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contents

february 27, 2020 | Vol. 31, Issue 46

Grand OpeninG G March 1, 2020

Artist Lucien Shapiro reimagines the possibilities of forgotten objects in his exhibit Half Full, which runs through March 17.

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editor’s note letters essay streetalK greenlight 15 minutes news feature arts + Culture musiC stage

04 05 06 07 08 09 10 14 22 25 28

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Do you dream of covering the city in artwork? Well, we’ve got a box-shaped canvas you can start with.

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N&R Publications Editor Debbie Arrington Associate Publications Editors Derek McDow, Thea Rood

Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Editor Foon Rhee News Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Managing Editor Steph Rodriguez Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Arts Editor Rachel Mayfield Arts Writer Lindsay Oxford Calendar Editor Patrick Hyun Wilson Contributing Editor Rachel Leibrock Contributors Ngaio Bealum, Amy Bee, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Joey Garcia, Kate Gonzales, Howard Hardee, Ashley Hayes-Stone, Jim Lane, Chris Macias, Ken Magri, Tessa Marguerite Outland, 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 Laura Anthony Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina Advertising Consultants Sam Almaguer, Michael Nero, Vincent Marchese, Amy Yang

Director of First Impressions Madison McPhaill Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Assistant Lob Dunnica Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Rosemarie Beseler, Mike Cleary, Tom Downing, Marty Fetterley, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Michael Jackson, Calvin Maxwell, Greg Meyers, Jenny Plummer, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Viv Tiqui

N&R Publications Staff Writers/Photographers Anne Stokes, Allen Pierleoni

Marketing & Publications Lead Consultant Elizabeth Morabito

Project Manager & Development Consultant Greta Beekhuis

Cannabis Consultant Chris Cohen Marketing & Publications Consultants Joseph Engle, Laura Golino, Sherri Heller, Rod Malloy

President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Publisher Joe Chiodo Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Director of People & Culture David Stogner 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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on Dec. 30 he would consider the idea, though he couldn’t think of anyone off the top of his head.

How about a moderate such as Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, the ultimate battleground state? It has 18 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, and it has voted for the winner in every election but one since 1944.

It’s difficult to imagine Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren making this unconventional move, but maybe Pete Buttigieg or Amy Klobuchar?

It’s still far more likely, however, that the Democratic nominee will try to balance the ticket by ethnicity, gender and geography—the traditional approach. For instance, Biden has suggested he’s looking at a woman or African American, and has mentioned Sen. Kamala Harris of California.

But if there’s any lesson from the last four years, it’s that the usual political strategies don’t always work anymore. And Trump may be stronger and even more ruthless after craven and cowardly Republicans acquitted him in the Senate

Gov. John Kasich of Ohio campaigns for president in New Hampshire in 2016. What if a Democratic nominee picked him as V.P.?

impeachment trial. He has proven he will do anything—lie, cheat, steal, accept Russia’s help—to win.

Trump and his administration full of incompetents and ideologues have already done so much damage. How much more could they do in four more years?

If the choice is between the clear and present danger of four more years of Trump, or the hypothetical risk of a Republican succeeding a Democratic president, it’s not even close. Ω

photo courtesy of Wiki commons

for weekly SPecialS

Do you want to be up until the wee hours of Nov. 3 waiting for our nation’s fate to be decided by a few thousand voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—just like in 2016?

I sure don’t.

That’s why a very controversial, completely out-of-the-box idea deserves serious debate: Should the Democratic presidential nominee pick a Republican running mate?

Winning this election—and saving America from four more years of President Donald Trump’s madness—is all that matters. So Democrats must not only unite, but make a bold move to shake up the Electoral College math. A GOP vice presidential nominee could bring over moderate Republicans and independents who are so crucial to winning the key battleground states, or maybe even win back some of those who voted for Barack Obama but then for Trump.

Yes, there’s an argument that the real path to victory for Democrats is to rev up the party’s base and attract new young and diverse voters—the way that Obama did in 2008, but Hillary Clinton failed to do in 2016.

But lots of those potential voters live in states— including California—that the Democratic nominee is going to win no matter what.

Four years ago, Clinton won nearly 2.9 million more votes nationwide than Trump. But she lost Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by fewer than 80,000 votes combined—and lost the Electoral College 304 to 227. According to one analysis, Trump could lose the popular vote this year by 5 million and still stay in office. He could lose Michigan and Pennsylvania and win if he carries every other state he did in 2016.

And it’s not just about the Democratic nominee eking out a narrow win in November. The scary truth is that he or she needs a sweeping, undeniable victory in the Electoral College, as well as the popular vote, to force Trump and his diehard MAGA followers to accept defeat without protests—or something worse. And to try to break the D.C. gridlock and get things done, Democrats need to keep control of the House and flip the Senate.

Yet it will take political courage for the Democratic nominee to even entertain the possibility of a Republican as V.P. The blowback was immediate and fierce when former Vice President Joe Biden told a New Hampshire voter

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Simple math Re: “Kids count, but can adults?” by Foon Rhee (Editor’s note, Feb. 13): You say “voters can’t be blamed for being skeptical” and I get it, but applying this skepticism to Measure H is an oversimplification that will damage prospects for our kids. Facilities programs don’t experience the same pressures that led to deficits in the general operating budget (e.g., health care, special education costs).

Bond funds are available solely to repair and upgrade facilities. Independent audits and a citizen oversight committee ensure the district keeps its promises, and audits for prior bonds show the district has a solid track record of delivering on these promises.

Meanwhile, the district finally has the leadership stability it has desperately needed and is implementing concrete, long-overdue initiatives to improve outcomes for our kids. Measure H will provide our children the safe, modern facilities they deserve. The district stands ready to partner with the community in this effort. Invest in kids—vote yes on Measure H!

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No on Measure H Re: “Kids count, but can adults?” by Foon Rhee (Editor’s note, Feb. 13): No, voters should not vote for Measure H. Sacramento City Unified School District has failed for years to finalize the redevelopment plan for Old Marshall School (long-vacant school property on 28th and G Streets in Midtown) despite a willing developer and a supportive community that wants action. The elected officers are powerless to finalize the plan.

Most recently, SCUSD dissolved its Facilities Committee so the voters have no way to understand what SCUSD is doing with regard to the schools. There is no way I am handing them more tax dollars to mismanage.

JuLie Murphy sac ramen to / via F aceb ook

Time for alternative Re: “Vote local” by Foon Rhee (Feature, Feb. 6): Steve Hansen talks often of homelessness. Unfortunately, his votes on the no-fault eviction freeze and the continuation of the local church shelter program don’t reflect that he cares.

In the winter, the homeless need shelter from the weather.

Permanent housing, training, and substance abuse counseling can wait until needs are met. Sports bore me. However, I do often

park downtown and pay the higher parking fees to pay off the arena loans.

I’ve watched my representative vote on issues and been disappointed too many times. It doesn’t matter that Hansen is voting with the rest of the City Council. I’m just tired of landlords and developers running this town. I’ll vote for the alternative candidate.

peter rodMan s acr am en t o / v i a e m a i l

Vote for Vang Re: “Vote local” by Foon Rhee (Feature, Feb. 6): Clearly, Mai Vang represents the majority of voting demographics: women (currently there is only one woman on the Sacramento City Council and it has been 10 years since, growing up poor (she is the eldest of 16 kids and helped raise her siblings) and the work hard, study hard and you can achieve your goals even through tremendous challenges and obstacles demographic.

That is why I support and endorse her for council member of District 8.

Barry F. Boyd s acr am en t o / v i a e m a i l

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Playa to plaza Nonprofit wants to display artwork from Burning Man in Rancho Cordova Imagine you and your best buds touring a vast field of free interactive art exhibits. There is a three-story “head maze” to explore, a stairway of floating stone steps to climb and a temple made of recyclables to examine.

Ed Fletcher is a Sacramento documentary filmmaker This isn’t a dream. This is Burning Man. and board president of Sacramento Valley Spark.

In addition to all the other things you’ve heard about the one-week event in the Nevada desert, it’s the world’s largest outdoor art gallery with 400 pieces spread over a vast open area referred young to dream, that encourages us to be our to as the “playa” (Spanish for the beach). truest selves and that invites us to participate in While Burning Man Project, the nonprofit making our community a better place. organization that produces the event, partially We envision a space with six to eight funds a small percentage of the art, more than car-sized one-year exhibits, with three to four 80% of the artists self-fund their projects or shorter-term art experiences that emphasize local use crowd-funding campaigns. As many people participation, including chalk exhibitions, walls to know, “The Man” and “Temple” art structures spray paint and perhaps flower art. burn at the end of the week. What many people Sacramento Valley Spark will host quarterly don’t know is that the vast majority of works gatherings at the location to further showcase created for Burning Man are taken home by “Burner” culture and creations on an the artists. While a handful have found accessible scale. However, true long-term or temporary placement success in creating community as public art in San Francisco, space is seeing existing and San Jose, Las Vegas and spontaneous groups—poets, Reno, the vast majority are What many people don’t Pokemon enthusiasts and hidden from the public. others—use the space in know is that the vast Sacramento Valley imaginative ways. That’s Spark, a nonprofit inspired majority of works created when it becomes “ours.” by the 10-principles of for Burning Man are taken Sacramento Valley Burning Man, is working to Spark will work to find home by the artists. place interactive art created permanent homes for the art, for Burning Man within but at the end of the one-year the region and to open the engagement, the Sacramento “Sacramento Playa Art Park” in Playa Art Park moves on and the Rancho Cordova this fall. space takes on a future life shaped by Rancho Cordova cares about art our positive human interactions. and creating opportunities for its residents. On Creating this transformative space will not be Feb. 3, Sacramento Valley Spark received a $16,000 ceremonial check from the city’s 2019-20 cheap or easy. We need to secure the site, prepare the site, find the artwork, pay the artists, transport community enhancement fund. The allocation and mount the work and many other steps. will fund preliminary work developing the Rancho Cordova’s support is a start, but we’re project and our July 25 summer arts celebration asking for corporate, community and private “Summer Spark,” which is expected to raise support. thousands of dollars towards the art park.

We’re asking the Rancho Cordova and While the one-day event will offer art, surrounding community to embrace this project mutant vehicles, music and food trucks, the as we transport a taste of Burning Man playa-toone-year installation aims to take a vacant plaza, minus the dust. Ω property and turn it into a vibrant amenity for the community—a place that inspires the old and

StReetalk

By Graham Womack

Asked At CesAr ChAvez PlAzA: Thoughts on presidential election coverage? terry Crownover retired

I read a lot every single day from a variety of sources. It’s just gotten crazy this year, maybe more so than most years.

MiChelle BerMude z health care worker

I don’t have a problem with it. I think it gives us important information, and information that sometimes we don’t get watching from the TV.

John hArrison state worker

I think the media’s doing a very wide range of coverage. You can see a lot of sides of the point of view, if you actually spend the time to look for it.

MArie Bush state worker

The only media that I even look at in terms of any kind of politics is BBC … I feel like that’s the only way I’m going to get something that’s actually unbiased.

Allison Belden state worker

The media right now is allencompassing … We’re now talking about targeted ads … with obvious misinformation and hot-button words ... that trigger feelings of anger. And that, I think, is problematic. ron ewing resident

I think it’s fantastic, it’s great.

Just letting the people know what’s going on, as far as what’s going on with the president, all the Democrats and the senators and all that other stuff.

02.27.20 | SN&R | 7

H I G H SCH O O L S EN I O R S Send us your college essays! Cleaning up plastic pollution greenlight

“English was a fiend. Every vowel, a villain. Every consonant, a dragon. That was my family’s perspective, anyway. They were the ones struggling with the language when they immigrated, trying to pass night school while conquering the American Dream.”

EXCERPT FROM VICTORIA KOROTCHENKO 2019 sn & r college essay first place winner

FIRST PLACE PRIZE $2,000

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Send your essay as a Word document or place it in the body of your email to: collegeessay@ newsreview.com, with the subject line “College Essay Contest.”

DEADLINE: THURSDAY, APRIL 23 AT 5 P.M. 8 | Sn&r | 02.27.20

by Jeff vonKaenel

Human beings can do some dumb things.

For example, making plastic utensils and packages that are only used once and then take hundreds or thousands of years to decompose. In landfills, plastic may be with us forever.

But this November, there is a chance to bring a little rationality to the world. Last week, the proponents of the California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act of 2020 announced that they have collected more than one-fourth of the needed 623,000 valid signatures to qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot.

On Feb. 20, I had coffee with Nick Lapis, director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste. He told me that given the money raised and how well the signature drive is going, he expects the initiative to qualify for the ballot.

The driving force behind this measure—which would add as much as a 1-cent tax on single-use plastic packaging and foodware and which is expected to raise several billion dollars a year—is Recology CEO Mike Sangiacomo.

Frustrated that the plastic industry and the Legislature were not doing enough to address this growing problem, Sangiacomo announced at the 2019 California Resource Recovery Association conference that he was going to contribute $1 million to support an initiative.

I was at the conference. Sangiacomo’s announcement was one of the highlights.

Single-use, non-recyclable plastic is not only an environmental disaster, it is also expensive for the garbage haulers. It is one of the reasons that our garbage bill keeps going up.

This initiative would have CalRecycle oversee a program requiring producers of single-use plastic to transition over time to reusable, recyclable or combustible products. By 2030, the goal would be to reduce single-use plastics by at least 25%.

Polystyrene, which includes Styrofoam, would be banned for use by food vendors.

je ffv @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Polystyrene cannot be recycled if it has touched food products.

The initiative’s tax on producers would fund numerous programs, including local government efforts to clean up plastic pollution; expansion of recycling and composting infrastructure; developing markets for plastic, glass, fiber and organic waste recycling; and education and outreach campaigns. Disadvantaged communities that have suffered from a disproportionate amount of pollution will receive more funding for programs.

As you might expect, there is considerable opposition to the initiative from the plastics industry. In a statement last November, when the ballot measure was first proposed, the American Chemistry Council said it is “unnecessary and could divert resources and energy away from realizing a true circular economy in California.”

Of course, the reason this initiative is needed is because the plastic industry went into overdrive last year to defeat legislation that would have reduced single-use products. The circular economy that the plastic industry actually hopes for is that it makes money selling plastic products, some of that money is given to political campaigns and then those elected officials make sure that no laws are passed that prevent the industry from making money selling plastic products.

This has been their plan for the last half century.

Based upon initial polling numbers, Lapis said he’s confident that if the initiative qualifies for the ballot it will pass. While plastic products may last for centuries, the plastic industry’s credibility is decomposing at a very rapid rate. Ω

Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.

15 minutes

by Lindsay OxfOrd

l i nd s a y o @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Kelley Kukis’ expertise in pelvic physical therapy encompasses more health conditions than you’d expect.

PHOTO CREDIT KElly KuKIs

Anatomical advocacy There are plenty of things we’re advised not to talk about in polite company: religion, politics … pelvic health. Kelley Kukis, doctor of physical therapy and certified pelvic rehabilitation practitioner, discusses what her specialty entails, and how her expertise allows her to advocate for Sacramento’s LGBTQIA+ community.

Most people are familiar with the role of a physical therapist, but pelvic rehabilitation may be an area most people aren’t familiar with. What are some reasons a person might need that specific type of physical therapy?

I see people pretty often for urinary issues. This could be anything from feeling like you need to pee really urgently and frequently, to getting up multiple times per night to pee, to having actual urine leakage. I also treat the opposite issue where people are having a hard time emptying their bladder or getting frequent UTIs. I treat bowel issues like constipation or stool leakage, and I treat pelvic pain and sexual pain. It’s basically the same type of PT that most people are familiar with, but exclusive to the pelvis.

You’re an active member of Sacramento’s LGBTQIA+ community, and you’ve recently incorporated your professional expertise into your advocacy. What rehabilitation needs are specific to that community?

As a group, LGBTQIA+ people have less access to healthcare, receive poorer quality care and have poorer health outcomes. Often, providers make assumptions about our anatomy or the type of sex we’re having or focus on anatomy that isn’t relevant to the visit …

LGBTQIA+ people also face more employment discrimination, which can affect access to health care through insurance. They may also be hesitant to seek out care, especially care for pelvic symptoms, because of past medical trauma or dysphoria. There are also sometimes trans-specific issues. Certain hormone therapies can have bowel or bladder symptoms as a side effect. People have better surgical outcomes if they’re getting PT before and/or after surgery … I’ve also started doing free pelvic PT consultations at the Gender Health Center so that people can come get information and advice about their pelvic symptoms in a comfortable environment with a provider who is familiar with LGBTQIA+ issues and without having to worry about insurance coverage.

What would someone visiting you at the Gender Health Center expect as part of that consultation?

First, I explain factors that might be contributing to their symptoms. We may go over food and fluid intake, talk about bowel and bladder management strategies and talk about strategies to mitigate pain. We work on breathing patterns and exercises. I teach them self-manual techniques like abdominal massage for constipation, scar massage after surgery or dilation. People are welcome to see me for follow up as many times as they feel will be helpful for them. If they would benefit from more involved care like biofeedback or pelvic manual therapy, which would require a full clinical setting, I explain that to them and help them get referred for that. I organize a group of local pelvic and sexual health professionals that includes PTs, bodyworkers, physicians, sex educators, etc., so I help them get any other interdisciplinary care they might benefit from. Ω

Find out more at drkukisdpt.com.

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Democratic District 9 Assemblyman Jim Cooper has a challenge from the left from small business owner and community activist Tracie Stafford.

Photo of jim cooPer from camPaign website; Photo of tracie stafford courtesy of the candidate

Is Jim Cooper politically bulletproof?

Stafford worked her way up into senior management at Sun Micro Systems, before starting her own businesses as a marketing consultant.

Stafford has picked up support from California’s branch of SEIU and key Democratic clubs in Sacramento County, and her supporters are hoping that the Bernie Sanders-versus-the-world dynamic of the presidential primary will bring enough down-ballot progressive power in the March 3 top-two primary to thrust Stafford into a run-off.

Tracie Stafford is making a progressive case to replace the moderate state Assemblyman

by SCott thomaS anderSon

Assemblyman Jim Cooper entered his reelection campaign as a blockbuster political fundraiser with the endorsements of the state Democratic Party and a slew of public safety and labor groups.

But that doesn’t mean the cop-turnedmoderate Democrat is beloved in District 9, which covers most of Sacramento County. And he may finally have a legitimate challenge on his left.

At a recent forum hosted by the Greater Sacramento NAACP, Cooper’s 10

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Democratic challenger drew one burst of applause after another, while the six-year incumbent found many of his answers met by crickets. By the end of the night, Tracie Stafford, a former executive, small business owner and community activist, beat Cooper handily in the straw poll among the audience.

“Jim is a registered Democrat who doesn’t vote in line with the Democratic platform,” Stafford told SN&R. “And there’s all the fundraising—and that

sc o tta @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

money is coming from oil, tobacco, the bail bonds industry, big business and big developers. It’s just very telling.”

This isn’t Stafford’s first uphill battle.

She and her four siblings were one of the first black families to integrate the East Bay suburb of San Leandro in 1971.

It was an isolating experience, one that her brother, former KGO radio talk show host Brian Copeland, turned into the longest running one-man show in San Francisco history.

Cooper’s political career began in 2000, when he became Elk Grove’s first mayor. A Sacramento County sheriff’s captain, Cooper later lost a bruising election to lead the department to Scott Jones. Cooper’s consolation prize was winning an Assembly seat in 2014.

Two years ago, amid the height of the #MeToo movement, the Los Angeles Times revisited earlier reporting that Cooper was the subject of at least two sexual harassment investigations in 2005. That doesn’t seem to have dented his support. State records

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indicate Cooper currently has nearly $1.4 million in his campaign war chest, compared to $35,000 for Stafford.

That financial advantage didn’t help Cooper at the Feb. 14 candidates forum, co-sponsored by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women and the Black Political Action Committee.

Cooper’s opening remarks were met by some applause—a rarity that evening.

He said that in the last six years, he has brought $5 million in homeless shelter funding to South Sacramento, as well as $750,000 for after-school youth activities. He also said he’s given out 3,000 backpacks each year and 3,000 turkeys to families in need.

Cooper drew a favorable response when discussing the racial disparity in student suspensions at Sacramento City Unified School District.

“I don’t think we need to study this anymore,” Cooper told the crowd. “But a lot of this deals with trauma. These kids [getting suspended] have undergone trauma, and that is what’s showing up here.”

He preached more support for teachers, as well as funding social workers who can interact with struggling families. “We’re going to pay for this one way or the other, and it’s much cheaper to do it on the front end,” Cooper said.

But when the topic turned to the housing crisis, the debate seemed to get away from Cooper. When the moderator cited a CalMatters story that unaffordable rents are the primary driver of homelessness, Cooper insisted that the chief causes were mental illness and substance abuse. Cooper said the only answer to the crisis was to expand treatment for those groups and give counties greater ability to take conservatorship of the most clinically unwell.

“So, we’re throwing a lot of money at housing, and that’s not the problem,” Cooper asserted.

“I’m really tired of hearing about ‘broken people’ not being able to take care of themselves,” Stafford shot back.

“We’re talking about mental health and drug abusers when the rent is just too damn high!”

That was met with thunderous applause, as Stafford added, “They keep building $300,000 houses—we need to hold our developers responsible for actually building houses that people can afford.”

When it came to other issues of The initiative appears likely to poverty, Cooper and the Republican reignite a nearly decade-long debate candidate in the race, Eric Rigard, between criminal justice reformers tended to come down on one side, and and victim advocacy groups. The most Stafford on the other. recent data from the nonpartisan Public When the candidates were asked Policy Institute of California indicates how to address South Sacramento’s overall crime rates are at near historic food deserts, Cooper said he’d like to lows, and that racial disparities in arrest see more “nutrient-value meals” for levels have also narrowed. kids at school, preferably from But prominent victims groups local agriculture producers. say that is a statistical Rigard, who describes illusion. Attorney Nina himself as a proSalarno Besselman, life conservative president of Crime “Before we can talk Christian, agreed.

Victims United about eating organic, Stafford, who in Auburn, has we’ve got to talk about was orphaned repeatedly pointed at 12 and grew out that raping being able to eat.” up in poverty, an unconscious Tracie Stafford offered a different person, pimping a Democratic candidate for Assembly perspective. minor for sex and District 9 “There were times battering a spouse to when we had a box of the point of injury are Rice-A-Roni for a family all officially “nonvioof six to eat, and a [healthy lent” offenses under recent food] education wouldn’t have changes to California law. Her helped that,” she said. “Before we can group, the California Police Chiefs talk about eating organic, we’ve got to Association and some local politicians talk about being able to eat.” are backing Cooper’s initiative.

The room erupted. At the end of the Stafford, on the other hand, is not. night, Stafford won a straw poll of the And she insists that she isn’t naive most favored candidate with 135 votes about crime. The wife and mother of to Cooper’s 56 and Rigard’s five. four has spoken openly about being the victim of sexual assault and domestic cooper is again counting on his law-andviolence when she was younger. order credentials to win. He recently Those experiences led her to serve worked with Sacramento County as a spokeswoman for the California District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert Partnership to End Domestic Violence to create the Reducing Crime and and to testify before Congress in 2013 Keeping California Safe Act, which will during the re-authorization of the go before voters in November.

Violence Against Women Act. The measure seeks to roll back a Stafford told SN&R that what number of changes that California worries her most about Cooper’s ballot voters approved between 2014 and 2016 measure is lowering the financial with Propositions 47 and 57. Cooper’s threshold for felony theft, which she initiative would change theft of $250 fears will brand too many poor people from a misdemeanor to a felony on the as felons. third offense.

“That could easily have been me, The initiative would also allow law with my background, and what I’d enforcement to take DNA samples been through—the trauma,” she said. from misdemeanor drug and property “The only difference is I happened to suspects, with the stated purpose of be living in a middle-class, suburban solving crimes such as serial rapes and community when I was going through murders. Finally, Cooper’s measure that. But if I had been in a different expands the list of crimes that are environment, I could just as easily classified as violent for early parole have been in prison versus running for consideration. Cooper and Schubert office.” Ω decided to take these options directly to the voters after Cooper failed to advance legislation.

When assemblyman Kevin Kiley introduced Assembly Bill 2079 on Feb. 5, seeking to bar Pacific gas & electric company from making political contributions in the state, the Rocklin Republican didn’t mention the numerous other big-name corporate interests who’ve supported his campaign in recent years.

California Secretary of State filings showed that Kiley’s campaigns for the Assembly and state Senate have taken in more than $600,000 since the beginning of 2019. Much of the money has come from a who’s-who of corporations, who he’s supported with his votes and positions.

His donors included three members of the Walton family, which owns 51% of Walmart, who gave $14,100 to Kiley’s 2019 campaign for state Senate, which he lost to fellow Republican Brian Dahle.

Kiley’s pro-business votes have included voting against AB 790, which would have required employers with market capitalizations of at least $1 billion and entering into personal services contracts with the state to provide employees with information on their labor organizing rights.

Of the $465,000 Kiley raised in his unsuccessful state Senate bid, Facebook gave $4,700 and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings gave $2,000. Major technology firms have continued to donate to Kiley since he fell to Dahle in a special election last June, with Amazon giving $2,000 and Google giving $1,500 to his 2020 Assembly campaign.

Kiley, in turn, has been a friend to tech, voting against data privacy law AB 1202, which passed last year.

After Chevron gave $2,000 in September to his Assembly campaign, Kiley voted against AB 1441, which would strengthen oil and gas drilling regulations, and AB 345, which would create an environmental justice program.

Kiley’s reelection bid is being challenged by Democrat Jackie Smith, who lost to the well-funded Republican in 2018.

(Graham Womack)

firiNg uP a NeW PlaN The leader of the California Senate made it clear this month that the state’s models for wildfire protection, energy dependability and climate adaptation are in need of immediate upgrades. Her words came on the heels of Democrats launching a series of hearings aimed at avoiding the kind of wildfire disasters and extended blackouts that have plagued the Golden State in recent years.

What Sen. Toni G. Atkins is hoping to ultimately pull from the hearings is a comprehensive legislative package that addresses interconnected problems on multiple fronts. A top priority is to fast-track the “hardening” of electric grids, while making new investments in vegetation management. In a statement, the San Diego Democrat said part of that equation is implementing better public safety power shutoff strategies “to avoid another

catastrophic year.”

Those shutoffs were mainly carried out by Pacific gas and electric company and aimed to preempt wildfires from being sparked by its equipment. An analysis by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment estimated that the PG&E shutoffs cost the California economy $2.5 billion. But the disruptive blackouts didn’t prevent last fall’s Kincade fire in Sonoma County, which burned 77,758 acres and threatened 90,000 structures following a transmission line failure.

The upcoming hearings will also address homeowner insurance non-renewals due to fire risk and how to stabilize the state’s overall emergency insurance market, as well training and deploying what Atkins described as “a resiliency workforce.”

(Scott Thomas Anderson)

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North Sacramento’s popular incumbent seeks reelection in a district where he may not even reside.

Photo illustration by Maria ratinova

North Sac’s hot mess Allen Warren kept his former tenants’ security deposits. Now taxpayers are picking up his debt while he donates to himself.

by Raheem F. hosseini

Sacramento taxpayers are paying down a $10,000 debt on behalf of a City Council member who may not even live in the district he represents.

Those are the bombshell takeaways from a 2014 small claims judgment that went to collections for District 2 incumbent Allen Wayne Warren, whose City Council wages have been garnished since 2016, SN&R has learned.

Court records and other government documents lay out the extent to which the mercurial politician and businessman has cross-faded his roles: Though it was Warren the developer who lost in small claims court, it is Warren the elected official who is spending heavily on his reelection campaign while taxpayers pick up his legal tab through his salary.

Warren, whose New Faze Development company nearly went under during the recession, has fought hard against creditors in the past. But they were large financial institutions deemed complicit in the economic collapse, not low-income tenants paying subsidized rents.

Technically, Warren has been the subject of four separate earnings withholding orders, El Dorado Superior 12

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Court and Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office records show. All stem from the same legal dispute, involving a small Placerville apartment complex that New Faze surrendered to foreclosure in 2012.

Months after Wells Fargo reclaimed the distressed property, it sold to North Highlands landscape contractor Kevin Woody. But Warren never returned the security deposits he collected from four low-income tenants, Woody asserted in a letter to New Faze and in a court declaration. In the grand scheme of things, the amount Woody sought on behalf of the tenants wasn’t much, only $3,650.

Reached by phone, Woody described his tenants as disadvantaged and said the building they occupied had fallen into “such disrepair” due to rampant mold and a crumbling roof.

“These are Section 8 tenants,” Woody said. “He’s basically stolen their money. I just want him to return it.”

Woody said he tried to resolve the issue out of court, but couldn’t get past Warren’s controller. He said the four tenants signed on as co-plaintiffs since they couldn’t afford mounting legal actions on their own.

A small claims judge ruled in the tenants’ favor, but Warren didn’t pay the judgment.

This is how the relatively modest sum of $3,650 ballooned into a $10,000 collection fee with interest.

Incidentally, $10,000 is the same amount that Warren donated to his campaign this past Valentine’s Day. And back in 2012, the same year this dispute unfolded, financial disclosures show that Warren loaned his very first council campaign nearly $153,000.

The fact that Warren has made a point of being largely self-financed and immune to special-interest money while skirting small-time creditors “is not a great look,” said Jessica A. Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor who specializes in campaign finance and political corruption, among other topics.

“Frankly, it just makes him look financially irresponsible,” Levinson, director of Loyola’s Public Service Institute, added. “I think his constituents will be surprised to see where their money goes.”

Warren, who earns nearly $67,000 annually from his council salary, told SN&R during a January endorsement interview that he donated his council pay to charity. His staff didn’t provide documentation to support the claim, and Warren’s campaign manager said Warren wouldn’t discuss the small claims judgment until after Tuesday’s election.

One person who wants Warren to answer is Darin Dias, who receives disability income and still resides at the Placerville apartment building that New Faze used to own.

“He’s lucky I never got my hands on him. … The dude stole my frickin’ money,” Dias told SN&R. “I know if it was the other way around, I’d be in jail for a felony. … What, [does] he think he’s above the law because he works for the government?”

Because the small claims judge doubled the amount that Warren owed, Dias received $2,000, half of which Woody controls as the current security deposit.

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office issued the fourth and final earnings withholding order—totaling $2,654 (including $889 in interest)—against Warren on Jan. 6. It lists Warren’s “last known address” in Carmichael, an unincorporated suburb in the county’s jurisdiction.

Assessor records show the Carmichael property is owned by Allen W. Warren, and lists it as a one-story, 3,900-square-foot residence with four bedrooms and four bathrooms valued at $1.46 million. The only other address directly linked to Warren is a small bookstore on Del Paso Boulevard, which is in Warren’s district.

Sacramento City Code requires that City Council members live in the districts that they represent.

In an email, Warren’s campaign manager said the councilman continues to reside in his childhood home in Del Paso Heights, where he is also registered to vote.

Warren’s resilient popularity in his district is partially due to his reputation as Del Paso Heights’ prodigal son, who returned after a Major League Baseball career never materialized to uplift his neighborhood, both as a developer and as a council member.

But he’s recently exhibited loftier ambitions.

Warren told SN&R last month that he is considering a future run for mayor. But the 55-year-old incumbent will first need to secure his third term on the council—and he’s in the unusual position of getting outspent heading into the March 3 primary.

Campaign disclosures show that Warren has raised $163,172 from 2019 to Feb. 14. Aside from the $10,000 he gave himself this month, he has also loaned his campaign $70,000 through his New Faze Holdings LLC. He had $22,394 left as of Feb. 15.

Challenger Sean Loloee, who owns two Viva Supermarkets in Sacramento, reported $190,900 in campaign contributions through Feb. 15, including $141,750 of his own money. He still had $42,599 in his campaign coffers, giving him a financial edge over Warren.

But Loloee is also mired in controversy. Two former employees filed a lawsuit accusing Loloee’s grocery stores of exploiting undocumented workers.

Labor organizer Maria Grijalva said she’s spoken with the plaintiffs and five other employees who described being worked past exhaustion and sometimes to injury under the threat of deportation.

“They are threatened to be deported if they don’t keep silent,” Grijalva said.

“That’s called forced labor.”

Loloee’s campaign didn’t respond to an interview request.

The only District 2 candidate not facing scandal is also the one with the least money and zero endorsements: Twin Rivers Unified School District trustee Ramona Landeros has raised only $8,841 since the beginning of 2019, and was down to a paltry $606 as of Feb. 15.

While Dias doesn’t live in District 2, he has strong opinions about reelecting the incumbent.

“He ripped off poor people. What kind of man is that?” Dias said of Warren.

“Don’t vote for this clown. He’s nothing but a thief in my eyes.” Ω

Let your heart and mind soar

Pauli Murray’s 746page masterwork was dubbed the bible for civil rights lawyers and became a fixture of law libraries nationwide.

Photo coURtESY oF YALE LAw LIBRARY (ImAgE wAS not modIFIEd)

Poets provide inspiration in both words and actions 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

“a poem is pure energy horizontally contained between the mind of the poet and the ear of the reader if it does not sing discard the ear” — From “Poetry” by Nikki Giovanni

P

oetry can make your heart and mind soar. It distills language down to an essence; simple, pure and powerful.

And it makes you think.

That’s why I love poetry.

During Black History Month, we celebrate poet greats such as Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes, two of my favorite poets.

I’d like to share with you two lesser known poets that have also touched my life.

Their lives’ work went far beyond words on a page.

Poet and writer Pauli Murray changed history. Lawyer, activist, scholar, Episcopal priest; she accomplished many firsts.

Murray wrote, “Hope is a Song in a weary throat.” That was from “Dark Testament,” part of her incredible 1970 collection.

But it’s her writings on discrimination against African American people (particularly children) and all women that had the widest impact.

As a lawyer and scholar, she came up with the idea of how to legally argue a case against segregation, by documenting psychological harm on Black children.

Her paper and research were used by future Justice Thurgood Marshall, then chief counsel for the NAACP, in arguing Brown v Board of Education — the 1954 landmark case in school desegregation. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separate is not equal and that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, At that time, 17 states mandated that all their schools be segregated.

“States’ Laws on Race and Color,” her 746-page book exposing the extent of segregation in every state in the country, was called by Marshall the bible of civil rights lawyers and played an essential role in beating segregation.

What Murray did with others is as important as her individual accomplishments. Early in her career, she organized to raise money for the defense of a Black man sentenced to death. She worked on behalf of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union, an interracial organization in Arkansas. It was founded in the

1930s to help sharecroppers and tenant farmers who had not been helped under the New Deal Agricultural supports to get federal assistance.

Over the decades, Murray kept collaborating and developing new institutions to fight sexism and racism.

She came up with the idea of an “NAACP for women” and co-founded NOW – the National Organization for Women — with Betty Friedan in 1966.

Nikki Giovanni, now in her 70s, is a poet, writer and scholar. A longtime professor at Virginia Tech, she’s won seven NAACP Image Awards and written three New York Times best sellers – remarkable for a poet. When she was starting out, she couldn’t find anyone to print her poems, so she started her own publishing company.

She became one of the leading poets of the ‘60s Black Renaissance.

“My dream was to discover something no one else had thought of,” Giovanni said of her career. “I guess that’s why I’m a poet. We put things together in ways no one else does.”

Her first collection of poems in 1968 was a response to assassinations and treatment of Black leaders and the Black community.

She’s written so much since then including children’s books; she was nominated for a Grammy. Giovanni wrote so many incredible poems, such as “Africa,” “Revolutionary Dreams” and one simply titled “Poetry.”

Like Murray, Giovanni continues to inspire me with both her words and actions.

One of my favorite Giovanni quotes: “I really don’t think life is about the I-could-havebeens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure but I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try.” yvonne R. Walker President SEiu local 1000

Arts funding: A little means a lot Funding fluctuates for the national endowment for the arts, the nation’s single largest arts funder including programs for underserved communities.

Each year, the NEA funds*:

$175.9 M Peak funding $97.6 M Lowest funding

$155 M Current funding

2,400

nOTHInG Proposed by trump administration for 2021

median grant

communities in all

nea portion of the federal budget

16,000 435

congressional districts 1992

2000

2019

2021

$20,000

grants representing

*on average

0.004% 54%

to low income areas

SEIU LOCAL 1000 1808 14th Street Sacramento, CA 95811 (866) 471-7348

SPONSORED by SERvicE EmPlOyEES iNtERNatiONal uNiON lOcal 1000 02.27.20

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n o i A l l i i r B e A YS I N U B Magagnini

by Stephen

Mike Bloomberg rises in polls after spending $450 million, but is counting on California to make him a real contender

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he morning after the Super Bowl, a trim, urbane gentleman in a navy blue suit and purple sweater vest entered Old Soul in Midtown Sacramento. By 7:30 a.m., more than 250 people had crammed into the popular coffeehouse to get a taste of billionaire Mike Bloomberg and his maverick “Rebuild America” presidential run.

After snapping off a quick Super Bowl joke—“no New York teams have won since I left office”—the former three-term New York mayor got down to business.

“We are living in very dangerous times and Mr. Trump isn’t the right man for the job,” he declared.

“We have somebody as president who should not be there … I am not running against the other candidates, I’m running against Trump and we’re going to beat him.”

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Bloomberg mentioned climate change, homelessness and underperforming schools as problems he wants to solve. “Too many people have been left out, too many people don’t have a future,” he said with a slight New Yawk accent. “I can’t solve all our problems, but I can pull the teams together that know how to solve them.”

In 15 minutes, Bloomberg had won over many in the crowd, including a few Republicans.

Candice Harris, a 54-year-old human resources officer from Sacramento, said she voted for Donald Trump in 2016 because she never trusted Hillary Clinton, but added: “I don’t love Trump. I’m looking for another option, but Democrats haven’t offered anything better, they skew too far left, I don’t like the extremism.”

Bloomberg, she said, seems much more measured, even though she doesn’t like his “anti-gun” stance.

“He’s the only one that’s got the smarts to beat Trump,” said Warren Christiansen, 84, of Roseville, who had his own maintenance business and had been considering another billionaire, California’s own Tom Steyer, a hedge fund manager and philanthropist who has made battling climate change the centerpiece of his campaign.

“The problem with Tom is he can’t instill excitement, he doesn’t have the sharpness in his voice, the moxie that Bloomberg has,” Christiansen said. “I think I’m going to change my registration from Republican to Democrat.”

Bloomberg’s message also resonated with some older Democratic voters in the Sacramento audience on Feb. 3.

“He’s the only manager in the race,” said Fred Ladean, an 86-year-old lawyer from Sacramento who voted for Clinton. “The only two managers that became president, [Franklin D.] Roosevelt and [Dwight D.] Eisenhower, were great presidents. His strategy is brilliant. Everyone else is chasing chicken-feed states, while he’s focusing on California. The others are going to knock each other out.”

While Bloomberg is rising in the polls, voters in California, 13 other states and one territory on Super Tuesday next week will decide whether he’s a real contender for the nomination—or just a billionaire who blew a big chunk of his fortune.

Big spender When Bloomberg announced his last-minute entry into the 2020 presidential sweepstakes Nov. 24, The New York Times declared the 78-year-old billionaire a long-shot with lots of

political baggage, a long list of business entanglements, “a history of making demeaning comments about women and a record of championing law enforcement policies that disproportionately targeted black and Latino men.”

He has also been called eclectic and eccentric, and “gun-and-soda grabbing”

by The Federalist, a conservative online publication. He tried to ban large sugary drinks in all public spaces in New York, earning him the nickname “Nanny Bloomberg” and a defeat in court.

But he has spent millions to boost gun control advocates across the country and helped them crush the NRA in its home state of Virginia, turning a red state’s legislature blue last November.

And his unconventional strategy to skip the first four nominating contests looks somewhat smarter after the Iowa caucus debacle, the close results in the New Hampshire primary and the struggles of former Vice President Joe Biden to consolidate moderates.

Bloomberg has pushed $35 million of his chips into California and its 415 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday, when fully one-third of all Democratic pledged delegates will be decided. He has hired more than 300 staffers and blitzed the airways and digital media with seemingly nonstop ads, declaring himself the “un-Trump.”

Nationwide, he has spent more than $450 million on radio and TV spots and online ads, touting his accomplishments, showing high praise from Barack Obama and vowing to save the nation from Trump and “his corrupt White House.”

According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released Feb. 19, Bloomberg did as well as Biden and Sanders in a match-up with Trump: 50% to 45%.

Like Trump, Bloomberg is a billionaire, but his $60 billion came from his international media empire. He has pledged to spend whatever is necessary to defeat Trump—whether he’s the nominee or not.

And his ads are as out-of-the-box as he is.

In late January, ads featuring a rampant wildfire declared “Our Planet is Burning” and asked voters to tell him “where you think his money should go” as he plans his “next round of climate spending.”

That’s part of the fascination with Bloomberg, said Barbara O’Connor, a veteran Sacramento political analyst. “He’s an adult, he has experience and he’s putting his money where his mouth is, his own money,” she said.

It appears to be paying off.

As of Feb. 24, Bloomberg—who barely registered in the polls when he started—had jumped into second place in California, according to the

FiveThirtyEight tracking of all polls. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont leads with an average of 27%, but Bloomberg at 14% has vaulted past Biden (13%) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (12%) and even the surging former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (11%), whose campaign has pledged to train thousands of volunteers in the Golden State. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota was at 6%. And at 3% was Steyer, who has spent millions but not as much as Bloomberg, and who laid the foundation for his presidential run with an impeach Trump campaign.

As Bloomberg has risen in the polls, he has become a target for his Democratic opponents, who accuse him of trying to buy the nomination.

“Too many people have been left out, too many people don’t have a future. I can’t solve all our problems, but I can pull the teams together that know how to solve them.”

Mike Bloomberg in Sacramento Feb. 3

Photo by StePhen Magagnini

Former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg campaigned in Sacramento on Feb. 3.

Sanders went on SiriusXM Progress radio to tee off: “He could simply buy the election with hundreds of millions of dollars of ads. That is wrong. That is the basic, fundamental problem of American society … Billionaires have extraordinary wealth and power over the economic and political life of this country.”

Bloomberg has also gotten Trump’s attention. For instance, on Feb. 13, the 6-foot-3 president tweeted: “Mini Mike is a 5’4” mass of dead energy who does not want to be on the debate stage with these professional politicians. No boxes please.

He hates Crazy Bernie and will, with enough money, possibly stop him. Bernie’s people will go nuts!”

Bloomberg quickly hit back with his own tweet, replying to Trump that “we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence. I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will.”

In another tweet, Trump called Bloomberg a “TOTAL RACIST,” citing his “stop-and-frisk” policy as mayor, but quickly deleted it when it turned out Trump had supported a similar policy.

Some have suggested “stop and frisk” could be Bloomberg’s kryptonite. The issue resurfaced on Feb. 11 when a recording of remarks he made in 2015 went viral on social media.

“Ninety-five percent of your murders— murderers and murder victims—fit one M.O.,” he said. “You can just take the description, Xerox it and pass it out to all the cops. They are male minorities, 16 to 25.”

He went on to say the city “put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods … because that’s where all the crime is. And the way you should get the guns out of the kids’ hands is throw them against the wall and frisk them.”

In response to the outcry, Bloomberg apologized again, saying that he took too long to understand the damage to AfricanAmerican and Latino communities.

He has also collected endorsements from high-profile leaders of color, including London Breed, San Francisco’s first black female mayor, who has become the campaign’s African-American co-chairperson.

In a statement, Breed said she’s backing Bloomberg because he’s the “only candidate who has a fully articulated plan to improve the lives of African Americans,” which includes boosting black businesses and homeownership and investing $70 billion in “the nation’s most distressed communities.” She also said that he has the best chance of beating Trump “and

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“His strategy is brilliant. Everyone else is chasing chicken-feed states, while he’s focusing on California. The other are going to knock each other out.”

Mike Bloomberg talks to Nick Urquizo about health care. “I like the way he uses power, and the way he overextends a bit, even if he goes a little too far, like the soda ban,” said Urquizo, 29, a political strategist from Sacramento who says he likes Bloomberg’s health plan that preserves private insurance while extending Medicare.

Fred Ladean,

voter at Mike Bloomberg campaign event in Sacramento

ending his administration’s assault on the poor, on communities of color, on women and on common decency.”

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs—the nation’s youngest mayor and one of the first prominent African-American elected officials to endorse Bloomberg—is the campaign’s national co-chairman. He lauded Bloomberg’s “commitment to eradicating poverty and rebuilding the middle class so that every child in America has the same opportunity he had.”

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined a number of Latinoelected officials supporting Bloomberg. And State Treasurer Fiona Ma is his campaign’s Asian-American co-chairperson.

But will those endorsements be enough to convince rank-and-file Democrats in California and other states who will be voting on Super Tuesday?

Photo By StePhen Magagnini

Battered at deBate One factor for voters is likely to be how Bloomberg measures up against other Democrats during debates. Because he jumped in so late, he missed the first eight

A candidate worth fighting for Elizabeth Warren has the plans and passion to become the first female president

I

still remember the first time I saw Elizabeth Warren.

She was a law professor appearing on PBS to talk about what it would take to achieve economic security for middle-class families. I was incredibly impressed and thought what a different world it would be if we could get people like her elected to public office. It was her passion and ability to lead a movement that impressed me then, and these are the characteristics we need in a president— more today than ever before.

Warren was elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts in 2012 and is now running for president, and that same passion I saw on the television screen years ago is front and center today. She’s still driven by the desire to make the big, structural changes that will improve the lives of all Americans.

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You can see this in the way she’s run her campaign and in its mantra: “She’s got a plan for that.”

Her dozens of bold, detailed plans show just what the government can do when it works to lift working families, not just the wealthy and wellconnected who currently wield far too much influence in Washington, D.C. But putting forward plans is just one piece of the puzzle.

Warren has proven she can turn those proposals into reality. While studying why middle-class families struggle in America, she came up with the idea for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. After the 2008 financial crash, she went to Washington to fight to get it passed and worked to set up the agency in its infancy. That agency has now returned more than $12 billion back to tens of millions of consumers cheated by big companies and banks.

Janice Rocco, who supports Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is state deputy labor commissioner, chairwoman of Emerge California and a board member for California NOW.

And while our party grapples with the issue of which candidate has the best shot of beating President Donald Trump, there is the ever-lingering question of whether a woman can win. I’ve spent my entire adult life helping women get elected to public office, so this is personal to me.

Since Trump was elected in 2016, we’ve seen women run for office in record numbers—and win in record numbers.

Women candidates in the 2018 midterm elections brought millions of new people into the political process, proving they could win by broadening the voter base.

Warren is the candidate who can channel that powerful, grassroots energy.

She’s a unifier, someone who can bring together all parts of the Democratic Party.

debates and made his first appearance in Las Vegas on Feb. 19.

It did not go well.

Bloomberg found himself in a nationally televised street fight he apparently hadn’t fully anticipated. While he has been portrayed as a tough New Yawker who won’t tolerate bullies, the other five candidates, led by Warren, worked him over on his stop-andfrisk policy and his comments and alleged mistreatment of women at his multibilliondollar media company.

“I’d like to talk about who we’re running against: a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians,” Warren declared. “And no I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about Mayor Bloomberg.”

She also demanded that he release female employees from non-disclosure agreements after filing complaints. Bloomberg was booed by the audience when he replied that none of the women accused him “of doing anything other than maybe they didn’t like the joke I told.”

Sanders and Buttigieg joined Warren in painting Bloomberg as an arrogant billionaire.

“Mike Bloomberg owns more wealth than the bottom 125 million Americans. That’s wrong and that’s immoral,” Sanders said.

by JaNICE ROCCO

You see that in her ability to pick up the support of a former competitor such as Julián Castro, and to welcome supporters of other candidates who have dropped out of the race.

Her agenda—including a two-cent wealth tax on the wealthiest Americans and ending the corrupting influence of lobbying in Washington—appeals to wide swaths of Democrats, independents and, yes, even majorities of Republicans, who all see that our government isn’t working for the people who need it the most.

Women won the right to vote 100 years ago. It would only be fitting that exactly a century later, we finally put a woman in the White House. By electing Warren, we will have a strong, courageous woman representing us in the Oval Office—and a president who stands up for progressive values and fights for economic prosperity for all.

She has shown us again and again that she will fight for us—and that she is the candidate worth fighting for. Ω

Pitching voters As Bloomberg seeks to become the moderate alternative to Sanders, another criticism of Bloomberg from some Democrats is that he’s an ex-Republican who switched parties.

But that doesn’t bother Pete O’Rourke, 63, a printer from Elk Grove, who backed

Sanders in 2016 and who attended Bloomberg’s Sacramento event. “I really like Bloomberg’s demeanor,” O’Rourke said. “He’s very straightforward. He can bring the country together.”

No one interviewed at Old Soul had any problems with Bloomberg using his prodigious wealth to saturate the media landscape, saying he earned it and can spend it however he wants.

But he’s taking heat from some young people, including members of Davis Political Review, a student publication at UC Davis.

“I don’t like Bloomberg,” said Shelby Salyer, 21, of Temecula. “The only reason he’s moved up is because he can pour billions into the race, and he’s been a Republican.”

“We don’t need another billionaire in the White House,” added Michael Wheeler, 20, of Walnut Creek.

A straw poll of 15 staffers showed 9 for Sanders, 2 for Warren and 1 each for Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and undecided.

Bloomberg still has to engage young voters, like those in Davis “who love Bernie,” O’Connor said.

But she said that Bloomberg has been tested and “is the most likable” of the

We need a political revolution Bernie Sanders is the only Democrat offering bold change

E

lizabeth Warren has long been a firebrand against corruption and corporate power in the U.S. Senate, but while she brings an aura of precision and competency, her proposed solutions fall short of her promised “big structural change.”

If you are a Warren supporter, or a Democrat of any stripe devoted to protecting and expanding broad-based prosperity and equal rights, then you know we must defeat Donald Trump in November. To beat “Trumpism,” we must present a compelling counter-narrative, a powerful story about what America can be when we work together across differences

Pete O’Rourke, 63, of Elk Grove (left) and Fred Ladean, 86, of Sacramento were among voters who liked what they heard at Mike Bloomberg’s campaign event in Sacramento.

Photo by StePhen Magagnini

Bloomberg may have fed that critique with his answer about when he will release his tax returns. “It just takes us a long time,” he said. “The number of pages will probably be thousands of pages. I can’t go to TurboTax.” Mostly, Bloomberg kept going back to the core of his message: He is a selfmade billionaire who spends millions on philanthropy and Democratic causes.

While most pundits said Bloomberg struggled, he said the next morning in Utah: “Look, the real winner in the debate last night was Donald Trump.”

Bloomberg did not appear on the ballot in Nevada, where Sanders won the caucuses on Feb. 22 and cemented his place as the front-runner. Bloomberg had another chance to debate Tuesday night before the South Carolina primary on Saturday, leading up to all-important Super Tuesday.

Democrats, despite his curt, matter-offact style.

And even if Bloomberg finishes third in California, he could still win the Democratic nomination, said O’Connor, who supports Klobuchar but says either a BloombergKlobuchar or Bloomberg-Buttigieg ticket

could appeal to moderate voters who will probably decide the presidency.

Before that becomes a real topic of conversation, however, Bloomberg has to “get it done” and win a sizable share of delegates on Super Tuesday. Ω

by AnDEE SunDERLAnD

to build an economy and a government that works for all of us, not just the 1%. And to rebuild a majority coalition from the multiracial working class, we also have to make that story a reality.

There is only one campaign creating this kind of much needed political revolution.

Bernie Sanders has become the reluctant, but capable figurehead of a young, diverse and vibrant movement— something we have rarely seen on this scale in the history of American politics.

He has released bolder and more comprehensive plans than he did even in the 2016 Democratic primary to tackle the many crises we face as a society. And against all conventional wisdom these sweeping, radical proposals, his honest, straightforward analysis of wealth and power distribution and our movement of movements have propelled him to the lead for the Democratic nomination.

Contrast that with Warren. She promises to forgive some student debt, but her meanstested policy proposal falls well to the right of Sanders’ universal student debt forgiveness. She has also made concessions toward the center on other issues such as Medicare

for All. Warren has sunk in the polls, came in third in Iowa and finished fourth in New Hampshire and Nevada.

Her campaign is running out of money, and she has no clear path to victory, not for the Democratic nomination and certainly not against Trump.

Sanders, on the other hand, has earned trust and built on his support since 2016 among communities of color so that he now leads the pack with 29% of support from Latino Democrats nationwide, helping him win in Nevada and positioning him as the front runner in California and Texas. He has maintained his lead among young people of all backgrounds, and expanded his unprecedented army of volunteers and small donors, raising $108 million from individual donors as of December. He won the most votes in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

To carry this momentum into the general election, we cannot risk nominating a Mike Bloomberg or a Pete Buttigieg, who both represent an elite

Andee Sunderland, who supports Sen. Bernie Sanders, is a Sacramento community organizer and member of Democratic Socialists of America.

politics removed from the concerns and participation of everyday working people.

For us to win, the victory of progressive ideas within the Democratic Party must be a decisive one. In fact, a progressive base that remains split between Warren and Sanders could very well mean a contested convention. In that scenario, our nominee will be chosen by party insiders, not based on our preferences, a process that is guaranteed to be chaotic, disillusion new participants in our democracy, suppress voter turnout and severely weaken the Democratic Party right in time to go up against Trump.

So please, turn off the TV and social media, and come see what it looks like when millions of working people get together to fight for our own interests.

Especially if Sanders is your second choice, consider making him your first.

Us “bros” might be a little rough around the edges, but we have a world to win! Ω

02.27.20 | SN&R | 17

Democratic

policy

lab

take guns from threats

How the presidential candidates want to make America more like California

by LaureL rosenhaLL

Cal M at t er s

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ith Democrats holding all the political power in California for nearly the last decade, the Golden State has evolved into a laboratory for big blue ideas. Put a price on carbon? We’ve done it. Provide health insurance to undocumented immigrants? We do some of that too.

Gun control, minimum wage hikes and heavy taxes on the rich are also realities here.

Democratic candidates for president—with rare exceptions— don’t typically point to California as a model. But many of the major policies they’re proposing are already happening here to some degree.

Tom Steyer is the only Californian who remains in the race.

Others taking a page from us include Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Pete Buttigieg, Tulsi Gabbard, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

boost minimum wage What they’re proposing: All the major Democratic candidates want to more than double the federal minimum wage by raising it to $15 an hour.

What California is doing: California was the first state to approve a $15

minimum wage when lawmakers and then-Gov. Jerry Brown cut a deal with labor unions in 2016. California’s law gradually phases in wage increases over eight years, with a $15 minimum required at all businesses in 2023.

How’s it going here? Critics said the forced raises would lead employers to lay off people and replace them with machines. But research suggests that for the most part, pay increases are not pushing people out of jobs.

give paid family leave What they’re proposing: All major Democratic candidates say they want Americans to be able to take at least three months off work with pay to care for a new baby or seriously ill family member.

What California is doing: In 2004, California was the first state in the nation to create paid family leave, offering workers six weeks of partial pay to care for a newborn or sick family member. Workers pay for it through a 1% payroll tax.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has expanded the program, giving workers eight weeks of paid family leave starting on July 1.

How’s it going here? Though almost all workers pay into the program, only half of eligible mothers and a

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solar panels and discounts on clean cars. The cap-and-trade program covers businesses responsible for about 85 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, making it the most wide-reaching carbon-pricing system in the United States.

How’s it going here? California’s greenhouse gas emissions have been dropping, though it’s hard to pinpoint how much to credit the complex system. Cap and trade is one reason gas costs more in California than other states, adding about a dime per gallon.

quarter of eligible fathers took paid family leave in 2017, state officials report. Many low-wage workers don’t take paid leave because they can’t afford to get by on partial earnings. Other workers don’t take it because they may lose their jobs.

put price on carbon What they’re proposing: Most Democratic candidates want to curb global warming in part by putting a price on greenhouse gas pollution, such as a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system. (Notable exceptions: Gabbard and Sanders told the Washington Post they oppose putting a price on carbon.)

Steyer has donated millions to campaigns aiming to create carbonpricing programs in Oregon and Washington, and defending the one in California.

What California is doing: California’s carbon-pricing program launched in 2013. The state’s cap-and-trade system forces industry here to either reduce emissions or pay for permits to spew greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Auctions where companies buy and sell those permits yield billions of dollars, which the state government plows into programs designed to slow climate change, such as incentives for

What they’re proposing: All of the Democratic candidates say they support allowing people to petition a court to have firearms temporarily taken away from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

Bloomberg founded a gun-control group that lobbied for red-flag legislation in California; he’s now calling for such a law nationwide.

What California is doing: California passed a law permitting gun restraining orders after the 2014 Isla Vista massacre, in which a 22-yearold gunman killed six people and wounded 14. It allows immediate family members and police officers to petition the courts to have a dangerous person’s guns removed. Newsom signed a bill expanding the law so that, beginning in September 2020, coworkers, teachers and employers also can ask courts to take away someone’s guns.

How’s it going here? Academic research suggests that allowing parents and police to seek gun restraining orders is helping prevent some instances of gun violence.

But journalistic investigations have found that parents and police rarely use the law, largely because so few people know about it—including those in law enforcement.

give health care to undocumented What they’re proposing: Almost all the Democratic candidates want the federal government to offer health insurance to undocumented immigrants. Sanders and Warren are cosponsors of the federal “Medicare For All” legislation, which would create a government-run health plan covering all residents, regardless of immigration status.

Biden and Buttiegieg have a different vision, proposing that undocumented immigrants be allowed to pay for health care through a “public option” that would exist alongside private health insurance plans.

What California is doing: California is one of a half-dozen states that provide health coverage to low-income undocumented children through Medicaid, the federal insurance program for the poor (which is called Medi-Cal in California). That began here in 2016, adding 160,000 kids at a cost of roughly $280 million a year. In 2019, California became the first state to insure some undocumented adults when lawmakers approved spending about $98 million a year to expand Medi-Cal to cover unauthorized residents age 19 to 25 (about 138,000 people).

How’s it going here? One of the arguments against governmentfunded health care for undocumented immigrants is that it will attract more people to unlawfully settle in the U.S. to get the benefits. California has experienced the opposite, with participation in Medi-Cal decreasing among undocumented immigrants, and unlawful immigration also on the decline.

make college free What they’re proposing: Democratic hopefuls fall into two groups: those who call for “free college,” and those who are distancing themselves from the term. Sanders and Warren are pushing to eliminate tuition and fees at all public colleges and universities. Sanders also would wipe out all of Americans’ $1.6 trillion in student loan debt, while Warren would focus debt relief on poor and middle-class households.

In the moderate camp, Buttigieg proposes limiting tuition breaks to families that earn less than $100,000 per year. Biden advocates waiving community college tuition for up to two years and doubling the maximum federal grant for low-income students.

What California is doing: The state offers two years of tuition-free community college for first-time, full-time students. California’s major state scholarship, the Cal Grant, can also pay for up to full tuition at both two-and four-year schools—as much

“Democratic policy lab” continued on page 20

building a

HealtHy

Sacramento

Activists Seek Justice Reform for Youth Sentenced as Adults

by E d G A r S A N c h E Z

A

s a youth, Kirn Kim made one good decision after another — eventually becoming an honors student at Sunny Hills High in Fullerton, Orange County.

“I was in the National Honors Society. And I was the son of a doctor with aspirations to follow in his footsteps to medical school,” Kim, 43, told a Sacramento audience during a recent visit. “I was pretty much a gardenvariety nerd, a ‘model minority’ kid.”

Unfortunately, a bad decision—one he wishes he could undo—derailed Kim’s life At 16, he and four other fellow students joined a plot that led to the brutal beating death of a 17-year-old Santa Ana student. Like the victim, most of the plotters were high achievers from Asian/Pacific Islander (API) families.

During the slaying, inside a private home in 1992, Kim sat in his car outside, as a lookout.

One student, the alleged mastermind, believed the victim wanted to tell police about a plan to rob a computer salesman, published reports said.

“I wasn’t an active participant in the crime, but under the law, even minor participants were held liable to the fullest extent,” Kim said. “So at 16, I was arrested, tried as an adult and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for murder.”

After serving 20 years, Kim was released in 2012.

He now educates on criminal justice issues.

California has led the nation in reforms, passing a bill last year which stopped prosecuting 14- and 15-year-olds as adults.

Juveniles’ brains are not fully developed, preventing them from making fully-mature adult judgments, he said, citing scientific studies.

Kim spoke at a symposium at Sacramento’s California Museum, now hosting “smallasaGIANT,” an exhibit by Oakland artist Ise Lyfe, about Californians sentenced as teens to long-term sentences up to life in prison.

“I’m doING mY BEST To mAkE uP For All THE HEArTACHE ANd STrESS I PuT (mY PArENTS) THrouGH.” Kirn Kim Former Juvenile Lifer

The powerful exhibit, ending March 15, is cosponsored by The California Endowment.

Entitled “Rising Above Shame and Silence,” the symposium drew attention to what Kim described as API families’ longtime refusal to discuss drug addiction, incarceration and other issues that he said impact API’s, just as they afflict people of all races.

“Prosecuting juveniles as adults is wrong,” said kirn kim, who as a teen was himself tried in adult court for his secondary role in a Santa Ana youth’s murder. Photo by Edgar Sanchez

Because of cultural pride, many API’s pretended to be immune to crises, perpetuating the “model-minority myth,” about API’s being trouble-free over-achievers, he told his audience.

API’s are finally discussing these topics, and finding it salutary to do so, said Kim. The Ohio-born son of Korean immigrants said his parents never abandoned him.

“To this day I’m doing my best to make up for all the heartache and stress I put them through,” said Kim, who is now working in Los Angeles.

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.

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BuIldING HEAlTHY CommuNITIES In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state. over the 10 years, residents, communitybased organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities.

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as nearly $13,000 for a year at the University of California—for needy students who qualify. Smaller state grants help with living expenses for some students.

How’s it going here? While California provides more financial aid per low-income student than any other state, gaps in programs and the exorbitant cost of living here still make college unaffordable for many.

That free community college plan?

It grabbed headlines but actually excludes two-thirds of community college students—those who attend part time.

would make workers eligible for more job protections and overtime pay. Sanders was the first candidate to call for national legislation to bar gig companies from classifying workers as freelancers. A few months later, Warren announced support for California legislation and pledged to enact a similar federal law. Buttigieg also promises change nationally.

What California is doing: Newsom signed legislation in 2019 requiring many businesses to reclassify inde-

Legal cannabis is one area where Democratic presidential candidates want to extend California policy to the rest of the nation.

Tax The rich

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Turn gig workers inTo employees What they’re proposing: Many Democrats argue that gig companies such as Uber and Lyft exploit lowwage workers by classifying them as freelancers instead of employees.

Converting their status to employee

Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CAlMAtters

MancHurIan IndIan cuISIne

What they’re proposing: Someone has to pay for those ambitious health and education programs so most candidates want to increase taxes on the wealthy. Warren calls for an extra 2% tax on households with a net worth of $50 million or more and a 6% tax on those worth at least $1 billion. Sanders takes the idea even further, with rates ranging from 1% on net worth over $32 million to 8% on worth more than $10 billion.

Buttigieg has said he’s open to a wealth tax, but has drawn more attention for his suggestion that the highest income-tax bracket be set at 49.99%.

What California is doing: California does not have a tax on net worth, but it does have the nation’s highest income tax rate on high earners—13.3% on those making $1 million or more. That’s partly because California voters have approved a series of tax hikes on those with high incomes. In addition to its progressive income tax, California treats capital gains as any other income.

How’s it going here? A popular narrative says California may tax its wealthiest residents into fleeing the state. Data, however, don’t back this up—at least not yet. Most people leaving California earn less than $50,000 a year, and are likely driven out by the high cost of living here.

What California is doing: California is one of 11 states that have sanctioned cannabis. Golden State voters made medical marijuana legal in 1996 and approved recreational use in 2016. The law allows adults age 21 and over to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and grow as many as six plants for personal use. The law also downgraded penalties for nearly every crime involving marijuana, allowing people with

pendent contractors as employees.

The law is projected to impact 1 million workers, including janitors, manicurists and gig workers. Some industries won exemptions, but many did not.

How’s it going here? The new law was being challenged even before it went into effect Jan. 1. Trucking companies won a reprieve from the law during their court challenge, but freelance journalists did not.

Meanwhile, gig workers have filed a class-action lawsuit seeking retroactive pay, overtime and benefits. Gig companies such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash are mounting an expensive campaign in the November election to exempt themselves.

legalize marijuana What they’re proposing: Most of the candidates want to make recreational as well as medical marijuana legal nationwide, though a few take the more moderate position of wanting to give states the power to decide.

past convictions to petition the court to be resentenced or cleared.

How’s it going here? Creation of a legal marketplace has proved rocky. The black market remains huge—roughly three-quarters of California weed still is being sold illegally. Most cities in the state have banned dispensaries, setting off a legal battle over how much local control the state law provides.

Tax revenues from legal sales are coming in below expectations, and producers are pushing back against the state’s move to increase tax rates. Marijuana remains an allcash enterprise because federal law prevents cannabis businesses from using banks. In the first year after legalization, only 10% of eligible people took steps to have their prior cannabis crimes downgraded or cleared. Ω

CalMatters reporters felicia Mello and Judy lin contributed to this report. CalMatters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California politics and policy. An unabridged version is available at calmatters.org.

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Part of Shapiro’s work involves the creation and wearing of masks.

Lucien Shapiro transforms forgotten objects into things of beauty.

by Rachel Mayfield

r ac helm@n e ws r e v i e w. c o m

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22 | SN&R | 02.27.20

You have a lot of different moving parts, tiny pieces that are all very intricately constructed. Has there ever been a moment where something with one of your pieces has just gone horribly, horribly wrong?

I try to focus on the impermanence of everything. If something “goes wrong,” it could just be the universe readjusting to alter a better direction for the work to go. Everything happens precisely the way it must, and because of that I must remain open and not discouraged.

My process is a meditative repetition of actions to complete a whole. I do everything myself. I don’t have any assistants, so all the bottle caps are punched, drilled, and everything is collected and made by myself. I never have a concrete plan on what the finished result will be. Maybe I have an idea in my mind, a flash of the finished piece, but the process of making work is to solve a problem, throughout my process of building it. Once the work is complete, I realize what the purpose was for the creation of the piece. I am channeling the work, I am a conduit in which the work flows through.

Photos courtesy of shaun roberts

artist lucien Shapiro talks meditation, identity and rom-coms

f you think Public Land is a store where you can purchase succulents, you’d be right. But if you think that Public Land is a place with dedicated space for monthly art exhibits, you’d also be right.

Currently on display, Half Full features a range of career-spanning works by California artist, Lucien Shapiro. A working artist for 20 years who’s exhibited around the world, Shapiro gathers materials such as bottle caps, broken glass and caution tape and repurposes them into new creations.

Among those at Public Land: Woven tapestries, ancient-looking vessels and studded crystals, called “protection objects.” He also puts on intense performances, in which he dons masks of his own creation and guides people toward introspection and spiritual healing. You won’t find any of his masks at Public Land, but if you whisper “Whitesnake” to one of the owners, you just might be able to summon Shapiro back to Sacramento for a special performance.

SN&R talked to Shapiro about his work, the ideas behind them, plus rom-coms for some reason.

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How does the concept of time relate to your work?

Time tends to be an illusion, and because my work can take hundreds of laborious hours, I move through the motions of creation, building something and sticking to it and seeing it through all its forms. This is a very similar idea with meditation. You’re not usually doing something.

You’re supposed to be just sitting, concentrating on nothing. So this is sitting, concentrating on something, but so repetitively that it just becomes nothing.

Is it kind of like being in the moment, staying present with something, versus thinking about the past or the future?

Yeah, exactly. The funny thing is, I’ve had interns before, and I’ve had people try to help me with my practice, and they don’t last.

It just drives people crazy. To me, it makes me feel at peace. So it’s kinda like, I chose to do this because I like what it does to me.

What’s the purpose of a protection [object]? The people who buy them from you, do you know what they might be protecting themselves from?

These protection objects are meant to adorn your home and help you in protecting and empowering yourself. But they’re never made with the intention to harm another.

The underlying message behind my work is “love thyself” and compassion. These protection objects create a reminder that you are safe in your own space, and they protect yourself from the pains and traumas that come with living life.

Gotcha, gotcha.

Usually people have a strong connection to certain protection objects because of the minerals and stones used. They are a reminder to never judge a book by its cover.

Shapiro finds the repetitive act of creating intricate vessels to be a peaceful form of meditation.

They’re kind of intimidating—just all the studs on the bats and stuff. Like, if I saw someone with that, I would not wanna mess with them, probably.

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Hang on, let me look it up. Empty Kingdom, maybe? No. Empty Kingdom!

That’s a great point, in what we are taught to fear and what is the underlying truth behind the purpose of each specific object.

I make objects of protection for personal empowerment, not to scare another human.

No, sorry. Rogue Habits. Rogue Habits.

Rogue Habits. Yeah, that’s true.

You said, “Sometimes I tear up at rom-coms, but shhh … don’t tell anyone.” But now everyone knows, so I’m curious, what are your favorite rom-coms?

What do your masks say about identity, and concealing or revealing of the self?

Protection objects are made with the intention of protecting yourself from pain and trauma.

“I’ve had people try to help me wIth my practIce, and they don’t last. It just drIves people crazy. to me, It makes me feel at peace.”

Artist Lucien Shapiro The idea of the masks—which, the very first ones were bottle cap masks and then dime baggy masks … all of the elevations of different types of work usually gets inspired by some kind of relationship ending.

Like a love relationship ending. …

I was with someone for a particular period of time, and then I saw that they could be someone else. You know, we all wear masks, we all are hiding from ourselves or from people or from whatever, we all have those kinds of social masks. … They were portraits of the person that had deceived me. But if you looked close at the very first masks, they were all actually my face, and then I sculpted on top of it. So it all started with me.

You’ve been quoted saying that you sometimes tear up during rom-coms.

Where’d you find that?

Pretty down with most. Anything to keep my mind off of the millions of thoughts rapidly shooting through my mind on a daily basis. I’m a hopeless romantic. Finally found someone to shower the romance with.

Did you have a performance at Public Land when your show opened?

No, it never happened, but if 12 people go into Public Land and say “Whitesnake” to whoever’s working while they are purchasing a beautiful plant or other wonderfully curated item, then I’ll try to put one together before [the exhibit] comes down in mid-March. Ω

Lucien Shapiro’s Half Full runs through March 17. Public Land, 2598 21st St. For more info, visit publiclandstore.com.

02.27.20 | SN&R | 23

Photo by Rachel Mayfield

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Artist John Liddicoat pointed people in the direction of his political art on Second Saturday.

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ra c h e l m @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

If you walked into Amen Art Gallery on Feb. 8 during Second Saturday, one of the first things you might have noticed is that it’s not simply an art gallery. Propped up near a wall of curated art is a smartly-dressed branch manager of a mortgage lending company—or at least, a cardboard cutout of one. He’s just one of the guys that hangs out at what also functions as a coworking space for employees of local agency, Amen Real Estate. On the wall next to him, several small pieces of paper taped up between the artwork read, “This wall has been censored.”

It’s the work of John Liddicoat, a local artist who signed a contract with the gallery on June 17, 2019, which granted him the right to hang his artwork up during the month of February 2020.

His exhibit, titled 365 Project: A Study in iPhoneography, is a collection of works created on an iPhone 6 using multiple apps. Some of his art is overtly political, such as “Justice Deprived-Barr’s Inferno,” which shows Ladies Liberty and Justice with their throats slit while Attorney General William Barr looms in the background, wielding a blood-soaked scythe, or “Faux Friends,” which depicts the hosts of Fox & Friends in Joker-esque clownface.

According to Liddicoat, after hanging up his artwork on Jan. 17 in preparation for a Jan. 20 soft open, he was told his political pieces had to be taken down.

“It’s hanging over the weekend, and then I get an email from [a gallery representative] on that Wednesday saying, ‘John, I hate to tell you, but our owner doesn’t like those pictures, those political pictures. They have to come down,’” Liddicoat said.

After some negotiation, Liddicoat says he struck a deal with the gallery—the artwork would be replaced

with more neutral pictures from his portfolio, and the political art would be stored in the back rooms, only to be displayed to the public on Second Saturday.

When Second Saturday came around, Liddicoat put up signs directing “defenders of the Constitution and free speech” to the back rooms to see the art that had been taken down.

“I feel there’s some level of injustice,” Liddicoat said. “Certainly they have a right to private property, to do what they want with it. It’s not public property, so it’s not technically a violation of my First Amendment rights. But still, it’s a form of censorship.”

Liddicoat says that he met with the owner of Amen Coworking and Art Gallery, Jim Amen, while he was replacing his political art, and says Amen indicated that because brokers visited the building, they wanted it to remain a neutral, non-political space.

“This is the first time an artist has complained about the free space made available for their work,” Amen said in an email to SN&R. “Amen Coworking and Art Gallery was created in 2014 with the vision of creating a space for our neighbors, clients, friends and families to enjoy the tradition of [Second] Saturdays.

Each month, our coworking space hosts rotating local artists—at no charge—to display and sell their art during our [Second] Saturday event and daily operations.”

Amen did not respond to follow-up inquiries about Liddicoat’s concerns.

“In this day and age, I think people need to be able to express themselves, and the outrage of the age,” Liddicoat said. “We are in times of outrage. And I think some of my stuff demonstrates that.”

Affixed on the wall, just on the other side of the cardboard mortgage lending manager, is a framed drawing of a flower, with words underneath that read: “folium flos octos vulgaris,” which translates to “ordinary eight-petal flower.”

“There’s nothing so inoffensive as a flower in a vase,” Liddicoat said of the piece. “It’s hanging there, as my little protest.” Ω

365 Project: a Study in iPhoneography runs through feb. 29. amen art Gallery, 3257 folsom blvd; amenartgallery.com.

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Nate Flygare finds community through music and the mosh pit

by Oden TaylOr

• 6 Beers on tap 207 F Street, DaviS • 530.758.8058 • Mon-thu 10aM-9PM • Fri-Sat 10aM-10PM · Sun 11aM-6PM

“I’ve been in a [mosh] pit where I’ve fallen down, and usually nine times out of 10 everyone stops and pushes people out of the way and helps you up and makes sure you’re OK,” says local Sacramento musician Nate Flygare.

Flygare, also known as Emoflytrap, says he found his voice through sharing his pain with others and says he hopes to inspire a sense of community and togetherness through his music.

“I always felt like I was an outcast because ever since I was little, I never really had many friends, so I would just play guitar in my room and play along to Blink-182 or Green Day,” he said. “Then I met friends who liked music, and found myself.”

Flygare considers his music to be emo-alternative, noting that some of his biggest musical inspirations are Kurt Cobain, Tom DeLonge and Lil Peep. Flygare says he believes that artists like these help to normalize sadness and help pull people out of dark places.

“I really connected to them on a personal level of being an outcast and [them] just being themselves and being able to release it in the same way,” Flygare said.

Flygare performs solo as Emoflytrap, but he is also part of a larger rap collective consisting of 13 other members, called Refry Worldwide.

Refry was formed by Flygare, Ethan Micheal O’Brien, and Daniel Portillo roughly three years ago and has since added many members.

“Even though we have our core members, our biggest thing is just trying to work with as

Photo courtesy of andrew aldana

If you’re not super-hyped, you’re not enjoying music correctly.

many talented people as we can,” O’Brien said, “We’re just looking for nice people who want to make songs, have fun, be successful and try to make some money.”

Each member performs under a stage name, and the shows feature all 14 performers, sometimes all onstage at once.

O’Brien and Portillo produce the group members’ solo music, as well as the music for Refry.

“We’re a collective where we all do our solo stuff, but we also do stuff together, like everything,” Flygare said, “People are always trying to put music in a box but you can literally do anything you want with it.”

Both at Flygare’s solo shows and his group shows, crowds of young people in black clothing, dark makeup and colored hair join together to make one mosh pit. Flygare says the feeling of being in a crowd is about being “super-hyped” and excited for the music.

He describes moshing as pushing and jumping around in the crowd, but not with the intention to hurt others, instead to connect with them.

“You really feel connected and able to get out your energy and emotions,” Flygare said.

For the past year, Flygare has been working on a full-length unnamed concept album that deals with the challenges and changes that come from getting older, scheduled to come out this summer. He said he may call the album Twenty, depending on its release date.

His biggest hope for his music is people knowing they are not alone.

“I’ve worked on this throughout the hardship of [being] 19 and being 20, and it’s a hard age to be—the transition from being a teenager and trying to grow and trying to get your life back on track, and kind of graduate from being a youth.” Ω

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The Shawn Reginald Men’s Boutique is now open in Midtown Sacramento, featuring business-casual clothing, and haberdashery items.

With 20 rotating taps, Cider House has a little something for everyone.

Mention this ad for 10% off 1729 L Street | Sacramento | 916.400.4060 | www.ShawnreginaLd.com

Kasbah Now opeN for LuNch! Tues-Fri 11:30-2:30pm | $15 Three-Course Lunch

Photo by Anne StokeS

Tired of Beer? Try cider!

Midtown’s Cider House is a refreshing change

by Anne S tokes

S

happy hour Everyday 4-6pm Late Night DiNiNg Tues-Thurs & Sun until 12am | Fri & Sat until 1am 2115 J Street, Saramento | 916.442.4388 @Kasbah916 kasbahlounge.com |

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acramento has plenty of brewery options. But if you’re looking for something different, try the newly opened Cider House in Midtown.

For those who think ciders are too sweet, a few flights of international and local brews might change your mind.

“People say, ‘It’s too sweet,’ but it’s really not. We have dry ciders, we have all kinds,” said owner Julio Peix. “Real ciders are all natural … not concentrated stuff.

They don’t add sugars to it, so you don’t have those peaks and sugar rushes.”

With 16 ciders, three beers and a boochcraft (hard kombucha) on rotating taps, Cider House has a little bit of everything. There’s “traditional” flavors — apple, citrus, blackberry and more — but

the more adventurous can try chile guava, blueberry lavender or ginger. With the Digital Pour app on Cider House’s website, you can see when your favorite has just been tapped or when it’s just about to run out.

Unlike many microbreweries, Cider House has its own kitchen. And just like its ciders, the kitchen fare is gluten free, too.

With a selection of sandwiches, housemade hummus and a reasonably priced charcuterie plate of meat and cheese, the bites are just the right size.

Test your general pop culture knowledge on Tuesday nights with trivia that starts at 7:30 p.m. Winners walk away with a $25 gift certificate and bragging rights. If karaoke is more your style, try Thursday nights and enjoy the show from the dog-friendly patio.

Stop by Cider House at 1111 24th St., or visit online to see what’s on tap at www.ciderhousesac.com. For more information, call 916-942-9797.

Events

Services

FRIDAY, FEB. 28

JEWElRY REPAIR

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little Relics 1111 24th St., #103 Sacramento

SHoE SHINE For more information, go online at www.shawnreginald.com or call 916-400-4060.

Shawn Reginald 1729 L St., Sacramento

SATURDAY, FEB. 29 Sacred Cacao Ceremony and Sound Healing Circle Experience the stress-busting and healing power of cacao. 5 p.m. $33.

Tickets available on EventBrite.

Her Elevated 1900 28th St. Sacramento

SUNDAY, MARCH 1 Good Vibes Vegan Nacho Pop-Up Enjoy loaded vegan nachos and fruit-infused herbal tea, Tickets available on EventBrite. 12:303:30 P.M. $15. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Solfire Yoga 2613 J St. Sacramento Want your event in Midtown to be featured here? Submit it to our online calendar!

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Now playiNg

ReviewS

Shakespeare in the tent

By Patti RobeRts

Photo courtesy of cirque Du soleil

4

Almost, Maine

A collection of love stories colored by moments of joy, laughter and devastation, all taking place underneath the shifting hues of the Northern Lights, the play is sweet but not saccharine, cute but not cloying. If you take a trip to see Almost, Maine, you may fall in love too. Fri 8pm, Sat

8pm, Sun 2pm; Through 3/1; $21-$25; Chautauqua Playhouse, 5325 Engle Rd., Carmichael; (916)4897529; cplayhouse.org. O.R.

4

Ride Sally Ride

B Street’s latest celebrates women who literally reached for the stars.

What makes the B Street Family Series so engaging is how their productions usually involve the young audience members. Amelia and Sally both would be mighty impressed with the young audience’s instinctive recognition of inequality. Sat 1pm; Through 2/29; $19-$24; B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave.; (916) 4435300; bstreettheatre. org. P.R.

1 2 3 4 5 foul

twisting around on this pole is probably just as difficult as it looks.

Amaluna

5

thu 8pm, fri 4:30pm & 8pm, sat 4:30pm & 8pm, sun 7pm; through 3/1; $41-$223; sutter health Park, 400 Ballpark Drive, West sacramento, (916) 376-4676, sutterhealthpark.com.

In the third week of January, an old-fashioned blue-and-white striped circus tent magically appeared in the River Cats’ parking lot in West Sacramento.

This mystical spectacle has lured so many people to Cirque Du Soleil’s Amaluna showcase that the producers extended the show through Sunday.

The lucky audiences who fill the tent are witness to a spectacular display of amazing acrobats with a wonder of dexterity, flexibility and engaging personalities. These athletes spin, jump, twirl, leap, juggle, cycle and entertain with such ferocity and elegance that watching them is both knuckle-biting and awe-inspiring.

Amaluna is billed as a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, but the plot is secondary—it’s basically star-crossed lovers in a mythical land who have to overcome many obstacles along the way. It’s femalecentric—written and directed by Diane Paulus, with women warriors and an all-female band with three thrashing guitar players—though there are plenty of male performers as well.

And there’s a local performer back to visit her hometown: Kelsey Custard, who grew up in Shingle Springs and did summer theater at Sacramento State, is the star clown who has traveled the world with Cirque, entertaining international crowds with her comedic talents.

Not only is Sunday the last day to see Amaluna in Sacramento, it’s also the final production of this particular Cirque Du Soleil run after eight years and 2,500 performances throughout the world. There are only six more performances left before the tent comes down and leaves town for good. Ω 28 | SN&R | 02.27.20

fair

gooD

Well-DoNe

suBliMe DoN’t Miss

4

Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd is a lively nightmarish comedy that may give viewers a taste for blood and an appetite for fresh—or flesh—meat pies. Lauren Ettensohn (Mrs. Lovett) carries the show with her haunting voice and beguiling expressions, and Owen Jones (Tobias Ragg) is a notable young performer with plenty of potential.

Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 7pm; Through 3/8; $20; Tower Theater, 417 Vernon St., Roseville; (916) 837-7469; greenvalleytheatre.com.

TMO

short reviews by odin rasco, Patti roberts and tessa Marguerite outland.

Photo courtesy of sierra stages

4 A Dahl’s house Beloved children’s writer Roald Dahl feared that books would one day fully vanish from use and wanted to pen a volume, following his earlier successes of James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which the value of reading printed books would be instilled in a positive way for younger generations. This was the impetus for Matilda, in 1988, later made into a movie in 1996.

The story of the titular imaginative and precocious young heroine—thwarted by horrid parents at every turn and attending a school that seems like the inmate facilities at Devil’s Island— was ideally suited for a magical musical theater staging, and in 2011, Matilda the Musical was born, the book by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.

El Dorado Musical Theatre brings the show to the Harris Center for the Arts through Mar. 1. The core cast of youth principals handle the extensive erudite dialogue and lyrics splendidly, supported by not merely one, but two large casts of kids at alternating performances, most of them between ten to 20 years old. The show’s production values are superlative, on par with any professional touring show.

Matilda’s gauche father, a slick car salesman who “learned everything from the telly,” delivers the best line in the show in a curtain speech before the start of the second act, warning of the dangers of reading: “It will give you head lice of the soul!”

The treatment: See this delightful show, directed

by Debbie Wilson.

—Matías BoMBal Matilda: thu 7pm, fri 7pm, sat 2pm & 7pm, sun 2pm; through 3/1; $46-$65; harris center, 10 college Pkwy, folsom; (916) 608-6888; harriscenter.net.

What could possibly go wrong when summoning the dead?

A ghost of a chance Things get pretty spooky in Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit, now showing at Nevada Theatre in Nevada City. When author Charles Condomine decides to hold a séance to learn more about the occult, things actually go pretty well. At least, until Charles finds out afterwards that his dead wife, Elvira was summoned. Charles’ marriage to his second wife, Ruth, is systematically disrupted as Elvira takes it upon herself to haunt the two. It happens to everyone. Guess that’s just one of the perks of marriage. Fri, 2/28, 7:30pm; Sat, 2/29, 7:30pm; Sun, 3/1, 2pm; Through 3/21; $20-$30; Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad St., Nevada City; (530) 346-3210; sierrastage.com.

—Rachel Mayfield

for the best music-makers in sacramento

Grace Loescher SAMMIES 2020 Nominee Spoken word (with music)

SN&R

voting ends 03.11.20

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illuSTraTiOn BY Serene luSanO

Sac-ramen-to SpiCy miSo, Shoki ramen houSe

Stacked with house-cured pastrami, this tender deli sandwich is both rich and juicy, and taken to the next level when Ruebenized.

PHOTO BY KimBerlY BrOwn

Eastbound and downtown Solomon’s Delicatessen 730 K St.; (916) 857-8200 Good for: Classic deli dishes Notable dishes: reuben, The russ

$$$

Jewish, downtown

Sacramento’s food scene is something to behold.

Keeping up with new restaurants that seem to open almost weekly becomes a full-time job for diehard foodies. And yet, despite certain tasty trends establishing themselves, at times to excess, many gaps remain.

Solomon’s Delicatessen is a welcome departure from one of the more prolific restaurant styles of the moment— the traditional Jewish deli is de rigueur in New York and the East Coast, but rarely seen and often poorly executed in Northern California, usually in the form of a half-hearted bagel shop.

Solomon’s objective is two-fold, honoring classic East Coast flavors with modern flair while paying tribute to a local icon, the late Russ Solomon, founder of Tower Records.

The menu features all the Jewish deli standards, offering a variety of sandwiches, salads, soups and sides, in addition to house-made bagels and all-day breakfast, with a few modern twists. You’ll find challah French toast, a mushroom Reuben and a falafel corn dog. Gluten-free rye is available upon request. No member of your party will go hungry here for dietary reasons.

Inside a former Tower Records location on K Street mall at 8th, the restaurant’s interior aesthetic matches the restored psychedelic mural that adorns its entryway. Music is all around. And the pastrami sings, too.

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by Kimberly brown

The absolute standout of Solomon’s lunch menu is the Pastrami Sandwich ($15.99). The house-cured meat is transcendent in its tenderness. Rich, juicy, fall-apart-in-thebest-way bites are taken to the next level when Reubenized ($1.99 extra), adding subtlety sauerkraut, creamy Russian dressing and ooey-gooey Swiss cheese. Paired with the potato salad—the perfect balance of smooth and tang—this plate is emphatically a hit. Love songs have been penned about less fated couplings.

The bagels, unfortunately, are less of a banger. They’re not particularly dense or chewy, and lackluster in crunch when toasted. But when it comes to The Russ ($13.99), the lox strikes all the right chords—smoky, velvety and cool, jazz for the taste buds. The schmear, tomato, capers and pickled onions do their best to complement with acid and bite, but not distract from the real star of the show.

The matzo ball soup ($8.99) trumps any chicken noodle for its comfort value. Shredded white and dark chicken and thin slices of al dente carrot move languorously around two plump, spongy dumplings. The broth is clean and not overly salty; it’s a sleepy lullaby of a soup, humble but deserving of its place on the record.

Less traditional items seemed more out of tune: The Rudy ($13.99), a fried chicken sandwich on challah dressed with slaw, lacked the spiciness the menu claimed. The chicken was moist and wellcooked, the slaw original with its hint of oregano and the challah buttery and softly toasted. Yet it was altogether one-note and flat. Fried pickles ($5.99), an easy crowd favorite, were muted and mild in briny flavor, which would have been tolerable had they not gotten lost in a noisy pile of panko.

Solomon’s efforts to experiment are noble, but the deli’s greatest hits are the real crowd pleasers. Ω

Shoki Ramen House doesn’t mess around when it comes to mounds of noodles with ample meat and veggies swimming in flavorful broth served in a bucketsized bowl. One of the many tasty options for ramen on its huge menu is Spicy Miso ($9.90).

Swirling in steaming miso broth are generous portions of corn, spinach, moyashi (bean sprouts), cabbage, hard-boiled egg and chashu (pork). The noodles can be substituted with glutenfree or yam noodles ($1.50, $2), and the spice level can be adjusted for preference. The only problem with Spicy Miso Ramen is that it’s nearly impossible to stop eating even when a happily stuffed stomach protests.

1201 R St., shokiramenhouse.com.

—teSSa marguerite outland

A cocktail of fiction CloCkwork orange, wildwood kitChen & bar It was happy hour at Wildwood Kitchen & Bar, so my droogs and I headed over for libations while we tried to make up our rassoodocks on what to do with ourselves. One sip of the Clockwork Orange ($13), and I was cured, alright. The combination of rum, brandy, Grand Marnier, orange bitters and cinnamon syrup peeled my eyelids back into my skull and made my hair stand on end. Bliss and heaven, but this is a drink that’ll sharpen you right up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence! 556 Pavilions Lane, wildwoodpavilions.com.

—amy bee

PlANET V

The Mother-Empress meld On Jan. 8, a week after Mother’s surprising closure, Empress Tavern introduced its blended Empress-Mother menu. As I’m a fan of manageable goals, I made it my mission to check out the veg side of the new menu immediately. I expected a few token Mother offerings, but Empress’s dozen-ish item lunch menu is mostly vegetarian. Prices are a bit higher than Mother’s were, but that’s completely fair for table service. My friend and I ran through half the lunch menu in one sitting. The Mother standards are there: Among them the Chicken Fried Mushroom Po’Boy ($12), Farro Salad ($13), veganizable Kale Caesar ($12). From the Empress menu, Grilled Broccolini ($8, sans Parmesan) was killer. Chile Verde made the dinner cut, but ask to omit the cheese curds.

Nearly every vegetable side can be veg-friendly. It’s a pricier night out than Mother, but it’s worth it.

—lindSay oxford

illustration by Mark stivers

Did someone say

fried chicken? (and bahn mi, and ramen) 4801 Folsom Blvd | Sacramento | 916.400.3075 | origamiasiangrill.com

BUY 1 GET 1 1/2 OFF Buy any dinner entree at regular price, get the second for HALF OFF! Must present coupon, cannot combine with other discounts.

One per table. Valid Mon-Thu only. Expires 03/12/20.

It’s so easy being green

Happy Hour

Monday–Friday 3–6pm Voted “Best of Sacramento” 3 years in a row!

1315 21st St • Sacramento 916.441.7100

by Julia Violet

Spring is an exciting time in Sacramento. The clouds part, the sunshine returns and all around our region, greens sprout through the soil. Whether you’re looking for new textures to toss into salads, a tasty leafy green to saute or vibrant colors of microgreens to brighten your dish, local farmers grow varieties in abundance.

Found on menus and at farmers’ markets, chicories, arugula, mustard greens, endive, spinach, kale and many other greens are all harvested within our region. The tops and leaves of local spring vegetables such as carrots, beets, turnips, radishes, kohlrabi and fennel all have beautiful tendrils that are useful in a variety of dishes.

Fava greens, the leafy part of a fava bean plant, are slightly sweet and tender. Toss them into salads, saute them or simply add a handful to homemade pastas or pasta sauce.

Chef Bryce Palmer of Mulvaney’s B&L says he enjoys making use of the entire vegetable to honor the efforts of local farmers.

“We love to use carrot tops or any green top to make pasta filling and

pasta dough,” he said. “The tops are John Rodriguez of Finz Farmz, a also great for braised greens.” local indoor farm that specializes in Microgreens are also popular at microgreens, says his personal favorite the market. These tiny one- to threeis a mix of garlic and chive for its inch, immature versions of vegetables, appearance and aroma. herbs and plants are harvested before “When I bring it to the market, growing their true leaves. This makes people can smell it when they walk them highly nutritious and packed by,” he said. “It’s really great on with flavor. Despite how small they pasta. It’s a head turner and it tastes are—larger than sprouts, but smaller phenomenal ... People are always than baby greens—they provide much surprised by microgreens’ bold taste.” more nutritional value than their fullYou don’t have to look too hard to grown counterparts. find microgreens on local menus.

Sold by the ounce, Selland’s Market Cafe many varieties can sells a Farmers Market Mustard be purchased in Salad piled high small quantities with greens, micromicrogreens and tossed into greens, veggies, are spicy and taste salads, used as a nuts and seeds. like horseradish, garnish, juiced And its Power or added to Caesar Salad while sunflower greens sandwiches and has four types of are nutty, crunchy wraps. There are greens and even and great on many uses beyond more toppings. East garnishing a plate: Sac’s Allora even sandwiches. mustard microgreens has a backyard garden are spicy and taste like stacked with microgreens, horseradish, while sunflower herbs and flowers, which are greens are nutty, crunchy and great frequently used in the kitchen. on sandwiches. And beet microgreens It’s easy to eat more greens. This bring a vibrant ruby red color to season, rethink those vegetables in the any dish. Pea shoots are high in fridge, mix up the typical salad and antioxidants and add a tender, yet add some flavorful microgreens to crisp pea-flavored bite to recipes. your next dish. Ω

Great Food. Awesome Beer. Cool People.

Discover Hoppy in Old Sac!

Late Night “hoppy hour” 9pm (SuN-Wed) 10pm (thu-Sat)

WeekeNd bruNch 10 am to 3pm bottomLeSS mimoSa & bLoody mary

$5 Parking

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Mon -Wed 11aM-12aM • Thu-Fri 11aM -1aM • SaT 10aM -1aM • Sun 10aM -12aM

02.27.20 | SN&R | 31

P

gaRdeN

place

Garden geek Former dancer now inspires organic gardeners

by Debbie Arrington

Photo courtesy of Gardenerd.com

lives and gardens in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Mar Vista. “I dove into gardening. Now, I never want to do anything else. It became my living.”

Wilhelmi teaches organic gardening through Santa Monica College’s community education program. Her book mirrors her class curriculum, covering the basics of soil, planning, planting and what to grow.

She tackles pest management, irrigation, composting and more in information-packed pages that make the science of gardening fun and easy to digest. It’s a great guide for Gardenerd.com founder Christy Wilhelmi shares beginners, but also has plenty of ideas for her science-based tips in experienced gardeners.

“Gardening for Geeks.”

Wilhelmi believes in making the most of limited space. In just 300 square feet, she’s able to produce most of what she eats.

Her favorite vegetables? “I love growing Christy Wilhelmi is proud to be a garden geek.

Her popular website and blog, Gardenerd.com, has kale; I have 14 different varieties. I love how beautiful they look in the garden. They each have become a must-read for organic gardeners who a different texture and flavor; some are better for want inspiration as well as science-based tips on chips, others better for salads. growing food.

“For summer, I’m addicted to growing winter Wilhelmi’s best advice and loads of valuable squash,” she added. “They’re so pretty. I love information are distilled into her book, Gardening delicata squash; they’re delightful and delicious.” for Geeks: All the Science You Need for Her best tip for beginners: “Worm castings!”

Successful Organic Gardening (CompanionHouse she said. “They solve a lot of problems. They’re Books, 248 pages, $19.99). Just published, it is an really high in nutrients; a little goes a long ways. updated and expanded version of her original 2013 And they help with pest control, too.” Ω book by the same name.

grow your business Get your business noticed by real estate, desiGn and GardeninG-savvy readers! to advertise, call us at 916.498.1234

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“A lot of the updates were bringing people up to speed with climate change, how important Camellia Day and threatened pollinators are, how these changes affect the natural world around us,” she said in a This warm February has really phone interview. brought out the camellias, Wilhelmi also updated her pruning techniques Sacramento’s official flower. and added more vegetables to her plant profiles.

See scores of beautiful blooms— “The first edition, I stuck with easy to and learn how to grow this popular grow veggies,” she said. “This time, I added shrub—during the sixth annual celery, cabbage, corn, cucumber, eggplant and camellia Day at the historic Murer watermelon. These crops are a little trickier and House, 1125 Joe Murer court, Folsom. take some skill to get going.”

Set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. Take watermelon, for example. “Timing is 29, camellia Day will feature a judged everything,” Wilhelmi said. “Plant them too competition, guest speakers, raffle early, they just sit there. But if you don’t plant and more. admission is free. early enough, you’ll be eating watermelon in Details and directions: November.” murerhouse.org.

A former professional dancer and model, Wilhelmi got into food gardening when she decided to become a vegetarian 27 years ago. debbie arrington, an award-winning garden writer and lifelong “The more I learned about the food system, the gardener, is co-creator of the sacramento digs Gardening blog and website. more I wanted control of it,” said Wilhelmi, who

The business of small businesses California Capital is looking to back underserved entrepreneurs. Are you ready for the ride?

By ALLEN PIERLEONI

“Almost every day, we hear from small-business owners, ‘I wish I had known you were here when I first started.’”

That’s Deborah Muramoto speaking, sitting at a conference table with her team, explaining just what California Capital does. She’s the president/CEO of the company, named as a Women’s Business Center by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

It’s also designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a “community development financial institution.” Meaning that “51 percent-plus of our assets are invested in programs and services that benefit low- to moderateincome communities, communities of color, disadvantaged communities, veterans, LGBT and women,” Muramoto said.

In other words, California Capital helps the underserved open their own businesses,

and does it well: Last year, it administered free education and counseling to nearly 3,000 entrepreneurs and provided $37 million in access to capital.

“Our tagline is, ‘Capital and capacity to serve communities,’” she said.

Muramoto and her team have a network of community partners helping them spread the word, including the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency and the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership, which is committed to bringing new businesses to Old North Sacramento.

Which dovetails nicely with California Capital’s upcoming North Sacramento Business Success Forum, one of many free forums it regularly hosts throughout our region. The model has a tagline of its own: “Get expert advice on how to start, fund and grow your business.”

Muramoto founded the forum program in 2002 as a bridge for immigrant refugees who could not practice their professions in the U.S., so started small businesses

The California Capital team for its Business Success Forum is ready to help small businesses on the road to success.

Photo by Melissa Uroff

instead, she said. “We wanted them to know how to navigate the system.”

“We think of ourselves as a holistic environment that provides a continuum of services to small businesses,” said Sophia Kanaan, director of the Women’s Business Center. “With the North Sacramento forum, we get to let everybody know the nuts and bolts of what we do,” including guidance on financing, taxes and resources.

Experts will be there to answer questions. “(Attendees) can talk to them about getting services and about doing business with local government,” said Mike Schremmer, California Capital’s director of operations. “Ultimately, we do follow-up care with the people who still need help.”

In addition to the forums, California Capital hosts a lengthy menu of free classes at its headquarters, covering topics from how to market a business to locking down a logo.

As the March 5 forum will focus on Old North Sacramento, the question arises: Just what is needed there?

“More businesses,” said Muramoto.

“But in order to bring them in, the entrepreneurs need resources, education and access to capital, which is what we do.”

CAlIfornIA CApITAl 1792 Tribute Road, Suite 270 Sacramento, CA 95815 916-442-1729 www.cacapital.org

Come discover the Boulevard or visit us online at delpasoboulevard.com

UpComIng EvEnTs THURSDAY, FEB. 27

SATURDAY, FEB. 29

THURSDAY, MARCH 5

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

SOULfull: Mindful business practices for soulful dreamers 6 p.m. | $175 for sErIEs

On The Boulevard Art Show 6 p.m. | frEE

The North Sacramento Business Success Forum 5:30-8:30 p.m. | frEE

Literacy Lounge 4-9 p.m. | DonATIon

Participants will support one another through an eight-session series that cultivates the development of mindful business systems.

On The Boulevard group art show featuring Esteban Swayze, Traci Lords, Sacto Chilly and Slumfunk. Sponsored

by Pabst Blue Ribbon, Dawg Pound Skateshop and Lurk Hard.

Broad Room 1409 Del Paso Blvd.

Sacramento

Dawg Pound Skateshop 2100 Del Paso Blvd. Suite C Sacramento

To register, and for more information: www.cacapital.org, (916) 442-1729

Several authors will share their work.

Also enjoy a comedian, songstress, live painting and refreshments.

The Creator’s Place 1901 Del Paso Blvd.

Sacramento

Carol’s Books 1913 Del Paso Blvd.

Sacramento

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North sacrameNto busiNess success forum get expert advice oN how to start, fuNd, aNd grow your busiNess Join us for an evening business forum for small business owners and entrepreneurs in North Sacramento.

for the best music-makers in sacramento SN&R

Topics covered will include: •

How to get financing for your business

•

How to navigate state and local contract opportunities

•

How to promote your business on a small budget

•

Where to find free resources for small businesses

march 5, 2020 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm the creator’s place 1901 Del paso blvD saCramento, Ca 95815

register Now cacapital.ecenterdirect.com /events/827481

Doors open at 5 pm Dinner will be proviDeD Questions?

Please contact SiewYee Lee at 916-442-1729 or slee@cacapital.org

Grace Loescher SAMMIES 2020 Nominee Spoken word (with music)

voting ends 03.11.20 California Capital FDC 1792 Tribute Road, Suite 270, Sacramento, CA 95815 34

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sammies.com

for the week of february 27

by Patrick hyun wilson

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 Patrick Hyun Wilson at snrcalendar@newsreview.com.

post eVents online For Free at newsreview.com/sacramento

tHe BuMptet: The Bumptet Big Band will

MUSIC

be performing live jazz. 9pm, call for cover. Shady Lady, 1409 R St.

THURSDAY, 2/27

cHapo trap House: Left-wing commentary podcast Chapo Trap House records a live podcast in Sacramento. 7pm, $25. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St.

Berner: Rapper Berner will be coming to

Sacramento to perform live. 7pm, $35. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St.

daVis JaZZ nigHt: Davis Jazz Night is a monthly

citY oF trees Brass Band and tHe MidnigHt dip: City of Trees Brass Band was born

fsdf

free event hosted by the Davis 12-piece community jazz band, The New Harmony Jazz Band. 7pm, no cover. John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st St, Davis.

on the streets of Sacramento and draws influences from the city and music of New Orleans. 9pm, $7. Torch Club, 904 15th St.

FranK Vignola’s Hot JaZZ guitar trio: Frank

donrico de castro at tHe pour cHoice:

Vignola will be playing live jazz. 7pm, $40. The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave.

Donrico Decastro is a singer-songwriter and tenor ukelele player from Sacramento. 6:30pm, no cover. The Pour Choice, 177 Sacramento St.

las caFeteras: A group of students learning

dustBoWl reViVal: American roots orchestra Dustbowl Revival will be performing live in Sacramento. 7pm, $20-$25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

MassaMBa diop WitH FatHer tiMe trio:

29

sat

The season opener for the Sacramento Roller Derby is here.

it’s time to roll out The Rink, 6:30pm, $0-$30 Jammers, blockers and pivots, oh my!

Sacramento Roller Derby is back for the 2020 season, sports & outdoors and these women will be leaving it all on the track.

This year, the season opener will be a doubleheader featuring the Sacramento Roller Derby team Bruin Trouble. They’ll be greasing up their bearings and getting ready to roll at 9 p.m. after the friendly

ticKet WindoW

juniors exhibition game between Team Blue and Team White. The full-contact, fast-paced roller-skating will pit the Bruin Trouble against Hollister’s Faultline Derby Devilz.

Sacramento Roller Derby was formed from the unification of Sac City Rollers and Sacred City Derby Girls and has been operating in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association league since 2012. 2900 Bradshaw Road, sacramentorollerderby.com.

and director Lise Viricel, soprano Josquin Gest, countertenor Benjamin Ingrao, tenor Romain Bockler, baritone Eric Chopin and bass-baritone L’ensemble Coclico bring together professional singers who specialize in Renaissance and medieval music. 7pm, $12-$24. UC Davis, 1 Shields Ave, Davis.

JaniVa Magness: Audience members can anticipate hearing Janiva Magness’ touring band perform songs from her newest John Fogerty-related release, as well as tunes covering the span of her 40-year recording career. 7pm, $30. B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave.

lorie line: Lorie Line will be taking center stage with her concert grand piano, playing favorites and telling memorable stories that have made her music special over the past three decades. 7pm, $59. Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St.

roYal tHursdaYs: Spinning Afrobeats, dancehall, hip-hop/R&B. Enjoy music from a different angle of the Afro music genre. 9:30pm, no cover. Chaise Lounge, 1330 H St.

ARLO GUTHRIE Arlo Guthrie stops by Sacramento for his 20/20 Tour with Folk Uke featuring Alice’s Restaurant.

He’ll be carrying on the legacy of his father Woody Guthrie and will be joined by his daughter Cathy Guthrie in this crossgenerational concert.

center 5/13 7pm

$13.50-$79 On sale now mondaviarts. org.

Mondavi center 4/26 7pm $13/50-

BON JOvI 2020 Bon

$79 On sale now mondaviarts.org.

Jovi is still alive and kicking in 2020. He and his band are

AN EvENING WITH DAvID SEDARIS David

Sedars, New York Times best-selling author and recipient of The Washington

Live on, Bon!

proving it by coming to Sacramento on the West Coast leg of their U.S. tour. golden 1 center 6/13 7:30pm $80-$751 On sale now golden1center.com.

THE MOTHER HIPS California rock

band The Mother Hips has been rocking the stage for 25 years and will be coming to Sacramento to play an acoustic show.

B street theatre 6/17 7pm $40 On sale now bstreettheatre.org.

HARRY STYLES: LOvE ON TOUR

Harry Styles, one-time One Direction heartthrob and current solo act heartthrob, will be coming to Sacramento to throb some hearts and give people the impression of Love On Tour. Maybe he’ll even wear his flappy white pants. golden 1 center 8/27 8pm $55-$165 On sale now golden1center.com.

sasaMi: Singer-songwriter Sasami will be

all night in Sacramento. 9pm, call for cover. Shady Lady, 1409 R St.

Ironsides at the venue’s The Weekend A Prequel series. 9pm, no cover. Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St.

FRIDAY, 2/28

Mri Masters oF rap iMproV: Masters of Rap

Improv is a freestyle rap improv show. 8pm, $8. Sacramento Comedy Spot, 1050 20th St., Suite 130.

MYlar’s Hippie Hour FridaYs: SAMMIES nominated singer-songwriter William Mylar has been performing free live music events since 2012. 5:30pm, no cover. Louie’s Cocktail Lounge, 3030 Mather Field Road, Rancho Cordova.

Country/ Americana band, The Nickel Slots return to the Torch Club, one of their favorite Sacramento music venues 9pm, $10. Torch Club, 904 15th St.

palMer t. lee & HuMBird: Palmer T. Lee of

the Lowest Pair performs solo works. 9pm, $10. Claimstake Brewing Company, 11366

tHe roa Band, BlaMe tHe BisHop: SAMMIES nominated Rock band ROA will perform live accompanied by Blame The Bishop. 8:30pm, $7 Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St.

sHigeto liVe enseMBle: Shigeto Live Ensemble

acoustic FridaYs: Enjoy Friday night acoustic action at Strikes with familiar tunes, sing-alongs and energizing music hosted by Brian Lee Bender. 6pm, call for cover. Strikes Unlimited, 5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin.

Collar Men will be playing live. 9:30pm, $7-$12. Opera House Saloon, 108 Main St., Roseville.

songwriter from Sacramento and will be celebrating the release of his new self-titled EP. 7:30pm, no cover. Gaslight Co., 718 Sutter St., Folsom.

Monier Park Place, Rancho Cordova.

tHe WeeKend a preQuel: It’s DJ night at Old

Blue collar Men: STYX Tribute band Blue

linden Wood: Linden Wood is a singer-

tHe nicKel slots: SAMMIES nominated

sWeet & loW: Sweet & Low Jazz will be playing Post’s best book of the year, will be coming to Sacramento to speak about his latest work, Calypso, a collection of essays. Mondavi

Son Jarocho music became known as Los Cafeteros, named after the Eastside Cafe community center. They soon changed their name to Las Cafeteras to honor the feminine spirit of the group. 6:30pm, $25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

l’enseMBle coclico: Tenor Barnabé Janin

Senegelese musician Massamba Diop, coming off 2019 Oscar and Grammy recognitions for his signature sound in the blockbuster film Black Panther, takes the stage with the Father Time Trio. 6:30pm, $25. Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St.

coming to Sacramento to perform with Mandy Harris. 7pm, $13-$15. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

Want a ticket? Get a ticket.

snr c a le nd a r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

performs live electronic music. 8pm, $20$25. The Starlet Room, 2708 J St.

social cluB MisFits: Christian hip-hop duo

Social Club Misfits performs live. 7pm, $15$35. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

todd Morgan’s 4tH FridaYs: Indie SAMMIES nominated Todd Morgan plays rock ’n’ roll from the 1950s and ’60s, pop/rock, blues,

calendar listings continued on page 36

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SEE MORE EVENTS AND SUBMIT YOUR OWN AT newSreview.cOM/SacraMentO/calendar

CALENDAR LISTINGS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

JIMMY TOOR: Jimmy Toor will be playing jazz

original tunes and sometimes jazz. 9:30pm, no cover. Bar 101 Eats & Drinks, 101 Main St.,

LOWER DENS: Indie pop band Lower Dens will

Roseville.

WHILT SPISKEY AND DIVE BAR BOMBERS: Dive Bar Bombers are a power trio playing a blend of blues, rock, power pop, and soul. Whilt Spiskey is a jam-funk band. 9pm, $5. Fox & Goose, 1001 R St.

Saturday, 2/29 ACCORDING TO BAZOOKA: Live music by SAMMIES nominated Folk/Bluegrass band According to Bazooka. 6pm, no cover. Two Rivers Cider, 4311 Attawa Ave., Suite 300.

THE AGGROLITES: Reggae band The Aggrolites

comes to Sacramento. 7:30pm, $16. Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J St.

AUBREY LOGAN: Contemporary jazz musician

Aubrey Logan performs live. 7pm, $30. The Sofia, 2700 Capitol Ave.

BACKBAR SATURDAY’S W/ MIKE DIAMOND: Backbar Saturdays is every week with SAMMIES nominated DJ Mike Diamond spinning house, bass, rap and electronica. 10pm, no cover. Golden Bear, 2326 K St.

CHURCH GIRLS, PAPER AIRPLANES, DANGER INC., LOUSY ADVICE: Church Girls return to Sacramento to support their new record The Haunt and are joined by local SAMMIES nominee Paper Airplanes. 8pm, $10. Cafe Colonial, 3520 Stockton Blvd.

FRAGILITY OF GOODNESS MUSIC FROM THE BALKANS & BEYOND: Vox Musica jumps into a new project with the second concert of their 14th season. 7pm, $1-$25. Beatnik Studios, 723 S St.

GIRLS ROCK BENEFIT SHOWCASE: An afternoon benefiting the nurturing of young women in music. With SAMMIES nominee Katie Knipp, Larisa Bryski, Moxie, Natalie Cortez, The O’Mally Sisters, Drop Dead Red, The Midnight Dip, South San Lucas and Gillian Underwood and the Lonesome Doves. 3pm, $0-$10. Torch Club, 904 15th St.

GROUNDWAVE: Get ready for Groundwave to rock El Dorado Hills with a rock ’n’ roll dance party. 9pm, no cover. El Dorado Saloon & Grill, 879 Embarcadero Drive, El Dorado Hills.

in Sacramento. 9pm, call for cover. Shady Lady, 1409 R St. play live, joined by Ami Dang. 8pm, $20-

$22. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

MINGUS SINGS THE VOCAL MUSIC OF CHARLES MINGUS: Mingus Sings celebrates the vocal music of Charles Mingus and features vocalist Ellen Johnson, pianist and arranger Rick Helzer, drummer Gary Newmark and bassist John Lauffenburger. 7:30pm, $26$28. Auburn State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way, Auburn.

MIRANDA LAMBERT: Miranda Lambert comes to Sacramento on her Wildcard Tour 2020. 7pm, $31.75. Golden 1 Center, 500 David J. Stern Walk.

MOONSHINE CRAZY: 2019 SAMMIES winning and 2020 SAMMIES nominated Cover Band MoonShine Crazy is playing a show in Roseville. 9:30pm, $10-$15. Opera House Saloon, 108 Main St., Roseville.

MUSTACHE & CLEAVAGE: Join Mustache & Cleavage in celebrating the release of their EP, Can of Tears. 6pm, $12. B Street Theatre, 2700 Capitol Ave.

POLY HOLIDAY: Poly Holiday plays guitar-driven dream pop with a hint of reverby gloom.

They’ll be joined by The Surrounded. 9pm,

$5. Fox & Goose, 1001 R St.

RED VOODOO: Red Voodoo is bringing their Van

Halen party to Citrus Heights. 9:30pm, $5$30. Corner Pocket Sports Bar, 7777 Sunrise Blvd., 1400, Citrus Heights.

Sunday, 3/1 BLACK VIOLIN: Wil B. on viola and Kev Marcus on violin, the band uses an unique blend of classical and hip-hop to overcome stereotypes. 7:30pm, $39-$79. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

ERIC GALES: Eric Gales performs his latest

album The Bookends in Sacramento. 6pm, $25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

HABIBI: New York rock band Habibi plays

Sacramento, joined by Rudy De Anda. 6pm,

$15. The Starlet Room, 2708 J St.

KIRTAN LIVE MUSIC AND SINGING: Weekly musical gatherings with spiritual singing and dancing, followed by vegetarian meal. 5:30pm, no cover. San Juan Lodge, 5944 San Juan Ave., Citrus Heights.

Saturday, 2/29

These girls are going to rock Sacramento Torch club, 3pm, $10

Girls Rock Sacramento was formed to help girls build their self esteem through the power of musical performance.

SAMMIES This Saturday, the nonprofit is hosting a benefit showcase featuring 10 Sacramento bands including Blues SAMMIES nominee Katie Knipp. The bands performing will be Girls Rock Sacramento co-founder Larisa Bryski, Moxie, Natalie Cortez, The O’Mally Sisters, Drop Dead Red, The Midnight Dip, South San Lucas and Gillian Underwood and the Lonesome Doves. 904 15th St., torchclub.net.

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PHOtO by Maria ratinOva

SATURDAY, 2/29

that continues to influence the entire genre.

Inspired by Stephen King’s bestselling novel, the film stars Jack Nicholson in one of his most iconic roles as Jack Torrance, an aspiring writer and winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. 7:30pm, $11.50. The Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive.

Mingus sings for Sacramento auburn State theatre, 7:30pm, $10-$28

HEATH WILLIAMSON & FRIENDS: Sacramento’s Heath Williamson performs live every week. 5:30pm, no cover. Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St.

TUESDAY, 3/3 FALLING IN REVERSE: Falling In Reverse comes to Sacramento on their The Drug In Me Is Gold Tour, joined by Ice Nine Kills and From Ashes To New. 6pm, $27.75. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St.

WEDNESDAY, 3/4 BUDDY GUY, JIMMIE VAUGHAN, AND CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE: Three blues masters join together for a triple bill. Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan and Charlie Musselwhite will each lay down an electric set in a blues summit for the ages. 7pm, $27.50-$95. Mondavi Center-Jackson Hall, Davis.

CHURCH OF MISERY: Church of Misery plays a show with special guests Black Wizard and Wizard Rifle. 7:30pm, $20-$25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

MELISSA ALDANA QUARTET: Chilean-born saxophonist Melissa Aldana is a prodigious talent whose instrumental chops and creative improvisations are a family tradition. 8pm, $23.50-$47. UC Davis, 1 Shields Ave., Davis.

TAIKO DAN JAPANESE DRUMMING: The Sacramento Taiko Dan will be performing as part of UNIQUE Programs’ Wednesday Nooner series. Noon, no cover. Sacramento State, 6000 J St.

FILM THURSDAY, 2/27 LOVING: From writer-director Jeff Nichols, Loving celebrates the real-life courage and commitment of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving who married in Virginia in 1958 and then spent the next nine years fighting for the right to live as a family

COMEDY TOUR. Laughs are on tap for this nationwide tour that’s already hit 900 breweries across the U.S. More than a dozen New York and L.A. stand-ups are currently on the road, sampling local fare and local brews and providing comedy entertainment. 7pm. Wednesday 3/4. $14. 1520 Terminal St., West Sacramento.

COMEDY

Charles Mingus transcended cool. I haven’t ever felt comfortable calling someone a cool cat, but Mingus is so cool that there’s no way to describe the virtuoso jazz bassist other PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM MARCELLO than saying, he MUSIC was one cool cat. His musical influence extended far past his death in 1979 and for Sacramento audiences, Mingus’ lyrical music will be showcased. With permission from his widow Sue, vocalist Ellen Johnson recorded vocals over several Mingus tunes, including, “Peggy’s Blue Skylight,” “Nostalgia In Times Square” and “Noddin Ya Head Blues.” She’ll be bringing Mingus’ music alive on stage this Saturday at Auburn State Theatre. 985 Lincoln Way, Auburn, livefromauburn.com.

MONDAY, 3/2

YOLO BREWING COMPANY: THE BREWERY

in their hometown. 7pm, $8. Auburn State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way, Auburn.

SACRAMENTO FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL WINTER SHORTS FEST: The Winter Shorts Fest, is back at the Tower Theatre, 18 years after its inaugural edition. 7pm, $12. Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive.

FRIDAY, 2/28 TOMBSTONE MOVIE NIGHT: Put on your cowboy hats and saddle up because justice is coming. Costumes are encouraged and Jackrabbit Brewing will be doing a costume contest at intermission with prizes. 9:30pm, $15. Jackrabbit Brewing Co., 1323 Terminal St., West Sacramento.

SATURDAY, 2/29 ROTARIES-AVALANCHE ON THE MOUNTAIN SCREENING & Q&A: Join the California Railroad Museum for a screening of Rotaries-Avalanche on the Mountain. The film explores a story of survival when men and machines vied with the mountains and the elements. Noon, $0-$12. California State Railroad Museum, 111 I St.

ALL ITS NAME IMPLIES- FIRE, ASH, AND THE RESILIENCE OF PARADISE: This is a featurelength documentary film that focuses on the residents of Paradise as they attempt to rebuild after the devastating Camp Fire, which burned the town in November 2018. 7:30pm, $10. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

MONDAY, 3/2 THE GODFATHER: Eight of your favorite directors are going head-to-head in Director’s Cup! Follow Tower Theatre on social media to vote on who will move forward throughout the series. Francis Ford Coppola’s multi-generational crime saga is a touchstone of cinema one of the most widely imitated, quoted and lampooned movies of all time. 7:30pm, $11.50. The Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive.

WEDNESDAY, 3/4

BLACKTOP COMEDY: Top Dog Comedy A Leap of Funny. Back for one night only hosted by Kristen Frisk with special guests Al Shuman, Alex Elkin and Mike Betancourt. 8pm.

Saturday 2/29. $15. 3101 Sunset Blvd., Suite 6A, Rocklin.

LAUGHS UNLIMITED COMEDY CLUB: Sam Bam Comedy Jam. Enjoy a night of laughter at the Sam Bam Comedy Jam featuring Sam Bam, Key Lewis & Joey Guila. 8pm. Thursday 2/27. $12. Corey Rodrigues featuring Anthony Davis. Corey was the winner of Catch a New Rising Star, Funniest Comic in New England and the 2017 Big Sky Comedy Festival. Various times. 2/28-3/1. 1207 Front St.

PUNCH LINE: JB Smoove. Jerry Angelo Brooks, known as J.B. Smoove, will be performing live stand-up in Sacramento for two nights. Various times. 2/27-29. $25. Road Dogs Keith Lowell Jensen & Johnny Taylor Birthday Show. Local comedians Kieth Lowell Jensen and Johnny Taylor come together to celebrate their shared birthday on stage. 8pm. Wednesday 3/4. $18.50. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.

STAB! COMEDY THEATER: Wanderlust.

Wanderlust is a storytelling show featuring Spenser Sellens and other comedians telling their best travel stories. 8pm. Friday 2/28. $7. Dr. Buddy Love. Dr. Buddy Love returns Saturday for more sexy talk. He and his guest tell stories about their various sexual experiences. 9pm. Saturday 2/29. $7. 1710 Broadway.

SACRAMENTO COMEDY SPOT: YOU! The Musical.

YOU! The Musical is a completely improvised musical inspired by your suggestion of a title. 9pm. Friday 2/28. $12. POC Improv Space. People of Color Improv Space offers a unique opportunity for students who identify as POC to explore the comedic arts in a safe and nurturing environment. 12am.

Sunday 3/1. No cover. 1050 20th St., Suite 130.

ON STAGE AMERICAN RIVER COLLEGE THEATRE: North Star.

Set in North Carolina in the 1960s, it is the story of Relia, an African-American girl, searching for her place to shine in both society and her personal life. Various times.

2/28-3/8. $12-$15. 4700 College Oak Drive.

Conservatory, this play, written by Celeste Raspanti, is based on the poetry created in a concentration camp by the Jewish children of Prague. Various times. 3/4-3/8. $17-$20. 1419 H St.

UC DAVIS MAIN THEATRE: Peter and the Starcatcher. Prequel to Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatchers begins with Peter as a young orphan, and his mates shipped off from Victorian England aboard a vessel with a mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin. Various times. 2/27-3/7. $12$18.50. Hutchinson Drive, Davis.

WJ GEERY THEATER: Once More, with Feeling.

The fourth annual presentation of “Once More, with Feeling,” the musical episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” returns with six show times. Various times. 2/21-2/29. $15. 2130 L St.

ART COURT THEATRE: Mr. Burns The Post Electric Play. When nuclear power plants across the country begin to go up, a small group of survivors gather in the woods and begin to recount an episode of The Simpsons. Various times. 2/28-3/15. $18. 383.

Freeport Blvd.

CREST THEATRE: John Waters “This Filthy World” tour 2020. John Waters brings his one-man show to the Crest for one night only. 7:30pm. Friday 2/28. $3,. 1013 K St. Todd. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by Christopher Cook at Tower Theater in Roseville. Various times.

Through 3/8. 3823 V St.

HARRIS CENTER: The Tempest Actors From The London Stage. Five brilliant British actors from prestigious companies will come to the Folsom Lake College campus for one week. Various times. 2/27-2/29. The Actors’ Gang The New Colossus. The New Colossus presents a group of actors telling their ancestors’ stories in 12 different eras, all woven into a single narrative. Various times.

3/3-3/4. 10 College Pkwy, Folsom.

Tale takes you to the stoops of the Bronx in the 1960s, when a young man is caught between the father he loves and the mob boss he’d love to be. Various times. 3/3-3/8. $70-$77. 1515 J St.

SACRAMENTO THEATRE: I Never Saw Another

JAYJAY: Critical Matters 2.0, New work by Robin Hill. Robin Hill’s work focuses on the intersection between drawing, photography and sculpture. Various times. Through 3/28. No cover. 5524 B Elvas Ave.

KENNEDY GALLERY: Surrealism, featuring

GREEN VALLEY THEATRE COMPANY: Sweeney

MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM: A Bronx Tale. A Bronx

ART

Tomte, Hill & Tiesler. Surrealist work from more than 20 artists on display. Various times. Through 3/1. No cover. 1931 L St.

TIM COLLOM GALLERY: “Whitney Lofrano What Goes Around” at Tim Collom Gallery February 2020. Whitney Lofrano returns to the Tim Collom Gallery with “What Goes Around,” an exhibit of 45 powerful new works in oil and watercolor. Various times.

Through 2/29. No cover. 915 20th St.

UC DAVIS: Appreciation and Adaptation Homage to Global Textiles. The exhibition features traditional textiles from Africa, Asia and South America that inspired design works by UC Davis students, which are also showcased. Various times. Through 4/18. No cover. 1 Shields Ave., Davis.

ARTSPACE1616: Robin Hill -There’s Only One Sky. Robin Hill extracted 416 phrases from the New York Times over the course of the past three years, the work is on display at this site-specific exhibition. Various times.

Through 2/29. No cover. 1616 Del Paso Blvd.

Butterfly. Performed by students from STC School of the Arts, Young Professionals

SATURDAY, 2/29

Paper Airplanes touch down on Cafe Colonial stage Cafe Colonial, 8pm, Call for Cover

Baggy T-shirts, beanies, backwards baseball caps, blurry photos. You better bet that’s grunge. This Saturday, 2020 SAMMIES Teen nominee Paper Airplanes will be performing with Church Girls, Danger Inc. and Lousy Advice at Cafe SAMMIES Colonial to support Church Girls latest record The Haunt. The young guns of grunge have been rocking Sacramento stages from Holy Diver to Boardwalk since 2018 and aren’t showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon. 3520 Stockton Blvd., facebook.com/cafecolonial916.

THE SHINING: Stanley Kubrick’s psychological

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAPER AIRPLANES

horror masterpiece is a stylized classic

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THURSDAY 2/27

FRIDAY 2/28

SATURDAY 2/29

ArmAdillo music

Malaki, 7pm, no cover

99 Cents, 8pm, no cover

The Parts, 8pm, no cover

At EAsE BrEwing co.

Trivia At Ease, 7pm, call for cover

BAdlAnds

PopRockz 90s Night, 10pm, no cover

207 F ST., DAvIS, (530) 758-8058 1825 I ST., (916) 431-7940

BAr 101

4th Fridays feat. Todd Morgan, 9:30pm, no cover

Banjo Bones singer-songwriter showcase, 9pm, no cover

Open-mic, 8pm, W, call for cover

thE BoArdwAlk

Doris, Eyes Eternal, Casette Idols, Never 4 Naught, 8pm, $10

House of Hyphy 2, 9pm, $15-$20

Chernobyl The Secret, A Perfect Being, Tomb of Minerva, 8pm, T, $10

John Waters “This Filthy World” Tour, 7:30pm, $35-$55

All It’s Name Implies- Fire, Ash & The Resilience of Paradise, 7:30pm, $0-$10

Black Violin, 7:30pm, $39-$79

The Black Jacket Symphony, 8pm, M, $20.50-$30.50

Sequin Saturday, 9:30pm, call for cover

Pool Party, no cover

Every Damn Monday, M, no cover; Noche Latina, 10pm, T, no cover

crEst thEAtrE

Aliens, 7:30pm, $10-$22

drAkE’s: thE BArn

S’mores & Stouts, 5pm, call for cover

FAcEs

Karaoke Night, 9pm, call for cover

Absolut Fridays, 3pm, $6

Fox & goosE

Whilt Spiskey, Dive Bar Bombers, 9pm, $5

Pony Holiday, The Surrounded, 9pm, $5

goldEn 1 cEntEr

500 DAvID J STERN WAlk, (888) 915-4647

CIF Sac San Joaquin Section, 10am, $13-$35

CIF Sac San Joaquin Section, 10am, $13-$35

Miranda Lambert, 7pm, $20-$96

Pistons vs Kings, 3pm, $23-$145

Wizards vs Kings, 7pm, T, $11-$106

guild thEAtrE

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Dustbowl Revival, Jared & The Mill, 8pm, $20-$25

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Social Club Misfits, 7pm, sold out

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Bing Benefiting Angels in the Alley, 12:45pm, W, $10 Church of Misery, Black Wizard, Wizard Rifle, 7:30pm W, $20-$25

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Cornhole Tournament, 6:30pm, call for cover

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Dive Bar Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover; Night School, 9pm, T, no cover

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Several improvements to the PAX Era Pro include enhanced LED lighting, which makes it easier to see if there is oil left in the pod.

c A n n A b i s

Photo courtesy of Pax Labs

Review: The PAX Era Pro, a vaporizer of great promise Until Apple relents, however, its functionality is sorely limited

by Zack Ruskin

Learn more about the Pax era Pro by visiting pax.com.

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The problem with designing a cannabis vaporizer that relies on an app to do most of its magic is that sometimes that app gets removed in an ill-advised and rash response to an alleged health epidemic. In this case, the app in question belongs to San Francisco vaporizer manufacturer PAX. The reason it no longer exists on Apple’s App Store stems from the rash of vaperelated illnesses that made headlines throughout much of 2019.

In response to public outcry over reports that linked vaping to an acute pulmonary condition now referred to as VAPI (Vaping Associated Pulmonary Illness), Apple removed 181 vaping-related apps from its online |

02.27.20

store in November. Though we now know that counterfeit cannabis vape cartridges—some tainted with the THC additive vitamin E acetate—were largely the culprit, plenty of legitimate cannabis vaporizer companies and their customers have also paid a price from Apple’s app ban.

Such is the scenario that greets the release of the PAX Era Pro. This second-generation update on the popular PAX Era retains the former’s basic structure as a thin, sleek bar-shaped vaporizer that relies on disposable, proprietary pods that can be purchased and prefilled with oil from a number of manufacturers.

It’s important to note that these pods

or cartridges differ from 510 thread While, it’s impossible to fairly cartridges, the more “generic” version that judge the Era Pro until some kind of screws onto any vape battery (and the type solution, there are still several notable that is associated with VAPI cases). improvements to the PAX Era Pro Instead, the PAX Era only works that require no Bluetooth pairing to with pods manufactured for the unit, enjoy. One is enhanced LED lighting, distinguishable by a red band around which takes a bit of guesswork out of the middle. That’s especially important trying to tell if there’s oil left in your in light of what is almost assuredly the pod. Also, there are new laser-cut intake most compelling feature of the new vents along the unit’s side, allowing for Era Pro: NFC-enabled pods. increased airflow. There’s also an upgrade High-quality testing has always in ports from microUSB to the more been a key component of PAX’s pitch, modern USB-C, which means users don’t but the Era Pro takes it to the next have to lug one outdated cable around just level by allowing users to instantly to keep the Era Pro charged. see details about each specific pod’s When and if the app is made brand, strain, cannabinoid percentages, available to Apple customers, there are likely effects and suggested more features. temperature as soon as they pop it in.

For one, the PAX Era Pro can Users can even read state-regulated remember the temperature you like for testing results—a major move forward a specific pod, allowing you to set it in the movement to bring and forget it. Another enticing transparency to cannabis. feature is the unit’s dosing This is thanks to control, which goes NFC technology, beyond the arbitrary which PAX started measurements of One can even incorporating the original model read state-regulated into its pods in (micro, small, January. When medium and testing results—a concerns over large) to a set major move forward in the quality number of doses. of vaporizer Honestly, the movement to bring oil has never there aren’t transparency to been higher, a many bones to device that can pick with this cannabis. instantly provide device, which vital information on the delivers on its cannabis you’re promise to enhance a about to smoke should be vaporizer that was already welcome news. considered by many standards to The problem, as you may have be cutting-edge. guessed, is that all this important The largest caveat—aside from the safety information is only currently Apple app issue—is PAX Era Pro’s accessible to those with an Android price tag. At a retail price of $69.99, it device. is more than double the current cost of So PAX says its at work on a its predecessor ($29.99). web app as an interim solution for So waiting until the app is available iPhone users while negotiations with isn’t a knock against the Era Pro, but Apple continue. In a statement to rather a testament to the durability of SN&R, PAX’s senior vice president the original. of product, Jesse Silver, said the If your Era is working and you company was “disappointed by Apple’s don’t have an Android phone, shelling decision to ban all vaporization apps, out $70 for LED lights and bigger hits including the PAX Mobile App, as is a tough sell. But the moment the it prevents consumers in legal states PAX app returns to the Apple store, the from accessing important information cost shouldn’t keep you from giving and further controlling their cannabis the Era Pro a try. Ω experiences.”

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Paging Dr. Green Thumb

By Ngaio Bealum

Spring weather seems so early this year.

Would it be cool if I put my cannabis plants outside right now? I want them to get that good sunlight.

Slow your roll, big fella. Unless you are growing some sort of ruderalis hybrid, it is still too early to put your cannabis plants outside. Cannabis is a “photoperiodic” plant, meaning that it starts to bloom as the days get shorter.

Seeing as the days are still fairly short, any plant you put outside right now will go into flower immediately.

But since the spring equinox isn’t until March 19 and a cannabis flower takes seven to 12 weeks to reach full maturity, your plants will either go back into vegetative mode or freak out completely and die. Both of those are bad. You might as well wait until after the equinox to make sure your garden is set up. Get your dirt and your tools together and create a nice happy space for your plants to thrive once you plant them in April.

By the way, ruderalis hybrids are “autoflowering” plants, which means they don’t care about long days or short days. They just go into flower when they feel the time is right. Upside: You can grow autoflower cannabis plants all year ’round. Downside: ruderalis hybrids are usually a little smaller so they don’t yield as much. But if you are harvesting all year as opposed to just once, it may even out. I am sure that if you poke around on the internet a bit, you can find someone to sell you some autoflowering cannabis seeds.

Have fun in the garden!

r e c r e at i o n

al d c i d e m al &

ispensary

a s k 4 2 0 @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Did I hear something about bees loving cannabis plants? Please explain.

You heard correctly. According to a study published in the latest issue of Environmental Entomology, bees absolutely love the pollen from the cannabis plant. And the higher the plant, the happier the bee. Now before you start growing giant pot plants in your garden while yelling, “This isn’t for me! This is for the bees!” at your neighbors, understand that you would have to grow all male plants. It’s the male plants that produce the pollen that makes the bees happy, while it’s the female plants that get you high.

(The sweet sticky resin from the female cannabis plants is designed to capture pollen from the males so seed-making can occur, thus ensuring the survival of the species.) Having a bunch of male plants spraying their pollen everywhere is an easy way to create seeds in an entire garden or neighborhood, so you might want to reconsider your plans. Sigh.

Here’s the thing though: Industrial hempfields contain male and female plants. We need to talk Big Agriculture into growing as much hemp as possible. It’s a win-win.

Hemp can save the bees and save the planet. Ω

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Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert. Email him questions at ask420@newsreview.com.

@Ngaio420

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Free will astrology

ask joey

by ROb bRezsny

For the week oF February 27, 2020 ARIES (March 21-April 19): You may sometimes

trust issues

by JOey GARCIA

@AskJoeyGarcia

yourself, you make better choices about My boyfriend and I have been together for four years. I told him that I had been whom else you can trust. This is where abused as a child and had serious trust the arguing loses power. You learn to issues. Most of my therapists have said step away and take care of yourself. You I’m someone who should not be in a relalearn to apologize to yourself and to your tionship. My boyfriend and I had hoped to man for your part in the drama. You also defy those odds. but after four years we learn to separate the past from the now, still have serious knock-down-drag-out an empowering act of self-love that can arguments over things. we’re sick of it. change you forever. we need help in figuring out how to handle my issues. any advice?

My boyfriend will text me that he’s going Yes, disconnect from justifications. out for drinks with the guys, by which he It’s awful that you were abused as a means single girls he works with, who he child. I understand how terrible such an says he’s not interested in. I know for a experience can be, and the lasting fact that these girls want him. he impact it often has. I’m sad is well aware they make me to hear that it happened uncomfortable, but he goes to you. From a anyway. Don’t tell me to spiritual perspective, break up with him. I’ve As you trust if you intend to tried. we always seem heal you must to find each other yourself, you make stop supporting a again. how do I get him cause-and-effect better choices about to open his eyes? belief system By opening yours. He whom else you can as the only knows that bevvies explanation for why trust. with babes annoys you. you behave as you He goes out with his do. Open your mind to female coworkers, anyway. other possibilities.

You can join the crowd and Two things are true let yourself have fun. Or break up according to you: You experienced with your man and make it stick. He’s not childhood abuse. You struggle with trust going to change. This is who he is. If you issues as an adult. When you choose to can’t accept it, move on. Ω separate these two things, you create space inside your mind where you can begin to feel whole in small but vital ways. This frees the life-changing energy MeDItatIon oF the week that gives your subconscious permission to stop pointing to old wounds. During arguments with your boyfriend you “Even though you’re fed up, you got to keep your head up,” may feel as though you deserve more said Tupac Shakur, the late understanding from him because of your rapper. What attitude are you history. As a child, you likely hoped that bringing into the presidential someone would notice you and intervene. campaign?

As an adult, you can be that someone for yourself. It takes the pressure off your man. It’s not his job to save you. If he loves you, he will allow you to save yourself.

Write, email or leave a message for It may help you to accept that Joey at the News & Review. Give everyone has trust issues in some area of your name, telephone number their life, either with a partner, family, the (for verification purposes only) and question—all future, coworkers, God or something else. correspondence will be kept strictly confidential.

You’re not alone. The more honest you Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA become with yourself, the stronger your 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 1360; or email askjoey@newsreview.com. capacity for self-trust grows. As you trust 46

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reach a point where you worry that conditions are not exactly right to pursue your dreams or fulfill your holy quest. Does that describe your current situation? If so, I invite you to draw inspiration from Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), who’s regarded as one of history’s foremost novelists. Here’s how one observer described Cervantes during the time he was working on his masterpiece, the novel titled Don Quixote: “shabby, obscure, disreputable, pursued by debts, with only a noisy tenement room to work in.” Cervantes dealt with imperfect conditions just fine.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “True success is figuring out your life and career so you never have to be around jerks,” says Taurus filmmaker, actor and author John Waters. I trust that you have been intensely cultivating that kind of success in the last few weeks—and that you will climax this wondrous accomplishment with a flourish during the next few weeks. You’re on the verge of achieving a new level of mastery in the art of immersing yourself in environments that bring out the best in you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): I would love for you to become more powerful—not necessarily in the sense of influencing the lives of others, but rather in the sense of managing your own affairs with relaxed confidence and crisp competence.

What comes to mind when I urge you to expand your self-command and embolden your ambition? Is there an adventure you could initiate that would bring out more of the swashbuckler in you?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): For my Cancerian readers in the Southern hemisphere, this oracle will be in righteous alignment with the natural flow of the seasons. That’s because February is the hottest, laziest most spacious time of year in that part of the world—a logical moment to take a lavish break from the daily rhythm and escape on a vacation or pilgrimage designed to provide relaxation and renewal. Which is exactly what I’m advising for all of the earth’s Cancerians, including those in the Northern hemisphere.

So for those of you above the equator, I urge you to consider thinking like those below the equator. If you can’t get away, make a blanket fort in your home and pretend. Or read a book that takes you on an imaginary journey. Or hang out at an exotic sanctuary in your hometown.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Leo author Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a pioneer in the genre of the historical novel. His stories were set in various eras of the Scottish past. In those pre-telephone and pre-internet days, research was a demanding task. Scott traveled widely to gather tales from keepers of the oral tradition.

In accordance with current astrological omens, I recommend that you draw inspiration from Scott’s old-fashioned approach. Seek out direct contact with the past. Put yourself in the physical presence of storytellers and elders.

Get first-hand knowledge about historical events that will inspire your thoughts about the future of your life story.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Over a period of 40 years, the artist Rembrandt (1606–1663) gazed into a mirror as he created more than 90 selfportraits—about 10% of his total work. Why? Art scholars don’t have a definitive answer.

Some think he did self-portraits because they sold well. Others say that because he worked so slowly, he himself was the only person he could get to model for long periods. Still others believe this was his way of cultivating self-knowledge, equivalent to an author writing an autobiography. In the coming weeks, I highly recommend that you engage in your personal equivalent of extended mirror-gazing. It’s a favorable time to understand yourself better.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): From author Don DeLillo’s many literary works, I’ve gathered five quotes to serve as your guideposts in the coming weeks. These observations are all in synchronistic alignment with your current

needs. 1. Sometimes a thing that’s hard is hard because you’re doing it wrong. 2. You have to break through the structure of your own stonework habit just to make yourself listen.

3. Something is always happening, even on the quietest days and deep into the night, if you stand a while and look. 4. The world is full of abandoned meanings. In the commonplace, I find unexpected themes and intensities. 5. What we are reluctant to touch often seems the very fabric of our salvation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I remember a time when a cabbage could sell itself just by being a cabbage,” wrote Scorpio author Jean Giraudoux (1882–1944). “Nowadays it’s no good being a cabbage—unless you have an agent and pay him a commission.” He was making the point that for us humans, it’s not enough to simply become good at a skill and express that skill; we need to hire a publicist or marketing wizard or distributor to make sure the world knows about our offerings. Generally, I agree with Giradoux’s assessment. But I think that right now it applies to you only minimally. The coming weeks will be one of those rare times when your interestingness will shine so brightly, it will naturally attract its deserved attention. Your motto, from industrialist Henry J. Kaiser: “When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): When he was 29 years old, Sagittarian composer Ludwig van Beethoven published his String Quartet, Op. 18, No. 4. Most scholars believe that the piece was an assemblage of older material he had created as a young man. A similar approach might work well for you in the coming weeks. I invite you to consider the possibility of repurposing tricks and ideas that weren’t quite ripe when you first used them. Recycling yourself makes good sense.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Are there parts of your life that seem to undermine other parts of your life? Do you wish there was greater harmony between your heart and your head, between your giving and your taking, between your past and your future? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could infuse your cautiousness with the wildness of your secret self? I bring these questions to your attention because I suspect you’re primed to address them with a surge of innovative energy. Here’s my prediction: Healing will come as you juxtapose apparent opposites and unite elements that have previously been unconnected.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When he was 19, the young poet Robert Graves joined the British army to fight in World War I. Two years later, the Times of London newspaper reported that he had been killed at the Battle of the Somme in France. But it wasn’t true. Graves was very much alive, and continued to be for another 69 years. During that time, he wrote 55 books of poetry, 18 novels and 55 other books. I’m going to be bold and predict that this story can serve as an apt metaphor for your destiny in the coming weeks and months. Some dream or situation or influence that you believed to be gone will in fact have a very long second life filled with interesting developments.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): If you’re like most of us, you harbor desires for experiences that might be gratifying in some ways but draining in others. If you’re like most of us, you may on occasion get attached to situations that are mildly interesting, but divert you from situations that could be amazingly interesting and enriching.

The good news is that you are now in a phase when you have maximum power to wean yourself from these wasteful tendencies. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to identify your two or three most important and exciting longings—and take a sacred oath to devote yourself to them above all other wishes and hopes.

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