Arden-Carmichael News 2-10-2023

Elk Grove City Council approves additional $800K for proposed zoo

Sacramento Zoo could potentially relocate, expand in Elk Grove

By Lance Armstrong vcneditor@gmail.com

The Elk Grove City Council on Jan. 25 unanimously adopted a resolution to allocate $800,000 toward that city’s proposed zoo project.

Th is funding comes through the council’s approved amendment of the city of Elk Grove’s fi scal year 2022-23 annual budget, allowing the $800,000 to be transferred from the city’s General Capital Reserve Fund to its General Fund.

If this proposed plan becomes a reality, the 95-year-old Sacramento Zoo would move from its current 14-acre site in William Land Park to a designated 70acre portion of a 100-acre city of Elk Grove-owned site at the northwest corner of Kammerer Road and Lotz Parkway in Elk Grove.

Last year, a six-month feasibility study between the Sacramento Zoological Society and the city of Elk Grove identified a potential relocation of the Sacramento Zoo to Elk Grove as a viable option.

Th at study was followed by the adoption of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the zoological society and

the city of Elk Grove. The MOU outlines steps involved in the planning process and potential development of the project in Elk Grove.

In February 2022, the city of Elk Grove provided the initial funding of $500,000 for the analysis of this proposed project’s master planning efforts and the preparation of the environmental

impact report (EIR) for the Elk Grove site.

An additional $33,000 was combined with that amount from the city of Elk Grove’s fi scal year 2021-22 budget from department operations in that city’s strategic planning and innovation, and economic development.

The additional $800,000 in

funding allows for the payment of expenses totaling $1.3 million.

An itemized list of current and anticipated costs for the proposed project include $400,000 for the completion of the EIR, $142,000 for preliminary concept designs for roads and cost estimates, and $35,000 for a water supply assessment.

Prior to the council’s deliberation and vote on the resolution to add $800,000 toward the city’s proposed zoo project, Elk Grove resident Felipe Martin, who unsuccessfully ran for an Elk Grove City Council seat last November, expressed concerns about the request for additional funding for the proposed zoo.

“We’re spending a lot of money, putting the cart before the horse,” he said. “We need to understand how we’re going to do this, and understand how we’re moving forward.

“We’re spending a lot of money, the economy is changing. As you know, the state is having financial issues. It will start trickling down. So, we need to understand where we’re spending our money before we go spend it.”

Elk Grove City Council Member Darren Suen responded to Martin’s comments by stressing the need to spend money prior to

Photos courtesy of city of Elk Grove

An artist conceptual rendering shows a possible scene for the proposed Elk Grove zoo.

Zoo:

Continued from page 2

making an informed decision on the zoo proposal.

“We are going to have to spend a little bit more money to make sure we have a full picture from environmental standpoint, from our utilities,

to our sewer, water, storm drain, all these other things before we can make an informed decision to go forward,” he said.

Elk Grove Vice Mayor Kevin Spease mentioned that while he supports Suen’s position to take this next step, he wants to avoid burdening Elk Grove taxpayers with this project.

“For me to be interested in continuing this in a further step, I’m going to need to see a significant portion of the support come from private funds,” he said. “I’m not interested in doing this on the back of Elk Grove taxpayers. So, I’ll leave that there. That’s my warning signal for the future, but I will vote in favor tonight.”

Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Zoo

The Sacramento Zoo’s newest resident, this female Masai giraffe calf, poses for the camera. She was born at the zoo on Jan. 22 at 12:28 p.m.

Potential Elk Grove zoo guests could have the opportunity to spend a night in one of the proposed zoo’s luxury tent-cabins, which could have views of a hippopotamus lake.

Arden, Carmichael residents, others talk about New Year’s resolutions

By Lance Armstrong vcneditor@gmail.com

With about a month gone by since the 2023 calendar became effective, the Arden-Carmichael News toured the Arden area and other parts of Sacramento to find out how locals have fared with their New Year’s resolutions, or if they even made any resolutions for this new year.

Among the first people to speak to this paper in the Arden area was Reggie Thompson, who said he is not one to make New Year’s resolutions.

“To me, it shouldn’t have to take a whole year for you to make a resolution,” he said. “You should be able to change on the fly. So, I’m not really big on a whole new year trying to ‘Oh, new year, new me.’ You should be able to change when you need

to and want to.”

Carmichael resident Tracy Schauberger also described her-

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self as someone who does not make New Year’s resolutions.

“Every year is a reminder that time is fleeting and we need to be focusing on our goals and what’s important,” she said. “But I really don’t believe in resolutions, excluding trying to remember what’s important at the end of the year, beginning of the year.”

Noah, who chose to not provide his last name, spoke about his New Year’s resolution.

“To stay off the internet as much as I can,” he said. “I try not to make that my whole life, (doing) gaming, social media, stuff like that. (Th is year), I only go on it for (things) like keeping in contact with friends, seeing how they’re doing.”

This paper next met Ani Naihg, who mentioned that although he did not make a resolution for 2023, he made New Year’s resolutions in past years.

for sure.”

Despite not having a resolution this year, Naihg noted that he made a general improvement goal.

“I kind of just internally said to myself, I’m just going to do better this year kind of thing,” he said. “Yeah, I didn’t make any solidified goals.”

Hanna, who opted not to share her last name, is seeking to have more money in 2023. Her resolution is to acquire employment.

“To get a job to make money and move out (of her current residence),” she said.

Hanna added that among her dream jobs are a mortician and a crime scene investigator.

Lorena Long mentioned that she desires to be a better mother in 2023.

Th is mother of two children was brief in her response after being asked how her resolution was going.

“Great,” she said.

In another part of the Sacramento area, Arnold Zuniga took time out from his yardwork to address the topic of New Year’s resolutions.

Zuniga mentioned that he had not made a resolution for 2023.

“I seem to be doing OK the way I am,” he said. “(His resolutions in the past have been) weight loss and whatnot. But I think I’ve accomplished that, so I don’t have to make that again.”

Zuniga shared his approach to keeping a thin waistline.

New Year’s resolution.

While taking a walk, the woman, who requested not to be identified by name, spoke about her goal of losing weight in the new year.

“Last year, I wanted to lose weight and then I didn’t do it, so this year I promised myself this time I will,” she said.

To accomplish her goal, she takes an hourlong walk with her dog every day, and eats less each day than she generally did on a daily basis last year.

“Usually, I wouldn’t be doing this (walking),” she said. “I would just be ordering (food through the online food ordering and food delivery platform), DoorDash, and eating a lot. But I don’t want to do that anymore, because it’s hard for me to do things and stuff. I’m trying to make better choices this year and not be as tired and miserable.” This paper next encountered Cathy Horiuchi, who was heading home by foot with a bag full of groceries.

Horiuchi noted that she enjoys trying to improve herself by making New Year’s resolutions. She added that her resolutions are not of the typical variety, and that her resolution for this year is not an exception.

“(Her 2023 resolution is) to not give any unsolicited advice,” she said. “I get a lot of it and I’ve decided I don’t really like it. I think people, as they get more experience, they think they have something to say to everybody. I’ve decided I’m not going to tell anybody anything unless they ask for it.”

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“I’ve done gym ones for muscle gain,” he said. “I went about eight months through the year. I did meet (a) partial goal. I tried to gain 15 pounds. I probably gained 10 to 12. So, I did succeed a little bit, but I did not fi nish it

“I don’t push away (from more caloric and sugary foods) that much. I just use it,” he said. “Well, I mean, if you eat it, you’ve got to work it out. You’ve got to be out here doing this kind of stuff (like yardwork).”

A short distance from Zuniga’s home was a woman who was in the act of working on her

Horiuchi noted that her resolution extends to her home life.

“I have some young adults at home, and I don’t want to tell them how to live their (lives),” she said. “The world is different

Photos by Lance Armstrong Robert Share sits beside his dog, Benson. Share noted that he is currently working on his goal of not eating late at night and refraining from eating a lot of unhealthy, sugary snacks.

Resolutions:

Continued

now than when I was a kid, and I’m just going to let them figure it out. And if they want to know, they have to ask.”

Sacramento area resident Casey Reeve mentioned that he has two resolutions for 2023.

“I want to get out and exercise more and also travel around and visit more friends and family around (the) U.S.,” he said.

Reeve, who was on a walk with his dog, Halen, spoke about the status of his health-oriented resolution thus far.

“So far, I’ve been able to get out and exercise, but with the rain lately, it’s been a hard thing to do,” he said. “Hopefully, I can start getting to the gym more and start getting out and exercising more. But days like today really help, because, you know, walking. And it’s just good to get exercise and feel like normal and better.”

Reeve added that making New Year’s resolutions for himself is not something that has been a tradition in his life.

“I’ve really never been big into resolutions,” he said. “It’s just something kind of recent for the new year, and makes you kind of like think what do I really want to focus on this year. So, this year, I want to focus on my health and just getting out and exploring more.”

After spending time in residential neighborhoods of Land Park, this paper next headed to William Land Park.

While walking just north of the Sacramento Zoo with her dog, Big Boy, Velda Gibson mentioned that she did not make a resolution for 2023.

“Why make a resolution?” she asked. “You might not keep it. People say they want to lose weight, but they don’t want to stick with it. That’s the main thing that people say they’re going to do.”

During Gibson’s interview with this paper, another walker stopped to speak about her New

Year’s resolution.

“It’s the same every year – just trying to improve our health, because that is the foundation of anything that we do,” said this person, who requested that her identity remain anonymous. “And (it is important to be) building upon that every year. I’m constantly working on it.”

While standing in his front yard, near the park, Robert Share noted that he is currently working on his goal of not eating late at night and refraining from eating a lot of unhealthy, sugary snacks.

“I’m a big sugar snack (eater),” he said. “What I do is almost every meal, except breakfast, I want something sweet. Yeah, and it’s a habit. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m so hungry.’ I’m just so used to doing it. So, it’s like, ‘Put the bag of Oreos back, or don’t buy them next time.’

“I kind of eat whatever I want to eat. It doesn’t mean that it’s healthy by any means. So, (while) I really didn’t make a resolution this year, I am decreasing the sugar.”

This paper also met Tom Bishop, a native of New Zealand.

Bishop, who did not make a

resolution for 2023, provided the following advice.

“Make (resolutions) when you want to make them,” he said. “Don’t make them just for New Year’s.”

Grace Freitas, a charter bus driver, spent time with this publication after traveling with her passengers from Bakersfield to Sacramento.

Freitas told this paper that she made a New Year’s resolution.

“It has to do with losing weight, my health and trying to make the world a better place for my grandkids and great-

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See RESOLUTIONS on page 8 Reggie Thompson, pictured near Arden Fair mall, said that he is not one to make New Year’s resolutions.

grandkids for when I’m not here,” she said. “I’ve done a lot of community service, like with Kiwanis and the women’s club. And, you know, you do volunteer work and you get money to help with scholarships, and you talk to the children.

“You try to show them the difference, because there’s a lot of children. They only know what they’re taught, so you’ve got to give them positive. You know what I mean? You’ve got to tell them when you fall down, get back up.”

While taking a walk with her husband and children,

Ariele Rodriguez shared one of her memories regarding New Year’s resolutions.

“The Chinese fortune cookie, on a paper that size, you write down your wish for the new year and you tape it to a big bowl of water, so that the wishes are facing inward,” she said.

“My grandma would take half of a walnut shell and then feed a little like birthday candle in it, and then set it on the water. And then it would light fi re to

the wishes, sort of like putting it out into the universe.”

Oak Park resident Guphy Gustafson, an avid reader, explained that she made an unusual New Year’s resolution for 2023.

“Th is is so weird, but it was to read less books,” she said. “I love reading, but sometimes I (feel) like I don’t get as much done with my life, and I get stressed out towards the end of the year about like trying to fi nish 50 books.

“And it takes up a lot of my time. So, maybe I even fi nish reading books I don’t want to. So, now I’m just trying to make it more pleasurable and less stress around reading.”

Gustafson’s friend, Gina Dis-

ney, who also lives in Oak Park, mentioned that she has not yet gained the confidence to make a New Year’s resolution.

“I never really make resolutions, because I feel like I’m setting myself up for failure, because I have no faith in myself (to follow through with those resolutions),” she said.

However, Disney added that her statement should not be an indication that she does not accomplish goals in her life.

“We did a vertical mile climbing,” she said. “Th at’s what we did last year.”

Carmichael resident Tracy Schauberger said that with every new year, she is reminded of the need of ‘focusing on our goals and what’s important.’

Grace Freitas, a charter bus driver, made a New Year’s resolution to improve her health and try to make the world a better place for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Velda Gibson, pictured with her dog, Big Boy, mentioned that she did not make a resolution for 2023. ‘Why make a resolution?’ she asked. ‘You might not keep it.’

Arnold Zuniga said that although he does not have a New Year’s resolution this year, he has had success with his past New Year’s resolutions.

Casey Reeve is shown with his dog, Halen. Reeve mentioned that he has two resolutions for 2023.