The company that sold plastic wristbands with bold claims of health benefits and then bought the naming rights for the arena where the Sacramento Kings play (or would be playing if there wasn’t currently an ongoing labor dispute) has filed for bankruptcy, according to reports. Power Balance, who sold the completely useless trinkets for as much as $30 a pop, recently settled a $57.4 million dollar class-action lawsuit with its customers for false advertising. Under terms of the agreement, anybody who was foolish enough to pay for a Power Balance Bracelet can get their money back plus up to $5 to cover the costs of shipping and handling. A spokesman for the Kings was quoted in the Sacramen

Now that the NBA players union has taken serious steps to sue the league and team owners local officials in Sacramento are scrambling to salvage the momentum they’ve amassed with their “Think Big” campaign. In a total about-face to the direction of the movement that started and the end of last season, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson quickly played down the significance of a prolonged NBA lockout by issuing the following statement to the press: “I remain hopeful that all parties will come together and reach a solution. From Sacramento's perspective, our focus is on continuing to move forward on developing an Entertainment and Sports Complex. This has never been about an arena for pro basket

This Friday marks the beginning of a new program in South Sacramento which is designed to provide a safe place for teens to have fun in a supervised environment. It’s called The D6 Hot Spot at the George Sim Community Center, and it’s the result a new public/private partnership created by a collaboration between Councilmember Kevin McCarty, local non-profit groups, churches, private businesses, and labor unions. From now through at least the remainder of the school year, every Friday night from 7 p.m. to midnight, young people between the ages of 13 to 19 are encouraged to come to the Sim Center for a wide range of activities including basketball, volleyball, movies, games and more. Cou

What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is up with this whole business involving Shandy Sheedy's arena poll and the complaint that was-or-was-not filed with the FPPC this week?  I'm not going to claim to know all the answers, but I have compiled an incomplete timeline of events surrounding this entire mess for you, the reader, to inspect.  I think we've learned a lot from the comments and sleuthing that have taken place in the comment sections of the story's about this whole affair. So if for whatever reason the people who have the information that can shed some light on this torrid wreck are still unwilling or unable to disclose all the details about the FPPC complaint, maybe we can figure it o

Local history buffs were treated to a rare peek back into the region’s past on Saturday as four separate sites played host to 22 different archivist groups in Downtown Sacramento. The 1st Annual Sacramento Archives Crawl, held concurrently at the California State Archives, the California State Library, the Central Library’s Sacramento Room and the Center for Sacramento History, showcased old photographs, books, art, and other tangible links to this area’s remarkable story. Organizers performed an excellent job at producing an event that was not only educational, but fun as well. Percipients were given a passport, and instructed to get a special stamp at each respective site. Once you rec

I don't know how I don't get into regular car accidents. I am enthralled with this city. I love looking at all its details, the good and the bad. The beautiful and the macabre. My brain does not allow me to ignore the cracks in the pavement any less than the street murals on Midtown business. So imagine my delight when while driving home down Stockton Boulevard I spotted a man I would come to know only as "Joseph". The first thing that caught my eye was the fact that he was walking barefoot. Barefoot on some of the least-forgiving sidewalks in the city of Sacramento. The second thing I noticed was his overalls, which by observation I have to imagine have not left his body in quite some ti

Today I saw a dead body lying in the slow lane of the freeway. I saw it while I was driving towards it in my car with my wife, mother, and daughter at 70 miles per hour. I saw it shortly before I swerved so I wouldn’t hit it. Ever since I was a little child, the last Sunday in July has meant only one thing to me. That’s always been the day I take the annual trek to the small community of Courtland to enjoy the “Pear Fair.” It’s a simple event, drawing about 7,000 people looking to sample the sweet fruit and its many variations in treat form. This year was to be the first time I took my baby daughter to her first Pear Fair. I knew that I would never forget it. I didn’t have any idea why.

There has been much ado in the press about one particularly odd food offering at this year’s California State Fair. Frequent visitors to ranSACkedmedia.com know exactly what I’m talking about; The Maggot Melt. It is two pieces of melted cheese on a toasted bun, with just a dash of something that one might expect to find squirming around on a piece of doggy doo-doo. I decided to try one for myself to see if it lived up to the hype. As always, there are dozens of different food vendors at Cal Expo serving up a wide variety of specialties. However, if you want to test your courage you’ll have to find “Jungle George’s Exotic Meats and Bugs”. The menu boasts way more than just the Maggot Melt.

These could have been taken on any given day in Sacramento. On Saturday, June 25th, 2011, while I was driving home from the Downtown Plaza, I decided to drive by and take pictures of everything interesting thing I saw under the “W X” freeway between Front Street and Alhambra. I also skirted down some side streets in Oak Park that I’ve never driven down before as well. I’ve lived in Sacramento since the day I was born.   I’m not trying to make some kind of enlightened point nor do I claim to be aware of some sort of solution to the human condition. I’ve just driven past this scene for years it seems now but I don’t recall ever talking to anybody about it or seeing pictures of it.

In an unparalleled move, the Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday night to move forward with cuts that will drastically change the scope of its public safety departments. Eighty sworn officers are on the chopping block, and there is a plan to brownout four fire stations on a rotating basis. “I said in January there would be a day of reckoning,” Councilmember Kevin McCarty told the packed council chambers. “Today is that day.” After the council meeting, I spoke briefly with McCarty to get his thoughts on the night’s historic events. Isaac Gonzalez: You didn’t agree with Councilmember Cohn’s idea to add ask for concessions from the Police and Fire Departments and to match those amounts w

The Truck 10 crew of Sacramento City Fire in South Sacramento donated and installed an American flag at Tahoe Park Saturday morning. The flag was affixed to a long-forgotten pole in the northwest corner of the park which had been recently rehabilitated by the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association. The pole, according to an old plaque at its base, was donated by Pacific Bell in 1989 and had been previously obstructed from view by neglected shrubbery. In an earlier TPNA park clean-up event, the offending foliage was removed, and the association decided to take steps to bring the pole back to its former glory. One of the main hindering obstacles preventing the use of the flagpole was reaching

The Guild Theater in Oak Park was host to a forum attended by some of the biggest and most controversial names in education reform Friday evening. The event was organized by Stand Up Sacramento, a non-profit group chaired by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, and featured speakers such as Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of public schools in Washington, DC, her boss in that position, former Washington DC mayor Adrian Fenty, and Richard Whitmire, former editorial writer at USA Today and author of “The Bee Eater,” a book which chronicles Rhee’s time as chancellor. The speakers focused on the need to change teacher retention polices nationwide, and in particular the abolishment of the “LIFO,”

If you want to enjoy tasty Chinese cuisine in Sacramento, a quick Google search will give you dozens of options. If, however, you want to enjoy Chinese cuisine made fresh by a proprietor that makes it a point to give back to the local community, you should try Louie’s on the corner of Broadway and Stockton Boulevard. Recently, while sitting down with business owner Frank Louie at his restaurant, I was taken aback at his desire not only to produce healthy and delicious food, but to increase commerce in and improve the opinion of the surrounding community as a whole. “We have to change the perception of Stockton Boulevard and Oak Park.” Louie told me emphatically. “So much attention is sp

Much has been written about Gus Vina in the press over the past 14 months. After becoming Sacramento’s interim city manager, Vina faced a multitude challenges on various fronts. Budgets shortfalls, permit controversies, and varying levels of support from the City Council were just some of the hurdles Vina had to bear. In the end, Vina tendered his resignation, effective today. I met with him late Wednesday afternoon as he finished cleaning out his office to talk about his time as interim city manager, his plans going forward and the possible future of Sacramento. Here’s what we spoke about: Isaac Gonzalez: You took the position of interim city manager after Ray Kerridge resigned in Febru

Local residents seeking information about forming their own neighborhood volunteer groups convened at the Clunie Clubhouse at McKinley Park this past Saturday Morning. The informational event, held by coordinators from the Land Park Volunteer Corps, drew over 30 individuals ranging from concerned citizens, past and present city employees, and representatives of various community organizations. Craig Powell, lead coordinator for LPVC, passed out an detailed guide outlining the “nuts and bolts” involved in forming a successful city park volunteer group. Staff from the cities park department summarized the resources available to groups interested in volunteering, and how to coordinate with v

In front of a tiny house, southeast of Highway 50 and 59th Street, we spotted the rare “Yard Giraffe” in it’s natural form: imitating a solid iron statue. Rumor has it that this Yard Giraffe’s name is Daisy and that she’s originally from Mexico. She’s lived in the northern section of Tahoe Park for at least the past 7 years. It is not uncommon to see Daisy decorated on some holidays. On Christmas she’s known to wear colorful lights and once even dressed up as a ghost for Halloween. If you know something you’d like to see on “Found In Sac”, send an email to me at sacramentoisaac@gmail.com  

Nearly 50 volunteers descended on Tahoe Park this past Saturday morning for the first “Clean-Up Day” of the year. The stormy weather and gray clouds were no deterrent to the men, women, and children who participated in the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association’s event. Friends and family members broke up into about a dozen teams and were given a wide berth to attend to whatever section of the park they wanted. Some teams patched the worn-out sections in the jogging path. Other teams weeded the tree trunks and spread fresh mulch around their bases. Even more teams cut suckers and low lying branches on the pine trees. Eleven year resident Ray Duke found the event to be well organized and als

Spring is in the air and volunteers in the Tahoe Park neighborhood are eagerly preparing for their first "Park Clean-Up Day" of the year. After organizing two successful clean-up events in the area last fall, event organizers hope to attract a large enough group of volunteers this Saturday to have yet another triumphant event at their local park. Late last year, the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association was awarded a $1000 dollar grant by "Gift-To-Share, Inc." with the purpose of purchasing tools and equipment for clean-up events. Recently, board members of TPNA obtained these tools and will be making them available for the first time during this volunteer effort. Tahoe Park is used by hun

The Sacramento Coroner’s Office is seeking the public’s help in solving the mystery surrounding the identity of a woman’s body that was found nearly three years ago. In March of 2008, a fisherman in the Delta region of Sacramento County discovered the skeletonized remains of an unidentifiable female who officials estimate had died four years prior. With the help of forensic science and the latest in post-modem imaging technologies, investigators have what could be their best shot at identifying this “Jane Doe” victim. The above image is a computer rendering of what investigators believe the 30- to 45-year-old woman looked like. Details such as nose shape, cheekbone structure and dental p

For this week's edition of SacQuotes, we asked attendees of last month’s Second Saturday Art Walk if they feel safe and comfortable at the event. You may remember that last year police had to disperse some of the large groups who would linger after the official end of the evening. In September a Sacramento City College student was killed in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting after Second Saturday.  Here’s what folks had to say: Chico State student Meghan Vanderford was home visiting and decided to come out to Second Saturday. She said her comfort level changes throughout the night. “Earlier in the evening I feel safer, but the later it gets, it gets a little sketch.” Vanderford said