Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "perspectives"

Sac Press Live chat: John Hodgson from the Urban Land Institute on development in Sacramento's railyards

2012-08-14T15:44:32Z

While the arena deal might be dead, planning for the downtown railyards remains at the center of the agenda for Sacramento, and next week, city staff will present the city council with a report on the best way Sacramento can encourage development in the 240-acre site.

The basis for that presentation will be a recently-published report conducted by the city and the Urban Land Institute think tank, "Redeveloping the railyards to strengthen the urban core."

This Wednesday at noon, we'll be chatting with one of people behind the ULI Report, John Hodgson, a land use attorney and founder and president of The Hodgson Company. The chat will be live streamed in this article. You can also join us via Google Hangouts.

We'll dive into the details of the report, which at this point, provide the best blueprint for how the city plans to proceed with the railyards.

You can download it or read it in full below. Please post any questions you'd like us to ask in the conversation below this article.

Urban Land Institute Report on the Sacramento Railyards

The report was produced by a panel from the think tank and a Sacramento team that included Hodgson, Mayor Kevin Johnson, Assistant City Manager John Dangberg and Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.

Hodgson's bio:

John Hodgson is the founder and president of the Hodgson Company. He has headed numerous residential and mixed-use master-planned projects throughout the greater Sacramento Valley area. He also has a strong interest in urban revitalization and mixed-use development in the urban centers of the region.

Hodgson is a full member of the Urban Land Institute and recently served as chair of ULI Sacramento.

He served six years as the chair of the Capitol Area Development Authority. He currently serves as chair of the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan and is also active in numerous civic organizations.

Hodgson is a member of the State Bar of California and a graduate of the University of California, Davis, and UC Davis Law School (King Hall).

From the report’s summary of recommendations:

-- Rather than build a large facility that concentrates all the transit activity and connections, the panel recommends that the city consider separating the various transit modes(intercity rail, bus, and light rail) within an area that not only is accessible for travelers who need to make connections but also takes advantage of this activity by allowing development to occur around it and create actual destinations beyond the transit access itself.

-- The panel also recommends that the city and the rail operators consider ways to share high-speed and Amtrak service on tracks at the same level or to relocate the high-speed-rail terminal. With itsoverarching canopy, the conceptual facility proposedby the California High-Speed Rail Authority (HSRA)would be about 30 feet taller than the new Fifth andSixth street bridges, completely overwhelming themassing of the historic Central Shops buildings andobstructing their view from downtown or even fromthe Depot District on the other side of the tracks.

-- The city and its partners should be mapping out and committing to completing a network of linked open spaces and great streets in discrete phases that together create an amenity that guides and shapes development but can accommodate incremental growth over time that could manifest in many different scenarios depending on the market.The current land use plan, while allowing mixed use in many places, seems to reinforce a segregatedoverall pattern.

-- Rather than look at the site as a series of district plans, the panel recommends that the city
look at it as a series of component neighborhoods within a larger site that connect to their adjacent neighborhoods and can grow incrementally over
time.

-- Building neighborhoods, as opposed to districts,means building places that

-- Are seamless, without hard edges, and held togetherby strong public spaces and streets;

-- Create a strong open-space system by framing parks with development; and

-- Celebrate the Central Shops buildings and other focal points within the site.

Abandoned Properties

2012-08-12T21:23:59Z

In the aftermath of the fire that destroyed the former Paul Blanco aka Cal Worthington dealership at the corner of Franklin Blvd. and Florin Road, I read a lot of hilariously scary comments about the area in the Bee.

Seems a number of individuals drive through the area with their doors locked and a firm grip on the wheel for fear that loiterers will assault them. Some claim even the police keep their doors and windows locked and look straight ahead as they cruise down Franklin and/or Florin.

Boy, you'd think we're talking about driving through Homs in Syria or something.

Just because some people are big and black doesn't mean they're bad guys out assaulting law-abiding citizens.

I'm a white senior citizen and in all my years in the area I've suffered only one traumatizing incident. About ten years ago someone stole a bag of empty soda cans from my patio. It haunts me to this day, but on the other hand, I've constantly walked and driven all around this part of town since the late eighties and if that's the worst crime I've had inflicted upon me, I think maybe I'm better off in South Sac than in a more affluent part of town.

Despite the fact that I'm old and vulnerable and always wear my equally old but expensive wristwatch, I've always been treated with courtesy and respect by everyone I meet.

There is crime in South Sacramento, but there's also crime in all other parts of the city as well. True, Florin Road and Franklin Blvd. are depressed and depressing to look at, but they're trying to make a comeback. People with little cardboard signs are common, but I see them all over Sacramento. I've never seen one assault anyone.

Like everyone else, I don't enjoy seeing loiterers hanging around, whether it be at an intersection with a cardboard sign, hanging around Home Depot or resting in the shade of an abandoned building. But that doesn't mean these people are just waiting to get their hands on some unsuspecting passer-by who forgot to lock the car doors.

Instead of pouring money into a park farther south on Franklin, maybe the city could have pressed property owners to clean up their abandoned properties along Franklin and Florin, or as a last resort, it could have abated the properties and perhaps done something positive with them.

Wherever we go, abandoned buildings attract homeless people and vandalism. Nobody wants to see that. But let's not put the blame on the homeless loiterers who hang around them. They didn't cause the problem; they're just a small part of it.

The Campaign

2012-08-12T00:41:22Z

Forget the summer; it’s been a slow year for comedies. Besides 21 Jump Street and Ted there hasn’t been much of anything to talk about. That is unless you were going to talk about how awful That’s My Boy was. So it stands to reason that it shouldn’t be hard for Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis to deliver something funny if not hilarious, right?

The Campaign opens with a montage of career politician Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) campaigning throughout the state of North Carolina for congressman with his wife Rose (Katherine LaNasa), his children, and his campaign manager Mitch (Jason Sudeikis). He runs unopposed and seems to have the perfect thing going. That all changes however when bumbling and unassuming Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis) is recruited by big businessmen Glenn and Wade Motch (John Lithgow and Dan Aykroyd respectively) to run as their puppet. They want to use him to open up a Chinese sweat shop in NC. Huggins is unaware of his beneficiaries’ “evil” plans however. As such he jumps into his newfound political persona, engineered by suave and ruthless campaign manager Tim Wattley (Dylan McDermott), to impress his father Raymond (Brian Cox).

The surprised Brady and the seemingly inept Huggins go on to battle it out with increasingly ridiculous shenanigans as the two vie for the title of congressman.

Cam Brady is not one of Ferrell’s best or most original characters. Rather he feels like a piecemeal amalgam of past Ferrell characters; like a blend of Ricky Bobby, his George Bush impersonation, and Jackie Moon. The character does deliver a lot of solid laughs however.

Fans of Galifianakis will notice that he’s used his Seth Galifianakis character, a fake twin brother of Zach’s, as the jumping off point for Marty Huggins. It’s not quite as weird or funny as it was on his DVD special, Zach Galifianakis – Live at the Purple Onion, but no doubt it’s because he had to make the character fit into the movie’s storyline. He still gets a lot of solid laughs, but it would have been nice to see the character used in another movie where his odd mannerisms could really shine.

McDermott is a surprising scene stealer. His character (oddly named, as Bryan Cranston played a dentist with the same name on Seinfeld for several episodes) does things like appear out of nowhere like Batman and he delivers some of the funniest scenes in the movie. Jason Sudeikis also appears as Brady’s campaign manager but basically plays the straight man to Ferrell’s latest manchild. It’s a fairly thankless role that does not get any laughs. I have to wonder why he’d sign onto a project like this if that’s all his character was.

As comedies go The Campaign has a simple script but it keeps the movie together unlike the mishmash that was The Other Guys, Ferrell’s last big summer outing. Writers Shawn Harwell and Chris Henchy seem to do a wonderful job sending up the political world, though I have to admit I don’t spend a lot of time following politics.

The Campaign is not one of Will Ferrell or Zach Galifianakis’s best movies, nor is it entirely original. But it certainly delivers enough laughs to warrant a viewing in the theater, especially if you’re a fan of either star. If you’re not you may want to steer clear. 3 out of 5 stars.

The Campaign is playing at most local theaters, including the Century Downtown Plaza 7.

Interview with Kerri Asbury and Steve Maviglio

2012-08-07T18:49:15Z

In a few minutes, I'll be conducting a video interview with Kerri Asbury, Chair of the Democratic Party of Sacramento, about the recent back-and-forth between her and Mayor Kevin Johnson about how nonprofits like Think Big use city space.

We'll have Steve Maviglio, the mayor's former campaign manager, in on the chat as well.

[Update: The chat is now over. We'll have the first artilce up by tomorrow.]

What's With That: Eagle Scouts, curing AIDS, and anger management

2012-08-02T17:43:53Z

What’s with the news: Across the U.S., Eagle Scouts are returning their hard-earned medals in protest of the Boy Scouts of America’s policy on homosexuality.

The BSA policy reads, “While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA.”

Come on, BSA. DADT is so five years ago.

What’s with us: Eric Morgan has worked for Davis Senior High School for seven years, where he currently teaches English and leadership while working to keep students connected and invested in their school by maintaining an inclusive atmosphere that values individuality. Over the past several years he has also worked to engage students in dialogue regarding how the student body conducts Dance Royalty elections with regards to students outside the gender-normative sexuality routine. In addition he grew up as a Cub Scout and earned his Eagle Scout medal at the age of 18. He also worked at Camp Winton in El Dorado National Forest, where recently ten staffers quit in protest over the firing of a gay co-worker.

Morgan shared his thoughts about the BSA controversy and those returned medals with The Sacramento Press via email.

“At the time I earned my Eagle Scout medal, it meant that I knew how to follow through,” said Morgan. “And that I knew how to work with a team to take action and influence the world, instead of remain passive in it. It helped empower my confidence to make the world a better place through even small actions.”

Morgan continued, “Now it means that I am among the highest achievers in an institution that chooses to see sexuality as one of the most important driving forces in what determines the quality of our character, and who finds it impossible to be a strong leader and role model while being gay … While I feel proud of the work I put in as a scout, and while I am proud of what I was able to teach younger scouts when I served as a staff member at my summer camp, I don’t feel proud to be so affiliated with the organization anymore. It’s weird to be a high achiever with an organization when I so strongly disagree with their stance. It has made me consider sending back my award over the years.”

In regards to the recent movement of Eagle Scouts returning their medals, Morgan said, “They are letting the BSA know, in a very quiet and powerful way, that not all scouts agree with the current view of sexuality in scouting. Few people are willing to give up the honors that arise from this kind of work, and that they are willing to do so to educate this institution illustrates how important they see this issue to be. It means that they are doing what they believe is right.”

But Morgan also sees potential for change down the road.

“I would hope that the BSA changes its stance on gay scouts and leaders. This will be difficult, because currently the BSA is very closely tied with religious institutions who predominantly look down on homosexuality. I don’t have much faith that current scout leadership will change their minds. However, many churches are evolving their views on sexuality, and these churches can sponsor troops who share that value. Also, many of the folks I speak to about this disagree with the BSA’s current stance on homosexuality. These folks are becoming parents and are natural leaders, people who are considering the mark they want to leave on scouting as adults. These new leaders will want to see scouting change and grow into the modern world, and they’ll have the power to do so.”

“There will be challenges,” Morgan said in closing. “There will be groups that will choose to dig their heels in, and many will pull their children out of scouting, and the BSA may even fragment over this, but in some way the institution is going to have to change because there will be enough leaders dissatisfied that some sort of accommodation will need to be made. These are challenges I believe the BSA should face and be prepared to weather in order to do what is right.”

Anti-gay policies come across as more and more archaic each year, and each day the world moves closer to leaving behind those that hold such beliefs. As a former Girl Scout, I am proud to say that Girl Scouts of the USA holds no discriminatory membership policies in regards to sexual preference. I can only imagine how heartbroken I’d be to see that stance change.

What’s with the news: On July 24, Timothy Ray Brown, the “Berlin Patient” spoke at the International AIDS conference, assuring the room that he is still HIV-free.

Brown was diagnosed as HIV-positive in 1995, and received anti-retroviral therapy for 11 years. In 2006, when Brown’s health began to deteriorate, doctors used a stem cell transplant to treat his leukemia, which is thought to have both cured his leukemia and eliminated the HIV from his system.

What’s with us: Dr. Joseph Anderson is currently an assistant professor at UC Davis in the Department of Internal Medicine's Division for Infectious Diseases. He also works with the UC Davis Stem Cell Program, and is the head of the HIV Disease Team. This whole “AIDS cure” thing is a little complex, and Anderson was nice enough to try to break it down for us.

“Research is now heavily focused on eradicating HIV in the body by flushing out viral reservoirs which hide in immune cells, and developing new drugs to activate and kill viral reservoirs aimed more towards trying to eradicate HIV from the body,” said Anderson.

“A smaller number of labs are actually focusing on stem cell gene therapy as a cure for HIV. Timothy Brown, who is the only documented case of someone being cured of HIV, was treated by being transplanted with HIV-resistant cells from a donor. There is, however, no worldwide database which screens for the CCR5 delta-32 natural HIV-resistant gene, and it would be extremely difficult to find a matched donor for every infected individual. Therefore, our lab focuses on genetically engineering a patient’s own stem cells which are being artificially genetically modified to become HIV-resistant, compared to Timothy’s case where naturally HIV-resistant stem cells were used."

“This method would more than likely work with both populations of patients who are HIV-positive and those who have progressed to AIDS. However, patients with clinical AIDS are more fragile and morbidity during the process is more likely.”

In regards to the implications of Brown’s case on future treatments, Anderson said, “As Timothy Brown is the only documented case of an HIV-infected patient being cured, we hope more research and funding will be directed towards stem cell gene therapy approaches. This method of transplanting HIV-resistant stem cells has been the only cure for HIV so far. My lab is currently in the regulatory stages of getting our stem cell gene therapy clinical approved and we will be starting our trials in the near future."

“Timothy Brown’s case shows that a cure for HIV is possible. Some critics say that it is too expensive of a procedure to use a bone marrow transplant to cure an infected patient, but if the tables were turned I am sure that cost would not be of concern. Therefore, more research and funding should be directed towards that goal. No matter the cost of the procedure, patients deserve a cure and funding should be directed towards that. Underdeveloped countries should not be overlooked, but we need to find a cure first and then figure out how to reach everyone worldwide.”

You know, stem cells fascinate me more than Santa Claus; it seems they have the potential to fix a lot of scary stuff like cancer and AIDS, and maybe eradicating reality television. Kudos to UC Davis — someone ought to find a cure and it sure won’t be me.

What’s with the news: Feeling pissed off? Did that barista make your latte with whole milk instead of soy? Maybe your kid sister used your cashmere sweater for bedding in her hamster's cage. Well if you’re in Germany, you don’t have to humiliate yourself by losing your marbles in public or with anyone you’ll have to see at the office tomorrow. You can call “Schimpf-los,” or “Swear Away” in English.

That’s right. For the low, low price of 1.49 euros, or about $1.82 U.S. dollars per minute, you can swear your face off to a complete and total stranger.

What’s with us: Dr. Catherine Cohen is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, former editor of “Sacramento Valley Psychologist” and former president of the Sacramento Valley Psychological Association. Last month she discussed Jeremiah McDonald’s YouTube video with us, and she’s back this week to talk about anger management and the therapeutic value of lashing out at strangers.

Regarding the popularity of such a service, Cohen said, “It’s much easier to discharge aggression onto complete strangers because it’s easier to dehumanize them. The caller then doesn’t have to deal with the attendant guilt or competing positive feelings which complicate things when we are angry at those we care about."

“Hypothetically speaking, the value of this hotline is to allow callers some sort of catharsis. Instead of using a punching bag to get out anger or frustration, the person who receives the call is the punching bag. Because it’s another human being, it ostensibly gives the caller a way to work out feelings in a more related manner."

“Of course some angry callers are likely to be abusive in their anger. This is not helpful for either the caller or the listener, particularly since the hotline is only for anger discharge. This sort of release is not necessarily therapeutic. Some things really are best when they are not acted upon."

“I don’t think it’s unacceptable per se,” Cohen said in closing. “You could make a case this service is more appealing in cultures which tend to be emotionally repressive. Having the hotline creates some parameters around the expression of intense (and) unacceptable words and emotions, and charging per minute makes it transactional. Therefore, people could feel safer in doing something they normally prohibit. Like other behaviors we feel uncomfortable with, there is typically also a thrill involved. But do we really need to encourage more angry exchanges in the world?”

When I first stumbled across the article and the “Schimpf-los” service, I thought it was amusing at best, and a sad reflection of our society at worst. However, having recently been dumped by a complete moron who shall remain nameless, I feel I’ve been too quick to judge and shall purchase an international calling card immediately for further research. Wish me luck!

Each week "What's With That" will find local experts from the Sacramento area to weigh in on national and international news stories. Stumble across an interesting item? Wondering, "what's WITH that?" Email whatswiththat.sacramentopress@gmail.com with your ideas!

Who you calling a NIMBY? William Burg and Emily Gerber on whether the grid has too many bars

2012-08-01T22:07:09Z

Does the grid have too many bars, and do those bars show enough respect for the residents around them?

That's been a hotly debated question in the grid for years, and it came up during last week's Sac Press Live chat when I asked local historian and author William Burg to respond to a reader's comment that he was a "Not In My Backyard" activist.

"That particular epithet is offensive and inappropriate," he said. "If you have standards – if you feel that some project isn't good enough for your neighborhood, then that's what you get slapped with."

Here's the video of my question and his response:

Burg said that he enjoys nightlife in the grid, but he thinks many bars don't show enough concern for residents.

"I have this opinion that these places can be run reasonably and with respect for the neighborhoods around them, and I expect that of them," he said.

We were joined by Emily Gerber, a downtown resident whose ideas for the neighborhood were featured in the Sacramento Business Journal. From her perspective, the bars make her feel safer.

"If I'm out having dinner at Ella, say, and I want to walk home by myself, I feel much safer doing so, because there are just more people out," she said.

Gerber though, agreed with Burg, saything there needs to be more retail establishments in the grid. She also would like to see a grocery store and a food truck park downtown.

While she enjoys the bar scene, she said she thinks city planners should do more to encourage other types of businesses to set up shop in the central city.

"I just don't think that putting bar after bar is going to create the kind of community that we ultimately want in our city," she said.

See the full conversation with Burg and Gerber on our YouTube channel. Sac Press Live chats occur every Wednesday at noon on SacramentoPress.com.

What do you think – do Berg and Gerber have a point, or are they off base? Chime in via the poll and the conversation below this article.

"We're not terrorists, we're photographers!"

2012-08-01T18:31:54Z

The headline describes the last part of a fun photo shoot.

Early last night, my friend Ed Fogle and I took a photographic tour of the Capitol Mall, just shooting whatever caught our eyeballs.

We strolled along, sharing photo tips and ideas as we took photos. We timed it so we would catch the beginning of sunset on our trek headed west.

At the end of our fun evening as we were shooting a building, a security guard came out to tell us we can't shoot that building.

He basically called us terrorists - patriotic Ed and US Navy Veteran Kati. Ed diplomatically explained photographer's rights after a verbal go-around with the young security guard. He even admitted he was bored, so we became 'something to do'.

It ended well.

Here's some of my shots. At the bottom is a link to a Google album of Ed's photos:

To see more photos of Capitol Mall CLICK HERE>>>

Former Secty. of Defense Gates rounds out Perspectives lineup

2011-08-03T23:40:50Z

Secretary of defense 2006-11, CIA director, university president and a historian: Dr. Robert M. Gates has spent a lifetime as a student of history in the intelligence and defense arenas, serving eight U.S. presidents and earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.

Gates will round out the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s 17th Perspectives set for Friday, Sept. 23 at the Sacramento Convention Center. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Olympian Dara Torres will also speak at the event, which has a new half-day format.

Gates began his government service in 1966 when he joined the Central Intelligence Agency and then spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professional. During that period, he spent nearly nine years at the National Security Council, The White House, serving four presidents of both political parties. He is the only career officer in CIA’s history to rise from entry-level employee to director.

Appointed by President George W. Bush as the 22nd Secretary of Defense in 2006, he continued until this year—achieving the record as the only Secretary of Defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly-elected President.

Before becoming Secretary of Defense, Gates was the president of Texas A&M University. He is the author of the memoir, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insiders Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, published in 1996. A native of Kansas, Gates received his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, his master’s degree in history from Indiana University and his doctorate in Russian and Soviet history from Georgetown University. He also served in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer.

Since its founding in 1995, Perspectives has hosted speakers like Gates—in all more than 90 of the world’s most influential individuals who share their personal views on world affairs and current events. Past speakers include Condoleezza Rice, Mikhail Gorbachev, Guy Kawasaki, John Glenn, Margaret Thatcher, Sugar Ray Leonard and Elizabeth Dole.

Perspectives continues to offer exclusive opportunities for hosting prospects, clients and employees in a VIP setting. Sponsor packages start at $2,500 and some include a pre-event networking reception attended by Perspective speakers and a VIP breakfast the day of the event. Individual tickets start at $99.

For more details and purchase tickets, visit metrochamber.org/perspectives or call 916-444-1919.

Disclosure: Hal Silliman is communications director for the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

Olympic swimmer Dara Torres to take Perspectives platform

2011-07-28T23:34:30Z

Perspectives 2011 will feature five-time Olympian swimmer Dara Torres who has proven that age doesn’t limit your dreams. At age 41, Torres, then a new mother, returned to compete in the 2008 Beijing games, winning three silver medals. In all, she has competed in five Olympics—a feat unprecedented for an American female swimmer.

Torres joins Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on stage during the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Perspectives, set for Friday, Sept. 23 at the Sacramento Convention Center. The event returns for its 17th year in an all-new half-day format that will run 8 a.m. to noon. The final speaker will be announced Aug. 4.

In 2007, at the age of 40, Torres twice broke her own American record, 26 years after she first set the record at just 15 years old. Torres has been named one of the Top Female Athletes of the decade by Sports Illustrated magazine.

Age and experience are advantages, Torres says, “Use them to achieve your goals.”

Outside of swimming, Torres works as a TV commentator and a print model. She was a feature correspondent for Good Morning America, worked on-air for ESPN, TNT and Fox News Channel including stints on NHL Cool Shots and Fox Sports Sunday.

Her memoir, Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams At Any Stage in Your Life, was published in April 2009 and was listed as a best-selling business book. Her second book, Gold Medal Fitness, was released in May 2010 and was a New York Times best-seller.

Since its founding in 1995, Perspectives has hosted more than 90 of the world’s most influential individuals who share their personal views on world affairs and current events. Past speakers include Condoleezza Rice, Mikhail Gorbachev, Guy Kawasaki, John Glenn, Margaret Thatcher, Sugar Ray Leonard and Elizabeth Dole.

For more details and purchase tickets, visit metrochamber.org/perspectives or call 916-444-1919.

Disclosure: Hal Silliman is communications director for the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

Twitter co-founder to help introduce Perspectives’ new format

2011-07-22T00:03:19Z

A speaker lineup to include Twitter co-founder Biz Stone kicks off the new format for Perspectives 2011, offering more businesspeople the opportunity to attend the region’s premier annual speakers forum.

“As with so many things these days, it’s not business as usual,” said Sacramento Metro Chamber Vice Chair of Events and Sponsorships Kathy McKim of AT&T. “We wiped the slate clean and started over—re-designing a program from the ground up that will meet the needs of more businesspeople and provide a greater networking and educational experience. We are especially thrilled to have Biz Stone in our lineup this year for this reason.”

Over the last decade, Stone has been instrumental in crafting the new world of social media. Best known as co-founder of Twitter, Stone started off as an Internet entrepreneur, went on to work for Google and is now an advisor on AOL’s philanthropic strategy.

Named one of the “Most Influential People in the World” by TIME and “Entrepreneur of the Decade” by Inc., Stone has now co-founded The Obvious Corporation with long-time collaborators Evan Williams and Jason Goldman to focus on building systems to help people work together to improve the world. The next Perspectives speaker will be announced July 28.

Produced by the Metro Chamber, Perspectives is set for Friday, Sept 23 at the Sacramento Convention Center. The event will run 8 a.m. to noon, immediately following the VIP sponsor breakfast. Power Lunch opportunities at participating member restaurants will be available to all attendees following the program.

“Responding to members’ requests, we’ve compressed the event to a half-day, with three speakers in the lineup,” McKim explained. “This way, individuals don’t have to lose an entire day out of the office. In addition, a new pricing structure brings the cost of attending down.” Individual Perspectives tickets start at just $99.

Perspectives continues to offer exclusive opportunities for hosting prospects, clients and employees in a VIP setting. Sponsor packages start at $2,500 and can include a pre-event networking reception attended by Perspective speakers and a day-of VIP breakfast. “Businesses who need networking and hosting opportunities will find a Perspectives sponsorship level to fit their needs,” McKim said.

For more details and purchase tickets, visit metrochamber.org/perspectives or call 916-444-1919.

Disclosure: Hal Silliman is communications director for the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

Lesser lights shine brighter at Perspectives

2010-10-16T01:16:33Z

Despite nationally known speakers Sarah Palin and Howard Dean headlining the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Perspectives 2010 forum, it was the lesser-known speakers who had a greater effect on the audience.

Terrence McNamara, a Sacramentan in the construction industry, said he found management consultant and author Marcus Buckingham to be the most interesting.

“I’ve been coming to this for seven years, and it’s always the speaker you’re not interested in seeing who has the biggest impact,” he said.

Buckingham offered his views on dealing with strengths and weaknesses. Traditionally, Buckingham said, people tend to think that weaknesses need to be worked on.

According to Buckingham, however, strengths should be reinforced.

“Strengths are your areas of opportunity – not your weaknesses,” he said, adding that “a weakness is an activity that consumes us, even if we’re good at it. Strength is an activity that makes you feel strong.”

In figuring out how to enhance performance in areas where people feel strong, Buckingham said they will be better at their jobs and more fulfilled in life.

The second speaker of the day was Food Network personality Chef Jeff Henderson.

Henderson told his story – how he went from being poor in Los Angeles to building a $35,000-per-month drug empire to being thrown in prison and eventually reforming and attaining the American Dream through hard work.

“I wasn’t arrested, I was rescued,” Henderson said.

After thrusting himself into the lives of the successful, Henderson found that “the only difference between the haves and the have-nots are the ones who have the knowledge and information and the ability to do something with it.”

Dean, a former Democratic Party presidential candidate, said the biggest threat to the United States is the budget deficit.

“Great countries collapse and die not because of external threats,” Dean said. “They do it because they lose the will to fight internal threats, and that makes them unable to deal with the external threats.”

Dean advocated stopping government growth and increasing taxes, as well as creating more manufacturing jobs in America.

In the upcoming midterm elections, Dean predicted that, of the contested seats, the Democrats will hang on to four seats in the House of Representatives and three to four seats in the Senate.

“Our candidates are better than the Republican candidates,” Dean said, referring to their political skills as much as his thoughts on their views.

On the subject of health care, Dean said that he views the current national health care plan not as reform, but as an extension of a system that was already in place.

“This bill was not groundbreaking. It was not reform,” Dean said.

Palin, former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate, disagreed with Dean on how to generate wealth in the economy, calling for permanent tax cuts to spur investment and business growth.

“My kid is not your ATM,” Palin said, referring to a sign she liked at a tea party gathering. “I love that message sent to Washington, D.C.”

Where Dean had forecast the health care system evolving to a system similar to government-run ones in Canada and Europe, Palin said a free-market health care system is the only way to be successful.

The health care bill is “the mother of all unfunded mandates,” she said. “It’s gotta go. It’s gotta be replaced by true, free-market (reform).”

During her speech to the mostly full house of about 2,000 people at the Sacramento Convention Center, Palin applauded Republican Senatorial Candidate Carly Fiorina and questioned if incumbent Democratic candidate Barbara Boxer has done anything to earn votes.

“She spent 28 years in Washington to show...what for it?” Palin asked.

Palin also said California has the opportunity to lead the United States in government reforms by figuring out a way to deal with the state budget. She compared California’s budget problems to those of the federal government, and she said that Gubernatorial Candidate Meg Whitman is the woman to do it.

“We can, we should do all that we can to make America remain that shining city on a hill and know that our best days are yet to come,” Palin said.

Audience members interviewed by The Sacramento Press after the event said it was a good experience.

“I thought it was terrific,” said John Frisch, a commercial real estate manager in Sacramento who has come to Perspectives for 14 of its 16 years. “One thing I love is there’s always surprises – one to two speakers you’ve never heard of, and they turn out to be nuggets.”

For Frisch, Henderson was that nugget.

“He was terrific,” Frisch said.

DeAnna Mackensen, an interior designer from Yuba City, said she thought Buckingham’s tips on focusing on strengths were very informative, and she plans to put his tips to real-world use in her business.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Strengths guru Marcus Buckingham and Chef Jeff Henderson added to Metro Chamber's Perspectives lineup

2010-07-23T16:31:15Z

Two acclaimed speakers set for Perspectives 2010 approach career excellence from diametrically opposed start points: Marcus Buckingham believes you should find your strengths and manage your weaknesses while Chef Jeff Henderson says passion and hard work are needed for success.

In its 16th year, Sacramento’s premier speakers forum will also feature former Governors Howard Dean and Sarah Palin. The Sacramento Metro Chamber brings Perspectives to the Sacramento Convention Center on Friday, Oct. 15, with presenting sponsor Bank of America/Merrill Lynch.

Marcus Buckingham
Co-author of the best-selling book series on managing workplace strengths, Marcus Buckingham is an internationally acclaimed researcher and speaker on how to build lasting personal success.

The stunningly simple message that Buckingham brings to workplace audiences worldwide is: Find what your strengths are and manage around your weaknesses. On this concept, Buckingham has devoted his life to “the strengths revolution”—helping other people decide what to devote their lives to—and is one of the business world's most in-demand management gurus.

A former senior consultant for the Gallup Organization, Buckingham spent a decade helping clients such as Toyota, Coca-Cola, Master Foods, Wells Fargo, Microsoft and Disney find and motivate their most talented employees. Supported by the largest study of its kind—nearly 80,000 interviews—he advocates for practices that oppose conventional wisdom when it comes to successful managerial behavior.

Buckingham inspires audiences to think outside of established boundaries to rethink traditional organizational structures that can transform the lives of employees—and the life of the business. His goal is for people to build lasting personal success.

As an evangelist on managing personal strengths, Buckingham is co-author of enormous business best sellers: First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently and Now, Discover Your Strengths and author of The Truth About You: Your Secret to Success and Go Put Your Strengths to Work: Six Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance.

Chef Jeff Henderson
Television’s Food Network host and executive chef Jeff Henderson turned his life around in prison, discovering the transformative power of passion and hard work. Told in a New York Times best-seller autobiography, Henderson’s remarkable story is an antidote for today’s headlines about failing schools and prisons as his resolve underscores the value of educational opportunities, literacy, vocational school and job training.

Raised in a struggling single-parent household, Henderson’s success at age 19 came exclusively from a $35,000 a week drug business. Busted at 24, he spent the next 10 years of his life in prison. There, as a dishwasher, Henderson discovered a passion for cooking and committed himself to becoming a chef.

With persistence, dedication and a can-do attitude, this self-taught culinary expert eventually became the first African American executive chef at Caesar’s Palace and the Bellagio in Las Vegas, a story told in his memoir, Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, from Cocaine to Foie Gras.

As host of the reality-based Chef Jeff Project on the Food Network, Henderson has found a second calling as mentor and motivator to at-risk youth and motivational speaker to business audiences across the nation.

The Chef Jeff Project takes six at-risk young adults and commits them to turning their lives around by putting them to work for his catering company. For all audiences, Henderson gives effective and simple ways to implement strategies to inspire and take charge of their lives and become a driver on the freeway towards their dreams.

Previous Perspectives have included unique presentations by Karl Rove, Sen. Bob Dole, Sen. Tom Daschle, Sen. John Edwards, Secretary Madeleine Albright, Gen. Henry H. Shelton, Secretary William Bennett, Gov. Ann Richards, as well as other notables including U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, President George H.W. Bush, Gen. Colin Powell, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Tickets for the all-day event are $195 for Metro Chamber members and $275 for nonmembers and are available online at metrochamber.org/perspectives or by calling 916-444-1919.

Photos: Marcus Buckingham, 1, Cheff Jeff Henderson, 2.

Govs. Dean and Palin to speak at Metro Chamber's Perspectives

2010-04-28T22:28:20Z

Two former governors will headline the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Perspectives 2010 line-up: Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. They will appear Friday, Oct. 15, at the Sacramento Convention Center.

“We are pleased once again to bring dynamic speakers whose current contribution to our nation’s political dialogue will captivate the Perspectives audience,” said Matt Mahood, president & CEO. Other speakers for this 16th annual event will be announced shortly.

Dean, a physician, served for six terms as governor of Vermont. He is the former Democratic National Committee chairman, a 2008 presidential candidate and founder of Democracy for America.

Palin burst onto the national scene in 2008 when she was chosen by Sen. John McCain to be his vice presidential running mate in his presidential campaign. She was then serving as the first female governor of Alaska.

The choice of both Dean and Palin continues the Metro Chamber’s long-standing goal to present differing political points of view for what has become Northern California’s premier public affairs forum and top drawer networking event for 3,000 of the region’s business leaders.

“We have great pride in how we balance our speaker line-up,” Mahood said. “The goal of Perspectives is to offer just that—points-of-view on major themes echoing through the world’s headlines.”

Previous Perspectives have included unique presentations by Karl Rove, Sen. Bob Dole, Sen. Tom Daschle, Sen. John Edwards, Secretary Madeleine Albright, Gen. Henry H. Shelton, Secretary William Bennett, Gov. Ann Richards, as well as other notables including U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, President George H.W. Bush, Gen. Colin Powell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Condoleezza Rice and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Tickets for the all-day event are $195 for Metro Chamber members and $275 for nonmembers and are available online with full speaker biographies at metrochamber.org/perspectives or by calling 916-444-1919.

Perspectives 2009 welcomes VIPs

2009-10-09T04:33:32Z

The Sacramento Metro Chamber office has been buzzing this week as Chief Executive Officer Matt Mahood and the rest of the staff finished last-minute details for their big annual event.

One of the most important things they've done to prepare for Friday's "Perspectives 2009: An American Experience" is to work closely with each of the nationally recognized guest speakers.

Surrounded by signed and framed programs from past Perspectives, Mahood talked earlier this week by phone with speakers preparing for their presentations.

The work continued Thursday when speakers started flying in from around the country and Metro Chamber staff became chaperones for the VIPs. Such behind-the-scenes work does more than ensure all the speakers enjoy their time in California's capital. It also has won the city good PR from very high-profile people, from former secretaries of state Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright to boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien.

"Every time we have a speaker come here and they have a great experience, they go back and they tell people about Sacramento," Mahood said. "We dot all the i's and cross all the t's and make sure there's icing on the cake, so when they leave, they can say, 'Wow, Sacramento's really cool ... and they really know how to treat people well there.' "

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will headline at the 15th annual Perspectives, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St. The lineup also includes "Flags of Our Fathers" author James Bradley, venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki, personal finance guru Jane Bryant Quinn and creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson. Their presentations will share the theme of turning challenge and adversity into opportunity and even success.

Roughly 3,500 people have turned out for the forum in peak years, but the Metro Chamber expects only about 2,000 Friday due to the recession.

In the last 15 years, the event has brought many sought-after speakers to Sacramento. In 1995, its inaugural year, President George H.W. Bush and Dick Cheney, who would become vice president under Bush's son, shared their views. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke in 2001, before he entered politics, and former U.S. Senator Bob Dole came here in 2006.

Speaker fees range from $10,000 for unknown guests to $200,000 plus expenses for former presidents and heads of state, who are flown in on private aircraft.

Metro Chamber staff greet guests at the airport and check them into luxury hotels. They will escort the speakers to the convention center for the event Friday, as well as to other VIP events and elsewhere around town.

Lawrence Summers, President Clinton's secretary of the treasury, was one of the guests who had positive things to say after his experience in Sacramento.

"He goes, 'Man, you guys should be doing this all over the country. This is such a great event,' " Mahood said. "I laughed, knowing how hard it is to do one."

Volunteers help at the event, but logistics are handled only by the Metro Chamber's staff of 25.

"The entire chamber staff is all hands on deck," said Mahood, who also serves as the organization's president.

The public affairs speakers forum was launched to mark the Metro Chamber's 100th anniversary. Since then, Perspectives has become the chamber's signature event, Mahood said. Speakers' rosters that included motivational speakers and people representatives from both of the two major political parties have grown to include entertainers and intellectuals.

Rice is returning for the second time. She first spoke at the event in 2000, before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and before she became President George W. Bush's national security advisor and later, secretary of state. At that time, Rice was a political science professor at Stanford University and Bush was running for president.

Now, she brings significant political experience and a high-level understanding of complex international and security issues, Mahood said.

"I think she comes back eight years later with a whole new perspective," he said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Perspectives 2009 speaker change announced: Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson to replace Howie Long

2009-10-05T22:22:09Z

Perspectives 2009 announces Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D., will be added to the Friday, Oct. 9 lineup, substituting for Howie Long.

“Due to an unavoidable and unforeseen conflict, regrettably, Howie Long will not be able to attend Perspectives,” said Matt Mahood, president & CEO. “However, we are very excited about having creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson as our new speaker. Sir Robinson challenges his audiences to think differently about how we are educating our children and how many organizations are inhibiting innovation. With our region's emphasis on improving our competitiveness through innovation, intellect and influence, he is a perfect addition to this year's Perspectives line-up.”

The 2009 lineup also includes former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, financial commentator Jane Bryant Quinn, Flags of Our Fathers author James Bradley and columnist/entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki. Back for the 15th year as master of ceremonies will be Tom Sullivan, national radio host for FOX News. View their biographies at www.metrochamber.org/perspectives.

Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation and human resources. He works with governments in Europe, Asia and the U.S., with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations.

An award-winning writer, Robinson developed the creative and economic development strategy as part of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland. He has won the Peabody Medal for contributions to the arts and culture in the U.S. and his new book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything” is currently on the New York Times Best Seller list.

His presentation at Perspectives will ask, “What does it take to achieve personal success and feel like you are in your element?” He feels that it is not natural talent that drives personal success, but rather a delicate interplay of talent, passion, attitude and opportunity that brings people to achieve their highest levels of success and lead lives of meaning and purpose.

Robinson will take the Perspectives audience on a compelling tour of what can happen when passion and talent meet. He draws on the personal stories of high achievers in many fields, including Sir Paul McCartney, Arianna Huffington, Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons), Meg Ryan and renowned physicist Richard Feynman.

With a wry sense of humor, Sir Ken helps audiences understand:

• What it takes to find “The Element” in our own lives
• Why age and occupation are no barrier
• How to enhance creativity and innovation in both personal and professional settings
• How focusing on “The Element” is an essential strategy in transforming education, business and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the 21st century.

Since 1995, the Metro Chamber has introduced the region’s business people to some of the world’s most influential speakers, including President George H.W. Bush, Sen. Bob Dole, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Gov. Ann Richards, President Gerald Ford, Capt. Jim Lovell, and Gen. Colin Powell.

Annually drawing an audience of more than 2,000 people, Perspectives set the stage in Sacramento for world-class speakers to reach our community and creates first-class networking opportunities for business and civic leaders. The event was launched in celebration of the Metro Chamber’s 100th anniversary and century-long service to the community.

The event will be held 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center and features an exhibit hall and the NewsTalk 1530 KFBK Business Center, where attendees can keep in touch with the office and conduct business. Tickets are $195 for members, $245 for nonmembers. Register online at www.metrochamber.org/perspectives or call 916-444-1919.

Flags of Our Fathers Author James Bradley to relate common virtues of the American Experience

2009-08-03T17:54:20Z

SACRAMENTO—No American Experience has been more photographically reproduced than the raising of the American flag over Iwo Jima in 1945. Perspectives 2009: An American Experience brings to Sacramento James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, whose father is one of the figures in the photograph.

Bradley’s book recounts the story of the boys’ lives, beginning as his quest to discover why his father remained silent about the wartime experience. In telling the story behind the Greatest Generation’s iconic photo, Bradley relates basic fundamentals of the American Experience: teamwork and digging in to do what’s called for. The figures in the photo, he said, were boys of common virtue doing their duty.

The best-selling book became a Clint Eastwood-directed movie released in 2007. His second book, Flyboys, which debuted in 2003, is the secret story of eight naval aviators who were beheaded on the island next to Iwo Jima. A ninth Flyboy got away. His name is George H.W. Bush—the 41st President of the United States.

Bradley’s life has evolved into an American Experience typical to Baby Boomers whose fathers served in World War II—a life of adventure, overseas travel and as a college student, study abroad in Japan—and that experience changed his life. As a result, he founded the James Bradley Peace Foundation, dedicated to fostering understanding between America and Asia. The foundation sends American schoolchildren to high school in Japan and China where they live with a family.

Says Bradley, “My hope is that after these young people come back from their one year abroad, they will eventually migrate upwards into the American power structure and the next time we are debating whether to talk it out or fight it out, one of them might make a difference.”

Bradley is also very familiar with the corporate world, with vast experience writing and producing corporate films and corporate meetings; he has traveled the globe, living and working in more than 40 countries for nearly a decade. He has run companies in the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.

Since 1995, the Metro Chamber has introduced the region’s business people to some of the world’s most influential and world-renowned leaders including President George H.W. Bush, Gen. Colin Powell, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Gov. Ann Richards, President Gerald Ford, Capt. Jim Lovell, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Perspectives was launched in celebration of the Metro Chamber’s 100th anniversary and century-long service to the community. Annually drawing an audience of nearly 2,500 people, the day-long program is informative and creates first-class networking opportunities for business and civic leaders.

The complete speakers lineup for Perspectives 2009: An American Experience comprises Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, NFL Hall of Famer/Fox Sports Analyst, Howie Long, Personal Finance Expert/TV Host Jane Bryant Quinn, Flags of Our Fathers Author James Bradley, Author/Entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki and returning emcee, Fox News Radio Host Tom Sullivan.

Perspectives will be held 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9 in the Sacramento Convention Center. Tickets are $195 for Metro Chamber members and $245 for the public. Tables of 10 are $1,950/$2,450. Tickets can be purchased online at the Perspectives website or via the events hotline at 916-444-1919.

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The Sacramento Metro Chamber is the largest, oldest and most prominent voice of business in the greater Sacramento area. Representing nearly 2,200 member businesses and business organizations in the six-county Sacramento region, the Metro Chamber serves as the region’s leading proponent of regional cooperation and primary advocate on issues affecting business, economic development and quality of life.

When citing the organization, please use our preferred name:
Sacramento Metro Chamber on first reference and Metro Chamber on second reference.

Condi Rice: A unique vantage point on U.S. diplomacy, former Sec of State returns to Sac on Oct. 9 Perspectives 2009: An American Experience offers premier speakers in business-friendly forum

2009-07-15T23:51:25Z

SACRAMENTO—Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice returns to the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s day-long premier speakers forum, Perspectives 2009: An American Experience, this year to address a Sacramento audience that last saw her nine years ago when she was advising then-presidential candidate George W. Bush.

With her first visit in 2000 pre-dating the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it will be interesting to hear how she relates her tenure as national security advisor to President Bush and Secretary of State.

In September 2000, Rice told the Perspectives audience that the United States can’t continue being the “world’s 9-1-1” and respond to every international conflict. The next president, she said, would have to decide how far to extend our military’s reach in making a secure world. (Read a summary here of her Perspectives 2000 speech.)

“We are bringing Condoleezza Rice back on this 15th anniversary of Perspectives because of the unique view she has on world affairs—bridging the nine years between her visits,” said Matt Mahood, Metro Chamber president & CEO. “Back in 2000, she accurately portrayed the struggles China was having in opening its economy and Russia’s still emerging sense of national self after its breakup. What attendees of this year’s Perspectives will hear is an astute and informed sense of world affairs—you can’t get that anywhere else in a venue like Perspectives.”

After the Bush administration left office, Rice returned to Stanford University, where she is the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution and professor of political science.