Q. I have a promissory note in the amount of $70,000.00 secured with a deed of trust to a house in Tahoe City. The note is now 8 months overdue. I would like to place a lien against another home he owns in Tahoe City as well . . . how do I go about doing that? Also, what is the best way to force payment on this Note? Thank you! Carrie A. You seem to have two questions: one, how do you go about placing a lien against real property when you do not have a security interest in that property; and two, how do you foreclose against real property in which you do have a security interest? Let’s take them in turn. The answer to your first question is that you cannot. Liens are governed generally

Muse came to the Sleep Train Amphitheater in Sacramento Tuesday night to an almost sold out crowd. This was one of several stops in California to kick off their North American Tour. Band of Skulls opened for Muse. They were a great compliment to the headliners. The same old school rock and roll music quality that Muse has in some of their songs is mirrored in this band. The songs focused on instrumental solos and well played transitions almost as much as the lyrics. While this is a relatively new band, having only formed in 2009, I don't think it will be long before they are headlining their own show. They have a raw quality and a unity to their music that makes them special. Muse has be

The Capitol building is reflected in one of the ornaments on the 50-foot-tall white fir tree that is decorated with hundreds of handmade ornaments by children and adults with developmental disabilities. It's the first Capitol Christmas tree from a state forest (Latour Demonstration State Forest) near Redding, Calif. The official tree lighting ceremony took place Wednesday evening on the west side of the Capitol. A lot of people were visiting the tree and having their picture taken in front of it today.

A talented local blogger once told me that he wasn't a journalist because he did not have a degree. I had to correct him. Journalism is something you do. If you're asking questions, writing about problems in your community, or offering fellow residents the low-down on a new restaurant down the block you are, in that moment, practicing journalism. Do it enough and people will call you a journalist. That philosophy underlines a lot of what we do at The Sacramento Press. It is captured in our slogan, "Commit Acts of Journalism" and it's also at the heart of our yearly contest which is about to kick off again, the Journalism Open. This year we're doing things a bit differently. We're puttin

Q. A friend of mine told me that a company called SOS America is offering $500 Visa Cards to people who are eligible for the American Opportunity Act education credit. All I have to do is fax photocopies of my Driver’s License and Social Security Card. I’m a broke college student, and I sure could use the money, especially right before the Holidays. What is the American Opportunity Act education credit? How can I get in touch with the SOS America company? A. Stop, Emily, Stop! This is a scam! If they do somehow manage to contact you, report them to the IRS at 800-829-1040, or inform the local Sacramento office at 4300 Watt Ave., (916) 974-5225, Sacramento, CA 95821. You can usually tell a

The skies over Sacramento were beautiful at sunset with a little help of the clouds that brought some rain.

Display It, Wear It, Show It, Enjoy It is the theme of this year’s 15th Annual Sacramento Arts Festival, November 2 – 4, 2012, at the Sacramento Convention Center. With over 225 of America’s best contemporary craftspeople and fine artists, the weekend offers a chance to become emmersed in more than 15,000 original works of art. In keeping with tradition, the festival theme is the holidays and the floor of the Sacramento Convention Center Exhibit Hall will be decorated accordingly. Tradditionally, the Sacramento Arts Festival signals the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season. From abstract to traditional, modern to whimsical, the festival includes ceramic artists, woodworkers, pa

Mayor Kevin Johnson and the Sacramento City Council have unanimously approved a resolution declaring October 2012 as “Co-op Month” and honoring 2012 as the “Year of Cooperatives” in Sacramento. “Co-ops are a vital part of Sacramento’s economic lifeblood, employing hundreds of workers and injecting millions of dollars into our economy,” said Steven Maviglio, President of the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, one of the largest co-op’s in the city. “We appreciate the recognition by the Mayor and Council of the critical importance of co-ops to our city and nation.” Co-ops are member-owned and controlled businesses that operate for the mutual benefit of members. For more than a century, they h

Q. I am applying for a position at a big company and they will be performing a background check on me. They asked for my social security number and I had to sign waivers about consumer investigative reports, etc. I thought that a new law was passed in California this year that made it so employers could not pull credit reports or use this against a candidate as a hiring decision. I won't be dealing with money and, while I will have access to the company's email database, I will not be handling money or have access to social security numbers. Is this illegal? A. The economic recession of the last few years, and the resulting damage to credit scores, has led many lawmakers to consider wheth

Have you thought about your personal definitions for “success” and “failure”? Maybe you see success as a destination, like winning a race. You look forward to crossing the finish line, being declared the winner, having the prize of recognition in the present moment, as well as future acclaim and rewards -- all because you made the right moves! Under the same model, failure could be seen as getting off on a dead-end side street, having to retrace your steps and suffer lost time. Even if others remain politely silent, you and your self-criticism agree that the path taken has turned out to be a “not-so-smart move.” Mistakes appear as “hard lessons” that bring the pain of guilt and regret. M

Economy Watch is a monthly publication examining various economic growth indicators and other factors in the Region. This publication presents a snapshot of current economic conditions in the Sacramento Region and provides comparisons with other selected regions of California and the United States.   September 2012 Sacramento posted job growth between the state and nation The six-county Sacramento Region saw job growth dip slightly in August 2012, but it remained positive and above the national average. Preliminary data demonstrate that establishments in the Region added 16,100 jobs to payrolls between August 2011 and 2012. In the previous month, Sacramento posted 2.5 percent job grow

I can't remember the last time there was an all-day music festival in the city limits with some big-name acts, so I was excited to check out the Monster Energy Aftershock 2012 festival at Discovery Park on Sunday. The bill was a mix of "hard rock" bands on two stages. Performers included FallRise, Stepchild, Oleander, Beware of Darkness, Gemini Syndrome, Hell or Highwater, Escape the Fate, Hollywood Undead, Theory of a Deadman, Chevelle, Bush, Deftones, and Stone Temple Pilots. I was especially excited to see Deftones, Bush and STP, since they remind me of being in high school, and they play songs I recognize. Sacramento bands were well-represented (FallRise, Stepchild, Oleander, and De

We are excited to announce an author visit and discussion with Carleen Brice on Saturday, September 29th at 2pm. Carleen is the author of "Orange, Mint, and Honey", which was made into the Lifetime TV movie, "Sins of the Mother". Other books by her that are available at the library, include "Children of the Waters", "Lead Me Home: An African American's Guide through the Grief Journey", "Age Ain't Nothin But a Number: Black Women Explore Midlife", and "Walk Tall: Affirmations for People of Color". Carleen is the winner of the Breakout Author of the Year Award from the African American Literary Awards Show and the First Novel Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. P

Fairytale Town, William Land Park – 3901 Land Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95822 Saturday, September 15, 2012, 10:30am – 2:00pm Active 20-30 Club #1 Sacramento presents its annual Special Kids Family Picnic. In cooperation with Fairytale Town the park will be closed to the public. Children with special health care & developmental needs along with their families will be invited to join us for a day of fun at Fairytale Town, free of charge. Our biggest hands on event with children each year allows specials needs children an opportunity to enjoy an environment specifically organized for them. We provide games, activities, entertainers, food and drinks to the children and their families. Hos

Come and her the sounds of Texas, This year the Tejano Conjunto Festival is featuring the King of Tex Mex music 5 time Grammy winner "Mr Flaco Jimenez and Chente Barrera" For more information log onto www.Landarrowsproductions,org Tickets 25.00 person Children free!

Take Back Marysville AND Grand ! ~ Del Paso Heights is trying hard to improve its quality of life and its image. There has been a long history of socially irresponsible management on the part of the Rainbow Market and the 3621 Marysville Blvd. Mini-Mart, that lie within about a block of each other at the gateway to our neighborhood. The mayor's office, the police department and the Department of Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) are well aware of the issues, which include shootings, assaults, robberies, public intoxication, public urination/defecation, etc. The community has long known these stores to be attractive nuisances. When asked by the community to close these stores down and/o

Editor's note: This article was co-written with Madison Loven.   Join us August 11th for the grand opening of Sacramento’s newest gallery, Rossi Sculptural Designs Studio. Clad humbly in corrugated metal, the mid-sized studio sits inconspicuously in a warehouse district in midtown. In it you’ll find metal pieces of all shapes and sizes, colored glass pieces, hand tools, and various machines with which to manipulate the mediums. It is an artist’s playground. And according to its owner, there is an artist in everyone, even if they don’t know it. Run by local artist and sculptural bike rack extraordinaire, Gina Rossi, this gallery is also a school for learning how to fuse glass and weld me

By Kaushik Ranchod Question: Could you give Sacramento homeowners some tips on how to lower their property taxes?  Good question – actually this was a recent question I was asking myself when I got a tax bill that looked like it needed some verification as to its accuracy. So I went looking for some resources for a deeper understanding of my property tax and what was involved in the dispute process. After calling the assessor’s office, I found out about requesting an assessment pursuant to Proposition 8. This would allow the assessor to take into consideration factors that may have caused a decline in the current market value. Indeed, after requesting a reassessment, there came by mail

The Ultimate Road Trip Across America Comes To Sacramento What makes for the best travel and hotel experience?  The hospitality industry wants to know and that's the information they will seek from tourists and locals alike on Thursday, July 26th.  Beginning at 11:00 a.m., the DoubleTree by Hilton “Little Things Project” will visit Old Sacramento's waterfront area for a unique pop-up event experience. The object is to offer tourists and locals alike a welcome break from a hectic day. Visitors to the Power Up Bar will enjoy a free famous DoubleTree by Hilton chocolate chip cookie and can plug in to the Power Bar WiFi hotspot to connect and charge their phone or other technology before head

The “American Idol” tour came to Sacramento on Saturday, July 21, to Power Balance Pavilion. The tour consisted of the top ten contestants on season 11. Even hours before the show started, you could see fans in self-made “Idol” T-shirts waiting outside Power Balance Pavilion in anticipation of the show. The concert started off with a group number that was sung by all the “Idol” artists except for the winner, Phillip Phillips. The whole crew did covers ranging from “Party Rock” by LMFAO, “That’s What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction, and even classics like “Rolling on the River” by Tina Turner. This concert was both fun and vibrant. It contained a level of show quality that was enha