Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "land park"

Forest Vance Training hosts charity boot camp for The Muscular Dystrophy Association

2013-04-08T18:41:16Z

On Thursday, April 11th at 7pm, Forest Vance Training, located in beautiful Land Park, is hosting a charity boot camp benefiting The Muscular Dystrophy Association.

About the MDA

MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to finding treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education.

The Association’s comprehensive services program includes diagnostic and follow-up medical consultations, flu shots, support groups, MDA summer camps for youngsters, a national medical equipment program, assistance with equipment repairs and modifications, and resource referrals.

Through its national advocacy program, MDA works to make life better for people with muscular dystrophy and related muscle diseases by providing representation in matters of public policy and research advancement, nationally and internationally; and facilitating active involvement in these areas by the people it serves.

Our Boot Camp

So, current and past clients, friends, family, email newsletter subscribers, and Facebook friends of Forest Vance Training Sacramento, CA personal training and boot camps will be coming together for a special boot camp fund raising event on Thursday, April 11th at 7pm.

Help us hit our goal of making this our most successful charity effort yet!

Your donation will officially reserve your spot at the boot camp. We’ll email with confirmation of your donation (and a copy of your fast action bonus if you’re one of the first 15 folks to sign up) within 24 hours.

Boot Camp Workout Details

This 45 minute circuit-style body weight, kettlebell, TRX, and resistance band boot camp workout is a great opportunity to:

Get an extra fat-burning, metabolism-boosting workout
Bring a friend or family member to check out what we do
Try out our program if you’ve been meaning to do so
Help the MDA!
Fast Action Bonus

We really want this event to be a success. So, I am going to personally donate a digital copy of the new Carb Cycling for Fat Loss manual as a fast action bonus to the first 15 folks who reserve their spot at the event!

Inside this special report, you’ll discover:

The “quick ‘n’ dirty” version of the carb cycling plan folks have used in our current Rapid Fat Loss Challenge to collectively lose over 150 pounds in the last 28 days
How to blast through your current fat loss plateau
The “easy” way to stay consistent, stick to your diet, and lose fat any time you want
And much more!
Reserve your spot in the Thursday, April 11th FVT Charity Boot Camp now by visiting the donate link below (suggested donation is $15 – but donate as much or as little as you like)

Visit this link to reserve your spot : http://www.forestvancetraining.com/mdacharitybc2013

Disclosure: I'm the marketing director and a current client with Forest. On a personal level, I have muscular dystrophy and training has changed my life.

Land Park Pacific Little League honors 1983 all-stars

2013-03-26T10:21:22Z

Approximately 86.4 miles southwest of Dooley Field, in the Land Park area, lies the 2012 MLB World Series trophy, cherished and displayed at the home of the San Francisco Giants, AT&T Park. On Saturday, a smaller, but much more personal trophy was on display in Sacramento, as the members of the 1983 Sacramento Pacific Little League’s World Series team gathered in honor of the 30th anniversary of their championship season.

Hundreds of wide-eyed young ballplayers helped to celebrate the team that brought national recognition to the Land Park Little League as the former teammates reunited at Dooley Field during Land Park Pacific Little League’s opening day. Though a generation removed from the Little League field, each member of the 1983 Sacramento Pacific All-Stars found strong connections again, walking the well-known basepaths. For each player, there were familiar faces, and a new audience to hear the amazing story of their baseball journey to Williamsport.

The 14 players were selected as the best of the league’s players, entering tournaments with youthful energy, and leaving with victories and smiles. They were undefeated in tournament play until they’d reached the division level. The tight-knit group was pulled together by Manager Bob Foster, who because like family to many of them through the rigors of their tournament travels. Foster, a long-time Pacific League coach, was joined by Ted Dacong to assemble and train a group to represent our area.

Foster and Dacong melded ten 12-year olds and four 11-year olds, who’d played on opposing teams all season, into cohesive team. Two-a-day practices, much more intense than the boys had been used to, prepared them for the challenges that lay ahead. Adults were used as baserunners, getting the boys used to faster opponents, and helping to sharpen their defensive skills.

The Pacific All-Stars made themselves known as they won their first District 7 tournament game 23-14. Their power was matched only by their stingy defense as well a no-hit pitching by 12-year-old Pat Zalasky. Victories in tournaments throughout Northern California led them to the Western Regionals where a series of thrilling games brought them to an 8-3 victory over Green Valley. The Sacramento teams of unknowns had won the Western Regional Championship and were bound for the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.

Last year, Paul Gee was looking for a baseball league for his 9-year old. While he was searching for a contact, he happened to find Pat Zalasky, his former teammate. When they both realized that the 30th Anniversary of their team’s World Series journey was coming up in 2013, they decided to organize a reunion. The current incarnation of the league, Land Park Pacific, readily agreed to help honor them at the Opening Day Ceremonies on March 23. From there, Gee and Zalasky resourcefully combed social media to find the widespread members of their team. One member, David Degusta, was in Africa, while the rest of the players were in Sacramento, the Bay Area, or Southern California. Their manager, Bob Foster, continued his leadership role moving from Little League team manager to become the current mayor of Long Beach.

Land Park Pacific’s Opening Day has always had a synergy old traditions and new. This year, the addition of the 1983 Pacific All-Stars Little League Team added a special dimension to the festivities while hundreds of young players celebrated the start of their season.

Dozens of customized decorated trucks carried the youthful softball and baseball players drove the path through William Land Park amidst cheering family member and supports. The Opening Day Parade was lead this year by what every Little Leaguer dreams of bringing home, a championship trophy.

Walt Gray, of radio station 96.9, The Eagle, who revealed that he was also coaching one of the LPPLL’s teams, hosted the ceremonies. The teams eagerly took the field for the first time this season, ready to get into action. The 1983 Pacific All-Star team was then introduced to a chorus of cheers. Custom commemorative tee shirts were presented the 11 players who’d made the journey back to their home field. After a prayer led by Father Dan Looney of Holy Spirit, where the Dooley Field diamonds were built, the Little League Pledge was recited by members from each team.

Fittingly, Pat Zalasky, with young Zac Enos as his catcher, tossed the first pitch of the 2013 season. It was time to “Play Ball!” and Little League caps soared as cheering LPPLL players tossed them high into the air.

When asked his reaction to the huge community response and to seeing his former Little League teammates together again, organizer Paul Gee responded, “I had a great time catching up with the guys. 30 years later and I'm still learning new things about our journey...different perspectives from the other guys, as well as their parents.”

After the parade and recognition ceremony, Paul reflected, “It was great and I wish I had more time with them.” Smiling, he thought aloud, “Hopefully we can get together more often. I can't speak for them, but they were all thankful that Zalasky and I were able to get this thing put together.”

For a short time, the 1983 team was back where it all began, at home, in Sacramento, in Land Park, at Dooley Field, at home plate.

Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

Fairytale Town - new play equipment in Sherwood Forest

2013-02-17T00:59:12Z

Got a bunch of energetic kids? Wheel them over to Fairytale Town and point them in the direction of Sherwood Forest.

Kathy Fleming greeted a small group of us early this morning for a first-hand look at the new structure that includes slides, crawl tubes,, a talk tube, telescope and many climbing apparatuses. There are steps shaped as tree trunks and bedrock, an inclined log and a vertical climbing wall. To make for soft landings wood chips surround the base of it.

"Sherwood Forest has been a treasured part of Fairytale Town for more than 30 years," said Kathy Fleming, executive director of Fairytale Town. "Hundreds of thousands of children will have fun pretending they are Robin Hood or Maid Marian as they crawl on Sherwood Forest's new play structure,"

The play area also has a balance beam, a maze of Boxwood and Spring Bouquet shrubs, wood sculptures and big area for eating or working on projects.

The youngest donor who helped make the structure possible is Jesse Hooper.

Former Sacramento city council member Rob Fong made a substantial donation, as well as proceeds from Fairytale Town's Yellow Brick Road fundraising project.

Bill Brown was the first chair of the Sherwood Forest committee. Dressed in leather he is also a docent at Sutter's Fort.

For more information, visit fairytaletown.org or call 916-808-7462.

Holy Helvetia! Broadway brewery opening draws packed house

2013-02-16T21:20:12Z

There were two pieces of evidence that pointed to New Helvetia's Friday night opening shindig being a pretty big deal.

One, 297 people told Facebook they were going, and another 91 said maybe - which is the second worst answer in the world when someone says "new place to drink beer on a Friday night," with the first of course being "no." Pretty big numbers even when you factor out those who clicked Yes just for the heck of it.

Two, I had been there thrice during their "soft opening" of three hour windows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights the last six weeks or so. Each time, more and more people were in there, and the beer was getting better and better.

So, fast forward to Friday night, and it was indeed a packed house for the corner brewery that sits on the site of a formerly abandoned building at 18th in Broadway, that is looking to revive both the famed Sacramento Buffalo Beer brand and a stretch of Broadway that all of a sudden seems to have a pulse to it. The Tower District now seems to have an "opposite corner."

The place itself is super cool, with sprawling windows, a wraparound bar, and a totally killer outer patio area, encased in high brick walls and opening right out onto 18th street through a rollup door.

And then there's the beer. I have no excuse for not trying all of them, other than trying to save what little weeping shards are left of my liver for later in the three day weekend, but their ThunderBeast IPA (sweet name!) is sticky and tasty, and their Homeland Stout is superb. It's like drinking an evening cup of coffee...if all of a sudden, coffee was really, really awesome!

You can't help but look at the location and think that it will not only draw more Midtowners to the other side of the Cap City Freeway, but even more so, it will serve as a neighborhood public house for the residents of Land Park and Curtis Park, which essentially back right up to it. It's the kind of thing that the neighborhoods immediately south of Broadway doesn't really have.

They do now.

Hard to say if it will remain as crowded as Friday night (I'm guessing yes), but it was definitely a scene inside during their grand opening celebration. Give owner David Gull and the entire staff a ton of credit for perhaps being a tiny bit overwhelmed, but never showing it and remaining noticably calm and friendly (and even a little bit weird!) while more and more patrons continued to pile in, checking out the brewing room, chowing on food from the Drewski's truck outside, and cruising out to the patio to listen to a three piece band (which would later become a duo missing an A-string) who's name I did not catch - since I assume it was not actually Wyld Stallyns.

Similar to Track 7's model, there is no kitchen, but the owners encourage you to bring in your own food and top it off with a few brews; and there are plenty of places within a couple blocks to grab dinner before you head in.

Cheers, New Helvetia, and welcome to town. Nice to have you.

Dad's Kitchen expansion to add more beer, seating

2012-12-18T23:21:26Z

If you want to grab a beer while waiting for a table at Dad's Kitchen, you may have to enjoy it while standing in the waiting area, surrounded by other hungry, anxious patrons.

Two very vintage pinball machines (from the 60s and 70s) take up one corner, adjacent to a front-house reception station, while a few cushioned seats line the opposite wall. A doorway to the kitchen is nestled between the waiting area seats, and the restrooms are behind the reception area.

It's a quaint place, mind you, and the beer selection is eclectic to say the least. On Tuesday, the Land Park eatery had suds from several California breweries on tap, as well as some from across the country, and even one from Sacramento's own Hoppy Brewing Company.

But one can feel claustrophobic when it's bustling, as the restaurant known for its American, local comfort food has made a name for itself since its ownership changed in 2010. It's been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri, and has won several Sacramento News & Review "Best of Sacramento" awards.

"We're known for our food, we do everything from scratch and everything is locally purchased," co-owner Julio Peix said.

But Peix, who has a background in the beer industry, wants to raise its brew selection profile, while providing more people room. That vision will soon be realized, as Dad's Kitchen recently broke ground on a 30-tap room that will double as a waiting room, with space for single diners to sit.

"There's nothing really like it in town," said Peix, who through his nearly 10 years as a national sales rep for Anchor Brewing, has made a few friends in the industry.

At nearly 1,000 square feet, the tap room will have 10 stools at the bar, with room for people to order appetizers and enjoy a pre-meal beer, cider, or glass of wine. Peix didn't want the space photographed while under construction, but its entrance is visible once you step foot inside. The room will have another entryway that leads to the back patio – an ideal dining environment when the temperatures warm up – that is separated by a roll-up door (similar to a one-car garage door).

While the completion date isn't set in stone, Peix hopes to have it ready before Sacramento's famed beer week, toward the end of February 2013.

So what kind of beer can customers expect? Well, just as the restaurant rotates its beer and cider selection depending on what's seasonal, popular, unique, or that Peix wants to share with Sacramentans, the tap room will do the same. Peix brings in brews from all over – Pennsylvania, Colorado, Oakland, Concord, Cloverdale, etc. – and will use a low-pressure nitrogen tank to keep them tasting fresh.

And with the tagline "Come for the beers, stay for the food," Dad's Kitchen may have found its niche, as Peix calls it, by "marrying good food and beer."

Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

UPDATE: Man arrested after morning standoff in South Land Park

2012-12-04T18:21:53Z

Nearly five hours after phoning in an alleged false police report and barricading himself inside a South Land Park apartment, a man has been arrested and taken to the hospital.

A pepper spray-like gas was deployed inside the apartment complex on the 6000 block of South Land Park Tuesday at 10:17 a.m., Sacramento Police Department Spokesman Doug Morse said. The man left the apartment in a resistive state, and the SWAT team used a taser gun on him.

The man – 51-year-old Antonio Mata – was taken to the hospital as a precaution, Morse said, and charges pending against him include making a false report, resisting arrest, false imprisonment and violating a restraining order. The latter two charges are unrelated, and stem from incidents that occurred Monday, Morse said.

--------------------------

A middle-aged man has barricaded himself inside his apartment after reportedly making a phony report to police early Tuesday morning, causing a massive police response in what's described as a fluid, evolving situation in Land Park.

Sacramento Police Department Spokesman Doug Morse said Tuesday morning that the distraught man is at home and armed with a knife, but there is no evidence to support further crimes. It was initially reported that he's assaulted someone, but "that has proven to be untrue and unsubstantiated," Morse said.

The call came into police at 5:27 a.m., prompting patrol officers' response to an apartment on the 6000 block of South Land Park, then the police department's SWAT and hostage negotiation teams, Morse said.

Police were outside the man's apartment calling into him and asking him to come out, Morse said. "Right now we'll be here until we physically make contact with him," he said. "We will see this until the end."

Traffic around the area has been affected, Morse said. South Land Park, between 41st and 42nd Avenues, are blocked to traffic.

We'll update this story as it develops.

Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

Live chat at 2 p.m.: Breaking down the District 4 vote

2012-11-19T14:41:56Z

The race for the District 4 seat on the Sacramento City Council was at times billed as the Land Park (Joe Yee) candidate versus the central city candidate (Steve Hansen), but it turns out the district's redheaded stepchild – River Oaks – was more important than many people realized.

That's the conclusion Sacramento Current blogger Devin Lavelle reached in his smart post breaking down the vote. With Land Park and the central city essentially canceling each other out, River Oaks served as the tie breaker, or as Lavelle calls it, the "Ohio of District 4," and it tilted slightly in Hansen's favor. While it made up 10 percent of the total vote, Hansen's 4 percent advantage in River Oaks added 83 votes to his slender 160 vote lead. As of the last update on Thursday, Hansen now has 10,715 votes to Yee's 10,555. It’s undetermined when the final vote tally will be finished, and the county has 28 days from the date of the election to produce a winner.

We'll have Lavelle on for a live chat today at 2 p.m. to discuss the vote breakdown in District 4, how it happened and what it could mean for the future elections. Spoiler alert: River Oaks folks can look forward to a lot of candidate face time in the years ahead.

[The live stream will be broadcast here at 2 p.m. We'll also have the latest tally when it's released sometime after 3 p.m. Post any questions or comments in the conversation below this article.]

The map below breaks down the vote totals by precinct so far. The election is still up for grabs – the 31,000 provisional ballots could easily still sway it in Yee's favor, but this is what the current stats show for the ballots cast by mail and at the polling place:

Green indicates that Yee got more votes in the precinct, while teal shows that Hansen performed better. Click on each precinct to see exact breakdown.

Opinion: Joe Yee is the right choice for Sacramento

2012-11-05T06:04:38Z

There is a stark difference between the two candidates in City Council District 4.

Joe Yee has dedicated countless hours over his lifetime to Sacramento. From chairing the committee that released the much-heralded Sacramento 2030 General Plan** to chairing the Planning Commission to serving as an appointed council member, Joe has shown that true leadership takes hard work, integrity, and openness – not backroom deals and political ploys.

(**This document is the single most important planning document for Sacramento through the year 2030 and has received numerous awards for its forward-looking focus and its solutions to seemingly intractable planning problems.)

He has spent decades talking to his neighbors about the problems facing Sacramento and used his talents to solve those problems, such as being instrumental in planning and approving what is blossoming into a livable and vibrant Midtown. Joe has never used his various appointed positions to promote himself or create press events. Joe has done his hard work, whether or not a camera was on. That’s why dozens and dozens of local elected officials and community leaders have lined up behind Joe and not only endorse him, but walk and phone for him. Joe’s as honest as the day is long, and we all know he will put the hard work (and long days) in that this job needs.

Because he’s done it before.

Joe is the one and only candidate endorsed by the Democratic Party. In recent years, the Democratic Party has made it a priority to endorse candidates who promise to campaign and raise funds ethically. Joe has lived up to every bit of his promise, as have his campaign staff and volunteers. He has ignored the rumormongers and demanded his campaign team and volunteers refrain from responding to false statements made about him by others. But that’s exactly the type of guy Joe is. He sets his sights high and expects the best of those around him.

Classy in every respect of the word.

But Joe isn’t a flashy guy. He doesn’t have slick answers to debate questions that fit neatly into sound bites or tweets. That’s because Joe thinks through every problem carefully and mulls over ramifications to find the right solutions for Sacramento. We need Joe on the City Council because he will protect District 4 by always putting Sacramento first. He will serve us well because he grew up here, raised his family here, opened his business here, and will continue to live and work here long after his campaign is over.

A thriving Sacramento is Joe's passion.

Sacramento faces tough times and, with tough times, we need a serious candidate with the experience, talent and foresight to see the long-term solutions to fixing Sacramento.

And that’s Joe Yee.

Disclosure: Anna Molander is a supporter of Joe Yee and has served on a commission with him.

ANALYSIS: Freeport bike lane faces challenges, including opposition from residents

2012-10-29T14:58:44Z

Sacramento city staff presented their final recommendation for the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project to an overwhelmingly skeptical crowd of Land Park and Curtis Park residents at McClatchy High School on Thursday, Oct. 25.

At issue was a 1.2 mile section of Freeport Boulevard, a four-lane, two-way roadway that runs north from Sutterville Road to the railroad and light rail crossing at Fourth Avenue. The project is estimated to cost $1.4 million. The funding source is still to be determined.

The section of road is scheduled for resurfacing in 2014, and the city wants to take the opportunity to transform a major thoroughfare into a “complete street” more amenable to bicyclists and pedestrians by adding a bike lane and making other changes that would result in a loss of street parking and the reduction of Freeport Boulevard from four lanes down to two.

In the long term, in accordance with the city’s master plan, the project makes sense for several reasons. This segment of Freeport Boulevard passes by Sacramento City College, McClatchy High School and the Fourth Street light rail station, and commuters and students on foot and bicycles are thick during peak hours.

If the project is implemented, Sacramento City College students living in Midtown would have a nearly straight, 2-mile shot by bicycle to school. And of course encouraging more walking, bicycling and transit use reduces greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Nevertheless, most of the 75 or so people who showed up at McClatchy High School had few kind words to say to city staff about the proposal – despite the fact that the Land Park Community Association recently issued a statement in support of the project.

Parking was a major issue. One man said that without street parking, he’ll have to park in his driveway, and it will be impossible to back out because of traffic.

One woman asked why the effects of the parking reduction hadn’t been mentioned in the Freeport Boulevard Bike Path draft Environmental Impact Report. A staff member explained that it isn’t required to be in the report. The woman scoffed.

Many residents were concerned traffic would be diverted onto neighborhood streets. That’s confirmed by the Environmental Impact Report, which states that traffic will be diverted to north/south corridors as far west as Riverside Avenue and as far east as 24th Street. Exactly what side streets these commuters will use is “intuitive,” according to the EIR, but nevertheless will have no impacts requiring “mitigation” in the “project area.”

The EIR also says that the completion of Curtis Park Village, Paul Petrovich’s urban-style mixed-used infill project located on the old Southern Pacific railyard east of City College and accessible by Sutterville Road, will not significantly impact traffic in the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project area.

That audience wasn’t swayed.

“This is not smart planning, and this is not a smart street,” one man said, summing up the mood in the room.

For bicyclists, the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project appears to be a sweet deal. While no bicycle advocate made a statement at the McClatchy High School meeting, the Sacramento Area Bicycle Alliance thanked the department of transportation for its decision on Facebook.

“Proposed intersection modifications where southbound 19th Street merges with Freeport at Taylor's Market aren't optimal, but they're an affordable, workable improvement,” the posting stated.

If the audience at McClatchy is any indication, however, cutting Freeport Boulevard from four lanes down to two is far from a popular proposition. Neither is eliminating up to 90 parking spaces. Residents are also weary of waiting in long lines at rail crossings.

Will the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project go forward? That depends on the Sacramento City Council, which will vote on the issue Nov. 8.

TOUGH ROAD AHEAD

The bike lane project has three major obstacles.

The first is to create northbound and southbound bike lanes stretching from Sacramento City College to Midtown.

The second challenge is to make the intersection at Freeport Boulevard, 21st Street and Fourth Avenue safer for average bicycle riders in order to keep traffic flow continuous on the southbound bike and auto lanes, which are right next to each other.

That’s no easy task, considering the roadway crosses three pairs of oblique-angled railroad tracks that are extremely slippery, even when they’re not wet, and then merges with southbound traffic rounding the blind corner at Freeport Boulevard and Fourth Avenue, where Taylor’s Market is located.

The third obstacle, and judging from the reaction of the audience gathered in the McClatchy High School cafeteria, the hardest to overcome, is convincing local residents that the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project is a good idea.

With the first goal in mind, establishing bike lanes along the length of Freeport Boulevard, project manager David Edrosolon explained to the audience that he and his staff had explored various options for the Sutterville Road-to-21st Street segment, eventually deciding that the best choice was to cut Freeport Boulevard’s four 8 and a half-foot-wide lanes down to three lanes: one 11-foot-wide lane traveling north, one 11-foot-wide lane traveling south and a 10-foot-wide, two-way left-hand turn lane dividing them.

That’s a significant cut: Four travel lanes down to two, on what still is labeled State Highway 160 on the map. In addition, most of the parking on the west side of Freeport Boulevard, as many as 90 spaces, will be eliminated. That creates space for two 5-foot-wide bike lanes running alongside the northbound and southbound auto lanes, from Sutterville Road through the intersection across Broadway under the freeway and all the way to W Street.

To solve the project’s second challenge, providing safe passage for bicyclists through the intersection, bicyclists will have the option to either merge naturally with southbound traffic rounding the blind chicane where Freeport Boulevard emerges from Land Park, or push a button to stop the traffic if it’s too dangerous to merge.

Two cutouts for buses to pull over for bicycle access would also be added – one in a designated park area. One Land Park resident’’s rant about this incursion into parkland drew the biggest applause of the night at the meeting.

For pedestrians, two triple-four crosswalks will be installed at difficult-to-cross intersections at Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Avenues. They are much-needed.

Expect a raucous meeting on Nov. 8. No doubt, more than one button will be pushed.

Land Park group recommends changes to Freeport Blvd Bike Lane Project

2012-10-15T14:24:12Z

A neighborhood association in Land Park said it will support a plan to install bicycle lanes on Freeport Boulevard, as long as the city takes steps to mitigate increased traffic, make up for lost business parking and monitor the project’s long-term impact.

“It is impossible to predict exactly what will happen when bike lanes are introduced and vehicle lanes reduced,” Land Park Community Association President Mark Abrahams said in an email. “In short, we recognize that the changes proposed in the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project have had a very desirable effect elsewhere in Sacramento and in many other cities, but that changing the layout of the street is really only half the project here. The effects must also be monitored and negative impacts corrected, or the project may well result in disaster, not success.”

The LPCA released a statement on Oct. 2 in support of the the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project, which aims to add bike lanes to the segment of Freeport Boulevard between Sutterville Road and 21st Street during the scheduled resurfacing next summer.

The statement includes a list of changes that the organization says must occur for the project to succeed.

City staff must still find ways to accommodate business parking on Freeport Boulevard to make up for lost parking spaces.
Mitigation measures must be implemented to alleviate the “cut-through” commuter traffic on the east/west residential streets along Freeport Boulevard.
The city should conduct a bicycle usage study to determine if bike-friendly policies are doing what they are meant to and increasing bike usage and safety.
The city should review the project next summer to determine the consequences of the project.
The city should keep itself updated on the adverse impacts of the project and work to lessen them in a timely manner.

Freeport Boulevard is home to a number of locally owned businesses, a high school, a community college, a senior living community, a park and many residences – all factors that had to be taken into consideration when planning the project.

Project Manager David Edrosolan said the city is still working out the details of the project, but hopes to have it ready to present to City Council on Nov. 8.

“There are two roadway segment options and four intersection options,” Edrosolan said. “At this time, we don’t know which one will be implemented.”

The LPCA said it conducted a survey that indicated the majority of Land Park residents support the option that would change Freeport Boulevard from two lanes in each direction with on-street parking, to one lane in each direction, with a center turn lane, bike lanes, and no on-street parking.

The LPCA is not the only group that supports the project. Freeport Boulevard attracts many bikers due to the proximity of McClatchy High School and Sacramento City College. The addition of bike lanes was proposed by students, faculty and parents at McClatchy High School in order to improve bike safety for students going to school, according to an article published in January in The Sacramento Press.

Edrosolan said that the community and bikers have been requesting a bike lane between Sutterville Road and 21st Street that also provides connectivity between north and south.

“We appreciate the input and opinions of all the neighbors and residents and businesses that are along the project route,” said Linda Tucker, Department of Transportation spokeswoman. “We take that into consideration also and choose a preferred alternative.”

The city’s transportation staff is holding a community meeting on Thursday, Oct. 25, with a short presentation about the Freeport Boulevard project and a chance for community members to ask questions. It will be held in the McClatchy High School cafeteria.

What do you think about the Freeport Boulevard Bike Lane Project? Does the LPCA have the right approach to it? And what do you think about the city’s efforts to be more bike-friendly?

The full statment from the LPCA:

Land Park Community Association statement on the Freeeport Blvd. Bike Lane Project

3rd Annual ScholarShare Children's Book Festival Brightens FairyTale Town

2012-10-05T07:25:50Z

The 12th annual ScholarShare Children’s Book Festival brought literature, laughter, and a love of learning to FairyTale Town in Land Park. The walkways were dotted with information tables, art & craft activities, and opportunities for children and the young at heart.

Kathy Fleming, Executive Director of Fairytale Town proudly welcomed the family event to the beloved children’s playland that will be 53 years old this year. She revealed that FairyTale Town will be renovating Sherwood Forest this November adding more climbing apparatus and things for the kids to play on and hoping to install another train for the Little Engine that Could train set.

The most exciting news she had to share, was their Halloween event, held the last weekend of October (Oct. 26, 27, and 28th). The theme is a Grimm Halloween, a takeoff on Grimm’s Fairytales. It will be three nights of trick or treating fun and the kids will get more than candy, as there will be arts and crafts activities, and thankfully, toothbrushes.

Melissa Paul of News 10, opened the day by reading with her daughter from one of their favorite books, The Paperbag Princess. The lawn area in front of the Mering Family Mother Goose Stage was soon covered with families enjoying the many presentations by authors and illustrators.

Francie Dillon, the Voice of FairyTale Town, brought her considerable energy and charm, kicking off the day with with music and movement. She was greeted warmly and returned the love tenfold.

A book fair offered many choices for all ages, and several organizations had free books for early learners. Children and parents found comfort beneath shade trees sharing their love of reading.

Illustrator Kenneth Spengler shared Desert Night, Desert Day showing the rich images within. His interactive presentation invited young artists to challenge him by giving him a simple doodle which he would then draw on and incorporate into a story.

Humpty Dumpty and Clifford recieved more than their share of hugs from their many young fans. To the young ones, these were true superstars.

Author Dawn Wynne read from I Remember When…, a journey down memory lane, based on stories she’d heard from her parents and grandparents. Her multi-dimensional book reveals to young children the wonders of rotary dial phones, washboards, black & white TV’s, and typewriters as a grandmother connected her grandkids with her memories of another era.

Joanne Jeffers Veeck brought two books to share. Your Leaves are Pretty is set in Sacramento’s Capitol Park, and gave a colorful history of it’s growth and development. We Love You Just the Way You Are - A True Story is a touching book about a boy with special needs, and how the community came to support and understand him.

Besides books, there were countless art, craft, and other interactive activities to keep young hands busy and to fill young hearts with joy. Hands cut, colored, and pasted while imaginations soared.

Hazuki Kataoka used Storycard Theater cards to share multicultural legends, allowing readers to share the art on the front, while reading the story text on the back. The Storycard program follows the traditional Japanese Kamishibai storytelling technique, adapted to modern Western literature.

Dorina Lazo Gilmore’s book, Cora Cooks Pancit, is a reflection of her own childhood. In this book, a young girl and her mom share their love of cooking while exploring their rich Filipino culture. The recipe for Pancit, a Filipino noodle dish, is included in each book.

The Mering Family Mother Goose Stage at FairyTale Town was the literary center of Sacramento for two days - at least in the eyes of the younger ones.

Noisefest 2012: Musical Chaos, Loud Noises, and Brunch

2012-10-03T18:16:00Z

This weekend (October 5, 6, 7) is Norcal Noisefest, Sacramento's annual gathering of experimental musicians, noise artists and musical outsiders from around the country. This Noisefest is the sixteenth held since the festival's founding in 1995, making it one of the longest-running festivals of its kind in North America.

Because noise is a profoundly unpopular musical genre, most people are unfamiliar with noise--there have never been any commercially successful noise musicians, although many successful musicians (from the Velvet Underground to Sonic Youth and Radiohead) have experimented with noise. The linked video below is a four-minute summary of what you are likely to see and hear at the Norcal Noisefest:

The Noisefest is not a music festival for those comfortable with traditional music. It is an exploration of what lies beyond the edges of music--peeling back the layers of musical form to see what sits underneath, and exposing it to an audience, in all its mixtures of ugliness and beauty. This year's festival features approximately 38 performers at three different Sacramento venues. Friday night's session at Luna's Cafe (1414 15th Street), starting at 7 PM, is a more intimate setting for solo performers and duos, like locals Deadly Nightshade and The Tulpa Effect and visiting acts like New York's Fisted Lizard or Blood Into Water from San Jose, capable of fitting on Luna's small stage. While the venue is small, its intensity is unparalleled, and provides a traditional warm-up to the Noisefest.

Saturday's session at Sol Collective (2574 21st Street) is a larger venue for acts that require more space, with a brutal eight-hour schedule of noise performers, including Rocklin's own Liver Cancer, Oakland's Styrofoam Sanchez, Crank Sturgeon from Portland, Maine, and the evening's special guests, noise legends Bastard Noise. The show will begin at 3:30 PM with a collaborative set by Northern California acts Venetian Veil, Chopstick and Medicine Cabinet. Sol Collective's back room will host our Noisemall, where this year's Noisefest performers will show off their musical wares, effects pedals and electronic devices, and assorted disturbing swag.

Sunday's matinee session at Bows & Arrows (1815 19th Street) starts at noon, and features jazzier acts in a more casual environment, like Lords of Outland and Eurostache, although some of these acts will still leave traditional jazz fans reaching for their earplugs, like solo artists C.J. Borosque and Moe! Staiano, and ending with a set by Sacramento jazz/noise deconstructionist daemon Instagon. In between bands on Sunday, DJ Missy Mark will play soothing sounds, and Bows & Arrows will serve brunch (brunch is separate from admission, except for those who purchase all-weekend passes.) The Noisemall will be held on the Bows & Arrows back porch for last-minute musical purchases.

Each day of Noisefest will also feature the return of our NOISE TOY GIVEAWAY raffle: purchase tickets at the event to enter a drawing for valuable noise merchandise, including NOISE-SAC box sets (featuring a copy of every NORCAL NOISEFEST compilation album), GRUNDLE contact microphones, and the featured prize for each day, locally built AUDIBLE DISEASE effects pedals!

All NORCAL NOISEFEST 2012 events are all-ages. Each day of noise costs $10 and includes earplugs. An all-weekend package is available for $40, and includes admission to all three days of the Noisefest, a commemorative button/event pass, a Norcal Noisefest T-shirt, a compilation CD of eighteen of this year's Noisefest performers, a Noisefest sticker, and a coupon for a free Sunday brunch entree at Bows & Arrows. Tickets may be purchased at the Noisefest itself, at MIDIKAT BOUTIQUE (1115 21st Street), PHONO SELECT (2312 K Street) or online via BrownPaperTickets at http://norcalnoisefest.brownpapertickets.com .

NORCAL NOISEFEST 2012: October 5-7, 2012

Friday October 5: LUNA'S CAFE, 1414 15th Street, 7 PM-11:30 PM

Saturday October 6: SOL COLLECTIVE, 2574 21st Street, 3:30 PM-11:30 PM

Sunday October 7: BOWS & ARROWS, 1815 19th Street, NOON-4 PM

All shows $10, all-ages. Weekend pass $40, includes T-shirt, CD, sticker, button and NOISEBRUNCH.

A full list of performers and schedule is viewable at the Norcal Noisefest website, http://www.norcalnoisefest.com

Norcal Noisefest 2012 is funded in part by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission's "Microgrants" program.

Disclosure: William Burg is executive director of the Norcal Noisefest.

City seeks to link bike traffic between Land Park, Curtis Park

2012-09-11T16:14:57Z

The Sacramento City Council will consider approving a contract Tuesday for a project which aims to link bicycle and pedestrian traffic between Land Park and Curtis Park.

The Sacramento City College Bicycle/Pedestrian Improvements Project will create a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly route on 12th Avenue between 23rd Street and Panther Parkway, according to a city staff report.

The route will link with the light-rail station, and eventually, with Sacramento City College via a pedestrian bridge that will extend from the parking-garage area on the college campus, over the train tracks and into the proposed Curtis Park Village development, according to the report.

A bike lane will also be painted on 12th Avenue to "to accommodate westbound bicycle traffic and eliminate the bicycling bottleneck," the report says.

The cost of the portion of the project that City Council will consider Tuesday will be $350,000, though none of that, according to the report, will come from the general fund.

Do you think this project is a good idea? Let us know in the coversation below this articleand we may quote you in our follow-up story after the meeting Tuesday night.

We’ve embedded first few pages of the report, which include the description, background and a map. You can download all 253 pages here. : Sacramento City College Bicycle/Pedestrian Improvements Project

Jared Goyette is the editor of the Sacramento Press. Follow @JaredGoyette

New Masai giraffe at the Sacramento Zoo

2012-09-07T20:22:49Z

There’s a new resident at the Sacramento Zoo, the 2-year old Masai giraffe named Shani.

“She is a pretty special girl,” said zoo spokeswoman Tonja Swank. “There are only about 100 Masai giraffes in American zoos.”

She added that Shani will eventually mate with the zoo’s other Masai giraffe, Chifu.

Shani came to Sacramento from the Los Angeles Zoo in mid-August and recently completed her quarantine period so she can now explore the exhibit, according to the zoo blog.

The blog also notes that the Masai giraffe is the largest subspecies, and it is native to southern Kenya and Tanzania.

Shani is about 11 feet tall, and she is expected to reach between 16 and 19 feet in height when she is full grown. Her name comes from the Swahili word for “wondrous,” and zookeepers say she is getting along well with the other giraffes.

“Eventually Shani and Chifu will become the nucleus of a Masai Giraffe herd,” said Harrison Edell, the zoo’s general curator. “As part of the Masai Giraffe Species Survival Plan, the creation of this new herd will support genetic diversity in the North American Masai Giraffe population.”

New Helvetia Brewing Company on track for October opening

2012-08-31T06:56:39Z

Sacramento’s newest craft brewery is scheduled to start production at 18th Street and Broadway in October.

Construction is under way after months of delays at New Helvetia Brewing Company, owner David Gull said Thursday.

“We started construction two weeks ago, and we’re scheduled to have that done Oct. 1,” he said.

After that, the brewing equipment will be installed, and the business can begin brewing its seven- or eight-barrel batches of beer. Each barrel holds 31 gallons.

Gull said the delay – the business was originally scheduled to open in February – was due to the time it takes to get contractors up to speed on a new project as well as hurdles caused by the nature of working in a historic building.

The core concept of the business hasn’t changed since The Sacramento Press first reported on it last year. The approximately 5,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1925 and was most recently a tile manufacturing plant. Before that, it was the Casa Grande Tortilla Factory, and it has been vacant for about two years. Multiple rooms stem off a courtyard, and each will be used for a different aspect of the business.

“It’s a brewery and tasting room,” Gull said. “The public will enter up front into the tasting room, and they will be able to look through a dividing wall with windows into the brewery itself.”

Beers, including an IPA, will be brewed in very small batches and aged in wooden barrels. Initially, beer will only be served on draught from taps in the building. Kegs will be sold to local bars and restaurants, but not to the public. Bottling will come later, as the business expands, Gull said

Thieves steal equipment worth $30k from Sacramento Shakespeare Festival

2012-07-19T20:58:42Z

About $30,000 in high-tech equipment was stolen from the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival’s booths at William Land Park, officials said Thursday.

“Tuesday night, some thieves broke into our booth at the top of the hill,” said Lori Ann Delappe-Grondin, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. “They ripped out a window of one of the booths and busted in doors of two others.”

Delappe-Grondin said the stolen equipment included a sound board, a light board, a generator, tools and lighting fixtures.

A replacement sound system is being brought in and taken out daily now, and the show start times have been moved back to 6 p.m., since the sun sets late enough to allow the plays to run their full time without artificial lighting.

“We’re doing this as they did it in Shakespeare’s days – under the sun,” she said.

Officer Michele Gigante, spokeswoman from the Sacramento Police Department, said officers responded Wednesday afternoon to the theft, and crime scene investigators went to work.

“We’re still investigating,” she said. “It’s really early, but hopefully someone has some information they can let us know.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 264-5471, and people with information can remain anonymous.

While the festival has insurance, Delappe-Grondin said Thursday morning that it was unclear exactly what the insurance would cover.

Donations to replace the stolen equipment are being accepted at the shows, and an online system is in place on the group’s website.

“I think it is important that people know that this is a 27-year institution of providing Shakespeare in the park,” she said. “This has rocked our community. People are disgusted and devastated, but the community has already stepped up and shown support for us.”

Ticket prices for the weekend’s shows are set at $10 – instead of the usual $15-$18.

“We don’t want this to discourage people from coming,” Delappe-Grondin said. “Let’s fill the house and show these people who stole from us that they cannot stop us – the show will go on.”

Photos: Taste of Land Park draws crowd of more than 600

2012-06-11T16:25:32Z

A crowd of about 650 to 750 people took in live music, food and chit-chat with their neighbors Sunday at the annual Taste of Land Park.

For $25 in advance or $30 at the door, attendees sampled items from a slew of local and regional vendors who had set up booths. It was essentially an outdoor, all you-can-eat-and-drink buffet: There was everything from sushi from Miso Japanese Cuisine, to chili dogs from Willie's Burgers and Chiliburgers, to coffee from Espresso Metro Cafe. Also popular: the wine from independent vineyards and the beer that came courtesy of local brewers like Track 7, Rubicon brewery and Pyramid Alehouse .

"It's going beyond even our greatest expectations as far as the turnout today," Land Park Community Association President Mark Abrahams said Sunday. " The weather turned out perfect... People are just excited to be here and so are we."

The event also drew politicians – Steve Hansen and Joe Yee, the two remaining District 4 City Council candidates, were out working the crowd.

The photos posted here come courtesy of Land Park Community Association Board member Jill MacDonell.

On the record: Johnson and Rewers talk to Sac Press

2012-06-05T15:41:11Z

In separate interviews Monday, Mayor Kevin Johnson and mayoral candidate Jonathan Rewers responded to questions from Sacramento residents during chats with The Sacramento Press. Topics ranged from how the city should handle park maintenance to how the candidates would improve bike safety on city streets.

Here are highlights of the interviews, edited to remove minor audio glitches.

The candidates answer a question from Trisha Hedah, executive director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, about what they will do to increase funding for biking and walking.

The candidates respond to a question from a resident about how to protect the economic and cultural benefits of the Second Saturday Art Walk while mediating its downsides for residents.

Johnson and Rewers respond to a question from a resident about outsourcing park maintenance:

We’ll post more soon.

Land Park and Midtown – How will one candidate represent both?

2012-05-31T20:15:30Z

A new kind of tension may be ahead for Sacramento politics as two strong neighborhoods with vibrant histories are finally united into a single City Council district and, when the election dust settles, one council member will represent them both.

In Land Park, the streets are wide and quiet, the zoo and lush William Land Park have welcomed families for generations, and residents want a bridge to West Sacramento built farther up the river to keep the traffic out and preserve the peace and quiet of their neighborhood.

In Midtown, an eclectic mix of trendy restaurants and bars, art galleries, coffee houses and other small mom-and-pop businesses have helped attract a growing population of young professionals to the neighborhood, with its old Victorian homes and high-water bungalows on tree-lined streets.

Now, Land Park and Midtown, along with downtown and the smaller neighborhood of River Oaks, share a single City Council district, and seven candidates are vying to represent it. Residents of both Midtown and Land Park are worried that their neighborhoods will be secondary to the other in the new District 4.

That tension bubbled to the surface in the conversation about a recent Sacramento Press article on City Council candidate Phyllis Newton’s proposal to change the hours for the Second Saturday Art Walk.

“Why should Central City residents trust that Land Park resident Phyllis Newton will represent their interests when she appears to know very little about the Central City and its concerns?” Midtown resident Julie Murphy commented on the article.

Newton is one of the contenders for the City Council District 4 seat – a race that includes six candidates from Land Park and one from Midtown.

MIDTOWN
Midtown has been a part of the central city for more than a century. It all started here: The city was laid out in a dense, compact grid so people could move about easily in the days before cars, and businesses and homes were side by side.

Early city development was transportation-driven and boundary-driven, according to local historian William Burg. A new streetcar line in 1870 was key to the population shifts and, as streetcar lines extended beyond the city limits, people began moving away from the central city and started building up the suburbs.

When redevelopment was in full swing in the 1950s and ‘60s, downtown neighborhoods got demolished in favor of development projects. Around the same time and into the ‘70s, a younger, lower-income, creative community began to settle into the central city where rents were cheap. Midtown’s renaissance had begun – and it didn’t stop.

“In places where the arts and music and creativity flows, it reaches critical mass and becomes a place that people want to be a part of and want to get involved with,” Burg said.

Today’s Midtown is a hub of activity with specialty shops, yoga studios, bars and burger joints right along with homes, parks and urban gardens. Arts and entertainment thrive on the grid, and it has become a destination for suburbanites looking for something new and interesting to do.

Midtown has a lot going for it, but it also has issues that the new City Council representative will need to be sensitive to.

Hot-button issues for Midtown residents and businesses include:
- Historic preservation: making modern progress without sacrificing old character
- The arts: protecting and enhancing the arts community, recognizing the value that artists, musicians and performers add to Midtown
- Traffic issues: finding ways to accommodate commuters and visitors while preserving the walkability of residential areas
- Parking: developing a parking policy that is friendly to both the business community and residents
- Homelessness: easing the burden of a high concentration of homeless individuals in the central city
Sources: Julie Murphy, co-chair, Marshall School/New Era Park Neighborhood Association; Elizabeth Studebaker, executive director, Midtown Business Association; Alan LaFaso, president, Newton Booth Neighborhood Association. Are you a Midtown resident with an issue you want us to add to the list? Let us know in the conversation below the article.

LAND PARK
Land Park grew up as a result of people moving away from the central city.

Streetcars stopped running in Sacramento in 1947 in favor of the automobile, and the auto-centric growth of the city meant people needed larger lots for houses and garages, wider streets and more commuting routes.

Land Park is a designed neighborhood, Burg said, with a style defined by a lush park and tree-lined streets.

Despite being initially colonized by middle- and upper middle-class Sacramentans, Land Park is not without its contrasts: The combination of a well-to-do population, along with the not-so-wealthy from Depression-era housing projects New Helvetia and Seavy Circle, is as much a defining characteristic of Land Park as its sleepy cul-de-sacs and 80-year-old trees.

Now that the shape of District 4 has changed, the incoming council representative will need to be aware of the issues important to people in Land Park.

Hot-button issues for Land Park residents and businesses include:
- Preservation: maintain historic aesthetics of older neighborhoods
- Parks: more emphasis on park maintenance
- Cohesiveness: maintain connectivity to the central city
- Livability of neighborhoods: preserve the walkability of residential areas and provide protection from unnecessary traffic
- Consideration for small businesses: streamline processes and help business owners more easily navigate the city system
Sources: Luree Stetson, president, Upper Land Park Neighbors group; Teresa Rocha, executive director, Greater Broadway Partnership; Mark Abrahams, president, Land Park Community Association. Are you a Land Park resident with an issue you want us to add to the list? Let us know in the conversation below the article.

WHO WILL BE HEARD?
Land Park residents are known for being passionate and vocal about neighborhood issues and, from the first time district maps were drawn in 1971, Land Park was the majority stakeholder in City Council District 4.

At the other end of the spectrum, the central city has been politically fragmented for more than 30 years under the care of three council districts. Midtown’s civic voice was often muffled at best.

“The past fracture of being under three districts made central city issues fairly low on the list, and the perception was always that Midtown didn’t matter,” Murphy said.

“Land Park has an identity as a whole neighborhood, where the central city is emerging and experiencing a lot of change,” said Alan LaFaso, president of the Newton Booth Neighborhood Association, located in Midtown.

Midtown and River Oaks combined have the lion’s share of residents, (roughly 40,000 to Land Park’s 16,000) but Land Park has the majority of active registered voters and historically had a stronger electorate voice, LaFaso said.

Now, however, the new district boundaries have unified Midtown, and some see that as an opportunity to push Midtown’s struggles to the top of the list for the City Council by electing a representative with direct experience with those issues.

“A candidate has more working skills coming from this (Midtown) experience that would translate to handling issues throughout the district,” Murphy said. “It might not be so true the other way around.”

Sixteen-year Land Park resident Chris Morfas said he sees an opportunity in all of this to put Sacramento on the map – but it hinges on a focus on the central city.

"The crucial issue in District 4 is that the central city is now united within a single district,” Morfas said Wednesday. “Land Park already has lots of clout. Sacramento's one shot at greatness is to make the central city an attractive location for entrepreneurs, artists, politicians, writers, analysts, poets – all the people that give life to a place. There's room for affordable housing and families, too.”

For Morfas, more people, more housing, more businesses, enhanced river access and better street design in the central city could make all the difference for Sacramento.

Whether the new council member comes from Land Park or Midtown, he or she will need to come to the dais prepared for the new dynamic in the district that redistricting created.

“The challenge is going to be finding out what common ground really is for both areas,” Burg said. “Land Park is more residential in nature, and they may have difficulty understanding that the central city is not just a place for business. They need to realize people live there.”

The bottom line for both areas comes down to one common expectation, however.

“What each neighborhood should expect is to be heard and understood,” Land Park Community Association President Mark Abrahams said Friday.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Jared Goyette co-wrote this article.

New Sunflower Market opens in Land Park neighborhood

2012-05-16T23:41:31Z

Sunflower Farmers Market opened a long-awaited new grocery store in the Land Park neighborhood on Wednesday morning. Over 400 people waited at the entrance for the 7:00 AM ribbon cutting ceremony. The first 200 customers in line received a canvas grocery bag filled with food products. Steve Black, Vice President of Operations for Sunflower Markets, said the earliest customer had arrived at 3:15 AM. Several customers in the line were still wrapped in blankets.

Sunflower Markets is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and has 37 stores in eight states. The Land Park store is their third store in California and the company is in the process of opening several more in the state this year.

The new store fills a vacant retail space in a small shopping center at the intersections of Land Park Drive, Sutterville Road and Del Rio Road. Previous grocery tenants included the original Cardinal Market in the 1950's, Compton's Market and other grocery outlets. The space has been dormant for nearly four years and at one point, rumors were running strong that Trader Joe's might open a store at the location. Other tenants in the center include La Bou Bakery, Parkside Pharmacy and Macau Restaurant. The building underwent significant reconstruction in preparation for the new market.

The Sunflower Market occupies about 20,000 square feet with 15,000 square feet of selling space. Black said, "This is our smallest store in our company, so it was a little bit of a challenge in that we couldn't get all of our products in here."

Black described some of the different departments in the store. "Produce is the center of our market. Over 25% of our sales are produce. The heart of our business is fresh produce." Another large area is the meat department with a selection of natural and organic meats. Black said, "We do homemade sausages every day. We have butchers in the store so you can come in and get special cuts of meat or if you don't know how to cook a certain cut of meat they can explain it to you."

Other sections of the store include bulk foods, yogurts, and a natural living area with vitamins, supplements and herbs.

Black is especially proud of the coffee products. He said. "We have a coffee director that goes to El Salvador every year. He buys the coffee straight out of the fields." The coffee is then roasted by Sunflower Markets for distribution to the stores.

Black explained that their weekly sales advertisements overlap on Wednesdays so customers can shop two ads on the same day.

Katy Bassett is the store manager and was very excited about the grand opening. She said, "It feels absolutely fantastic. Yesterday we had a soft opening and it was incredible. It was beyond our expectations."

Bassett lives in the Land Park area of Sacramento and has worked in grocery stores for over 20 years. She said they hired about 80 people, with most of them coming from the surrounding neighborhoods in Sacramento. She said, "These are our home-grown Sacramento people." Bassett moved quickly around the store, greeting customers, answering questions and chasing a constant stream of requests broadcast over the loudspeakers.

Lucinda Cox brought her two young daughters to the early opening. Cox lives about two miles from the store and said she has been waiting for a new store to open. She said, "We've been waiting for an organic store with fresh vegetables and fruits. If I miss the farmer's market, I know I can come here." Cox and her daughters weren't quite early enough to earn the free bag of products. She laughed, "We tried, but we weren't in the first 200. I think we were about 210."

Debbie and Steve Fanshier came from Rosemont for the opening. The Fanshier’s arrived at 6:00 AM (96th in line) and have shopped at other Sunflower Markets. Debbie said, "I like organic food, the prices look good and it sounded like something fun to do. We've been to a store similar to it down in the Burbank area. That's where we first became acquainted with them."

As the first wave of customers finished their shopping, the lines began to form at the check-out stands. All registers were operating smoothly and any snags were apparently worked out in the previous day's soft opening.

New District 4 candidate wants to end status quo at City Hall

2012-03-15T02:17:24Z

Kai Ellsworth said he is tired of the status quo at City Hall, so he’s running for a seat on the City Council to bring what he considers to be a much-needed new perspective to decision-making in Sacramento.

Ellsworth, a full-time film student at Cosumnes River College, moved to Sacramento in 2009 to be closer to his parents after a two-year stint in the Air Force.

He said he decided that – after living in such far-flung locales as England, the Middle East and Mississippi – Sacramento is the one place he would choose to stay put because of all it has to offer.

As much as Ellsworth likes the city, however, he said he doesn’t like the way the city is currently being managed by its elected leaders.

“I was at the (City Council) meeting when (Mayor Kevin Johnson) introduced his most recent strong mayor initiative,” Ellsworth said Monday. “The answer came down to ‘Let’s be more bureaucratic about this.’ They had this look of being an old boy’s club, and that really annoyed me.”

Ellsworth, 23, said he started talking to friends and neighbors and others who live in his district to see if they shared his opinion.

They did, he said, so he joined a crowded field of candidates for the District 4 council seat to replace incumbent Rob Fong.

“Midtown is a thriving, young, creative community, and I think that someone who is less a part of the establishment would be more representative of those neighborhoods,” Ellsworth said.

His lack of political experience is not a negative, according to Ellsworth – it’s a point in his favor.

“The current City Council is a lot of people who have been in politics for a long time, or lawyers,” Ellsworth said. “I think having at least one voice who is less a member of that establishment and who can see things from a different perspective would be beneficial.”

His goals for District 4 include enhancing development along the riverfront, solving parking issues for central city residents by adding more parking structures and pursuing a transit system that reaches into East Sacramento and other nearby neighborhoods.

When it comes to the city budget and economic development, Ellsworth said he is not afraid to take an unpopular stand.

“I firmly believe that when no one has money to spend, government needs to spend money,” Ellsworth said. “We need to use times like these to invest in infrastructure and services. By doing that, we can pull ourselves out of this recession. We create jobs, and we expand services with infrastructure projects and we improve the city.”

The problem with that theory, Ellsworth said, is that it takes money – and the simplest way to raise revenue, he said, is to raise taxes.

“It’s really unpopular, but we have a really high expectation of what the government will provide us,” Ellsworth said. “We want all of these services, but we don’t want to do the thing that allows us to have these services: raise taxes.”

Ellsworth said he believes it’s up to the government to provide economic growth by raising revenue in order to build a thriving city.

For his district, Ellsworth said he wants to play to what he sees as strengths of the area if he’s elected to the City Council.

“We’ve have years of the same talk about revitalizing K Street, about the railyards, about changing the charter with the strong mayor initiative – years of talk about projects that never seem to materialize,” Ellsworth said.

“I’m running because I really don’t think that the status quo that we have in Sacramento has worked,” Ellsworth said. “If (voters) are fed up with not getting the things they want, then (they should) consider what I’m saying.”

Ellsworth joins four other candidates in the District 4 race, including Steve Hansen, Phyllis Newton, Joseph Yee and Terry Schanz.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

New community brings neighborhoods together

2012-03-08T20:14:32Z

The Feb. 15 groundbreaking of the 72-acre lot that neighbors Sacramento City College brought the campus one step closer to becoming a bridge between the Land Park and Curtis Park neighborhoods.

The vacant lot east of Hughes Stadium and the Union Pacific rail line, which once served as a rail yard, is being transformed into a neighborhood by Petrovich Development Company. The new community will be called Curtis Park Village, a residential and retail development featuring a pedestrian bridge connecting it to the City College light rail station.

“On the north side, it’s going to be single family housing, parks, low-income senior housing, apartments and condominiums,” said City College Vice President of Student Services Robert Martinelli. “The southern portion [connecting to Sutterville Road] is going to be retail.”

According to Martinelli, the retail area is planned to include a movie theater, coffeehouse and a Safeway grocery store with additional retail space and a parking lot.

A bridge with a stairway and bike ramp will ascend from the area between the City College light rail station and the parking garage.

A suspension span over the light rail and Union Pacific rail lines will connect to the Curtis Park Village retail area where an additional stairway and ramp will descend.

“The bridge is going to be done in 2013 to 2014,” said Martinelli.

Currently, Curtis Park residents must use the narrow sidewalk on Sutterville Road’s bridge to access the City College campus, light rail station or other western points of the neighborhood.

“That would work out fairly well for me,” said Mark Taber, a Curtis Park resident and City College art major who crosses the busy Sutterville bridge with art equipment in tow.

Some students, as well as Martinelli, had concerns about an increase of foot traffic on campus.

“Maybe it would be good for entertainment, but there would be random people coming onto campus,” said Nelly Figueroa, major undecided.

Martinelli said funds for the construction of the bridge were secured by a federal grant obtained by the city of Sacramento. A portion of the funds will be used to build a sidewalk on the north side of Twelfth Avenue, adjacent to the city water tower to connect pedestrians and bikers to city sidewalks along the north end of campus to Freeport Boulevard.

“We had some issues and concerns about not wanting people to come across that bridge and come through the middle of the campus as their way out to Freeport [Boulevard] to catch a bus,” Martinelli said. “It’s a public place, you are never going to stop that, but we wanted to at least provide an alternate means.”

Controversy has dogged the project for years, especially from residents in the area who raised health concerns about the soil. The 72 acres located behind City College have been dormant for decades because of toxins left behind from railroad maintenance. Amid contention in the community, the Sacramento City Council eventually approved plans in 2010 for Petrovich to develop the land after clean-up measures were taken.

According to Martinelli, the first phase of the Curtis Park Village construction will begin in May or June, installing roads and housing. The addition of the retail area will provide more options for students to find affordable places to eat within walking distance of campus.

“I think that will be a good idea if they are going to have more options to go and buy food,” said Efrain Martinez, a psychology student who uses light rail and the bus to get to City College. “The prices [on campus] are so expensive, especially when you are a student.”

Dental hygiene student Bee Thao, a commuter from Natomas, recognizes the opportunity and challenges Curtis Park Village may bring to the neighborhood.

“I think traffic is already bad as it is,” said Thao. “Economy-wise, it’s going to help Sacramento out with jobs. It will give us a bigger variety than just the cafeteria [food] to munch on during lunch hour.”

Martinelli is hopeful that Curtis Park Village, in addition to the completion of Hughes Stadium and the Performing Arts Center construction on campus will help the neighborhood’s economy—bringing patrons from the community to sports games and plays as well as students to the surrounding community.

“The condos and apartments might benefit students who go to school here,” Martinelli said. “There would be jobs associated with the retail outlets. I do think that having a development like that with houses for sale, apartments, condos, even low-cost senior housing would be beneficial to, if not students, a lot of the faculty who want to work here at City College.”

See Express 2010 coverage of the City Council’s decision to allow development at Curtis Park Village at http://saccityexpress.com/2010/10/14/it-takes-a-village.

Disclosure: Matthew Blackburn is a Staff Writer for the Sac City Express. This story was originally published Mar. 8, 2012 at http://saccityexpress.com/

District 4 Candidates Forum

2012-03-08T16:19:50Z

Sacramento Preservation Roundtable – Spring 2012

Date: Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
Place: The Courtyard Building, 1322 “O” Street near the corner of 14th & O Streets

Continental Breakfast served * $5 requested donation to cover breakfast

The Sacramento Preservation Roundtable is a quarterly gathering of community organizations to share information about historic preservation projects and policies, adaptive reuse and green building, heritage tourism and local history, and other topics of interest within the city of Sacramento. The featured agenda item at this Preservation Roundtable is a forum and debate for City Council candidates in District 4, including the central city, Land Park and Willowcreek. Prepared questions will focus on issues related to historic preservation, public transit and land use, but the public will have the opportunity to submit questions, and to meet the candidates one on one after the program.

9:00 Welcome and Introductions

9:10 Updates and announcements

- City of Sacramento Preservation Office updates

9:15– Presentation of development of Lot 9B, 1610 17th Street. Two proposals: Louis Kaufman, Architect & Arcade Homes, Craig Hausman, Architect

10:00 – Break

10:10 – May is Preservation Month Event – Jane’s Walk, a weekend of local walks and bicycle rides combining urban planning, historic preservation, and the ideas of planning guru Jane Jacobs. For more information see www.janeswalk.net – William Burg, SOCA President

10:15 – District 4 Candidates Forum

*Moderators will take written questions to ask the candidates; question cards will be available at the event.

District 4 City Council Candidates: Steve Hansen; Phyllis Newton; Terry Schanz; Michael Rehm; Kai Ellsworth; Joe Yee

11:45 – Questions and answer session with candidates

12:00 – Closing remarks / Announcements

Sponsored by the Sacramento Old City Association

Contact SOCA at sacoldcity@gmail.com or visit http://www.sacoldcity.org for more information.

Disclosure: William Burg is President of Sacramento Old City Association.

Chances to volunteer in city parks abound

2012-03-01T22:12:30Z

Over the past few years, the City of Sacramento has had to cut the budgets of nearly every one of its departments to deal with the fiscal woes associated with the ongoing global economic contraction. The parks department is hardly immune to these cuts, as their staffing levels have shrunk considerably due to layoffs and retirements. But the citizens of Sacramento don’t want to see their parks fall into disrepair, and several groups have formed just to ensure that they continue to be clean and safe places for families to get together and enjoy nature’s bounty.

The Land Park Volunteer Corps is coming back this weekend, March 3rd, to tackle the huge task of keeping the city’s largest park looking its best. In the fair-weather seasons, the group meets on the first Saturday of every month. Volunteers coordinate at their regular “Base Camp” located in picnic area directly behind Fairytale Town at 9:00 a.m. Espresso Metro keeps the worker bees happy by sponsoring a light breakfast, and after the mornings work is complete the crew sits down for a tasty lunch. For more information about the Land Park Volunteer Corps meet-ups or to donate to the cause, send an email to ckpinsacto@aol.com.

Not to be outdone on the other side of town, The Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association is also hosting a park clean-up day on Saturday, March 10th beginning at 8:30 a.m. Last year, the group held four successful clean-up events, with over 150 participants coming in from all across the region to lend a hand at the modest-sized but often-used city park. All tools are provided on-site, along with juice, snacks, and coffee. Each Tahoe Park Volunteer also receives a raffle ticket for a chance to win one of several prizes that are awarded at the conclusion of the morning activities. You can stay informed about all future Tahoe Park volunteer events by emailing Isaactpna@gmail.com or by visiting www.tahoe-park.org.

One day, hopefully soon, leaders in Sacramento will formulate a plan to get the budget back into the black for good, and restore the services that the people of this city need to experience a happy and prosperous life within their respective communities. Until that day, these groups and others like them will continue to work hard to ensure that the real gems of our neighborhoods, their local parks, don’t suffer from a lack of attention and care. But they can’t do it without the support of citizen volunteers. Consider investing a little time on a Saturday morning to make your home a better place. You’ll thank yourself later for it, trust me.

Disclosure: I am on the board of the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association, and devote much of my time with that organization toward coordinating our volunteer events. I receive no monetary considerations for these efforts.

Figure skating fairytales at Fairytale Town

2011-09-26T07:25:03Z

This weekend, Fairytale Town was transformed into a menagerie of creative writing and reading. Fairytale Town hosted the 11th Annual ScholarShare Children's Book Festival this past Saturday and Sunday. Arts and literacy organizations were on hand, most of them providing information to parents and interesting literacy activities for children.

Mother Goose Stage was the centerpiece of the day. Authors and presenters sat in a giant and rather royal-looking throne at the center of the stage and the children crowded around. The weekend’s events included readings by eleven different authors including Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

Trevor Wyatt was the MC and resident magician for the day. Wyatt entertained children and family members throughout the day and between author presentations. In previous years, the ScholarShare Book Festival hosted up to 13,000 visitors. This year they were expecting around 15,000.

Children and families moved around the park throughout the day, listening to authors or stopping by for a magic trick or two, and then heading off to various areas of the park. Children ran from the slide in Farmer Brown’s hayloft to visit the Three Billy Goats Gruff and then moved on to water the flowers in Mr. McGregor’s garden.

There was an abundance of hands on activities for children in the park, starting with MatrixArts. The MatrixArts booth helped kids create their own books using a plethora of arts and crafts materials.

Sacramento Parent distributed this month’s issue and two additional resources, their annual Sourcebook of parent and family resources and Dandelion, a publication specifically for the parents of children with special needs.

The Sacramento Public Library played many roles during the weekend. Their bookmobile sat outside the gate and its staff provided information on new materials and features. Some highlights included new apps for mobile devices and information on downloading eBooks, audiobooks and Freegal music. There were also $1 books for sale just outside the park.

“When can you get this many books for $15!?” One happy parent exclaimed.

The Sacramento Zoo brought a booth over from across the street, Sacramento Braille Transcribers made bookmarks for passersby, Red Rover handed out information on keeping pets safe and children had their faces painted by a kind woman I could only assume was a Fairy Godmother.

Bethanie Murguia, otherwise known as the bug book lady, had great rapport with the kids in just minutes. During her segment, she read her new book, “Buglette the Messy Sleeper,” taught a bug dance and even handed out antennae to some helpful, young volunteers.

916 ink is an organization dedicated to young writers in Sacramento. The program currently works with four area high schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District. Students from Health Professionals High School were onsite to help explain just what 916 ink does. Saturday afternoon a young poet and a young crime fiction writer were available for questions. Executive director Katie McCleary likened the program to 826 Valencia, a bay area organization for young writers. They plan to publish several anthologies of student writing in June of 2012.

Jeff Savage presented twice on Saturday alone, telling kids all about his experiences being a sportswriter and sports author and how they can become writers as well.

There are just two secrets, he said. After much buildup, he revealed the first.

“Pay close attention to your teacher!”

The second secret, he explained, was to write with confidence. Savage also explained how his first book was a short book on Jim Abbott. He explained to the kids how Abbott, born with just one hand, managed to play baseball and become a pitcher.

His presentation was engaging and active and his booming voice seemed to only enhance the performance. As Savage left the stage, he mentioned that Yamaguchi would be up next.

“I met Kristi Yamaguchi back in 1992…” he said.

Before the reading, I got to spend a few minutes with Yamaguchi. Since the birth of her children, she has taken the Always Dream Foundation in a special direction, working in support of early childhood literacy. Her best advice for parents, she said, was to start reading early.

Even at a young age, she explained, saying that she was regularly reading to her girls already at three months, “They listen to your voice, get used to seeing a book and touching the book…”

Her family still reads together; Keara, who will be turning eight next week, now reads to her younger sister Emma as well.

I asked her how often she skates, and to my surprise, she answered, “I don’t.”

“We went for fun last week,” she said. She does try to get out once a week, though she admitted she doesn’t do any tricks.

Yamaguchi was relaxed and natural throughout the day. It was easy to see that her attention has shifted.

When asked why she decided to try writing, she said that she had always wanted to give it a try. She had a good idea of what she wanted to write about, though her two daughters played a huge role.

She wrote the book for them and children like them, a sentiment that she repeated for spectators at Fairytale Town who came to see her appearance.

“All these faces,” she told the audience, are why she wrote “Dream Big, Little Pig!”

“The children inspired me.”

Her youngest daughter Emma plays a special role in the book. Poppy the pig’s best friend’s name is Emma.

Keara named Poppy herself, said Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi soon stepped onto Mother Goose stage to sit down on the author’s throne. Many children were already surrounding the chair, most holding their own copy of “Dream Big, Little Pig!” The parents surrounding the stage might have been even more excited than the kids.

Yamaguchi interacted well with the kids, who quickly took a liking to Poppy.

“…but they did not know Poppy,” she finished. “She was a pig who dreamed big.”

Following the reading, Yamaguchi took questions from her young fans.

“What if I can’t read a book?” asked one child.

Yamaguchi explained that you should bring a book and ask your mother or father or an adult, “Can you tell me a story?”

At the end of the book, Poppy the pig finds that she is a good figure skater, despite the fact that she is a pig.

“Do you skate?” asked one young reader as the adults in the audience chuckled.

“Yes, I did, before you were born,” said Yamaguchi, “at the Olympics,” she smiled.

“Is Poppy seven?” asked another child.

Clearly, Poppy was the real star of the show, and that, figure skating fans, may just be the real moral of the story.

Yamaguchi set out to write a book to promote early childhood literacy, and she succeeded. Children all around were interested in the activities that Poppy tried, and just why she decided to try again when she failed. They were interested to know why it was good to “Dream Big.”

The ScholarShare Book Festival did the same. Throughout the park, children and young adults were reading, writing, drawing and even chasing excitedly after Clifford the Big Red Dog.

The key to early childhood literacy is connecting with children. You can only wonder if there were two tables - one for Yamaguchi and one for Poppy - which would have the bigger line.

This event is a must for families with children of all ages. For more information on the next ScholarShare Book Festival and future literacy events and programming, contact Fairytale Town, Sacramento Public Libraries or one of the many arts and literacy organizations that are working so hard to get your kids addicted to reading.

The next special event at Fairytale Town will be a special Harry Potter event. This year is the 25th anniversary of the Safe & Super Halloween event. This year, Fairytale Town will celebrate - for the last time - the magical world of Harry Potter.

The event was organized following the outcry when the previous Harry Potter events were discontinued. This final event will celebrate the world of Harry Potter at a four day event at Fairytale Town October 21, 22, 28 and 29 from 5:00 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Fairytale Town hosts Kristi Yamaguchi at ScholarShare book festival

2011-09-23T03:02:33Z

This weekend, Fairytale Town will host the 11th Annual ScholarShare Children's Book Festival. The festival will include hands-on literacy activities for children, dramatic performances and readings and presentations by numerous authors and illustrators. The event will feature a special appearance by Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi will read her first book, "Dream Big, Little Pig!" on Saturday on the Mother Goose Stage at 3:00 p.m. The 2011 release by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times Bestseller List. "Dream Big, Little Pig!" was illustrated by Tim Bowers.

Fairytale Town will host the book festival this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 24 and 25. Opening hours are 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Thanks to the generosity of the ScholarShare College Savings Plan, guests are offered free admission throughout the weekend.

Author and illustrator presentations will be taking place on Mother Goose Stage on both Saturday and Sunday. Local authors featured at the event include Sacramento local, Tricia Brown, and Davis elementary school teacher, Nikki Smith.

Other notable children’s book authors and illustrators include Gianna Marino, Gretchen Maurer, Bethanie Murguia, Jeff Savage, Dashka Slater, Mira Reisberg, Jorge Argueta, Francisco Alarcon, Sue Fliess, Dianne Danzig, Ann Bowler and Janie Havemeyer.

Hands-on activities will be available throughout the weekend in addition to literacy activities and information and presentations sponsored by local arts organizations.

This weekend’s ScholarShare book festival will also be broadcast on Access Sacramento cable channel 17.

Sponsors for this year’s ScholarShare Children's Book Festival include ScholarShare College Savings Plan, KVIE, MIX 96, The Sacramento Bee, The Rivercats Foundation, Shirley Plant, Wells Fargo, IKEA and Sierra Health Foundation.

Fairytale Town's Moonlight Costume Ball: Arabian Nights

2011-08-08T04:05:08Z

A harem of attractive girls with their midriffs showing and about five men — two wearing eyeliner, one dressed as a taco and the rest disguised as Aladdin — showed up to Fairytale Town’s Moonlight Costume Ball: Arabian Nights.

Fairytale Town is a park usually enjoyed by kids. It’s a place where they are able to run around, pet farm animals in paddocks and play on fairytale-themed objects like oversized cement blocks of Swiss cheese and slides shaped like shoes, but, on Saturday night, only those aged 18 and over were allowed entrance.

Alcohol was served at two different tents. There were food trucks, a psychic, belly dancers and a raffle.

Sacramento band Hero’s Last Mission performed, and DJ Brian from A & A Music Events took over from there, playing edited versions of popular hip-hop songs (guests had to “Get Low” without Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz shouting the word “balls”). A black-and-white checkered dance floor eventually became crowded with individuals in jewel-toned parachute pants.

With urging from DJ Brian and Beyonce’s song “Run the World (Girls),” women stepped onto a stage set in front of the dance floor and began dancing with one another, many shedding scarves wrapped around their heads and waists. The man dressed as a taco got onstage as well.

A costume contest ended the night, with gift certificates given to Best Genie, Grand Sultan, Desert Goddess, King and Queen of the Gypsies and Band of Thieves. Too bad there wasn't an award for Tastiest Taco.

City council calls for 'neighborhood-friendly' bridges

2011-07-20T06:46:21Z

The Sacramento City Council was asked to accept a feasibility study on new river crossings Tuesday night, but council members put off taking any action until they get an acceptable definition of a “neighborhood-friendly bridge.”

The nine-month study was a collaborative effort between the city of Sacramento and city of West Sacramento that reviewed alternatives for new river crossings to improve connectivity between the two cities.

But the study did not specify a particular design for the proposed bridges, and council members – and residents who came to the meeting to voice their opinions – were concerned that the end result would be a “commuter bridge” that floods residential neighborhoods with unwanted traffic congestion.

“We need more connectivity (to West Sacramento) – that much is clear,” said Councilman Rob Fong. “But we have to have something that works (for people) on both sides of the river.”

Two potential areas were highlighted in the study as having the greatest feasibility. One would be located in a “north market” area, spanning the Sacramento River from Township 9 and Richards Boulevard area to south Natomas.

The other potential location would be in a “south market” area and would link the southern part of downtown at either Sutterville Road, Broadway or Miller Park to West Sacramento.

Currently, there are three bridges that cross the Sacramento river from Sacramento to West Sacramento: I Street bridge, Tower Bridge and Pioneer bridge.

The feasibility study, conducted by city staff along with an advisory committee, concluded that new river crossings would “increase economic activity, reduce transit delays and increase riverfront public access and recreation opportunities,” according to a city press release sent Monday.

But residents of the neighborhoods where the proposed bridges would be built aren’t convinced.

Mark Abrahams, president of the Land Park Community Association, said he opposes bridges that are “out of scale” to the neighborhoods they are located in.

“No effort should be spared to create a bridge that is smart, small and takes the neighborhood into consideration,” Abrahams said.

Building new river crossings is not a new idea, but Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said now is the right time to make it happen.

“Our city has grown,” Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday. “If you go back 10, 20, 30 years, (Sacramento was) much smaller. Now that we’ve grown to 470,000 (people), we need more connectivity outside of downtown.”

Johnson said that, if Sacramento builds a new entertainment sports complex and revitalized the Railyards project, there will be a definite need for “more ways to get in downtown and more ways to get out.”

“I’m not opposed to growth, but not at the expense of our neighborhood,” said Susan Sidhu-Manuel, a retired analyst from Land Park. “Don’t make this about West Sacramento’s transportation needs.”

The Sutterville Road location received the most opposition from residents at the council meeting, and council members took note that it was the least likely to reach final approval.

“I don’t think we should spend any money studying something no one wants,” said Councilwoman Angelique Ashby. “Take (Sutterville Road) off the table completely and be done with it.”

Ashby asked Mike McKeever, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, if a “commuter bridge” is necessary to achieve the goals of the study, but McKeever suggested using different terminology.

“I think (the term) ‘commuter bridge’ is being used to conjure in people’s minds something like the Pioneer Bridge with thousands of cars.” McKeever said. “Nobody – nobody – is talking about building that sort of bridge.”

New bridges that include both pedestrian and vehicular capacity are estimated to cost between $40 million and $270 million depending on location, design and other variables, according to city staff.

Council members directed staff to return in three weeks with a definition of a “neighborhood-friendly bridge” before the council would consider approving any further studies on the potential river crossings.

“I think we’ve heard enough testimony and description tonight,” said Jerry Way, executive director of the city’s Department of Transportation. “When we come back in open session we’ll be ready to have a conversation about what the definition of a ‘neighborhood-friendly’ bridge is.”

See the possible river crossings here.
See the study executive summary here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Foller her onTwitter @MelissaCorker.

Revamping Old Sacramento

2011-06-24T02:15:09Z

Wednesday evening, the Department of Parks and Recreation presented plans to expand Old Sacramento’s excursion train and further explore the underground ruins to provide visitors a more exciting learning experience of the Gold Rush, commerce and river transportation. The preliminary general plan for Old Sacramento State Historic Park would span 20 years.

The project is currently set to develop the Front Street area between J and I streets.

Capital District Superintendent of Capital District State Museums and Historic Parks Catherine Taylor explained that the project will educate visitors on the Gold Rush era. The underground ruins will feature active archaeological digs and exhibits and the above street level will showcase the reconstructed buildings of the 1860s and 1870s.

The plan also includes waterfront development, in which the existing sunken ship will be lit up for viewing. Taylor said they would also like to bring in a 19th- or 20th-century ship that can be docked in the area and/or have a water taxi for tours. She said that each of these exhibits would be a great way to allow people to reconnect with the river.

Taylor said they want to expand the excursion train operation to the Hood neighborhood.

Upon completion, there would be two train rides. The first would run from Old Sacramento to the Sacramento Zoo, stopping at the Crocker Art Museum, Miller Park and the town of Baths. The second would begin in the Pocket/Meadowview area and extend into Hood and would include a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta trip with dinner or brunch or other themed excursion rides.

Several Planning Commission members applauded the presentation, including Anna Molander, who said, “It is a fantastic vision and I can’t wait to see it implemented.”

Taylor and Allen Folks, AECOM planning consultant for the project, said they want to finalize the plan by spring of 2012.

The general plan has been in the works since the summer of 2010.

Taylor and Folks told the Planning Commission that they have worked hard to incorporate the voices and opinions of the local community, especially those directly affected by the potential changes to the area.

Since last October, three public workshops were held to gather input.

Folks said that during those workshops, the public expressed support for the Gold Rush, transportation and commerce themes, but were also concerned about the physical adjustments being done to the area.

The plan will therefore address issues such as bike trail improvements and minimal use of trains through the Land Park and South Land Park neighborhoods, he said.

The preliminary plan will now go through public review once more before being submitted for approval by City Council.

For more information on the project, click here.

Bridge over tracks to connect Curtis Park, Land Park

2011-06-14T00:53:50Z

Residents will get a chance to see the design of a planned pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the railroad between Curtis Park and Land Park Wednesday night.

The city’s project team will give a construction update at the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community, 2791 24th St., at 6 p.m. ~~6:30 p.m~~ . Wednesday

The bridge is designed to give pedestrians and cyclists safe access over the railroad tracks from the light rail stop at Sacramento City College near the intersection of 24th Street and Sutterville Road.

“Currently, pedestrians and bicyclists must use Sutterville Road to travel between Curtis Park and the light rail station,” according to a Department of Transportation newsletter. “This multi-lane, high-speed roadway makes walking and bike riding a risky and inconvenient way to travel.”

Click here to see the city's map of the area.

According to the newsletter, the elevated track crossing will be 12 feet wide, with concrete railings and access shields to give riders and walkers enough space for safe two-way traffic.

Engineers will be able to begin the design phase in July, when the environmental phase is completed. A grant of $500,000 was received from the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, and no funding is coming from the city’s general fund, which is currently $39 million in the hole as City Council attempts to balance spending and revenues.

Sacramento Department of Transportation spokeswoman Linda Tucker said the project is a candidate to receive Proposition 1B funds from SACOG.

“The city should succeed in getting the money to build it,” she said in an email Monday. “It’s really a ‘feel-good’ project that will get students and RT riders from Point A to Point B in the safest, most direct fashion.”

The design phase is expected to be completed in 2012.

Currently, the design includes using both ramps and staircases to access the elevated crossing. Ramps will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and stairs might have small ramps incorporated into them that would allow cyclists to push their bicycles up the stairs if they don’t want to use the longer ramps.

The approach ramps are 400 feet long on either side of the 300-foot span over the railroad tracks.

The project goes back to 2006, when a feasibility study was funded as the city looked to link the already pedestrian-oriented Curtis Park and Land Park neighborhoods and provide better access to public transit, according to Tucker.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

Salon makes way for grocery store

2011-03-01T02:38:18Z

Land Park Salon, somewhat of a landmark in Sacramento's beauty world, has switched locations to make way for a new grocery store tenant.

The building near South Land Park Drive and Sutterville Road has always been anchored by a grocery store since its construction in the early 1950s – from Cardinal and Lucky Stores to Compton's Market and Wilco. But the 21,000-square-foot, ground-floor space has been empty since a Prime Market left about two and a half years ago.

No lease had been signed as of late last week. But officials from the Sunflower Farmers Market chain based in Colorado and Arizona toured the property at 4400 Del Rio Road about a month ago, salon owner Kathy Straw said.

"They really want it," she said. "They have an opportunity to get a nice store in there, which we need in Land Park."

Real estate broker Jon Schultz of CB Richard Ellis couldn't comment on whether Sunflower or other potential tenants might be interested in the property.

Land Park Salon operated in a mezzanine over the store for 23 years. Although the salon's name changed a couple times over the years, its roots there go back to the building's beginning.

The building needs a serious renovation, and Sunflower will have to add at least one loading dock that can accommodate large trucks in back. The Yees, who own the shopping center, plan to remodel most of it, said Straw, who has known the couple nearly 40 years.

Sunflower Farmers Market, which plans to open a store in Roseville in late April, would not comment. The company's chairman and CEO, Michael C. Gilliland, resigned in early February after he was arrested during an Arizona child prostitution investigation.

The salon was located on a mezzanine floor divided into three small commercial suites. Two beauty parlors and a barber shop had operated there since the building opened. The barber operated his shop until he was 96, dying a few years ago at age 100.

Straw was just 18 when she got her first job there, working as a stylist in 1956. It was called Hair Dressers then.

Another salon later operated there for 10 years. Straw returned after friend Pat McDaniel opened Land Park Salon in the old space in 1988. Straw took over the business last year.

The Yees were "heartbroken" to ask Straw to close up shop on the mezzanine floor so the building can be renovated and the new tenant can use the mezzanine as an office, Straw said.

They offered to lease her space at other properties they own. Straw said she was more than happy to move the salon about two miles away to a ground-floor space at 5878 South Land Park Drive. Clients in their 80s – who have been going to the salon since the 1950s – were having trouble getting up and down the stairs.

"I love my new spot," she said. "It worked out great for us."

View 4400 Del Rio Rd in a larger map

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Green waste debate to resume

2011-02-26T02:04:51Z

A city staff proposal to eventually stop loose-in-the-street green waste pickup and move to container pickup will not work for all city residents, Interim City Manager Gus Vina said in an interview Thursday.

In tree-laden areas such as Midtown, a container is not adequate to hold all of the fallen leaves, Vina said, explaining why he pulled the green waste issue from the City Council’s agenda on Tuesday.

“I want to make sure I’ve challenged staff enough on creativity and the solutions that are possible,” Vina said.

The plan that Vina delayed would have encouraged moving away from loose-in-the street pickup and raised rates for residents who continue that method of pickup. Assistant City Manager John Dangberg said the green waste issue will be on the City Council agenda again within a couple weeks.

The city uses two systems for green waste pickup because of a law that was passed in 1977. Measure A states that the city cannot compel residents to put their green waste in containers. Therefore, the city must continue to provide loose-in-the-street pickup.

The proposal that was pulled from the council agenda Tuesday asked the City Council to take steps to eventually overturn Measure A. This would allow the city to enforce containerized pickup as the sole method.

Voters would have to approve a counter-measure that would abolish Measure A.

City staff had planned to ask the council on Tuesday to consider draft language for a counter-measure “for use if the City Council determines at a subsequent time to call such a measure to the ballot,” the Feb. 22 staff report said.

But Vina said Thursday that changing the measure doesn’t solve the green waste problem for people living “in heavy areas where a container doesn’t do it.”

“Land Park and Midtown are good examples,” he said Friday. “Basically, we have lots of trees, and in older areas, the trees are big.”

The proposal also included major rate increases for people who choose loose-in-the-street pickup over containers as long as Measure A is still in effect. A resident who chooses loose-in-the-street pickup now pays a fee of $13.71 per month. One of the ideas suggested in the proposal would raise the rate to about $40 per month.

City staff explained in the proposal that the number of loose-in-the-street customers has declined over time – the 103,787 container customers far surpass the 12,121 loose-in-the-street customers. The number of loose-in-the-street customers no longer pay enough in fees to pay for the cost of the service, the report said.

“The current loose-in-the-street rate of $13.71 was sufficient to recover the full cost when 57,000 customers were putting their green waste in the street,” according to the report. “With only 12,121 loose-in-the-street customers remaining paying the same rate, there is now insufficient funding to cover the cost of the service.”

Because there are no longer enough customers to keep the rate at $13.71 per month, city staff say the rate should be raised.

Green waste pickup is a recurring point of contention between the Utilities Department, which favors containers, and some residents, who want to keep their loose-in-the-street pickup.

The department’s position, which is included in the staff report, is that the containers are cheaper and better for the environment than loose-in-the-street pickup. It takes two vehicles to do loose-in-the-street pickup, while only one is needed for containers, according to the department. Reducing the number of vehicles helps prevent pollution, the department points out.

Read the Feb. 22 green waste proposal that Vina withdrew from the council’s agenda here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Zoo to stay put for the time being

2011-02-23T01:39:54Z

Sutter’s Landing will not be the future site for the Sacramento Zoo.

That determination was made during a City Council workshop Tuesday afternoon. The workshop was called so the council members could be brought up to date on the current status of the zoo – currently located on 14 acres in Land Park – and where it will be in the next 40 years.

The workshop was called by Councilman Rob Fong following a feasibility study released last July.

For now, the council has decided to keep the zoo in Land Park.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that we’re not going to be looking at putting the zoo anywhere else in the short term,” Fong said, adding that the “short term” means anywhere in the next 20 years.

Zoo officials addressed the council, saying that the zoo will only remain sustainable for the next 20 years unless the zoo is relocated or changes the scope of its programs.

That change could be anything from a new site to an expansion into William Land Park or a different scope of programs at the current site.

A previous idea of moving the zoo to Sutter’s Landing – atop a former landfill – by the Sacramento Zoological Society Long Range Planning Committee is too costly to be feasible, according to staff.

The Sacramento Zoo has been known for its large animals, said Mary Healy, executive director of the Zoological Society. She added that some of the most popular larger animals – including elephants, bears and a hippopotamus – are no longer at the zoo.

Some of the animals were moved to make space for giraffes, and the hippopotamus died.

“With 14 acres, we’ll never be getting some of those animals back,” she said, adding that a 14-acre zoo would need to feature smaller animals, but with better, more involved experiences for visitors.

By contrast, Oakland’s zoo is about 45 acres.

One example of a more involved experience is the zoo’s current program that allows supervised feeding of Giraffes, which Healy said is very popular.

Council members agreed that keeping the zoo in Sacramento is important to the city, as it is a regional attraction that draws approximately 500,000 visitors each year from more than 20 countries.

“I would hate to see the zoo leave this area,” said Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy. “It is a quaint urban zoo, and we want to make it bigger, and we want to make it better.”

Any plan to make the zoo bigger or better still needs to be determined, and numerous concerns and problems will crop up in any proposal.

Building an all-new zoo at another site would be costly, keeping the zoo in its current location might not be big enough going into the future, and expanding the current site might strain traffic and parking in Land Park, a spot resident and Land Park Volunteer Corps President Craig Powell said is already maxed-out for dealing with traffic.

“Broad popularity comes with its own set of impacts: heavy traffic and congestion, particularly on weekends and holidays, severely limited parking and major competition for space among park users,” Powell wrote in a letter to City Council.

Parking is one of the Zoological Society’s top concerns after visitor safety, and ensuring there is enough public access to the zoo is a priority as well.

After the two-hour meeting, the City Council directed city staff and zoo officials to come up with a plan for what is required for the next 20 years in the current Land Park site.

“If that doesn’t work, or if there’s controversy, it might accelerate looking at other options in the longer term,” said Councilman Steve Cohn.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Western Collegiate Cycling in Land Park

2011-02-14T02:50:53Z

This spring-like day I found myself wandering around looking for life outdoors. I found it at Land Park.

It involved bicyles and college students from around California universities pedaling fast in a big circle.

Here's some photos I shot:

Today's event was hosted by Cal Aggie Cycling

For info on the Western Collegiate Cycling Conference, click HERE>>>

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

Rooftop visitors busy this Christmas

2010-12-23T02:22:12Z

Someone was up on the housetop Wednesday. The merry blue eyes belonged not to Santa Claus, but a pair of chimney sweeps hard at work.

Clay Thompson and Bryce Cheshire stood on the roof of the Land Park home, where they worked together to replace a cracked chimney flue. The two are certified, full-time chimney sweeps employed with Ryan Brothers Chimney Sweeping, one of the area's oldest chimney and fireplace service businesses.

"I think a lot of people are surprised there are chimney sweeps around," said Thompson, 34, of Natomas. "I meet people and I say, 'I'm a chimney sweep,' and they say, 'Really?' "

Many people have never seen chimney sweeps in action. They might not recognize Thompson and Cheshire, who dress in long-sleeved navy blue shirts, pants, gloves and work boots.

"A lot of people ask me where my top hat is. A lot of people ask if we sing and dance," said Cheshire, 27, of Citrus Heights. "We don't do any of that stuff."

Their schedules are packed solid until Christmas Eve. Appointments have been booked three to five weeks in advance since Nov. 1.

"Everyone wants to get it done for the holidays," Thompson said."No one thinks about it until they want to have a fire."

The company recommends people get chimneys and fireplaces cleaned or "swept" and repaired in the summer to take advantage of lower rates and avoid delays in using fireplaces. A fireplace must be cold before it can be serviced, so it must not be used at least a day in advance. The busy season for cleaning and repairs began in early October due to cold weather.

"This time of year, as you can imagine, the demand is very high," said Amie Ryan, who took over the family business at 5710 Auburn Blvd. after her father died two years ago.

Her parents, Edie and John Ryan, started the company in 1978 after he read an article about becoming a chimney sweep in "Mother Earth" magazine. John Ryan made house calls, while Edie ran the office.

"When the company first started, we did do the top hats and stuff. But we felt like it took away from the seriousness of the work," Amie Ryan said. "We have them here at the office, but we don't wear them."

Ryan Brothers is now one of the area's three biggest chimney sweep companies. They employ two full-time sweeps, also known as chimney "technicians," and a part-time sweep – Amie's 23-year-old brother, JP, who is in college. There are about nine chimney sweeps offering independent services.

On a wet, gray Wednesday morning, Thompson and Cheshire took turns breaking off pieces of a 12-foot-long terra cotta chimney flue liner that had cracked and fractured in a chimney fire. Their plan was to replace the terra cotta flue with stainless steel.

Thompson has worked as a chimney sweep for 11 years and is the only certified fireplace inspector in Sacramento and its suburbs. State and local laws don't require certification – only business licenses. Cheshire has worked as a chimney sweep for five years after training with Thompson.

Using a hammer or a pole with a metal wedge, they dislodged pieces of the flue, then pounded them into smaller chunks they sent flying down the chimney. The fireplace inside Pam and Gary Baker's home had been covered with cardboard and plastic sheeting. An electric vacuum hose, its end resting in the firebox, continuously sucked out dust.

Chimney service includes brushing down the flue and fireplace or "firebox" and visually inspecting the flue, firebox and damper. The cost to service a one-story, open fireplace is about $135.

Sacramento doesn't have a wood-burning ban. However, Sacramento County doesn't allow fireplaces to be used on bad air quality days due to fog or an inversion of warm air below cooler air from Nov. 1 - March 1. Newer-style fireplaces are exempt. Residents can check by phone or website, sign up for e-mail updates or call Ryan Brothers to see if they can use a fireplace on any given day, Ryan said.

Regular maintenance can help prevent problems like creosote buildup, which can cause chimney fires if ignited, and flue liner cracks caused by chimney fires. Chimney fires can be caused by the wrong materials being burned in the fireplace – often wrapping paper or Christmas trees. A spark or just intense heat can light creosote.

A normal fire temperature of 600 degrees can spike up to 2,500 degrees in five minutes during a chimney fire. Terra cotta tiles don't have enough time to expand and instead, crack, Thompson said.

The tools of their trade include wire- and soft-bristle brushes, flexible poles, vacuum cleaners, respirators, spotlights and flashlights.

Chimneys can be cleaned either from the top down or from the bottom up. Thompson and Cheshire don't climb down into most chimneys, because most chimneys are too small.

But that has been necessary at times. Thompson has climbed into flues that were big enough – 17 inches by 17 inches, or 21 inches by 21 inches – to do repairs. Chimneys were bigger in years past when fireplaces were used for cooking, especially in the grand country estates of Europe.

However, Thompson said he doesn't like to get dirty.

"I think most people are surprised at how clean we are," he said. "I go into houses where people have laid sheets over everything. People are always surprised when we come in and leave and there's no mess."

A Chimney Sweep's Fireplace Tips

1. Always make sure the damper is open before you light a fire. Use a flashlight and look up into the fireplace to see. If you get a face full of smoke after starting a fire, chances are good the damper is closed.

2. Don't burn Christmas trees, or chunks of Christmas trees, in your fireplace. Christmas trees burn fast and hot and can start a chimney fire.

3. Don't use paper to light a fire. Lightweight paper can be pulled up a flue while flaming and start a chimney fire. Instead, use firestarters. Twigs can also work, but leaves are too smoky and don't produce enough heat.

4. Don't burn color newspaper ads or household trash in the fireplace. These can produce dangerous fumes and start a chimney fire.

5. Burn the cleanest, best wood you can get.

6. Don't build the fire too big. Make sure you can see the top of the flames in your fireplace. "Some people have to get a big bonfire burning. Then they wonder why they have fires in their chimney," said Clay Thompson, a chimney sweep with Ryan Brothers Chimney Sweeping.

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Trio unveils California Northern

2010-12-09T01:10:02Z

A bold new magazine has launched in Sacramento.

California Northern has been kickstarted here by two brothers and a friend. Former reporter Casey Mills, English professor Richard Mills and graphic designer Paul Barrett plan to fill the twice-yearly, glossy-print magazine with in-depth literary journalism, literature, poetry, essays and photography focused on the culture, history and environments that create the region's unique identity.

The trio hopes to produce a magazine that hasn't been done here before.

"We're trying to be sort of a New Yorker or a Harper's for the West Coast," said Casey Mills, publisher and editor in chief. "I think a lot of the high-level, long-form journalism and cultural criticism comes out of New York and Washington, D.C.

"It's such a shame because California has such a rich culture and complex environment that isn't explored very often in a deep and thoughtful way," he said.

They're hosting a public release party for the magazine's second issue Thursday night at the Avid Reader, 1600 Broadway. Issue 2 went on newsstands in early December.

The magazine is based in Sacramento, where Mills works part-time for an environmental consulting firm. Once a reporter for the Contra Costa Times and BeyondChron.org, a political news website, he spent a few years away from journalism but missed the field too much. That's when he, his brother and Barrett saw something missing among California's current crop of magazines.

The magazine's executive editors are his brother, who teaches at two South Bay community colleges, and Barrett, a former book designer getting his master's in Creative Writing at St. Mary's College of California in Moraga ~~San Francisco State University~~. With two of the founders based in the Bay Area, the magazine launched its first issue last June with a San Francisco release party.

All three write for the magazine and share editing duties. Barrett, who's also the art director, handles design. Working in his Land Park home office, Casey Mills oversees everything else not related to editorial, including ad sales, business licensing, subscriptions and mail.

He met Barrett, an Orange County native ~~a Seattle native~~, in Seattle while working for a planning commission. The Mills brothers grew up outside Redding.

They've brought aboard Jesse Nathan as poetry editor and Karlene Barrett (no relation to Paul Barrett) as "Notes from the Field" editor, plus two copy editors.

Everyone volunteers their time. While there's not yet much money to pay contributors, Mills said he expects to soon start applying for grant funding after recently becoming fiscally sponsored by Heyday Books. Their goal is to find grants for specific projects while using ad and subscription revenue to operate, like San Francisco-based investigative magazine Mother Jones.

The founders hope to make the magazine a quarterly eventually. The debut issue's first 500 magazines quickly sold out, and another 1,300 printed soon after is nearly gone. About 2,000 copies have been printed for Issue 2. The magazine is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, independent bookstores like the Avid Reader, and through subscriptions.

Each issue will carry copy and photos from several regions of Northern California. The magazine's coverage area spans from the coast to Nevada, as far south as Fresno and Monterey and ranging to the Oregon border.

"We hesitate to draw distinct lines because it's such an amorphous region," Mills said.

The magazine has a website to give readers a sample of what they can find in the magazine. However, the real product is print.

Mills and his partners believe the online market is good for quick information delivered directly to readers. But computers and electronic reading devices aren't good mediums for in-depth stories and packages that marry words with art in a "cohesive format," he said.

"Computers -- they're not lovers. They're fighters," Mills said.

People who spend a lot of time with an article want to have something that's visually beautiful and physically enjoyable to hold, he added.

"The print edition just offers you something online can't," he said. "I really feel there's room for both in this world."

Photo 2, left to right: Founders Paul Barrett, Richard Mills and Casey Mills. Photos by Kate Sawyer.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Taylor's Market handles the hog

2010-10-25T06:22:01Z

Taylor Market butcher Danny Johnson confidently surveyed half of a 160-pound pig as it was laid out before him and some 30 participants at the market’s “Butchering - 101” class.

“Here’s Wilbur,” Johnson said jokingly, as he realigned the edges on his 10-inch knife.

Johnson clarified that when steeling a blade, you aren’t actually sharpening it, but rather bringing the tiny bent edges upright — little facts like this kept participants’ heads nodding and eyebrows raised.

Each participant received a diagram displaying common retail cuts of pork with lines pointing to their origins on the pig in its undivided form.

People perused the sheet, easily identifying most of the cuts. Meanwhile, Johnson reached for an enormous cleaver, called a “hog splitter,” and confessed that he wasn’t very good at going off of charts.

“I didn’t really learn that way,” Johnson said.

After knifing his way to the bone on the pig’s back leg, Johnson grabbed a 26-inch hacksaw from its place on the wall. In two to three controlled swipes, he separated the hind leg from the pig’s body.

“Let the saw do the work,” Johnson said.

Quizzing people on pork cuts as he went to work slicing through meat, Johnson talked about a delicious meal of slow-roasted hog trotters he had enjoyed once in France.

“With the hog, you use it all,” Johnson said. He talked about how the pig reaches a kind of cult status because there are so many things you can do with it.

“Anyone eaten smoked neck-bone?” he asked.

South Land Park resident Laine Keneller considers herself a big fan of the market, and regarded the information at the meeting as being extremely helpful for when she’s shopping.

“It’ll be good to know the different cuts,” Keneller said.

Not only were attendees tutored on everything the pig has to offer, but they were also coached on what to look for when purchasing a whole hog.

Johnson told his audience to look for the “establishment stamp” and to know your supplier. If any pig-purchasing were to go awry, an establishment stamp would hold the vendor accountable for recourse, he said.

With Johnson’s class eager to get their hands and knives on a slab of meat, the wisdom he shared from his 27 years of experience was geared toward helping them avoid purchasing mistakes.

Some mistakes are inevitable, however. Butchering blunders are bound to occur when learning new cutting techniques, Johnson said. He told a story or two about battle scars earned while removing the pig’s hip bone, and assured the class that at some point, they were going to cut themselves.

This class wasn’t at all squeamish or intimidated by the sight of Johnson skillfully slicing away the pig’s skin, but he said that some customers see him working behind the counter and express disgust. To these particular visitors he asks, “Where did you think it came from?”

“People are coming back to old-style butchering,” Johnson said.

The class wouldn’t have been complete without a meal served, and at $40 per person you could expect that something delicious was on the menu.

Since the day’s focus was on the many offerings of the pig, it was only natural that sausage would be highlighted —bratwurst, to be specific.

“Any sausage-maker worth his salt doesn’t give away his recipe,” Johnson said.

However, in plain view of the class, he flavored a large tub of ground pork with red wine, corn syrup and two bottles of Sierra Nevada before churning the final product out into natural casings. Sticking to his own admonition, certain spices were mixed in unannounced.

The bratwurst coiled on the table and was then twisted into separate links.

Carmichael resident Edna Fong came to the class because she was curious to know where everything came from. Fong said Johnson was a “wealth of knowledge.”

Though many consumers take pre-packaged meat, as well as a plethora of other grocery items, for granted, others are excited to take up the challenge of learning how to do more things themselves.

Johnson and Taylor’s Market remain dedicated to educating customers about the journey their food takes before going home with them.

Meat-cutting is a dying art, and Johnson said, “We’re trying to preserve it.”

To view future events offered by Danny Johnson and Taylor’s Market, click here.

Arts/Downtown Champion to Receive Service Award at Sac Film & Music Festival

2010-07-23T01:08:54Z

There are few people in this town who have consistently done as much to promote film, music, arts and Downtown Sacramento as Sid Heberger, managing partner of the Crest Theatre. Now, after years producing, hosting and promoting multiple film festivals, she is receiving the 4th Annual Film Arts Service Award during the opening ceremonies for the 11th Annual Sacramento Film & Music Festival.

From the Festival Program:

Sid grew up in Sutter Creek developing an early love for film and historic architecture. She moved to Sacramento to attend college and in 1986 became involved in the re-opening of the historic Crest Theatre, leading to a management position two years later. Now CEO of the Crest’s operating company, Sid has overseen multiple renovations of both the marquee and the interior, including selection of historically authentic materials and design components. Sid has produced multiple classic film events, Trash Film Orgy, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Comedy, and the All-Sketch Festival. She co-directs the Jewish Film Festival, hosts and supports multiple other film festivals, serves on the board of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, served on the Mayor’s Arts Initiative Film Committee, and is a Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commissioner. She lives in Land Park with her husband Bill, son Nicolas, and Lhasa-Poo Dusty.

"Our Festival and many others would suffer without the Crest as the perfect downtown venue and Sid is a friend, a supporter, a sponsor, and an amazing resource for an arts organization such as ours" said Festival Founder and Co-Director Nathan Schemel.

Past Film Arts Service Awards recipients include Shawn Sullivan who has a remarkable track record teaching animation at Sheldon High School and watching his students go on to great success at companies such as Pixar, Bill Bronstein who has directed the Tower of Youth film festival for many years and championed the cause of youth filmmakers, and Ron Cooper, Executive Director of Access Sacramento and the force behind 11 years of their "A Place Called Sacramento" screenwriting and filmmaking program.

In a small-world connection, Shawn Sullivan is also credited as a mentor in the success of local performance artist David Garibaldi, who will be performing at this year's Festival on Thursday, July 29th, following a premiere screening of "Walking Dreams," a new documentary about his work. A charity auction of David's work follows the performance and benefits the Friends of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission and the Festival.

The Festival opens with a reception catered by Festival Sponsor Rubios at 7pm tomorrow (Friday, July 23rd). The opening remarks and Award presentation are at 8:00pm followed by a screening of the documentary "Official Rejection" about the trials and tribulations of getting an independent film into film festivals. The screening is followed by an after-party at Festival Sponsor Cosmo Cafe.

Full Festival information and ticketing links can be found at www.sacfilm.com/schedule.html.

All-Screening Passes are $60 at the Crest Box Office (a 50% savings over those bought online) or $30 for students. Most individual screening tickets are $10. Opening night tickets that include both parties, the award presentation, and the movie are $15.

Photos:

1) Sid Heberger, recipient of the 2010 Film Arts Service Award

2) Festival mini-poster

3) David Garibaldi, who performs live on July 29th at the Crest Theatre

Disclaimer: Tony Sheppard is Co-Director of the 11th Annual Sacramento Film & Music Festival

Sacramento Zoo Feasibility Study

2010-07-16T21:08:06Z

This Tuesday the City Council will look over a two year study by the Community Development Department Zoo feasibility study. The Sacramento Zoological Society Long Range Planning Committee had identified Sutter's Landing Regional Park as their preferred site for a modest expansion of the zoo, but alternative sites have also been located for a future zoo.

Cost Premium of Construction on former landfill:
Construction costs will be significantly higher (to account for ground settling and special drainage treatment); thus, it is expected that construction of a zoo on this site would cost $625K/acre ($30 million total for a 50 acre zoo) above the "normal" costs of constructing a zoo on a site without landfill issues.

In addition to Sutter's Landing Regional Park, the consultant conducted preliminary evaluations of other potential sites:
• Natomas Joint Vision: This land area has no land use entitlements or habitat conservation permits.
• Arco Arena area: This site is part of the Convergence proposal
• Job Corps / Delta Shores Regional Park: The southern portion of the Job Corps site has not yet been surplused by the federal government
• North Natomas Regional Park: Already programmed for other uses
• Haggin Oaks Golf Course: This would require reconfiguration of the existing golf course and there may be competition from other potential users
• Cal Expo: This site is part of the Convergence proposal
• Granite Regional Park - east basin: This site is.difficult to evacuate in the event of drainage pump failure
• Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course: This site would require reconfiguration or elimination of the existing golf course.

The study emphasized that:
• The decision and actions to move forward with a zoo of the future are long range planning activities (a 20 year timeframe).
• There are no imminent plans to move or expand the zoo; options are provided for preliminary consideration.
• The community and PRC workshops are an important step in exploring those options for the long term future of the zoo.

The Feasibility Study concluded that:
• The current 14 acre site of the Land Park zoo is not sustainable for the future. The changing exhibit requirements, increasing operating costs, and stagnant revenues, are resulting in a zoo that offers fewer exhibits. Parking is limited and cannot fully accommodate visitors on weekends or during busy seasons.
• Sutter's Landing Regional Park is not well suited for a zoo. The site poses a number of tough challenges (e.g., building new access roads and constructing zoo facilities on a former landfill).
• Initial findings are that other sites are potentially better suited for a future zoo.
• Physically, Land Park could potentially accommodate a modest expansion.

Sacramento's First-ever Mid-Century Modern Home Tour - June 26, 2010

2010-05-18T20:36:18Z

The Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour will provide architectural and design enthusiasts an opportunity to discover what it’s like to live, work and play in more than 15 quintessentially Californian residential and commercial structures built between 1945 and 1970. Participants are invited to tour the interior spaces of buildings designed by renowned architects, Jones + Emmons, and a host of local prominent architects and designers including, Carter Sparks, Leonard F. Starks, Sooky Lee, George Muraki, and Rickey + Brooks. An estimated 500 visitors will see Sacramento from a different perspective as we open the doors to our past, present, and future.

MCM architecture (also referred to as “Post-War Modern”) is a style that arose from the post WWII suburban housing boom. Characteristics of MCM architecture include: clean, simple lines; walls of glass, open floor plans that incorporate outdoor space; open, beamed ceilings; emphasis on the horizontal plane, and; flat, or wide-angled roofs.

Sacramento’s Land Park and South Land Park neighborhoods contain hundreds of mid-century modern residential and commercial buildings, including sixty Eichler Homes, and custom homes by local architects, designers and developers such as Streng Bros. Homes and Perich Bros.

Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. at the Sacramento Executive Airport at 6151 Freeport Boulevard; participants will receive tour guidebooks upon check-in. Vintage car clubs will display mid-century vehicles in the airport parking lot along Freeport Boulevard, and the airport lobby (part of a Leonard F. Starks-designed circa 1955 building) will be filled with interpretive materials and vendors presenting items related to mid-century modern history, architecture, furnishings, and art between 10:00 – 2:00 p.m. Homes will be open to visitors from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Tickets are $20 if purchased in advance, $25 if purchased the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased online via PayPal, or with cash or check at the following locations beginning April 1st: Capital Nursery, HOT ITALIAN, Parkside Pharmacy and Blomberg Window Systems.

A portion of this year’s proceeds will benefit South Land Park non-profit, Shorter Center South, who provides recreational and studio arts opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.

Individuals or groups interested in volunteering should contact Kris Lannin Liang at SacMCMHomeTour@gmail.com.

For more information, visit us online at www.SacMCMHomeTour.blogspot.com.

Budget cuts prompt neighbors to help maintain Land Park

2010-05-04T03:22:16Z

A group of 90 residents who are afraid of further budget cuts to city parks gathered Saturday at Land Park to take maintenance chores into their own hands.

Neighborhood activists recently formed the Land Park Volunteer Corps, which met at the park to trim bushes and beautify the grounds, according to Craig Powell, coordinator of the group.

“We’re doing our part in the community,” Powell said. “We’re responding with what we can do.”

The city is struggling with a $43 million budget gap for its 2010/2011 fiscal year. Powell said he is concerned that city parks may face a third consecutive year of extensive budget cuts.

Parks were hit with $8.3 million in cuts during the 2009/2010 budget process.

The group plans to meet and carry out maintenance tasks at Land Park monthly during nine of 12 months each year, Powell said.

Councilman Rob Fong has dedicated about $2,800 from his discretionary fund to the Land Park Volunteer Corps, Powell noted, adding that the group has received about $3,600 in private donations.

City officials released a draft budget Friday that does not contain breakdowns of the budget cuts to departments. Information on department cuts will be released near the beginning of June, according to city spokeswoman Amy Williams.

For information on how to participate with the Land Park Volunteer Corps, contact Craig Powell by e-mail at ckpinsacto@aol.com or by phone at 916-718-3030.

Photo of Craig Powell by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Sacramento Zoo looks for new home

2010-04-30T04:47:29Z

Residents gathered Wednesday evening at the Hart Senior Center to find a new home for the Sacramento Zoo. After 83 years, the zoo is looking to ditch its current Land Park location in order to gain more space. The two most probable locations are Sutter’s Landing and the Natomas area.

Merely 14 acres in size, the current zoo doesn’t allow for expansion. Many of the animals—including elephants, rhinos, polar bears and cheetahs—had to be relocated to different zoos because of the small size of the enclosures in Sacramento. In order to keep their accreditation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo has to keep up with the changing standards of the association by continuously updating its current animal exhibits.

Despite the fact that collection of animals at the Sacramento Zoo is shrinking, the staff has had to gradually raise admission fees to $11 due to construction costs associated with updating the exhibits. Mary Healy, director and CEO of the zoo, said, “We can’t be a $30 zoo with only 14 acres.”

One option being explored is relocating the zoo to Sutter’s Landing, an area that used to be a landfill that now holds a small community park with river access. The Sutter’s Landing Feasibility Study, conducted to decide if the park would be a good place for the zoo, concluded that the location would not be suitable.

Scot Mende, new growth manager at the Community Development Department, said the current road running into the park, B Street, is not clear or safe for the amount of traffic that a new zoo would bring because of the big hill and railroad tracks it features. A new roadway and freeway exit could cost more than $100 million.

The cost of construction in a former landfill area can also cost the zoo an extra $30 million on top of regular construction prices. It could also take an additional 17 years for the methane in the east end of the park to settle. All these factors combined make the probability of building a zoo at Sutter’s Landing decrease immensely. “Doing anything is a lot more difficult when it used to be a landfill,” City Councilman Steve Cohn said.

Other locations were discussed as possibilities. One was the Natomas Joint Vision Area, a 10,000-acre location currently being planned with an allocation of open space, something the zoo may be able to fit into. The city-owned, 100-acre area north of Arco Arena, where a partially built River Cats stadium now stands, was also discussed, as well as an area of the Job Corps site in Meadowview that may get surplussed in the next few years by the federal government.

Expanding the zoo at its current Land Park location is unlikely. Healy recognized that the zoo is landlocked. “Our best option is to look for a new site,” she said. A City Council resolution passed in 1988 determined that the zoo’s current boundaries within Land Park will remain as its permanent boundaries.

But the topic was still explored. Healy suggested a possible way of expanding the zoo would be to get rid of the “spaghetti” streets outside of the zoo and replace them with a roundabout, exchanging asphalt for space while improving traffic and making school bus drop-offs a lot easier. Healy also talked about creating a separate entrance for a café and gift shop to let patrons explore those areas without paying for zoo admission, as well as creating a round-trip train stop that would run from Old Sacramento to the zoo.

The senior center, located at 915 27th St., was filled with over 60 concerned citizens of the Sutter’s Landing area. Residents worried about increased traffic, as well as a possible disruption of the natural wildlife at the river. Like many Sutter’s Landing residents, Stella Meaney, of Friends of the River Banks, emphasized the importance of the river as a natural asset. “We want the environmental, the ecological, the animals,” Meaney said. “What a great asset to have a stretch of river that’s wild.”

The next community meeting about the zoo’s future will be held at 7 p.m. July 1, at the Parnell Community Center, 2450 Meadowview Rd., with another tentative meeting slated for mid-summer. The Sacramento Parks and Recreation, Community Development Department, and the Sacramento Zoological Society hope these meetings will help them gain public feedback on the different options explored so far.

Sacramento's Business or Monkey Business

2010-04-23T06:52:09Z

Sacramentans participated on Wednesday to discuss the Sacramento Zoo's plans: Should it relocate or find a way to improve its current location? The meeting was held at the Belle Cooledge Center in Land Park, and hosted by the Sacramento Zoological Society, the Community Development Department, and the Parks & Recreation Department.

The meeting was the first in a series intended to obtain feedback. The main topic was the Sutter's Landing Feasibility Study, a proposed relocation of the zoo to Midtown. The majority of Sutter's Landing, which is only accessible from the 28th Street entrance, is owned by the city of Sacramento. Other parts of Sutter's Landing are occupied by the Blue Diamond Company, SMUD, an 172-acre landfill, and the Harbor Sand and Gravel Co.

"Harbor Sand and Gravel would have to be acquired or move sites" to execute the Sacramento Zoo's relocation, said Scot Mende, new growth manager for the Community Development Department.

Mende also said that in order to have a successful zoo, "park access needs to be fairly obvious." Keeping the current entrance to Sutter's Landing for zoo use would overwhelm the city, imposing on a quiet corner of Midtown. The Sacramento Zoo receives more than 500,000 visitors per year. The city proposed a new exit for Sutter's Landing from Highway 160 if the zoo were to relocate. It is estimated a basic execution will cost $17 million. However, if the city decided to make a more attractive and welcoming exit for the zoo, it could cost anywhere from $40 to $80 million.

In addition to the cost of a new entrance, construction of the zoo is estimated at $625,000 an acre. Mary Healy, director and chief executive officer of the zoo, estimated that 100 acres will be needed for a world-class zoo. That means a cost more than $30 million for 50 acres. The high cost of construction is partly because of the required reinforcement of Sutter's Landing's ground, the result of years of landfill compost settling. Seattle's newly expanded Woodland Zoo, considered world class, requires $8 to $10 million a year simply to cover daily operations.

Other relocation areas also were discussed at the meeting, including the 10,000-acre Natomas Joint Vision Area, an area 100 acres north of Arco Arena that is the site of the first, partially-built River Cats Stadium, and the Job Corps site in Meadowview.

There is also the possibility of expanding the current location, although it is hemmed in. A map at the meeting showed how close the zoo is to Fairytale Town, Funderland Amusement Park, the William Land Park Golf Course and Holy Cross School. The zoo occupies a 14-acre lot, so any modifications would have to be modest. One downside to the zoo is an inability to house larger animals. Past expansions were responsible for the reduction of the primate exhibit and the zoo's lost of its rhinos and bears.

Healy contacted the Urban Land Institute for options on improving the current site. Small adjustments were suggested because there was no room for grander moves. The zoo has "no intention of violating the integrity of Fairytale Town, the ball fields, or the golf course," said Healy. Possible improvements include a "friendlier" entrance with a cafe/souvenir shop that would be separate from the zoo and open earlier, a train stop for the zoo that would be accessible from Old Sacramento and turning the stop in front of the entrance into a roundabout so school kids could be dropped off. The bus stop now is across the street, requiring thousands of kids a year to cross the street.

After the speakers representing the city and zoo finished their presentation, they turned the floor over to the public for what became an emotional forum. At one point, residents called the zoo's proposal a mere extension of a board proposition made 22 years ago. Several of the 90 people in the audience approached the front to make their voices heard.

Scott Rose Craig Powell, vice president of the Land Park Community Association, said that "even though the zoo lost some of their bigger animals, their attendance hasn't suffered." The LPCA is against the zoo's expansion because it could move into nearby parks. Rose Powell said it was former Mayor William Land's wish, for whom the park is named, to use the area for the "recreation sport of children and a pleasure ground for the poor." The zoo, which began as a free park, was meant to be used by all. Rose Powell concluded by saying, "If you put a wrought-iron fence around 40 more acres, you will have done a great violence to the will of William Land."

The next community meetings about the feasibility study will be April 28 at 6 p.m. in the Hart Multipurpose Senior Center, 915 27th Street, and June 3 at 7 p.m. at the Robertson Community Center, 3525 Norwood Avenue.

Fong Gives State of District Report

2010-04-20T04:56:10Z

City Councilman Rob Fong said there will be continued development on Broadway during his 2010 State of the District Report Monday evening.

Fong, who represents District 4, gave his report at the Area One Neighborhood Advisory Group meeting.

"I'm not up for reelection this year," he said. "So you will have the truth tonight."

Fong said that west Broadway Street will see some development in the next few years, and the focus will be on housing and retail. Fong also said he is trying to get a community center to be built in that neighborhood. Most of the plans for District 4 are centered around the Broadway corridor, according to Fong.

"We're trying to re-imagine what Broadway can be," Fong said, adding that the goal is to add more retail and make Broadway more walkable and consumer-friendly.

Bicycle commuting routes from Land Park and South Land Park are also in the planning stages, he said. Fong noted that many residents in Land Park and South Land Park love to ride their bikes to get downtown.

Fong said that another issue in District 4 this year is the possible expansion of the zoo. Fong said that residents who live near the zoo do not prefer the zoo to expand, but that the future viability of the zoo's current size is challenging.

After Fong finished, he took questions from the audience of about 20, including one regarding the possibility of a new river crossing over the Sacramento River. Fong applauded the current discussion over the needs for a bridge, saying that the initial plan for a four-lane bridge going to Broadway was not the best idea.

"A bridge has to work for both sides," he said. "I'm not for a four-lane auto bridge. Ir doesn't do anything good for us."

Fong finished by answering a question about the city's budget deficit by admitting that services will be cut.

"The whole city is going to have a reduced level of services," he said, before adding that despite the poor economy crime was down in his district.

"It's always sunny in District 4."

Suburban Cowboy

2010-04-13T17:34:05Z

For the last week, I've been living the life of Riley. Jess' aunt and uncle took her little cousins on vacation to Hawaii. We've been housesitting their place in Land Park. Riley lives in a three-bedroom house in the suburbs, he's got a cat and a dog. And this week, so do I.

I thought I'd share with you some of the people and places that I've experienced during my week as a Sacramento suburbanite. A Suburban Cowboy, if you will. While I'm not ready to trade in my 'Vette for a minivan a la Steve Sanders, BH 90210, Episode 7, Season 10 (a part of me died that day. Also, no one's gonna mistake my 1990 Honda Accord for a Corvette with plates that read I8A-4RE), I found that Land Park has a lot to offer a (quasi) young man about town such as myself.

Saturday morning I had some friends in town, and we went to Tower Cafe for breakfast. This probably isn't a groundbreaking revelation for you locals, but the meal was fantastic. A house french toast with fruit compote and whipped cream that is the best in the state, and a crab cake benedict with avocado and Bearnaise sauce, instead of the usual Hollandaise, that was a revelation. I'l put it this way. Jess and I came back the next day and ordered ... the crab cake benny and house french toast. I never, ever do that (unless it's at a taco truck).

Saturday night (and Monday and Wednesday) we went to Big Spoon Yogurt. At the risk of hyperbole, it is the single greatest place on Earth. It is just stupid how many toppings they have for their yogurts, which also come in many flavors. And the best part about it is that the yogurt is low fat, or even fat free! Granted, I got cheesecake, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, hot fudge and about eight candy bars on mine, but that's not the point. Yogurt is good for you! Just ask Jamie Lee Curtis.

On Sunday, after our second-straight breakfast at Tower, we rode our bikes to the farmers market under Highway 80 at 8th and W. Very impressive produce selection. I highly recommend checking it out despite the less than aesthetically pleasing locale. The venue just screams for strategically located trash can fires. When we arrived, we realized that we only had 6 bucks on us, but that was more than enough to procure some fantastically thin asparagus, a couple of Meyer lemons and a large sweet potato. For dinner we had a wasabi-pesto crusted salmon with teriyaki stir-fried cashew asparagus. It was great. The sweet potato ended up being fed to the dog, but she enjoyed it immensely.

Monday I went to the DMV in Oak Park. Now I know it's cliched to whine about trips to the DMV. Everybody has to do it, and everyone gets a little taste of what hell may be like. Suck it up, rub some dirt on it, whatever. But my story has a twist. Monday was my third trip to the DMV in the last week, all for the same thing. The first time I threw in the towel before making it through even the second level of front doors. The next time, I left for lunch at Jarritos on Broadway. It was my most disappointing meal in Sacramento; I still think about it *shudders*. When I got back to the DMV, I still was 120 people away. So I went back to Jess' aunt and uncle's house to get schooled on our housesitting duties. When we returned, they had just called B215. I was B213. What is it the kids are saying these days, FML?

Which leads us to Tuesday, our third trip to the DMV. Once you park at the Oak Park DMV, don't even think about leaving till you've handled your business. You may end up parking a half mile away. I made that mistake the first time around.

Got our numbers and walked down to the Boom Boom Cafe, without a doubt the best restaurant within walking distance of the DMV. Outstanding Asian fusion at a very reasonable price. I got the Korean pork bul go gi, Jess got a Thai curry eggplant, and we both were exceedingly pleased with our choices.

Don't worry, we got back to the DMV well before my number was called. We got back, suntanned a bit by the car, signed some petitions. Then I decided it was time to head back in. So I locked the car. With the keys on the center console. I locked my keys ... in the car ... at the DMV. So next time you're at the DMV and cursing your luck or lack thereof, consider this. At least you didn't lock your %^*&#@& keys in the &#*@%#@ car! On the bright side, AAA got there a good 20 minutes before my number was called.

Tuesday night, we tried Oscar's Very Mexican Food, whose name is oxymoronic. If it were so "Very Mexican", wouldn't it be "Mucho Mexicano"? A decent Americanized taqueria (Very Americanized. It has a "California" burrito with french fries in it), its saving grace is the salsa verde, which is reminiscent of the one at La Taqueria in the Mission. Unfortunately, the resemblances end there.

Wednesday was our big night out. We got all gussied up (I wore a shirt with a collar on it! And considered shaving!) and walked up the street to Taylor's Kitchen. A little American bistro attached to a gourmet market, Taylor's Kitchen somehow manages to be both elegant and homey. Jess and I, as we often do, eschewed the entrees in favor of a larger selection of small plates. We started off with steamed clams with chorizo and a lovely Dungeness crab salad. It took all my considerable restraint not to lick the bowl the clams came in. The crab salad was lovely as well, though I'd have preferred it been served with fresh avocado rather than the avocado panna cotta it was paired with. John Paul, our waiter, then brought over a pot of macaroni and cheese, gratis. They had forgotten the bacon, thus the freebie, but it still was outrageously rich and tasty. We finished with the mushroom gnocchi in a Parmesan cream sauce, and this time, they remembered the bacon. A wonderful end to a wonderful meal. We took our desert at Big Spoon.

Thursday was our final day of suburban bliss, and I finished it off with gusto. Chloe, the family dog, is 14 years old, a cancer survivor, and suffers from severe arthritis. The family recently had enlisted the services of Karen Krstich, DVM. Karen makes house calls, and she put Chloe on some new meds and a new diet. I would have gladly eaten everything that I fed the dog while housesitting. In fact, I did eat a bowl of the last meal I cooked for her: a chicken, yam, carrot, zucchini, celery stew. It was yummy. Pretty standard vet stuff, right? Well, Karen also practices the ancient Chinese art of acupuncture. Doggy acupuncture. And so, I spent 20 minutes Thursday morning assisting in that most suburban of activities, a doggy acupuncture and electrotherapy session. Much as I once scoffed at yoga, there was a time where this whole procedure would have led me to offer up a dismissive wanking motion. But I can say unequivocally that Chloe is markedly improved from just two weeks ago. Her energy is up, she walks less gingerly and seems much happier. Doubt the healing powers of pet acupuncture at your peril.

It was an eventful week in the suburbs. I laughed, I ate, I helped a woman stick pins in a dog and then run electricity through said pins.

I'm ready to get back to Midtown.

Council certifies Curtis Park Village report

2010-04-02T06:33:49Z

An overflow crowd packed Sacramento City Hall Thursday night for a public hearing on the environmental impact report for the proposed Curtis Park Village development.

With a unanimous vote, the City Council certified the report following four hours of testimony, staff reports and council discussion on the expected impact of developer Paul Petrovich's $211 million plan to construct housing and businesses on an old Western Pacific railyard near Sacramento City College.

More than 400 people filled the council chamber and an upstairs overflow room. Saying they don't oppose the infill project, some nearby residents sought to postpone a decision by asking for an environmental impact report (EIR) they consider to be inadequate to be recirculated and revised.

"We've been accused of being emotional about this issue. And we are," said Gary Weinberg, a Sixth Avenue resident. "We are because we live in a neighborhood that we adore, and we want it to stay that way."

Petrovich has proposed turning 72 acres of vacant, toxic land into a development containing 527 homes and apartments, 259,000 square feet of retail and office space, and a 6.8-acre park between the college, Curtis Park and Land Park. On Friday, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control halted Petrovich's remediation efforts at the site until the council's vote.

In an 11th-hour surprise just before the vote, City Council member Lauren Hammond unveiled a five-point compromise she helped hammer out in recent days to address issues raised by neighbors.

"The plan before us tonight reflects a lot of hard work on the part of the residents, as well as the developer," said Hammond, whose district includes the site. "In the end, it will be worth it."

Petrovich said he has spent $25 million cleaning up 150,000 tons of contaminants at the site. He asked the council to certify the EIR so he can take the next step — working with DTSC to determine how to handle the remaining 350,000 tons that has since been discovered. At the meeting, he said he hopes to fit all remaining toxins under a mixed-use commercial area. But some may need to go under hardscape or a containment cell in the park, he added.

Residents who belong to the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association remain opposed to the latter. Hammond identified that as the only sticking point.

"We strongly believe there should be no toxins under the park," said Rosanna Herber, the group's president. Other concerns were submitted to the council in a 28-page letter. She challenged Mayor Kevin Johnson to ask federal and state agencies for funds to remove toxins that would otherwise be encapsulated in the park.

Hammond said the decision about whether the park can be used to contain the contaminants is out of the council's hands.

"That decision rests with the Department of Toxic Substance Control. That is state law," she said.

However, Council Member Bonnie Pannell said she will not support a containment cell in the park. Following applause from residents, Pannell led a discussion with staff until she was assured the council would consider that issue at a later date.

The site is being cleaned to commercial and mixed-use standards in some areas, and residential in others, said Jennifer Hageman, a senior planner.

A majority in the crowd identified themselves as Curtis Park residents. Early in the hearing, about half the people in council chambers stood in support Petrovich. He identified them as people who live or work or want jobs in the neighborhood. Some wore "YIMBY" or "Yes In My Backyard" buttons.

Petrovich also asked the council to consider the project's economic impact via impact and building permit fees, public improvements, property taxes and jobs.

"This will provide $1 billion in stimulus funds to this local economy," he said.

Members of the neighborhood group say the plan is too suburban for the area. They've said they would prefer commercial space being decreased to 150,000 square feet in the hope that would reduce traffic and the possibility of a strip mall being built there.

Petrovich said he now plans to use 10 building styles found in the original Curtis Park blueprint from the 1930s and 1940s, as well as traditional duplexes and four-plexes, to "knit this together" with existing neighborhoods.

The project fits nearby uses and the neighborhood, as well as the city's General Plan for 2030, said Heather Forest, an associate planner with the city's Community Development Department. In a report to the council, staff also said the project is "pedestrian-friendly" and was designed to decrease use of cars through its walkability and its location near public transit.

"We've got a great project before us," said Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Petrovich asked the council to consider adopting CEQA findings and other matters at another meeting. City staff asked the council to postpone a decision on zoning changes.

Despite all the compromises, Hammond said she feared a lawsuit may be filed in the future.

"Somebody is going to sue us: Either the neighbors, or Paul," she said. "But I think this is as close as we're gonna go."

Tough economy makes for some creative home living in Sacramento

2009-12-24T07:09:40Z

When Land Park resident Ken Parks was first strolling through the listing of available places he wanted to rent, he thought “wow, newly built, upscale neighborhood, pool, gym, great price, quiet home away from home living, what more could a guy ask”. However the listing that Parks was searching through wasn’t your typical rental listing in the apartment or home market, it was a room space being rented by a homeowner out of her Natomas condo complex. Parks, a 34 year-old state employee represents a growing number of people within Sacramento County and around the country that have taken to calling someone else’s home their home with room space renting or sub-leasing housing. It is not a totally new concept, nor will it send traditional landlords out of business, yet it is a trend that realtor analysts say is growing during these crunching economic times. For some people they are trying to find some creative ways to save money and rather than simply moving back home with parents, as many adults are doing in the boomerang generation, they are taking the route of renting space from other professionals and family-oriented homeowners with a room to rent. They are doing it in areas from downtown Sacramento to Natomas, from Roseville to Folsom, from Davis to Elk Grove and areas beyond.

Sacramento like most of the nation had been hit hard by slow home sales and increasing foreclosures in the sagging housing market over the past few years. Recognizing one side of that ineffectuality President Obama opened up the government’s checkbook in his first year in office by using the people’s money with his home buying stimulus package as our country was headed toward its worst annual number of homes sold in decades. According to the California Association of Realtors November home sales report, in Sacramento the area had the largest statewide decrease of prior year sales at -16.5 percent. Overall for the state the number of homes sold has been solid with a 4.5 percent increase for the month of November, still this has not offset the number of vacant rental properties in the region. Until then the carryover meant people had to make to some hard choices with limited options in their standard of living, and some took to renting rooms out of existing homes in order to raise some instant cash.

Despite some enticements to get people interested in buying homes or condo’s, the loss of homes due to foreclosures, financial windfalls, and an unstable job market has forced many into renting rooms from others as an economic savings alternative. This has led to a decrease in new apartment leasing where rental prices for the county have spiked over the last 5 years. Within Sacramento the average 1 bedroom goes for $741.00 while the average 2 bedroom goes for $881.00. In some areas, realtors and property managers are taking notice to where their potential new and existing residents are going and now joining the fray by offering occupancy packages of lease to own, gifts for first-time buyers, more flexible sub-lease options, split month and automated deduction payments, and other discounts and incentives to help fill spaces of vacant apartments and houses sitting in beautiful suburban cul-del-sac neighborhoods. “With the number of people losing jobs, and the foreclosure market, we try to balance our services to help both the renter and landlord meet their needs”, says Ted White of Sacramento Delta, a property management company which specializes in listing available apartments and homes for rent.

One frequent search point for many would be room dwellers is Craigslist, as the popular community friendly site has an entrée of apartment, home, shared room, condo, and other listings, and it’s a list that keeps growing. Roommates.com another popular site boasts being the largest roommate matching service in the nation. White thinks businesses like his that serve as the go between of the landlord and renter do add value,” In order to better service our clients we have to utilize these tools (Craigslist) and yet we can pre- screen applicants for landlords thus making the process that much easier”.

In settings where these types of new living situations are working they offer a host of new relationships. Relationships that get formed with the social media circuit becoming as an ever popular way of communicating, and its not just students that are taking up these offers. Twenty or thirty years ago in the pre-Internet age people would use local newspapers or supermarket bulletin boards to post or find a room or apartment for rent. Today, people can not only search for rooms online but search with many specifications that makes it easier to find someone with similar tastes and compatible interests. Social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and others have helped turn the cultural tide from the impersonal to personal. All of this buzz about room renting often makes it much easier for people to connect. It is common to find a bunch of college students of three, four, or five all living in a rented out house or condo. It makes for inexpensive luxury living on the cheap. A lot of what it takes to make such arrangements work is more than finding your next housemate simply because there is space available but connecting with people who you share other activities and interests with. This is why a lot of effort should go into any decision before making the plunge to rent from someone just because the price is a bargaining or you need someone to move in your apartment before you get evicted for lack of payment. While there is often less haggle over the normative of credit checks, criminal history, income verifications, move in deposits, or past rental history inquiries it seems the two most important things required are being respectful to each others space and pay your rental bill on time.

Unlike the rich and famous who often will rent out cottages in Martha’s Vineyard, the average Joe and Jane American are finding that renting room space can be a win-win for both parties. From college students to single professionals to church going families as long as there is a room available in a house or apartment going unused and some willingness to make some extra cash than expect this sub-leasing trend to continue. People are no longer embarrassed as they once were by the fact that they can rent room space from someone else. The layers of the taboo or stigma of being an inhabitant, house sitter, or transient is no more. Everyone is feeling the brunt of the economy and what better way to get some relief than rent that room out which was unused or was kept for storage or office space. Empty nesters, a term often referred to describe parents of grown children that have left home, will use what was once little Johnny’s or Sarah’s room as a new rental opportunity. Sometimes it even surprises the grown children that their parents are now renting out the room that they grew up in. For those that do move back home, they will sometimes find a rent bill attached to their room door as well, and makes for smart responsibility on the part of the elder parents. Most family advice counselors recommend that set boundaries when the children return and charging rent is a good way of ensuring the returning children that they won’t be able to freeload their way through these tough times. The idea is that it will make the children more accountable and understand that if they were staying somewhere else they would have to pay rent.

However the problems aren’t just older adult children returning home for free room and board, but many working adults have been out priced for housing and can’t afford to stay in a standard of living they were once accustomed to 5-10 years ago. All and all this seems like one creative housing trend that maybe here to stay until the economy gets back on its feet.

Christmas Lights | Land Park

2009-12-23T06:47:34Z

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

Iron Steaks serves iron values

2009-10-13T23:35:01Z

Bill Taylor knows a thing or two about quality meat. Taylor, owner of the iconic Willie's Burgers, recently opened Iron Steaks located in Land Park Sacramento neighborhood.

"We wanted good quality that you can find at the best steakhouses, but price it reasonably," said Taylor.

Meals are served in family-style portions to share. A sample dinner can include crab cakes, seared Ahi crusted with toasted almonds for appetizers, a 48 oz. porterhouse (which serves up to 6) served on a cast iron platter for an entrée, and green beans and sautéed mushrooms with demi-glaze for sides.

Each entrée is served with coleslaw and beignets, a type of fried dough.

"A typical evening meal with three to four people with prime meat will cost maybe $25 per person," said Ron Henderson, banquet manager.

Taylor wants his steakhouse to have the same reputation and quality as the famous Peter Luger Steakhouse in New York. The Brooklyn based steakhouse is reputed to be the discerning steak connoisseur, having been in business for over 100 years.

"The concept is simple; generous family-style servings to share and enjoy at affordable prices in surroundings as comfortable as your own home," according to the Iron Steaks website.

Atmosphere is just as important as the food served, Taylor said. Iron Steaks is located at the former Fuji restaurant building, which served the Sacramento community for 20 years.

"It was important to keep the eclectic Asian feel," Taylor said. "This building is an important part of the community."

Taylor wanted to incorporate the traditional look of a steakhouse along with his own vision.

"I wanted to keep the wood, but give it a cross cultural approach," he said. "So we gave it a contemporary blend, and kept the feel and spirit of the building."

The booths on the west wall of the restaurant are plush and comfortable. Lighting reflects off the suspended ceiling, creating a warm ambiance. Traditional Asian-style patterns are throughout the restaurant. There is seating for large groups, as well as seating for just couples or smaller groups of three or four.

Starting Oct. 13 Iron Steaks will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the lunch crowd.

"This is a great place for state workers to have lunch," Taylor said. Here they can enjoy a good meal in under an hour before heading back to the office, he said.

A typical lunch will cost under $14 and will include sliders, a 6 oz. steak, steak sandwiches, and the traditional Crab Louie salad just to name a few.

Of course, he will also stay true to his roots.

"People are expecting me to serve hamburgers for lunch," laughs Taylor. "And we will, with fresh quality meat, buns, and our own sauce."

A premier item will be his half-inch-thick sweet and smokey bacon, he said. There will also be a tasty vegan burger for non-carnivores complete with chopped walnuts, soy cheese, pinto beans, and guacamole on a whole wheat bun.

With no corkage fee for wine, Taylor said he is committed to reasonable prices and not cutting corners on the dining experience.

"We realize it is tough for everyone right now," he said, "but if you still want to enjoy going out and have a fantastic dining experience, we can do it."

Iron Steaks is located at 2422 13th St. in Sacramento. It is open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. for lunch starting Oct. 13. Evening dining hours are Monday through Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 11 p.m., and Sunday 5 to 9 p.m.

Photos courtesy the Iron Steaks website.

Johnson talks to residents about strong mayor issue

2009-09-25T05:02:09Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson laid out his reasons for supporting a “strong mayor” form of government at a town hall meeting held Thursday night in Land Park. He said a strong mayor form of government would allow citizens to have more influence over their government than the current City Council/city manager system.

Johnson spoke to a crowd of about 100 people at his former junior high school, California Middle School in Land Park. The meeting was an open forum for residents to ask questions; it was not organized around a particular topic.

Kathi Windheim of the Greenhaven / Pocket neighborhood asked the mayor to address controversial legal issues with the strong mayor initiative. The initiative, which will go on the ballot in June 2010, proposes to change the city’s current system of government to a strong mayor system. “It’s alarming -- the problems with the initiative,” Windheim said.

In response, Johnson made his case in support of the initiative. He said that cities often change to a strong mayor system when they become larger. Several other California cities that are the size of Sacramento have the strong mayor form of government, he pointed out. “When I said Sacramento has a chance to be a world class city, I think this is a tremendous opportunity to do that,” he said. “This is just an evolution.”

Among other arguments, he said that the strong mayor system would give residents more direct influence over city government. He said the city manager runs the city but is unelected. “It’s hard for you as a voter to have your vote count,” he said.

The mayor also took questions from citizens on several other local issues, including homelessness and a proposal to make it legal for residents to have chickens in their yards.

Photo by Jonathan Mendick.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Children's House wins at First Annual Hooter's Wingfest

2009-09-07T05:08:58Z

Doug Kappy was sitting on a massive velvet and steel throne. Smiling, the event MC and Bay Area Hooters owner surveyed a William Land Park Golf Course driving range transformed by food vendors, eager eating-contest competitors and the Refugees, a Tom Petty tribute band.

"People look at Hooters and [often] don't realize our work at charitable events," he said, after stepping down from the glistening chair.

These words reflect the juxtaposition between Hooters' iconic style and its fundraising work on behalf of the George Mark Children's House, a unique hospice for terminally ill young children and their families.

The First Annual Hooters Wingfest Sacramento was conceived as a fundraiser for the George Mark Children's house, a San Leandro-based nonprofit.

Through private and institutional giving, George Mark provides housing and therapy for entire families before and after a child's passing. "We provide comprehensive no-cost compassionate care in a home-like setting so you don't feel like you're in an institute," Charbel Semaan, George Mark external relations manager, explained.

While Semaan was speaking, a young wheelchair-bound child was escorted into the event by his family. "Terren has known nothing but pain his own life. He's slowly dying [and] his is mother is battling breast cancer," George Mark representative Kevin Kimbrough explained.

At George Mark, Terren and his family have found long-term counseling and care.

"We've never turned anyone away at George Mark," Semaan said. "If we become so full, that's the inspiration for other organizations... We don't want to be the first and only, we want to be the first of many."

Asked about the Hooters fundraiser, Semaan replied: "I see a direct connection here... after an event like this we consider Hooters part of the George Mark family."

Several dozen yards away, young Hooters girls zig-zagged across the lawn, selling raffle tickets to raise funds for George Mark Children's House. "It's $20 for [the length of a man's] wing span, $10 for an arm," they cheerfully explained.

As the the Refugees ended their set with Tom Petty's "American Girl," the crowd of more than one hundred grew anxious. The seven competitors, who had each earned a place by winning preliminary competitions, were called to the stage.

"We had competitions in August every Thursday night," said Frank Chopski, event organizer and owner of three Sacramento-area Hooters. "The wings are regular hot, and the winner will be the first one to 30," he added.

As the seven men were escorted onstage, the crowd began to cheer. The Hooters girls topped off the excitement by placing large containers of spicy wings in front of each contestant.

Then the eating began.

Vying for a three-day, two-night trip to Honolulu, the contestants immediately entered a whirlwind state of frantic consumption. As the containers were emptied, the crowd's excitement became increasingly palpable.

In a flash, Arden Hooters regular Brian Jensen was declared the winner. Jensen triumphantly threw his arms in the air, his face stained orange with sauce.

As the wild scene died down, Jensen was crowned on the steel and velvet throne as the Hooters Wingfest champion. "I'm gonna take my fiancée Jenna [to Hawaii] on our honeymoon," Jensen said.

After the crowd began to disperse, George Mark representative Kevin Kimbrough congratulated the elated champion. On that Saturday afternoon, however, both Jensen and George Mark Children's House had been winners.

To learn more about George Mark Children's House, visit www.georgemark.org

To read about upcoming Sacramento-area Hooter's, visit www.hootersofcalifornia.com

Masullo Pizza in Lank Park on Riverside Blvd.

2009-08-13T02:32:21Z

A great hidden little pizza place in North Land Park on Riverside Blvd. They use fresh seasonal ingredients on the constantly changing menu of appetizers, salads and thin-crust pizza - yum!

Sac residents dish about their neighborhoods

2009-07-24T04:06:44Z

When asked to talk about their neighborhoods, Sacramento residents have a lot to say. Sacramento dwellers who follow The Sacramento Press on Twitter revealed their feelings about their neighborhoods on Wednesday and Thursday. Check out their tweets:

@ShermanLoehr: I dwell in River Park. Love being so close to the wonders of East Sac & Fair Oaks Blvd. And listening to trains at night!

@journalistnate: I was born and raised in Oak Park. People from elsewhere are a lot more freaked out about my neighborhood than I am.

@johntodd: RioLinda is not NEARLY as miserable as many make it out to be. It’s much more Mayberry than South Central.

@swellyn: West Tahoe Park. Highly diverse, some artists, some hippies young&old, friendly, neighborly folks.

@JulieBerge: I love midtown dwelling, especially the diversity, energy and beautiful tree-lined streets in the fall

@lizconant: I like my Land Park hood -- nice streets to walk on, proximity to Tower Cafe, Masullo Pizza, Target! & my 5 min commute!

@kb_metrochamber: I love West Sac’s Southport area. Get the best of suburbia and hit downtown in less than 15 minutes.

@SuzHOPkins: Luv the wonderful sense of community & older homes in Land Park & walking to my faves: Vic’s Ice Cream, Freeport Bakery...

@_kelli: East Sac is amazing--can walk to get just about everything I need, the charming homes, it’s a great community of friends

@AngDRC: I love Blvd. Park. The old houses, big trees, all one block away from restaurants and bars!

@Lesley3fold: I love East Sac’s quiet shady streets; walking distance to fro yo, mexican food and starbucks, mckinley park, old homes

@andyleggett: Nothing. Sierra Oaks is upper middle class and quiet as $*@$.

@philanthrophile: re: top-of-mind @ my ‘hood N of Jesuit: wild chickens! U get used to the roosters but it’s the 1st thing visitors say

@tamihackbarth: Front yard garden boxes w/neighbors, amazing library, walking, biking, best yoga studio in town, friends=Poverty Ridge.

@Crystalsmom: I’ve lived in citrus hts, carmicheal, rosemont, college greens, DOWNTOWN, Elverta & now I’m LOVING upper land park.

Follow The Sacramento Press on Twitter. Our Twitter handle is: @sacramentopress

Returning to his roots, and planting seeds for the future

2009-03-17T04:54:58Z

For Ricardo Robles, it's like coming back home. This is Robles' old classroom and he shows the students in the class where he used to sit. The class is called Spanish for Hispanics. McClatchy High School, in Land Park, has a 26 percent Latino population.

The teacher, Mr. Rodolfo Orihuela, explains that he created this class so the students, who are already fluent in the Spanish language, can get an opportunity to learn about their heritage.

To break the ice Robles asks the students to draw the person nearest to them.

"It does not matter if you can't draw, just give it a try" says Robles. After they spend 5 minutes drawing, he asks them to give the drawing to the person they drew.

"The object of the exercise," he said "is to make you want to talk to that person and also to highlight that we can't all be good at everything. We are all unique."

After the drawing exercise, Robles shares his background. "I graduated from McClatchy in 2001 and from Sac State in 2008." He tells the students that he is an entrepreneur, explaining that he takes calculated risks and recognizes hidden opportunities.

The students all look at each other as if to ask "what is an entrepreneur?" Robles addresses the question in the air and explains that he is an example of an entrepreneur by telling the students, "I can start a potential business with no capital by leveraging my business relationships. I use smart ways to get customers to my business and create awareness."

Robles shares his experience with Global Entrepreneurship Week. He first came across the concept last year and decided to participate. GEW is a week-long event, with activities everyday that are geared toward entrepreneur. He had 30 days to put together the event and had close to 800 participants.

He was told that it couldn't be done, but he says he leveraged what he calls, Quality Human Capital. He says that the people who are influencing you right now, whether it's a book, your teacher, your friends, etc. these people are your Quality Human Capital.

He engaged the students by asking them questions to get them to start thinking about setting goals and the importance of having direction and control over their lives.
What are five things that you value most in life?
Can you tell me in 30 seconds or less, what is the most important goal for you right now?
What would you do if you won a million dollars tomorrow? What would you change? What would you buy? Who would you see?

As the students wrote down their answers, Robles told them just the fact that they were writing it down meant that they could achieve it. There were no limitations.

Robles continued with questions like, what would you do and how would you choose to live if you were told you only had six months to live? Who would you see? What have you always wanted to do but been too afraid to try?

He also asked, looking back to the things that you have done in your life, what type of activity has given you the greatest feeling of importance?

Robles came up with the idea of "trust in the rock" based on an idea from the book, "The Secret." He explained that trust without studying does not happen, you need to go through the process. Through the work that you do, you can accomplish anything.

He adds that the rock has no special power, but it is a tool to remind you what you are grateful for. Each of us has the ability to create our own life, he said, and that everything we are and will be results from the choices we make today.

Mr. Orihuela is happy to see former students like Robles returning and sharing their success with his classes.

"As a teacher you let them go knowing that they are not complete. But when [students like Robles] return and you see their transformation, it's the greatest [feeling]."

Independent Bookstore thriving in Landpark

2009-02-28T00:56:25Z

One of the things that identifies our community spirit is our conscious patronizing of local entrepreneurs. In my endless search to shop locally, I came across a beautiful bookstore: The Avid Reader at the Tower.

Avid Reader is located on Broadway near the intersection with Land Park Ave. You will recognize the location since it used to be the now defunct Tower Books.

The owners, Stan Forbes and Alzada Knickerbocker, have over 28 years of experience in the industry. They have been at this location since April 2007.

"Landpark loves independent stores," comments Knickerbocker. "We are still here and that's a good thing." she said.

They credit their success to their customers. "We know our customers by name and they know we appreciate their support," Knickerbocker said. "For example our customers could buy their newspapers from the newsstand out-front but instead they come into the store and know that their personal copy has been reserved."

The inside is very fresh and inviting. Nice brick walls remind you of the age of the building yet the surrounding colors are crisp white with nice blues. Forbes credits Knickerbocker with the color scheme. "I visited Greece few years ago and fell in love with their blues and whites," she explains.

The store has a wide array of books and periodicals. Nice local section and they host events to promote local writers. They also provide the space and the books for a local book club that meets once a month.

Avid Reader is an example of great community support. Thanks Landpark! Avid Reader at the Tower is located at 1600 Broadway.

The Best thing about Landpark is...

2009-02-25T00:21:42Z

That's right, Landpark! William Land Park donated to the city of Sacramento over 166 acres of land in the year 1926. Today Landpark is a gorgeous park that includes, a picnic recreation area, a pond, a 9 hole golf course, jogging trails, an amphitheater, Fairytale Town, Funderland Amusement Park, and The Sacramento Zoo all set in the heart of Sacramento's downtown area.

The Sacramento Zoo is a non-profit organization, something that the average Sacramentan may not know, says Lauren Kraft the public relations coordinator for the Sac Zoological Society. The Sac Zoo houses animals of endangered species with the higher purpose of caring and protecting them. They are primarily an educational and conservation zoo.

The Zoo has not seen sharp changes in their attendance. They are primarily a weather driven environment and family oriented. That make them a prime destination for families in Sacramento looking for wholesome entertainment. Today is a beautiful sunny day and during my short visit I saw lots of children and their parents enjoying the ground of the zoo. In 2007 they had over 500.000 visitors due to their temporary penguin exhibit. We are small and rely on temporary exhibit to create variety in our zoo, adds Kraft.

A permanent new addition coming this Spring 2009 is the Conservation Carousel, a carousel that will have 32 lifelike animals. Each animal is hand carved from wood and then hand painted. It will surely prove to be a favorite among our local children.

In addition to the carousel the zoo is already working on what's coming up in 2010. They raised funds for the past 3 years, 1.5 millions dollars to be exact, for the new Giraffe Habitat Renovation Project. The current habitat is over 50 years old and is no longer adequate. The new exhibit will house not only the current 3 female Giraffes but also a male Giraffe, creating the potential for breeding. It will have stalls for each Giraffe and the Barn will house the veterinarian facilities as well as the storing of their food, among other things. The Zoo have done extensive research by visiting other exhibits and habitats around the country. Kraft says that when the new Giraffe Habitat is completed it will be a state of the art facility in the nation.

Remember that our support and contribution help preserves the world we live in for future generations. Come visit and support our Zoo, animals need your help.