your journal, a vegan/gluten-free snack, and definitely an open heart and curious mind. Free. Noon.
Call the shop for an appointment 916.346.4615
Giveaway with a $200+ purchase
Dec 5-24
Little relics 1111 24th St., #103 Sacramento, CA
shOe shine For more information, go online at www.shawnreginald.com or call 916-400-4060.
2211 O st., sacramento
shawn reginald 1729 L St., Sacramento, CA
Friday, dec. 20
shOp FOr a cause
HIV / HCV Walk-in Testing Receive free and confidential HIV/ HCV counseling and testing on-site. All day.
12 Days of Christmas Bring in new or gently used Women’s clothing for donations to MaryHouse (a program of Loaves & Fishes) and receive 15% off at The Pomegranate Boutique or Purpose Boutique.
The sacramento LGBT community center 2012 K St., Sacramento
Free
Great for Hanukkah & Christmas!
Midtown owned & operated House Made Jewelry, Repairs & Local Artisan Gifts 1111 24th Street (Corner K & 24th) • Open Daily
Together Midtown 920 24th St., Sacramento, CA
OnGOinG “Wrap it up” at Tim Collom Gallery Tim Collom Gallery presents its seventh annual small works exhibition. “Wrap It Up” is a group exhibition featuring a variety of media, 16- by 16-inch or smaller. Artworks are priced at $700 or below to entice visitors to give the gift of art over the holiday season. The exhibition continues through Dec. 31. Gallery hours are from noon-6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday and 1-6 p.m. on Saturday. Tim collom Gallery 915 20th St., Sacramento
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Tips & tricks
Free parkinG Free Holiday Parking The City will offer free parking on weekdays after 4:30 p.m. and all-day on weekends starting Nov. 27 through Dec. 25 in Midtown and Old Sacramento.
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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NOW PLAYING
REVIEWS
3
Black Nativity
Sugar plum fun BY JIM CARNES
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARISSA GEARHART
Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes’ holiday musical is less of a play and more of a mash-up of a church Christmas pageant and a gospel choir jam. This is the second year that Celebration Arts has produced this seasonal performance, and it delivers with gorgeous African-influenced costumes, dances and songs. Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat
8pm, Sun 2pm; Through 12/22; $10-$20; Celebration Arts, 2727 B St.; (916) 455-2787; celebrationarts.net. P.R.
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A Christmas Carol
Sacramento Theatre Company’s A Christmas Carol is a longstanding holiday favorite and this 32nd anniversary production does it proud.
An old favorite graces a new stage.
The Nutcracker
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Thu 7:30pm, Fri 7:30pm, Sat 2pm & 7:30pm, Sun 2pm & 7:30pm; Through 12/22; $25-$107; Memorial Auditorium, 1515 J St., (916) 808-5181, sacballet.org.
It’s a new Nutcracker on a new stage, but this year’s Sacramento Ballet version of the venerable holiday treat remains dazzling and delightful, despite a couple of anomalies. Artistic Director Amy Seiwert set a high bar for herself in her first season as head of the company last year, creating her own version of The Nutcracker, making the heroine a little more mature, with more confidence and a growing sense of self. This year, Seiwert had another challenge: She had to restage the whole thing for a different theater. Because of renovations, the Community Center Theater is unavailable and the Ballet has to perform in Memorial Auditorium on a stage that looks smaller and apparently won’t accommodate some of the production’s props. Nevertheless, the performances still shine. Bobby Briscoe—a former company member who has returned to the fold—is excellent as the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer and in the Spanish Dance. Julia Feldman shines as the Sugar Plum Fairy (with Dylan Keane as her Cavalier), as does Lauryn Winterhalder as The Rose. Many of the major roles are double or triple cast, so dancers may vary by performance. This week, the Ballet will offer live audio description of visual details for blind and sightimpaired audience members at the 2 p.m. Saturday performance. Visually impaired audience members will receive a 20% discount on ticket prices. Ω 28
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4 Over the ‘RAM’-bow The land of Oz has gone high tech in B Street’s production of The Wizard of Oz, adapted by Lyndsay Burch. Gone is the drab Kansas farmhouse and the evil bicycle-riding Miss Gulch. In this adaptation, Dorothy (Tiffanie Mack) is a video game designer, building a virtual reality Oz game for a holiday release date. But she has discovered a few glitches, and Dorothy must enter the game to find and fix them. The performance itself, when I saw it, had a few technical glitches of its own that the cast handled smoothly. Thanks to the Los Angeles-based scenic and video designer Kamyi Lee, an exciting digital world has been created, complete with a digital Toto. Scary Dave Pierini eats up the scenery as the Wicked Witch of the West, while Amy Kelley was the logical choice for the Cowardly Lion, the kind of role that she does so well. Sam Kebede is the boneless Scarecrow, Greg Alexander is the Tin Man and John Lamb is the Wizard. Each actor—except for Mack—has at least one other role, which must be most difficult for Elisabeth Nunziato as she switches from Glinda to Aunt Em in the blink of an eye at the end. But there’s no place like home, and Dorothy is able to fix the video game and return to her office in time for Christmas. The show is geared for ages five-up and is great fun for adults too. The kids like being included in several spots and love the chase scenes throughout the theater. —BEV SYKES The Wizard of Oz: Sat 1pm, Sun 1pm & 4pm, Mon 2pm, Tue 2pm; Through 12/29; $19-$24; B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave.; (916) 443-5300; bstreettheatre.org.
It’s the Christmas show that everyone should see at least once. Wed 7pm,
B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave.; (916) 443-5300; bstreettheatre.org. J.C.
Thu 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 7pm, Mon 7pm, Tue 2pm; Through 12/29; $30-$45; Sacramento
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The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley
Theatre Company, 1419 H St.; (916) 443-6722; sactheatre. org. B.S.
Admirers of Jane Austen will find this delightful production charming and, dare I say, an essential accompaniment to Pride and Prejudice. With its focus primarily on the servant’s of Pemberley, the play could accurately be described as Jane Austen’s Downton Abbey. Wed 7pm,
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On an Open Fire
Writer-director Buck Busfield’s latest holiday play is a humorous, off-kilter look at a perennial problem: What and when to tell a kid the truth about Santa Claus. The acting is delightfully wacky, but the play goes on too long, missing a couple of good potential endings in favor of a sweet, conventional conclusion.
Thu 2pm & 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm; Through 12/29; $30-$42; Capital
Stage, 2215 J St.; (916) 9955464; capstage.org. TMO
Wed 2pm & 6:30pm, Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm & 9pm, Sun 2pm, Tue 6:30pm; Through 12/29; $25-$47;
Short reviews by Patti Roberts, Bev Sykes, Jim Carnes and Tessa Marguerite Outland.
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FOUL
FAIR
GOOD
WELL-DONE
SUBLIME DON’T MISS
PHOTO COURTESY OF CGP GREY
STAGE PICK Oh, you like The Nutcracker? Name three nuts.
Tough nut to crack Another year, another chance to see The Nutcracker. The Harris Center’s got a production of its own, featuring the Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet Theatre. It’s got all the classic Nutcracker elements: sugar plum fairies, rodent royalty, dads—everything you need in a holiday ballet. Oh, you think you know the story already? Look at you, a real Nutcrackerhead over here. What about the Nutcracker expanded universe? You might know about the four realms, but have you heard of the fifth realm? It’s technically not canon (yet), but sources say it’s a land chock full of everyone’s favorite culinary nut: the pecan. The more you know! Thu, 12/19, 7pm; Fri 12/20, 7pm; Sat, 12/21, 1pm & 5pm; Sun 12/22, 1pm & 5pm; Through 12/22; $25-$43; The Harris Center, 10 College Pkwy, Folsom; (530) 608-6888; harriscener.net.
—RACHEL MAYFIELD
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iLLuSTrATiON BY mAriA rATiNOvA
‘Little cravings’ TosTilocos, sweeTs anD sugars
The House Special Hot Pot is chalk-full of delicious moments with thinly sliced beef, plump shrimp, mixed vegetables and more swimming in a robust, flavorful dark broth.
Hot pot experience Boiling Avenue 943 Howe Ave.; (916) 923-9888 Good for: Cold days, families and first dates Notable dishes: House Special Hot Pot, Popcorn Chicken
$$$
Asian fusion, Arden-Arcade
Boiling Avenue can be difficult to find on a cold, dark and stormy night (the perfect night for a hot pot), with its lack of lighted signs. Walking into the small restaurant, you might think you’re entering a trendy Instagrammable coffee shop: a gigantic mirror accessorized with photos of happy hot potters, a chalkboard ceiling and Picassolike shelves cutely displaying its beer and wine selection. On a Tuesday night, every table is taken with a big group celebrating a birthday, smaller families with infants or kids, businessmen, a pair of girlfriends and a few couples. Boiling Avenue is a hot pot restaurant where patrons cook their own food in a communal boiling broth in the middle of the table. Normally with cook-it-yourself restaurants, it takes time to figure out the perfect amount of raw meat and veggies to put in the pot. It can be clumsy and laborious, but Boiling Avenue makes it easier by serving all of the ingredients inside the hot pot. It’s a fun performance when your server precariously tiptoes the bowl to your table and then lights the flame underneath. Our server gave us his tips on how to order: The menu specifies the basic flavor, amount of spiciness 30 | SN&R | 12.19.19
PHOTO BY OLLA SWANSON
by OllA SwAnSOn
and ingredients. You also can substitute anything out of the pot. He checked on us several times throughout our experience to fill our pot with more broth or hot sauce. Hot potting could be intimidating, but the service here makes it seamless. The hot pots are generous and should be shared such as the House Special Hot Pot ($16.99), which has two pieces of several items, including beef, shrimp and fish balls. The broth is very flavorful: dark, pungent and robust. Boiling Avenue kicks up its soups with a habanero-based hot sauce that adds spice with a hint of smokiness. The Korean Kimchi Hot Pot ($15.99) has a cioppino aroma with a gochujang-flavored broth. Delicious, but it does have its complications. It comes with an awkward, puck-sized corn on the cob that I chopsticked around. Also, it’s served with instant ramen, which overwhelms the dish. Eventually, it soaks up most of the broth and you’re left with a noodle plate. The Popcorn Chicken small bites ($5.99) came out hot and fresh from the fryer. While they look and smell like fast-food popcorn chicken, they have their own unique explosion of flavor: on the salty side, jalapeñospicy and with a garlicky bite. Boiling Avenue is just small and homey enough for regulars to revisit. But it’s also well staffed to handle a full house without missing a beat. It’s unique enough to take your folks from out of town for experience dining, but relatable enough for the pickiest eaters. At the very least, it’s certainly worth trying at least once—especially on a cold, dark and stormy night. Ω
On Tuesdays at Sweets and Sugars, an ice cream parlor that specializes in Mexican sweet and savory treats, its Tostilocos are on special. For $5, this antojito (little craving) is a generous portion of fresh mango, crisp cucumber and jícama chunks, crunchy-coated peanuts and tamarind gummies, all piled high on top of spicy Salsitas corn chips. Everything is then doused in a mild hot sauce and a splash of lime juice. Each forkful is filled with a variety of textures: crisp fruit, chewy gummies and crunchy chips and peanuts all coated in just enough heat and tangy citrus. Be forewarned: Tostilocos traditionally comes with cueritos (pickled pig skins). I wish I had gone without those elastic, gelatinous toppers. Other than that, it’s a delicious mouthful that pairs well with an ice cold Modelo. 3051 Freeport Blvd. —sTeph roDriguez
British bite DanDelion anD burDock, Touch of briTain Out of curiosity or nostalgia, I’m sure you’ll end up at Touch of Britain for tea time or tasty, traditional chicken curry. Be sure to try Ben Shaws Dandelion and Burdock ($2.50), one of Britain’s most enduring century-old soda flavors. Once brewed as a light mead in the Middle Ages, thought to have health benefits and later delivered by Ben Shaw himself via horse and cart, today’s soda is slightly sweet and heavy on licorice flavor, like root beer but with a satisfyingly bitter bite. Try over crushed ice, with a squeeze of citrus for a truly authentic British trip down memory lane. 5712 Watt Ave., touchofbritain.com. —amy bee
pLANet V
Meh vibes and midweek spaghetti In January, Good Vibes Vegan Café & Herbs opens on 24th between J and K streets. I’m always happy when a bold new vegan place opens, so I was excited when Queen Sheba hosted a Good Vibes pop-up in November. The menu was puzzling: spaghetti and coleslaw from Good Vibes, and lentils and greens from Queen Sheba. Queen Sheba’s contributions seemed to be there to round out what would otherwise be a $15 plate of pantry-staple ingredients. While $15 is standard pop-up meal price, spaghetti and coleslaw don’t warrant that. The spaghetti, with a nice marinara and lots of Morningstar Farms crumbles, was comfort food to be sure. But it had a midweek dinner-athome feel, and the coleslaw was plain cabbage dressed with vegan mayo and Italian dressing. I’m looking forward to seeing what Good Vibes can do with a full menu, but the pop-up offering won’t have me beating down the door. —linDsay oxforD
IllustratIon by Mark stIvers
$5 off
Truly Authentic Thai – The Freshest
with $40 Purchase Expires 12/31/19
& Finest Ingredients
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New decadence at Golden 1 Center by Bradley Geiser
Golden 1 Center might sometimes give basketball fans a hard-toswallow product on the court, but it doesn’t mean that it’s doing the same thing at its concession stands. Since opening in 2016, the Sacramento Kings’ arena has offered food options both typical and atypical of standard arena fare, bypassing wallpaper paste disguised as nacho cheese and horror-inducing hot dogs for local favorites LowBrau, Cafe Bernardo, Paragary’s, as well as arena-exclusive items. The team’s 90/150 local sourcing initiative ensures that 90% of the food comes from within 150 miles of the arena. The result is an eclectic smorgasbord of stadium staples and unique snacks that most palates can enjoy. The team went into this season not looking for a specific motif, but to remix established ideas and offer new ones. “We really want to stick with our core items and really kick those items up into another land, another place,” said executive chief Brien Kuznicki. “We’re going to take your popcorn and go crazy with [it].”
This includes vegan popcorn, a purple-and-white concoction that bypasses butter for a flavorful, but lighter option. Although the arena has a ways to go to accommodate every dietary need—good luck finding many low-carb options—the team is expanding vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free choices. These include the surprisingly delicious vegan nachos made with Beyond meat and dairy-free cheese alternative that lacks the rubbery texture and blandness many incognito vegan foods possess. Other plantbased options are also available. In a year when chicken sandwiches rose from being outrageously popular to downright viral, the team introduced Sweet Bird’s Biscuit Chicken variety, a sandwich that, according to executive sous chef Andrew Dereta, took three weeks of trial and error to perfect. “We had about 20 people try,” Dereta said. “We tried it with the chicken thigh. Some liked it, some didn’t. ... At the end of the day, it was the [Mary’s] chicken breast. Even the Kings players liked it.”
This all-encompassing taste test method helps ensure that the food options are unique and desirable, giving customers nostalgia for another form of entertainment. “At the end of the day, it is a carnival type of theme, and it’s really sticking to what the Golden 1 Center really means,” Kuznicki said. “We’re making our own chili. We’re making our own cheese. Those hot dogs, you’re not going to get those hot dogs anywhere else.” These include a behemoth halfpound Schwartz’s all-beef chili dog and a rotating menu of what Kuznicki calls his “crazy dogs.” Of course, some go to the arena for a drink, and the team is offering its signature mix of Sierra Nevada beers and new cocktails as well. Doughnuts, tiramisu, churro fries, hot dogs, nachos, rice bowls, even their take on cheesesteak—the Kings are offering a unique culinary experience for adventurous eaters, drink connoisseurs and traditionalists alike this season. Ω
4701 H ST. EAST SAC | THAIATSAC.COM | 916-942-9008 Sun-THu: 11AM-9.30PM | FrI-SAT: 11AM-11PM
H oppy H olidays ! great food · aWeSome Beer · cooL peopLe BeSt Late night “hoppy hour” in Sacramento 9pm (Sun-Wed) • 10pm (thu-Sat) open on chriStmaS day at 2pm prime riB nye dinner W/ champagne toaSt at 9pm Stay to enjoy the Sacramento fireWorkS ShoW! Start neW year’S 2020 With Brunch at 10am
aSk uS aBout SpeciaL eventS BookingS & off-Site catering
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$5 parking diScount with purchase of $10 or more. Valid mon-friday only. one per table.
1022 2nd Street • Sacramento • 916.451.4677 @HoppysRailyard • Mon -Wed 11aM-12aM • Thu-Fri 11aM -1aM • SaT 10aM -1aM • Sun 10aM -12aM
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gift
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Blue DiamonD almonDs nut & Gift shop A perfect gift for th At someone with A sweet tooth 1701 c st | 916-446-8438 www.bluediAmondstore.com
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Sock city Jurassic socks sock city, 123 k st | 916-440-1559 | funsockcity.com the mighty t-rex may be extinct, but its christmas spirit most certainly is not! features the terrifying tyrant all bundled up against the winter chill alongside his buddies the stegosaurus and triceratops. Santasaurus Rex socks ($10) from Sock City are a perfect stocking stuffer for anyone who loves dinosaurs, and let’s be honest who doesn’t?
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P
garden
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Poinsettia passion The star-like flower is a holiday favorite, especially in red by Debbie Arrington
SN&R
new categories this year: • Revival/back from the dead band, • Spoken word (with music)
Nominations end
01.08.20 Levi Mozes SAMMIES 2019 Nominee R&B/Soul
Nominate your favorites now at
sammies.com
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Photo courtesy of sacramento Digs garDening
put your favorite bands and musicians on the ballot!
others are splashed with contrasting colors. “I personally have a favorite—a gorgeous burgundy,” Eisley-Freeman said. “It’s variety is Cortez Burgundy.” Nursery patriarch Earle Eisley, whose mother founded the nursery in 1932, has a poinsettia pick with a difference, too. “Dad’s favorite is Ice Punch,” EisleyFreeman said. “[The bracts] have pink centers and red borders. It’s really pretty.” Red is still the most This season, the poinsettias look popular poinsettia especially nice, she noted. “They seemed color. to like the weather. Actually, they colored up real good.” Of course, Eisley’s poinsettias stay Seeing red? It’s that time of year—poinsettia indoors, out of the wind or rain. season. “In Sacramento, they are indoor plants only,” Christmas in California wouldn’t be the same Eisley-Freeman said. “On a sunny day, maybe without that star-like flower. Potted poinsettias you can put them outside for a few hours. But in full bloom have been part of our holiday they won’t be happy.” tradition for generations. Native to temperate coastal areas with winter We’re not alone in our poinsettia passion. A highs in the 70s, poinsettias can be finicky. A popular gift, poinsettias rank as the top-selling member of the euphorbia family, they can’t take potted plant in the United States and Canada, too much cold or heat, preferring temperatures totaling more than $250 million in sales each between 65 and 75 degrees. holiday season. (In Mexico, they grow wild and Said Eisley-Freeman, “They’re like are sold as bouquets.) Goldilocks; they like it just right.” In Sacramento, most of those potted In Southern California, poinsettias can be poinsettias got their start in one spot: The grown outdoors, where they reach 10 to 12 feet greenhouses at Eisley Nursery in Auburn. in height. “People move up here and they think “We grew 28,000 total this year—how’s that they can still do that,” she noted. “But it doesn’t for a number?” said Earlene Eisley-Freeman, work up here. retail manager of the family-run nursery. “In Hawaii, they grow them as hedges,” she “That’s about the same as last year.” added. “The first time I went and I saw them, Celebrating its 87th anniversary this year, I stopped the car to look! What was that red Eisley Nursery has been growing potted flower? I couldn’t believe it.” poinsettias for the Sacramento market for Instead, we Sacramentans are content with at least half a century. Its plants are sold in our potted poinsettias and the smiles they bring retail nurseries, florist shops and other outlets each December. throughout the region. “It’s a Christmas tradition,” Eisley-Freeman One thing has remained consistent all those said. “Grandma used to have them; now we get decades: People want red. them, too. It’s the favorite for the holidays, part “Red is by far the most popular,” Eisleyof our decorations and makes a great gift. It’s Freeman said. “Red is what people buy most, the Christmas flower.” □ but we do grow them in 12 different ‘flavors.’ There are more varieties than plain red.” Besides the familiar fire-engine crimson, Debbie arrington, an award-winning garden writer and lifelong poinsettias can range from paper white and pale gardener, is co-creator of the sacramento Digs gardening blog yellow to flashy pinks and deep-wine tones. and website. Some varieties have curled or ruffled petals;
HEY! yes, you !
is having a
COMIC are you a comic artist ?
contest!
how to en ter create a funny comic about some aspect of sacramento life
comics can be single panel, strip or grid style. color or b&w
winners will be published in our
comics issue 1/30/20 email submissions to comics @newsreview.com
deadline:
1/16/20 @ 5 p.m.
file size maximum: 2,000 x 2,000 pixels file size minimum: 1,000 x 1,000 pixels 12.19.19
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FOR THE WEEK OF DECRMBER 19
BY MAXFIELD MORRIS
POST EVENTS ONLINE FOR FREE AT newsreview.com/sacramento
MUSIC THURSDAY, 12/19 A MASTER SINGERS CHRISTMAS (FIRST UNITED): The Sacramento Master Singers, one of the region’s choral chamber ensembles, presents this Christmas ensemble piece with works from Michael Praetorius and Sergey Khvoshchinsky. 7pm, $27. First United Methodist Church, 2100 J St.
AN R&B CHRISTMAS SOUL 4 THE SEASON: This holiday journey will take you from moving spiritual numbers to light-hearted impudent favorites. Even a few naughty selections will be offered. 7pm, $30. B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave.
THU
Holiday Wreath Workshop ARTHOUSE, 6PM, $80 Buy a person a holiday wreath, and they’ll have a wreath for the season. But if you teach a person to make CLASSES holiday wreaths? They will eat wreaths for the rest of their life. That’s why you should invest $80 in your future self so you can learn how to make wreaths (or garlands or centerpieces) from the best in the business: Nina Booth.
She’ll be walking you through the class that also includes snacks and wine—along with all the ingredients you need to get cooking with plant parts. There’ll be cedar, eucalyptus, noble fir, pine cones and more accents in abundance, so get ready to get crafty soon; and for the rest of your life. 1021 R St., rivercitymarketplace.com/ events.
ISTOCK PHOTO/LIGHTFIELDSTUDIOS
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Are you wreathy to rumble?
BLEACHERS: This show is sold out, so the indiepop band must be good. 7pm, $41.50. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St.
CATTLE DECAPITATION: The extreme metal band is coming to town to perform and put a hat on a hat. 6pm, $26. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.
HELLBOUND GLORY: The country-roots rock band will be bringing their own take on glory and music into the fray. 7:30pm, $10. Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J St.
HOLIDAY POPS 2019: The Placer Pops Chorale and Orchestra is hosting one of their highly anticipated annual holiday concerts. Enjoy some of the best holiday classics and a few surprises as they sing and dance their way into your hearts. 7:30pm, $24.50$39.50. Dietrich Theatre, 5000 Rocklin Road, Rocklin.
HOLLYWOOD BALL A PLANNED PARENTHOOD BENEFIT: Catch this ball and benefit with Whiskerman, Sam Eliot’s Spirit Disco, Drifts, ATM Machine and Sara & the Devil. 6:30pm, $10-$15. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
TORCH CLUB HOLIDAY JAM: Join in the jam with Jelly Bread and Callisto, ringing in the holiday season with this holiday session. 9pm, $10. Torch Club, 904 15th St.
FRIDAY, 12/20 AUSTIN QUATTLEBAUM: Austin Quattlebaum,
TICKET WINDOW PLUM ANDERSON The synth pop jazz
band from a little town called Sacramento is headed straight into the Starlet Room, as are Beauty Queen and Country Club, for one big night of music. 1/9, 7pm, $10$13, on sale now. Starlet Room, showclix. com.
NEON RODEO Grab a ticket as soon as
possible for the brightest, day glo-iest rodeo in town: the Neon Rodeo. It includes performances from Nate Smith and DJ CJ. 1/11, 8:30pm, $8, on sale now. Ace of Spades, concerts.livenation.com.
THE NAKED MAGICIANS The
Australian magic sensation duo of muscular dudes from Australia is coming to town fast—don’t miss out. 2/6, 7:30pm, $29.50-$59.50, on sale now. Crest Theatre, crestsacramento.com.
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Only a ticket can heal a broken heart.
NICKELODEON’S JOJO SIWA The teen dancer and YouTube personality is gonna be here really fast, but those tickets? They’re gonna go fast. 3/25, 7pm, $35.50-$199, on sale now. Golden 1 Center, ticketmaster.com.
TIG NOTARO Cool as a cucumber and
dead as a pan, Tig Notaro is making her way downtown. Chuckle with the comedy fav at the old Crest. 4/4, 6:30pm, $39.50-$49.50, on sale now. Crest Theatre, crestsacramento.com.
PATTON OSWALT The comedian has
been in just about everything, including shows you might not even watch but should. Catch him when he comes to town, and catch a ticket first. 4/18, 8pm,
$45-$55, on sale now.
Crest Theatre, crestsacramento. com.
CONTROL-Z AND SPACEWALKER: Ctrl-Z is a blazing psychedelic funk-hop septet from Sacramento headed by veteran emcee Zealous. SpaceWalker is a warrior priestess. Her super powers include (but are not limited to) being a multi-instrumentalist and one-woman-band, freestyle rapping, bringing the funk & fashion and making the perfect omelette. 9pm, $10. Fox & Goose, 1001 R St.
CURREN$Y: Curren$y is on his Hot August
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE There’s
a psychedelic group coming to town, one who has played with Gong and Guru Guru. Catch them and the Melting Paraiso, plus My Education. 4/10, 8pm, $13, on sale now. Starlet Room, showclix.com.
“Southern Gent and Banjo Slinger,” brings picking and strumming around the country, playing indie-folk songs that are spacious and emotive and have an implicit groove. 8pm, $10. Claimstake Brewing Company, 11366 Monier Park Place, Rancho Cordova.
Nights Forever West Coast Tour, making a rapping stop in Sacramento on said tour. 9pm, $26. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
Amuse us with humor, Patton.
HANDEL’S “MESSIAH:” Come experience one of the season’s most loved works, Georg Frederick Handel’s “Messiah.” Focusing on the Christmas portion of the Messiah,
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.
this concert will also include J.S. Bach’s “Cantata 147” featuring the well-loved “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” 7:30pm, $10-$20. C.K. McClatchy High School 3066 Freeport Blvd.
JUG BAND CHRISTMAS: No, not the 1977 puppetcomedy about a jug-band Christmas—it’s the time of year when jugs take over Auburn. 8pm, $28. Auburn State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way, Auburn.
KARAOKE IN THE TAPROOM: Are you a bit of a bedroom Beyonce or a kitchen Kanye? Grab some liquid courage from the bar and come sing with Jackrabbit Brewing Company. 7pm, no cover. Jackrabbit Brewing Co., 1323 Terminal St., West Sacramento.
KATIE KNIPP: One of Northern California’s finest blues-beltin’ mamas is Katie Knipp. She possesses a huge Joplin-esque vocal style that easily gets down ’n’ dirty with the blues, and just as easily goes into playful mode on more jazz-styled offerings. 9:30am, $10-$15. Opera House Saloon, 108 Main St., Roseville.
KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL: Kindred the Family Soul, also known as Kindred, will bring a neo-soul performance to Harlow’s. 6pm, $37-$47. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING CARPENTERS CHRISTMAS: Catch the event highlight on this very special Christmas evening of music with one of the foremost Carpentersimpersonators in the world. 7:30pm, $27.95. Thunder Valley Casino, 1200 Athens Ave., Lincoln.
OZOMATLI: The Latin hip-hop rock group Ozomatli will be performing. They have a true breadth to their music, and will be joined by guest La Misa Negra. 7:30pm, $35-$48. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
TURQUOISE: Jazz is on the menu, Turquoise is bringing the menus as well as the food and drinks—metaphorically, that is. 9pm, no cover. Shady Lady, 1409 R St.
WAX: Wax is on his way to Sacramento on the Push On tour, plus appearances and support from Ubi and Lance Skiiiwalker. 9pm, $18. The Starlet Room, 2708 J St.
SATURDAY, 12/21 IRISH CHRISTMAS IN AMERICA: The McKeever School Of Irish Dance is helping put on this Irish Christmas in America. It’s a 15th anniversary tour, and it’s traveling around the world for a hot minute. 8:30pm, $45. B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave.
JOEL THE BAND: The premier Billy Joel cover band is coming to Sacramento to lay down some of the tunes the Piano Man is so wellknown for. 6pm, $10-$12. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
MELVIN SEALS & JGB: This year’s Very Jerry Xmas looks to be full of surprises: music,
celebration, Santa Melvin and more. 6:30pm, $20-$30. Keep Smilin’s Foothill Fillmore @ The Odd Fellows Lodge, 1226 Lincoln Ave., Auburn.
QUITTER: Catch Quitter along with Bright Light Fever and Eightfourseven, all in one convenient viewing location. 7pm, $12. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.
Saturday, 12/21
Die Hard: After Hours Jackrabbit brewing co., 9:30pm, $20
There are only a few acceptable ways to celebrate the holiday season: The one that’s most accepted by Film the most people is the annual viewing of Die Hard. Show up to this holiday tradition and you’ll not only be treated to Bruce Willis laying down some sweet Christmas violence on some greedy terrorists, but you’ll also get a beer, candy and popcorn included in ticket price. Yippee ki hoho-ho, gentle Calendar reader. 1323 Terminal St., West Sacramento, jackrabbitbrewingcompany.com.
CAlENDAR liSTiNGS CONTiNUED FROm PAGE 36
STACiE EAKES AND THE SUPERFREAKES: It will be a blues Christmas this night in Sactown as Stacie Eakes comes home for a Christmas Show spectacular. Join Stacie, Jimmy, Joe, Leigh for a night of music dancing and a show you won’t forget. 9pm, $10. Torch Club, 904 15th St.
SuNday, 12/22 THE RAT PACK CHRiSTmAS SHOW: The Rat Pack Christmas Show invites all ages to catch the people who portray the Rat Pack in a holiday bent. 4pm, $23. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
SOUl THERAPY SUNDAYS: Catch Soul Therapy Sundays at Ambiance Lounge for sounds from DJs Epik and Racer. 8:30pm, no cover. Ambiance Lounge, 910 2nd St.
MONday, 12/23 El DORADO mUSiCAl THEATRE’S HOliDAY CElEBRATiON: Enhance your holiday with a high-energy and fast-paced show-Holiday Celebration. It features two hours of some of the best holiday numbers from classic and current Broadway musicals. 7pm, $24$42. Harris Center, 10 College Pkwy, Folsom.
GHOSTFACE KillAH: It’s A Killah X-Mas at Harlow’s as the Wu-Tang Clan member comes to town for an inescapable night of music. 8pm, $27.50-$37.50. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.
X-mESS RAPS 2019: Catch Rocko Raps, Bimes, Teddy Hill and DJ Kashaun for a holiday show that will leave you breathless. 7pm, $10. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.
FEStIVaLS tHurSday, 12/19 PHOTOS WiTH SANTA iN THE EAGlE THEATER: Stop by the Eagle Theater and celebrate one of the best holiday traditions by having a photo with Santa captured with just the kids or the whole family. 2:30pm, $25. California State Railroad Museum, 111 I St.
WilD NiGHTS & HOliDAY liGHTS: The Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary will soon be ablaze with holiday lights, providing a beautiful backdrop for a unique family experience this holiday season. 5pm, $7-$9. Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, 403 Stafford St., Folsom.
traditional Christmas pageant from The Latino Center of Art + Culture returns for another year. Catch a performance and get excited. 8pm, $5-$15. The Guild Theater, 2828 35th St.
HOliDAY STEAm CRAFTS: Calling all crafters! Come join this free, school-age program with art and science to get ready for the winter holidays. 3:30pm, no cover. McKinley Public Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd.
Saturday, 12/21 12 BARS OF X-mAS BAR CRAWl: Celebrate the dozen bars that come together to provide you with a unique holiday drinking experience. 4pm, $10-$25. Republic Bar & Grill, 908 15th St.
A VERY RED XmAS: Don’t miss this unique show featuring LaTour, J Irvin Dally and more, plus a one-of-a-kind Christmas play by Devon McMindes and Anthony Siino. One horse open sleigh rides provided by Kylie Jackson. There’s a lot more, too. 8pm, $12. The Red Museum, 212 15th St.
CHRiSTmAS iN THE PARK: Celebrate Christmas in the only place that really matters: a park. 6pm, no cover. Charles Robertson Park, 3525 Norwood Ave.
GlOBAl lOCAl mERCADO-HOliDAY EDiTiON: The holiday season is here! Support international and local artisan collectives and vendors. Discover authentic handmade and unique gifts for yourself and your loved ones. Global and local artisan goods, food and music! Music curated by the Mercado’s resident DJ Mike Colossal. 10am, no cover. Sol Collective, 2574 21st St.
SACRAmENTO PAN AFRiCAN ART, FOOD AND FASHiON CElEBRATiON: Join this interfaith gathering celebrating “First Fruits of the Harvest” and a pre-Kwanzaa Gala Celebration. It will highlight the basic fundamentals of urban agriculture and exciting new opportunities embracing job, career and industrial agribusiness development. 1:30pm, no cover. First Baptist Church Sacramento, 2324 L St,.
WiNTER WONDERlAND: Celebrate the holiday season at Fairytale Town with festive décor and a dazzling display of lights. Visit with Santa in his workshop from 3 to 6 p.m., don’t miss a flurry of snow falling nightly at 7 p.m., step inside a giant snow globe and enjoy elf-themed hands-on activities! 1pm, $3.50-$7. Fairytale Town, 3901 Land Park Drive.
FrIday, 12/20 7TH ANNUAl lA PASTORElA DE SACRAmENTO: The modern bilingual musical of Mexico’s
CAlENDAR liSTiNGS CONTiNUED ON PAGE 38
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SEE MORE EVENTS AND SUBMIT YOUR OWN AT NEWSREVIEW.COM/SACRAMENTO/CALENDAR
FRIDAY, 12/20
Catch this celebration of the season and the garment with Aurora Singh, ChaCha Burnadette, Drew Absher, Stephen Ferris and Skip Bacon. Friday 12/20, 9pm. $8. Willie Listen. Willie Listen is a blend of comedy, nostalgia, and music, where we hope you leave with that earwig you never knew you wanted. Willie and sidekick Nicole listen and discuss personal music choices with this month’s guests. 8pm. Through 12/20. $7. 1710 Broadway.
BarkHappy Howliday Pawty TRACK 7 BREWING CO., 6PM, $12-$15
Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee—or until I’ve attended a dog-friendly TAKE ACTION holiday party— or “pawty”—that benefits Chako PHOTO BY LUCAS LUDWIG Pit Bull Rescue and Advocacy and is a fun time guaranteed for all. Basically, don’t talk to me until I’ve attended this event hosted by BarkHappy and Track 7 Natomas. There are activities, goodie bags, door prizes and more. Wear a festive sweater if you feel like it. 826 Professor Lane, Suite 100, sachowlidayparty. eventbrite.com.
SACRAMENTO COMEDY SPOT: Comedy Exchange w/ Benton Harsha, Jaclyn Weiand, & Shahera Hyatt. Don’t miss the show that blends comedy with comedy, sketches with improv. Plus, you can stick around for The Friday Show afterward for a total of $15. 8pm. Through 12/20. $12. Comedy Spot Holiday Show. The annual Comedy Spot Holiday Show returns with plenty of holiday-centric shenanigans and more funny stuff. Saturday 12/21, 9pm. $12. Lady Business-All women Improv. The name says in all, and it’s coming your way with improv you can really laugh at. Saturday 12/21, 9pm. $8. 1050 20th St., Suite 130.
TOMATO ALLEY COLLECTIVE: Tomato Alley CALENDAR LISTINGS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37
FOOD & DRINK
Michael Curtiz and starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. 6:30pm, $10. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
TUESDAY, 12/24 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: An angel is sent from
SATURDAY, 12/21
heaven to help a frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed. The Frank Capra film is a holiday classic. 6pm, $10. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.
WINE BLENDING PARTY AND STEAK DINNER: Learn the art of wine blending in this underground barrel room with Wise Villa’s owner & winemaker Grover Lee. 6:30pm, $129.32. Wise Villa Winery, 4200 Wise Road, Lincoln.
SUNDAY, 12/22 CHRISTMAS DINNER CRUISE-RIVER CITY QUEEN:
COMEDY B STREET THEATRE: Upstairs at the B—Sam Kebede Stand-Up. Sam Kebede’s “I’m Ostracized because I’m Ostrich-sized” comes to B Street. Meet Sam. Sam is gangly. Impressively gangly. That’s one of the many topics that will be explored at his comedy special. Saturday 12/21, 6:30pm. $12. 2700 Capitol Ave.
Grab dinner on the River City Queen in Old Sacramento. It should be a nice time and will offer you all the foods and Christmas-y atmosphere you desperately need. 5pm, $69. The River City Queen, 1110 Front St.
THE UGLY SWEATER CHRISTMAS CRAWL 2019: Grab a wristband for only $1 that opens up a world of possibilities, including getting special drink prices at lots of downtown establishments. 6pm, $1. Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink, 701 K St.
BLACKTOP COMEDY: The Improv Comedy Spectacular. Punch boredom in the face! The battle begins! If you like “Whose Line is it Anyway,” you will love the “Showdown Show Now Showing!” Saturday 12/21, 7pm. $12. Open Mic at Blacktop. Grab a drink, and catch Blacktop Comedy’s Open Mic. The Open Mic is a chance to watch or perform. Catch new and experienced comedians work on fresh material and perfect their sets. 8pm. Through 12/30. $5. 3101 Sunset Blvd., Suite 6A, Rocklin.
WEDNESDAY, 12/25 CHRISTMAS BRUNCH: Join Hyatt Regency Sacramento on Christmas Day for a bountiful buffet brunch. Escape the holiday cooking and let the culinary team do all the work so you can enjoy precious time with family and friends. 10am, $69.95. Hyatt Regency, 1209 L St.
CREST THEATRE: Piff The Magic Dragon’s Christmas Party. Catch the contestant from America’s Got Talent at this show featuring him and his magic and comedy. Saturday 12/21, 7:30pm. $35-$55. 1013 K St.
FILM
LAUGHS UNLIMITED COMEDY CLUB: Jingle Ball Comedy Jam. Don’t miss the Jingle Ball Comedy Jam with Carlos Rodriguez and Jack Assadourian. Tuesday 12/24, 7pm. $20. 1207 Front St.
SATURDAY, 12/21 DIE HARD-AFTER HOURS MOVIE NIGHT: Die Hard is a Christmas movie! Come watch it, have a beer, eat a candy and munch a piece of popcorn. Bring a camp chair to sit on. 9:30pm, $20. Jackrabbit Brewing Co., 1323 Terminal St., West Sacramento.
MONDAY, 12/23 WHITE CHRISTMAS: This timeless Christmas
PUNCH LINE: Jesus Trejo. The Los Angelesbased comedian, writer and all-around funny performer person is coming to town for a series of shows. Through 12/21. $22.50. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.
STAB! COMEDY THEATER: The Ugly Christmas
classic is perfect for the whole family. Watch the 1954 American musical film directed by
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Collective’s Holiday Comedy Show. Tomato Alley Collective’s Holiday Comedy Show is comedy for the holiday-inclined comedy show-attendee. 4pm. Through 12/21. $10$22. 2014 28th St., Suite F.
12.19.19
Sweater Show. Ugly sweaters are back in style for a little while, and STAB! agrees.
ON STAGE B STREET THEATRE: On An Open Fire by Buck Busfield. It’s a B Street tradition, making its debut at The Sofia: the Buck Busfield-penned holiday play. Through 12/29. $20-$47. 2700 Capitol Ave.
CAPITAL STAGE: The Wickhams Christmas at Pemberley. Capital Stage presents the Sacramento premiere of the next installment of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Christmas at Pemberley series. Through 12/29. $25-$49. 2215 J St.
CELEBRATION ARTS: Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity. Celebration Arts presents Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity, directed by James Wheatley. It’s a musical re-telling of the nativity story featuring African American spiritual and gospel music, dance and narration. Through 12/22. $13.60-$20.80. 4469 D St.
Spectrum. Join us as students from our Be Brave Improv social skills class perform skits and individual performances. Friday 12/20, 6pm. No cover. 4623 T St.
HARRIS CENTER: PHCBT presents The Nutcracker. Catch out the Stage pick for this show in our Stage section. Through 12/22. $18-$36. 10 College Pkwy, Folsom.
OLD SACRAMENTO WATERFRONT: Theatre of Lights. If it’s holiday memories you’re after, come find it at the Old Sacramento Waterfront! The 11th annual Macy’s Theatre of Lights is an electrifying and familyfriendly and free holiday tradition. 6pm, through 12/24. No cover. 1002 Front St.
SACRAMENTO MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM: Sacramento Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Sacramento Ballet, one of the finest regional ballet companies in the country, announces The Nutcracker, choreographed by Artistic Director Amy Seiwert, Dec. 12-22 at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Through 12/22. $25-$107. 1515 J St.
SACRAMENTO THEATRE: A Christmas Carol. This audience-favorite adaptation of Charles Dickens’ time-honored tale returns to STC’s stages. Through 12/29. $45. 1419 H St.
ART ALLIED CERAMICS ART INSTITUTE STUDIOS AND GALLERY: 3rd Saturday Christmas Party. Join ACAI Gallery for two 3rd Saturday celebrations during the exhibit “Love Triangles.” Saturday 12/21, 6pm. No cover. 7425 Winding Way, Fair Oaks.
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.
THE BRICKHOUSE GALLERY & ART COMPLEX: Closing Artist Reception “Signs & Detours; An Exploration.” If you’ve not had the opportunity to view the exceptional “Signs & Detours; An Exploration” then you can make it on Friday, Dec. 20. Friday 12/20, 6pm. No cover. 2837 37th 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 impressive collection along with a compelling new exhibit titled “White Out! A Collision Course with Nature.” Through 4/1. $6-$12. 111 I St.
CROCKER ART MUSEUM: AUDIO MUSE. Experience the Crocker in a whole new way, with a concert crawl featuring bands you nominated and voted for, performing throughout the museum! December’s musicians offer something for everyone, from Munechild’s chill electronica to Basi Vibe’s soulful R&B. Thursday 12/19, 6pm. $12. 216 O St.
SPORTS & OUTDOORS SATURDAY, 12/21 LOCAL CELEBRITY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Come watch successful people come compete for the title of champion. Complete with live DJ, entertainment and more. 1pm, no cover. Simmons Community Center, 25 Massie Court.
TAKE ACTION FRIDAY, 12/20 2019 HOLIDAY FOOD BASKET PROJECT: Join the Tower of Niceness team as they help Roseville service clubs, business groups and local city/county agencies with the annual Holiday Food Basket Drive. Noon, no cover. Placer Food Bank, 8290 Industrial Ave., Roseville.
BARKHAPPY HOWLIDAY PAWTY: Bring your dogs and your friends for the Howliday Pawty, benefiting Chako Pitbull Rescue and Advocacy at Track 7 Brewing. 6pm, $12. Track 7 Brewing Co.
COLOMA COMMUNITY CENTER: Improv and Variety Show, starring artists on the Autism
FRIDAY, 12/20
We’ve Only Just Begun THUNDER VALLEY CASINO, 7:30PM, $27.95-$42.95
Do you want to spend one night this month in the company of a carpenter? How about The Carpenters? How about a person who performs onstage MUSIC as Karen Carpenter? Of course you do—and you can do just that at this special performance from this show featuring Canadian singer Michelle Berting Brett, who plays Carpenter. She’s from Saskatchewan and conceived and stars in the show. 1200 Athens Ave., thundervalleyresort.com. PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERRE GAUTREAU
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THURSDAY 12/19 ArmAdillo music
207 F ST., DAvIS, (530) 758-8058
BAdlAnds
Poprockz 90s Night, 10pm, no cover
BAr 101
Steve Stizzo Trio, 6:30pm, call for cover
2003 k ST., (916) 448-8790 101 MAIN ST., ROSEvIllE, (916) 774-0505
FRIDAY 12/20
SATURDAY 12/21
Sweetgum, 8pm, no cover
Jamm, 8pm, no cover
Hard Candy Christmas with Eureka O’Hara, 8pm, call for cover
Spectacular Saturdays, 6pm, call for cover
The BoArdwAlk
Bit Crusher Presents: A Heavy Holiday Showcase, 6pm, $5
Roland Tonies, Landline and Cherrie Lake, 7:30pm, $10
cApiTol GArAGe
Capitol Fridays, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm
Dinner and a Drag Show, 7:30pm, $5-$25
cresT TheATre
Ozomatli, La Misa Negra and Suena Tron, Piff the Magic Dragon’s Christmas Party, 6:30pm, $35-$48 6:30pm, $35-$55
9426 GREENbAck lN., ORANGEvAlE, (916) 358-9116 1500 k ST., (916) 444-3633
1013 k ST., (916) 476-3356
8pm Monday, $27.50-$45 Harlow’s Hip-Hop
Supernaut, 7pm, M, no cover After Hours with Apple, 9pm, M, no cover; Trapicana, 11pm, W, no cover
Industry Sundays, 9pm, no cover
Bon Voyage Blue Lamp, 8pm, call for cover
1400 AlHAMbRA blvD., (916) 455-3400
Ghostface Killah
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/23-25
Open-Mic Night, 7:30pm, W, call for cover
Blue lAmp
PHOTO cOURTESY OF NIklAS HEllERSTEDT
SUNDAY 12/22
drAke’s: The BArn
Ugly Truckin’ Sweater Party, 5pm, call
FAces
Karaoke Night, 9pm, call for cover
Geeks Who Drink, 8:30pm, W, no cover
The Polar Express, 7pm, $10
White Christmas, 6:30pm, M, $10-$22; It’s a Wonderful Life, 6pm, T, $10-$22
Sunday Funday, 3pm, no cover
Every Damn Monday, 8pm, M, no cover
985 RIvERFRONT ST., WEST SAc, (510) 423-0971 for cover 2000 k ST., (916) 448-7798
Fox & Goose
1001 R ST., (916) 443-8825
Absolut Fridays, 9pm, call for cover
Sequin Saturdays, 9:30pm, call for cover
Control-Z and Spacewalker, 9pm, $10
Rock for Tots with Warren Bishop and more, 9pm, $5
Open-Mic Night, 7:30pm, M, no cover; Pub Quiz, 7pm, T, no cover
Golden 1 cenTer
Rockets vs. Kings, 5:30pm, M, $36-$450
500 DAvID J STERN WAlk, (888) 915-4647
GoldField TrAdinG posT 1630 J ST., (916) 476-5076
Hellbound Glory and The Nickel Slots, 7:30pm, $10
hAlFTime BAr & Grill
Paint Nite, 6:30pm, call for cover
5681 lONETREE blvD., ROcklIN, (916) 626-3600
hArlow’s PHOTO cOURTESY OF METAl blADE REcORDS
Let’s Get Quizzical, 7pm, T, no cover; Cornhole, 6pm, W, $10
2708 J ST., (916) 441-4693
ONOFF, Occupy the Trees and Chrome Rose, 7pm, $10-$13
hideAwAY BAr & Grill
Vinyl Soul/Ska/Punk, 8pm, call for cover
2565 FRANklIN blvD., (916) 455-1331
Cattle Decapitation
hiGhwATer
with Atheist 6pm Thursday, $26 Holy Diver Metal
holY diVer
Kindred the Family Soul, 6pm, $37-$47; Curren$y, 9:30pm, $26-$86
Joel the Band, 6pm, $10-$12; The Sugar High Band, 9:30pm, $12-$15
Night Swim with Joseph One, 7pm, call for cover
Cuffin, 6pm, $5
1517 21ST ST.
Cattle Decapitation, Atheist, Primitive Man and more, 6pm, $26
Shortie, Long Drive Home, 7th Standard and more, 6:30pm, sold out
Quitter, Bright Light Fever, Eightfourseven and more, 7pm, $12
JAckrABBiT BrewinG co.
Cornhole, 6:30pm, call for cover
Carol-okie, 7pm, no cover
Elf, 6:30pm, no cover; Die Hard, 9:30pm, $20
voted sacramento’s
best dance club 2017/2018
stoneYs rocKin nYe bash country dancing in back with dJ patrick karaoke up front $10 Before 9pm $15 after 9pm
vip pacKages available at stoneYinn.com Balloon drop at midnight champagne toast
$10 coVer | doorS at 7Pm | 21+
12/20
samantha sharp
January 31st emBryonic deVoUrment cUrSed | SeVer all Short FUSe
12/21
nite kats
12/27
todd morgan
12/28
part robot
HappY Hour
12Pm - 7Pm
karaoke
check out stoneys new remodel and parking lot coming soon in January
thu 8Pm - 10Pm
1217 21st St • 916.440.0401 www.KuprosCrafthouse.com
1320 Del paso blvD in olD north sac
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live MuSic
december 21st SweetleaF JUdaS riSing
Eat. Drink. Be Merry. Repeat.
stoneyinn.com for nightly drink specials & events
X-Mess Raps 2019, 7pm, M, $10
upComing sHows
free late night biscuits n gravy included
2 steps from downtown | 916.402.2407
Trivia Factory, 4pm, T, call for cover;
Sacramento’S #1 UndergroUnd metal VenUe iS Back!
tue 9Pm - 2am, thu 10Pm - 2am
40
Ghostface Killah, 8pm, M, $27.50-$45
Shitshow Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover; Twisted Trivia, 8pm, W, no cover
1910 Q ST., (916) 706-2465
1323 TERMINAl ST., WEST SAc (916) 873-8659
The Rat Pack Christmas Show, 4pm & 7:30pm, $23-$28
ComedY open miC Visit for eVent updates & booking information
670 Fulton avenue, Sacramento, ca open daily 12Pm – 2am | (916) 487-3731
1/10
nite kats
1/28
todd morgan
1/29
americana showcase w/banJo bones
101 Main Street, roSeville 916-774-0505 · lunch/dinner 7 days a week fri & sat 9:30pm - close 21+
/bar101roseville
suBmit your Calendar listings for free at newsreview.Com/saCramento/Calendar thursDay 12/19
FriDay 12/20
Kupros
Live music with Joseph Kojima Gray, 7pm, no cover
Live music with Ross Hammond, 5pm, no cover
old IronsIdes
Music Night Open Acoustic Jam, 8pm, no cover
The Goat Family and Kentucky Trust Fund, 8pm, $8
1217 21st st., (916) 440-0401 1901 10th st., (916) 442-3504
saturDay 12/21
on the y
sunDay 12/22
MonDay-WeDnesDay 12/23-25
Triviology 101, 7:30pm, no cover Live Music with Heath Williamson, 5:30pm, M, no cover
Lipstick!, 9pm, $5 Sweet Leaf and Judas Rising, 9pm, $10
670 Fulton ave., (916) 487-3731
opera house saloon
Katie Knipp Band, 9:30pm, $10-$15
Moonshine Crazy, 9:30pm, $10-$15
palms playhouse
Christmas Jug Band, 6:30pm, $12-$24
DonGato Latin Band, 6:30pm, $12-$22
placervIlle publIc house
Plaid City, 8pm, call for cover
Dog Park Justice, 8pm, call for cover
Lady Perry, 10:15pm, call for cover
Aquanett and Bad Santa Bar Crawl, 10pm, call for cover
Curtis Salgado, 3pm, call for cover; Xmas Show, 8pm, call for cover
Karaoke, 8:30pm, T, call for cover
Pop 40 Dance with DJ Larry, 9pm, $5
DJ Larry’s Sunday Night Dance Party, 9pm, no cover
Julian Never, 8:30pm, M, $5-$7; Night School, 9pm, T, no cover
College Night Wednesdays, 9pm, W, $5-$10
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california’s cannabis turf Cannabis regulation in the region remains a patchwork of laws by Craig BaraCCo
it has been three years since california voters passed Proposition 64, The Adult Use of Marijuana Act. That should have been enough time for state and local authorities to sort out all the legal and regulatory implications of legalization, right? Yet some local governments are still fighting over marijuana policy, changing their minds—and then changing their minds again. There are also the feds to deal with, and new regulations come out of the state Capitol on a semi-regular basis.
With that said, let’s take a look at the state of pot regulations in the Sacramento region and Northern California. Under Prop. 64, an individual can possess as much as 1 ounce of cannabis and smoke it in private. People can still get harassed by cops for smoking in public, but that depends on the policies of the local police department. You are also allowed to grow as many as six marijuana plants for personal use. Local jurisdictions still get some say in this, with regulations
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that say you must grow either indoors Roseville and Rocklin likewise have or outdoors, screen outdoor plants commercial sales bans in effect. But little from view, lock your doors and so Isleton would love to host your shop. on. Cities and counties may or may Just across the river, West not require a permit for the six plants. Sacramento has a commercial ban, as Keep in mind this is personal use only, does Woodland and Yolo County. The so no selling to the neighborhood city of Davis has several permitted kids or grannies from the six plants shops, but is no longer accepting growing in your greenhouse. applications for additional locations. But what if you want to go further In fact, leaving Sacramento County than just personal recreational use? in most directions will still leave you What if you have dreams of dry and most certainly not building a green empire, high, as Nevada, Placer, owning your very Sutter and Yuba own pot emporium counties also prohibit and selling to the sales. But all is not Under Prop. 64, masses, or growing lost—El Dorado fields of ganja County now it’s still up to local next to that snooty allows commercial jurisdictions, whether you vineyard? Well, sales, thanks to can sell or grow cannabis that depends on a local ballot where you’re measure passed commercially. located. Under last year. Both the Prop. 64, it’s still up city of Stockton to local jurisdictions, and surrounding San whether you can sell or Joaquin County also grow cannabis commercially. allow sales. Let’s break this down: First, Remember, after you find a local commercial sales. If you want to be jurisdiction that will let you open the the kind of legit drug dealer your mom shop, you still need approval from can brag about to her friends, you need the state of California, which means to find somewhere that will let you more paperwork and more fees. Legit open a commercial pot operation. This doesn’t come cheap, or easy. info is also important for those who What about commercial growing? wish to buy legally and not mess with Got a green thumb and want to share grow-your-own. In SN&R’s readership it with the world? Well, maybe you area, it’s the city of Sacramento and, can, depending on where you live. well, not much else. The city limited the Let’s focus on the counties, because number of cannabis dispensaries to 30, the counties have most of the open 29 of which can sell for recreational use. land one might need for the growing of Twenty-nine is good for consumers, stuff—be it corn or almonds or Lady Jane. there are a lot of choices and you No commercial grows in won’t have far to drive. But the city is Sacramento County: Got 20 acres out at the limit it set on the total number by the Sac International Airport that of shops, though officials are talking would be just perfect? Too bad! Placer, about adding five dispensary licenses, Sutter, Yuba, Amador and Solano reserved for applicants in the city’s counties all have outlawed commercial equity program. growing. Not all of the Foothill Sacramento County, however, has counties have said no, however. The banned commercial sales, so no shops Nevada County Board of Supervisors in Carmichael, Fair Oaks or the other approved commercial grows in May suburbs. The cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, “california’S cannabiS turf” continued on page 45
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Thanks for reading this newspaper, Dick. Dick Reynolds, that is—87 years old this month! You’re our most devoted reader, Dick.
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pull up crops and sell their harvests in a hurry. But in October, supervisors, facing political pressure from the other and El Dorado County now allows side, changed course again and voted to commercial grows after voters approved a recognize 190 of the growing permits ballot measure in 2018. already issued and allow them to operate. Then there is Calaveras County, There’s no guarantee that after the next whose regulations have had more election, the board won’t swing plot twists than a major back in the other direction. motion picture. First Finally, commercial the county approved growing is allowed commercial growing. in Yolo County, but Then after hundreds The city of there are currently of grow permit ordinance changes Sacramento limited applications were underway that filed, millions the number of cannabis will make getting in fees collected permits more dispensaries to 30, and crops planted difficult. It’s not came the political 29 of which can sell for a ban, but if the backlash. changes being recreational use. County considered by the supervisors then voted Yolo County Planning to ban commercial Commission in December grows, leaving those who are eventually passed by the had paid tens of thousands of Board of Supervisors, it’s going dollars in application fees in the lurch to get much more difficult and expensive and more than a few farmers having to to get growing permits in Yolo. But hey, #YOLO. Don’t forget, just like commercial selling, you also need a state CommeriCal CommerCial Name SaleS license for commercial Grow growing in addition Sacramento County Banned Banned to local approval. The Citrus Heights Banned Banned state currently has 17 different categories of Elk Grove Banned Banned permits for cannabis Folsom Banned Banned cultivation, depending Isleton Allowed Allowed on the size and the indoor/outdoor Rancho Cordova Banned Banned location of the crop. Sacramento City Banned Allowed So good luck with the Placer County Banned Banned paperwork. What does this Rocklin Banned Banned all mean? It means Roseville Banned Banned cannabis regulation in Yolo County Banned Allowed the region remains a patchwork, and your Davis Banned Allowed location very much West Sacramento Banned Banned determines what you Woodland Banned Banned can do and how far you have to drive to buy San Joaquin County Allowed Allowed legal weed. For those Stockton Allowed Allowed interested in how these Amador County Banned Banned issues turn out, pay attention to what your Calaveres County Allowed Allowed local government is El Dorado County Allowed Allowed doing, lobby your local Nevada County Banned Allowed officials to do the right thing, and for the love Solano County Banned Banned of Krishna, vote for the Sutter County Banned Banned right people in your Tuolumne County Banned Banned local elections. Ω “California’s Cannabis turf” Continued from page 43
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(apparently, “cultivar” is the new word to replace “cannabis strain” if you are a fancy pants) first developed in Kentucky around 1988. It definitely smelled like a dead skunk, but in a Whew. It was good but looong. good way. I also enjoyed some POG I started out in Las Vegas at the (Passionfruit Orange Guava) from annual Mjbizcon, which is the largest Greenshock Farms in Mendocino, and cannabis trade show on the planet. I got to smoke a “Hashbone”—which More than 1,000 vendor booths and is the brand name for a hash-andabout 30,0000 cannabis entrepreneurs weed doobie from Hollister Cannabis took over the Convention Center Company. So tasty and so strong. I for three days of schmoozing and smoked a bunch of other stuff, but boozing. it tends to blend together. The most interesting The awards thing was seeing all ceremony was great. of the “square” I got to try Tommy Chong businesses reaching some “Roadkill received the Willie out to the cannabis Nelson Lifetime industry. Skunk,” an heirloom Achievement Laboratory cultivar (apparently, Award and gear, labeling “cultivar” is the new word Mel Frank was and packaging honored with the companies to replace “cannabis Breeders Hall and even a few strain” if you are a of Fame award. beverage makers fancy pants. (Google him; he was were in attendance, one of the first people with their giant and to really cultivate and shiny machines on full propagate good weed way display. back in the ’60s and ’70s. He’s a But we were in Vegas, so people truly trailblazer.) would only work for a few hours Other notables: Sacramento-based before heading out to the parties. Newell’s Botanicals won its fourthOnly one problem: Las Vegas is in-a-row best topical award, its time still weird about weed, so most of for its brand new bath bombs. And the venues wouldn’t allow people to Alien Farms also from Sacramento bring weed. I’m not sure how a weed grabbed No. 2 in the mixed light party can’t have any weed (looking category with and excellent strain, er, at you High Times Cup and Brooklyn cultivar, called “Baklava. Delicious.” Bowl), but I still managed to have a There were a few after-parties good time (yay vapes and edibles). at the cup (weed-filled, because So after three days of talking to California knows how to party), but people in blue jeans and sports coats, to be honest, I was more than a little I went to Santa Rosa for the 16th burnt out from the long week so I annual Emerald Cup at the Sonoma only made a few cameo appearances. County Fairgrounds. Weed heaven! Now I need some rest, and a good The thing I like the most about the remedy for the strange malady known Emerald Cup is that cannabis is the as “Cup cough.” Ω star of the show. It isn’t a music festival with weed, it’s a weed festival with music. It makes a big difference. Folks lined up to get the latest seeds and hottest strains, the weather was nice (even Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento though it was hella cold after the sun comedian, activist and marijuana expert. Email him questions at went down) and all the chronnisseurs ask420@newsreview.com. were out in full force, smoking and sharing. I got to try some “Roadkill Skunk,” an heirloom cultivar @Ngaio420
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How can two things be true when one of them is false?
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Free will astrology
ask joey
For the week oF December 19, 2019
Look in the mirror
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The English word
by JOey GARCIA
@AskJoeyGarcia
I left my husband, after lots of indecision. what no longer serves you. If you learn Now I wonder about leaving my boyfriend. to give your inner world this kind of I work full-time, have a toddler and attention, you will bring it into harmony attend Sac State full time. Sometimes, and move through life with more ease. I wait to come home until he’s asleep. As you slow down, you will also Lately, he’s been going to bed early and recognize yourself in others. For example, leaving before I get up, like he’s avoiding when you say that your boyfriend is me. If I tell him I love him, he asks me to avoiding you, are you able to own the elaborate. It’s irritating. I find myself ways you avoided him? You stayed away engaging in small talk, which he does not from home until he was asleep. You like. After getting caught looking through admit to pushing him away physically and his phone, I’m working to respect his emotionally. It’s as though the two of you privacy. when we argue, I feel extremely are mirroring each other. sad or angry. I’ve slammed doors and Everything we struggle with in another pushed him. the last time I left, he person is related to something within didn’t stop me. recently, ourselves. You push him away I gave our landlord a because intimacy is difficult 30-day notice without for you. You seem afraid telling my boyfriend. he will discover that the next day I Everything we you are not capable of canceled it. my loving him as much as boyfriend says he struggle with in loves me. I don’t you think he loves you. another person is know if I feel the Here’s a little secret: same. Advice? Love is a growth related to something opportunity. If he loves within ourselves. you more, that’s OK. Yes. If love failed You can learn how to love you in the past, you fully by moving closer to are under no obligation him a little bit more every day. to keep repeating the By slowly opening to love, you will experience. Your marriage is also expand and deepen your experience over. Don’t let yourself continue testing of self-love. Ω a man to see how far you can push him before he leaves. Even if your parents offered affection, guidance and support inconsistently during your childhood, you can resist recreating that experience now with your man. To move in this direction, you have to be fed up with being miserable. Admit that the chaos you create steals your happiness. Then, stop. Working full-time, being a mom and taking a full load of classes is exhausting. Have you considered that it might be beyond your bandwidth? Trim your class schedule to alleviate stress. By slowing down you can devote time to processing your feelings. Not every feeling is true. Not every emotion deserves expression. But emotions will show you where you feel broken and insecure. Those places are begging to be healed. To begin, take responsibility for your part in any difficulty. See what you were trying to teach yourself by holding on to suffering. Choose to be kind to yourself. Release 54
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by ROb bRezsny
meDItAtIoN oF the week “If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us,” wrote novelist Herman Hesse. How do you know when you’re looking in a mirror?
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“hubris” means prideful, exaggerated selfassurance. In the HBO series Rome, the ancient Roman politician and general Mark Antony says to his boss Julius Caesar, “I’m glad you’re so confident. Some would call it hubris.” Caesar has a snappy comeback: “It’s only hubris if I fail.” I’m tempted to dare you to use you that as one of your mottoes in 2020. I have a rather expansive vision of your capacity to accomplish great things during the coming months. And I also think that one key to your triumphs and breakthroughs will be your determination to cultivate a well-honed aplomb, even audacity. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): For years I’ve lived in a house bordering a wetland, and I’ve come to love that ecosystem more than any other. While communing with reeds and herons and muddy water, my favorite poet has been Taurus-born Lorine Niedecker, who wrote about marshes with supreme artistry. Until the age of 60, her poetic output was less than abundant because she had to earn a meager living by cleaning hospital floors. Then, due to a fortuitous shift in circumstances, she was able to leave that job and devote more time to what she loved most and did best. With Niedecker’s breakthrough as our inspiration, I propose that we do all we can, you and I, as we conspire to make 2020 the year you devote more time to the activity that you love most and do best. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the English language, the prefix “re” comes at the beginning of many words with potent transformational meaning: reinvent, redeem, rediscover, release, relieve, redesign, resurrect, rearrange, reconstruct, reform, reanimate, reawaken, regain. I hope you’ll put words like those at the top of your priority list in 2020. If you hope to take maximum advantage of the cosmic currents, it’ll be a year of revival, realignment and restoration. CANCER (June 21-July 22): I won’t be surprised if you’re enamored and amorous more than usual in 2020. I suspect you will experience delight and enchantment at an elevated rate. The intensity and depth of the feelings that flow through you may break all your previous records. Is that going to be a problem? I suppose it could be if you worry that the profuse flows of tenderness and affection will render you weak and vulnerable. But if you’re willing and eager to interpret your extra sensitivity as a superpower, that’s probably what it will be. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Does the word “spirit” mean anything to you? Or are you numb to it? Has it come to seem virtually meaningless—a foggy abstraction used carelessly by millions of people to express sentimental beliefs and avoid clear thinking? In accordance with astrological omens, I’ll ask you to create a sturdier and more vigorous definition of “spirit” for your practical use in 2020. For instance, you might decide that “spirit” refers to the life force that launches you out of bed each morning and motivates you to keep transforming yourself into the evermore beautiful soul you want to become. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back,” wrote author Charles de Lint. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, your heart will encounter far more of the latter than the former types of people in 2020. There may be one wrangler who tries to take the heart out of you, but there will be an array of nurturers who will strive to keep the heart in you—as well as boosters and builders who will add even more heart. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Composer Igor Stravinsky was born a Russian citizen, but later in life became a French citizen, and still later took on American citizenship. If you have had any similar predilections, I’m guessing they won’t be in play during 2020. My prediction is that you will develop a more robust sense of where you belong than ever before. Any uncertainties you’ve had about where your true power spot lies will dissipate. Questions you’ve harbored
about the nature of home will be answered. With flair and satisfaction, you’ll resolve long-running riddles about home and community. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Friendship is a very taxing and arduous form of leisure activity,” wrote philosopher and educator Mortimer Adler. He was exaggerating a bit for comic effect, but he was basically correct. We all must mobilize a great deal of intelligence and hard work to initiate new friendships and maintain existing friendships. But I have some very good news about how these activities will play out for you in 2020. I expect that your knack for practicing the art of friendship will be at an alltime high. I also believe that your close alliances will be especially gratifying and useful for you. You’ll be well-rewarded for your skill and care at cultivating rapport. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1933, Sagittarian artist Diego Rivera was commissioned to paint a huge mural in one of the famous Rockefeller buildings in New York City. His patrons didn’t realize he was planning to include a controversial portrait of former Soviet Communist leader Vladimir Lenin. When the deed was done, they ordered him to remove it. When he refused, they ushered him out and destroyed the whole mural. As a result, Rivera also lost another commission to create art at the Chicago World’s Fair. In any other year, I might encourage you to be as idealistic as Rivera. I’d invite you to place artistic integrity over financial considerations. But I’m less inclined to advise that in 2020. I think it may serve you to be unusually pragmatic. At least consider leaving Lenin out of your murals. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “People mistake their limitations for high standards,” wrote Capricorn author Jean Toomer. In my astrological opinion, it’s crucial that you avoid doing that in 2020. Why? First, I’m quite sure that you will have considerable power to shed and transcend at least some of your limitations. For best results, you can’t afford to deceive yourself into thinking that those limitations are high standards. Secondly, you will have good reasons and a substantial ability to raise your standards higher than they’ve ever been. So you definitely don’t want to confuse high standards with limitations. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Historians once thought that 14th century Englishmen were the first humans to track the rhythms of the planet Jupiter using the complicated mathematics known as calculus. But in 2015, researchers discovered that Babylonians had done it 1,400 years before the Englishmen. Why was Jupiter’s behavior so important to those ancient people? They were astrologers! They believed the planet’s movements were correlated with practical events on Earth, such as the weather, river levels and grain harvests. I think that this correction in the origin story of tracking Jupiter’s rhythms will be a useful metaphor for you in 2020. It’s likely you will come to understand your past in ways that are different from what you’ve believed up until now. Your old tales will change. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): China produces the most apples in the world. The United States is second. That wasn’t always true. When Europeans first reached the shores of the New World, crab apple was the only apple species that grew natively. But the invaders planted other varieties that they brought with them. They also imported the key to all future proliferation: honeybees, champion pollinators, which were previously absent from the land that many indigenous people called Turtle Island. I see 2020 as a time for you to accomplish the equivalent, in your own sphere, of getting the pollination you need. What are the fertilizing influences that will help you accomplish your goals?
Holiday Heat Nightcap
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ant a little more merry? Impress your holiday honey and complete your sexy date night with this aphrodisiac cocktail brought to you by the Museum of Sex in New York City!To make the Persephone alcoholic, add two ounces of vodka to each drink. Yield: Makes 2 drinks IngredIents For the lavender crystals: 1/3 cup dried culinary lavender* 2/3 cup superfine sugar 2. For the mango elixir: 8 ounces pure mango juice 8 ounces distilled or tap water
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For the Persephone: Juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup lavender crystals 2 ounces mango elixir 2 ounces pomegranate juice 2 ounces simple syrup 9 ounces soda water Ice PreParatIon Make the lavender sugar crystals: 1. In a food processor, process the lavender and sugar until fully combined, about 1 minute—the mixture will look like a fine powder. DO AHEAD: Lavender crystals can be prepared in advance and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 weeks. Make the mango elixir: 1. In a small saucepan, bring the mango juice and distilled or tap water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer, uncovered, until reduced by half, 12 to 15 minutes. DO AHEAD: Mango elixir can be prepared in advance and refrigerated up to 2 weeks.
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Make the Persephone: 1. Pour the lime juice onto a small plate and spread the lavender crystals on a second small plate. Dip the rim of a 12-ounce glass into the lime juice, then dip it into the lavender crystals to lightly coat. Repeat with a second 12-ounce glass.
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2. Pour 1 ounce each of the mango elixir, pomegranate juice, and simple syrup into each prepared glass. Add ice and enough soda water to fill each glass.
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