A ban on single-use plastic bans could be a step closer to becoming the law of the land in Sacramento next week. An ordinance to ban certain stores in Sacramento from distributing single bags has been drafted and will be considered by a City Council committee on Tuesday. The ordinance, which would also require a minimum $.10 fee on recycled paper bags and reusable bags, will go before the Law and Legislation Committee during their 3 p.m. meeting. Mayor Kevin Johnson supports the proposed ban. "The economic and environmental costs of single-use plastic bags simply outweigh any short term benefit," he wrote in a letter. "Phasing out single-use plastic bags will reduce pollution and the c

A plan to make it easier for big-box stores like WalMart to open in Sacramento will be considered by a city comission Thursday. The proposal to repeal the city's "Superstore Ordinance," ending the requirement that city study the economic impact of any big-box megastores planning to locate in Sacramento, will go before the Design and Planning Commission during their 5 p.m. meeting. Several business groups have written letters of support (Metro Chamber, The Natomas Chamber, Asian-Pacific Chamber, Regional Builders), but the idea has also drawn opposition from activists concerned that it could make it easier for a Walmart to open in the city. "We feel that the city council was visionary to

Update (5/22, 9:00 a.m.): The director of Public Works, Jerry Way, meet with Terry Preston of WalkSacramento and the West High School students after the City Council meeting on Tuesday, and directed them to seek funding for the crosswalk from the Sacramento Unified School District. Sacramento Councilmember Kevin Mccarty had arranged the meeting. Preston said he was encouraged by the conversation and would reach out to the school district soon. Sac Press will cover the efforts to get a crosswalk at 58th and Fruitridge as they develop.   -- A crosswalk in South Sacramento that activists and community members call dangerous won’t get a traffic light for another 25 years, but it could eith

  Cyclists, crew members, and hundreds of friends and supporters gathered at the State Capitol Sunday, May 19, to welcome home the members of the ninth annual NorCal AIDS Cycle, a 4-day, 330-mile HIV/AIDS cycling fundraiser. The 2013 event raised more than $327,000 for HIV/AIDS services in the Capital region and Northern California—up from $304,000 in 2012.Nearly 4,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS in the eight counties traversed during the four-day ride, with one in four new infections occurring in youth ages 13 to 24. In addition to raising funds to replace diminishing state and federal resources, NorCal AIDS Ride raises awareness of the importance of knowing one’s HIV status to av

  Dear Council Members: Let me acknowledge the tough job you face addressing the financial challenges our city and our nation faces as we move slowly out of a massive financial melt-down.  Adding to our worries are continuing closures of our business, and those in neighboring areas, such as Campbell Soup, Comcast and Coca-Cola to name a few. Despite tough financial times, this council is poised to make monumental decisions in this budget that will affect quality of life for years to come.  In many cases, in well known dangerous areas, your decisions will truly be a matter of life and death. I have grave concerns about violent crime and police staffing and how we address both in this

Multiple bold explorers and a proxy for Monsanto While the big buzz this week will be focused squarely on the latest entry in the decades-long Star Trek franchise, there are also a couple of smaller, counter-programming opportunities, one of which is oddly related to Star Trek. There’s also a second opinion included in today’s column on the Star Trek movie itself, but be warned in advance: Malcolm’s comments contain a character spoiler (although many viewers probably know this particular detail already).   Star Trek Into Darkness Directed by J. J. Abrams When the last “Star Trek” movie came out, I strongly praised its balancing act in terms of respecting the canon and the knowledge of

The Sacramento Old City Association is organizing a public forum on Mckinley Village on June 8 at the Midtown Village Cafe. The Sacramento Press will be live streaming and blogging the event. To get emailed when the action kicks off, register here: I sent SOCA Chair (and Sac Press Elite Contributor and all-star commenter) William Burg a few questions about the event and its goals. His response are below. SP: Why did SOCA decide to do a forum on McKinley Village? WB: Our mission statement is based on achieving balanced and harmonious relationships among residential, commercial and employment uses. Change happens whether we like it or not, but engaged citizens can direct change in posi

Update: The Sacramento Old City Association is organizing a public forum on Mckinley Village for June 8 at the Midtown Village Cafe. The Sacramento Press is an official sponsor and will will be live streaming and blogging the event. After Midtown and East Sacramento neighborhood associations have expressed concerns about the McKinley Village project proposed for vacant land near Sutter’s Landing Park, developer Riverview Capital Investments pushed back in a recent interview. They made their case for what they see as a "21 Century Urban Village" that will provide the city with much needed urban infill development while fitting in well with surrounding area. "I feel like we're honoring t

The Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER) has released the Q1 2013 Quarterly Economic Report--supplied to you through SACTO's member benefits. The Quarterly Economic Report provides an overview of the health and performance of the Sacramento Region's economy along with an update to the Sacramento Region Business Confidence Index, a collaborative project with the Sacramento Business Journal to measure business sentiment. Previous editions of this report are available on the CSER website (strategiceconomicresearch.org).   FIRST QUARTER REPORT - April 2013 Click to view   Positive job growth in the Sacramento Region moved up again in the first quarter of 2013  The six-county

The Great Gatsby (x3) 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald 1974 film by Jack Clayton 2013 film by Baz Luhrmann There have been four theatrical film adaptations of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby,” the earliest of which was made in 1926, only a year after the manuscript was completed (and which is now lost). Other than the latest version by Baz Luhrmann, the only version easily found for comparison purposes is Jack Clayton’s 1974 film, with a screenplay adapted by Francis Ford Coppola. In anticipation of the press screening of Luhrmann’s film, I downloaded and re-read the novel in the break between last Sunday’s East Coast feed of “Game of Thrones” and the West Coast feed of “Mad Me

"Today the people of California pay tribute to 12 men whose names will be engraved on the California Peace Officers' Memorial," said Master of Ceremonies Attorney General Kamala Harris of the State of California. "Their service and ultimate sacrifice will never be forgotten." "To the honored families who are here today there are no words to match the depth of your loss," Harris said. "But I do want to say 'thank you' on behalf of the people of Save California for supporting our fallen heroes." Since California became a state, 1500 men and women who gave their lives will always have their names on this memorial. Officers from all over California came to pay their respect. In 2012 two of

U.S. Congressman Dr. Ami Bera will speak at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at The Experience, St. Paul’s, 1430 J St. in Sacramento, about the impact of spirituality in politics. Bera met earlier this week with a diverse group of faith leaders from the district. “Ami spoke to Washington’s dysfunction but said despite the difficulties he is an optimist,” said Dr. David Thompson, pastor and executive director of The Experience. “He felt that if healing was to come to Washington it would start at the grass roots levels. What was needed was quick wins—action at the local level that everyone could get behind.” Following a 20-year medical career, Bera was elected in 2012 to represent the 7th Congression

Iron Man 3 Directed by Shane Black Malcolm Maclachlan: It’s often that I’ll think more of a flick the day after I see it than when I’m actually watching it. In this case, I like it less. “Iron Man 3” starts out with some compelling ideas and snappy dialogue, but ends up as a typical overstuffed…well, let’s just say towards the end when Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow argue about which one of them is more of a “hot mess,” my answer is “you’re both soaking in it.” Tony Sheppard: I think we had opposite reactions, or at least opposite post-reaction reactions. I had gone into the film with some fairly specific concerns regarding the storyline and enjoyed the film more than I had expect

Small press focus: Akashic Books Akashic Books is this edgy press that you may or may not have heard of. Akashic published one of my favorite books of all time, “Ruins,” by Achy Obejas. Their noir series is sure to please fans of noir, and I recommend picking up one of the many titles, perhaps beginning with “Boston Noir 2: The Classics” or delving even deeper into the drug noir series, perhaps with “The Heroin Chronicles.” You might be asking just how good these books are. Well, with contributors like David Foster Wallace, Joyce Carol Oates and Andre Dubus, how can you go wrong with “Boston Noir 2: The Classics?” This collection is divided into three sections: Broken Families where you’

It is always exciting when a new media organization starts up and provides readers and listeners with news you are truly interested in and entertainment to lighten your day. The new Sac Pride Media Group led by Tyler Edwards will launch the first ever live LGBTQ weekly radio show, “Sac Pride Live” on local Talk 650 KSTE Radio as well as worldwide on iHeartRadio, by app on your Smartphone or online at www.iheart.com/live/Talk-650-KSTE-229. The first show will air live Saturday, April 27 after the River Cats game between 10:00 PM and 12 midnight. On-air hosts for Sacramento’s newest source for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer community, will be realtor Tyler Edwards and we

Should it be easier for big-box retailers like Walmart to open megastores in the city of Sacramento? That question will be on the front of everyone's minds during a series of community meetings to discuss whether Sacramento should repeal restrictions against big-box super stores in the city. Ryan "City Beat" Lillis has the full story in today's Bee. The council is considering repealing a 2006 ordinance that made it hard for such stores to open in the city, requiring "economic analyses and wage studies for chains seeking to build stores larger than 90,000 square feet with more than 10 percent of the space dedicated to groceries." The law, writes Lillis, was passed at a time when the coun

“Players wanna play, Ballers wanna ball, Rollers wanna roll …” and voters want to vote. As the Field Poll (California’s long running, highly reputable independent polling service) said of Californians, “Voters also think that the voting public rather than their elected representatives ‘can be trusted more often to do what is right on important government issues’ (63% to 24%) and ‘are better suited to decide upon large-scale government programs and projects’ (57% to 33%).” In this context, it should come as no surprise that a new poll released by Tab Communications that showed nearly 80% of Sacramento voters would like to vote on the arena plan. (Tab Communications is a conservative polit

Sacramento's own Humor Times publication is celebrating its 22nd Anniversary by bringing the hilarious and nationally-touring Capitol Steps comedy troupe to Sacramento, on Sunday, May 5th. The show starts at 6:30pm, and will take place in the Martinique Ballroom at the Clarion Inn on 1401 Arden Way, which is next to the Arden Fair Mall. The Capitol Steps are renowned for their unique brand of musical political comedy, lampooning all sides in national politics with a non-partisan, equal-opportunity bashing that leaves no political party or personality unscathed The Steps use a fast-paced set of songs and skits, as the wildly popular group presents a show that is unequaled for its original

At 1 p.m., Saturday, April 20, Shirley Burman will speak about the history of women in the railroad industry. This event is sponsored and hosted by the SCC Railroad Club and will be held in the Sacramento City College Student Center. Burman is a documentary photographer and historian who received the Fred A. and Jane R. Stindt Photograph Award for her “‘accomplishments as a railroad photographer, especially the documentation of women’s contributions to railroading’” in 2012. In 2013, she received the Hall of Fame Award at Winterail. She is the first woman to receive this award in the organization’s 35 years.  About the award, she said that she hadn’t been thinking about the award becaus

The Northern California Book Reviewers have shortlisted the books for the 32nd Annual Northern California Book Awards, and D.A. Powell, a Sacramento area favorite, is on the list. Why does that matter? Well, he’s also going to be featured in this year’s Festival of the Arts at California State University, Sacramento. On Friday, April 12, from 3 to 4 p.m., Powell will read and hold a book signing at the University Library Gallery. Powell’s newest book, the one being considered for the poetry award, is “Useless Landscape: A Guide for Boys,” and was published by Graywolf Press in early 2012. With poems like “Head Out on the Highway,” “The Price of Funk in Funkytown” and “Riverfront Park,