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Francis House features Victoria Vox in benefit concert at The Guild Theatre

2011-03-21T05:50:01Z

Francis House held a benefit concert from 7 - 10 p.m. Friday night at The Guild Theatre. The concert featured Victoria Vox and The Boulder Acoustic Society.

The concert was held in memory of Greg Bunker, former executive director of Francis House, who passed away unexpectedly days after Christmas last year. About 100 people attended.

The music was an old-fashioned folksy blend of eclectic sound. The Boulder Acoustic Society opened with keyboards, drums, upright bass and banjo. The keyboardist switched to accordion and the drummer to a marching band bass drum.

Victoria Vox, 32, lives in Baltimore, Md. She sings and plays ukulele. She said she finally quit her day job in 2003 to tour and perform full time.

She attended the public memorial service for Bunker in January, held in the Westminster Presbyterian Church, which was full to capacity. Forest Reed invited her to make a stop in Sacramento for the benefit concert.

“It was amazing being at the memorial and seeing how many people were there,” she said. “It was packed,” Vox said. “It was really moving to be there, and I know that Francis House does a lot of great things for people,” she said.

“I can only imagine how many people they’ve helped.” Vox said. “I’m honored more than anything to be invited to perform.”

Francis House is a counseling and resource center for poor and low-income families in the Sacramento area. Forest Reed is the new executive director of Francis House.

“Francis House is a cornerstone agency in the social service fabric in Sacramento,” Reed said. ”We touch 30,000 people every year on a first-come, first-serve basis.”

Reed explained about the important services Francis House offers.

“Without identification, you’re stymied and roadblocked,” Reed said. “We put people in motion to get out and handle those things. We provide support for getting California IDs, driver licences and birth certificate,” Reed said. “We’re a connection, a conduit to the rest of the agencies in Sacramento.”

“So many new people have dropped into poverty and homelessness in Sacramento over the last three years,” Reed said. “We help people move forward and get back on track. We ignite change for people.”

Bunker spent his last 21 years as director of Francis House. Reed had only praise for Bunker.

“He was accepting on a very human level,” he said. “He always sought to find how he could help. He loved everybody and didn’t judge people and accepted people as they were. He had a tremendous amount of kindness,” Reed said. “It’s a great loss for us because he was a mentor, a leader, a great friend and a funny guy at the same time.”

Jazz on J brings live Jazz to Downtown Sacramento

2011-03-16T02:30:35Z

Seeing a lack of regular jazz shows in the central city, Grady O’Bryant sought to fill that void with a weekly series called Jazz on J at Shenanigans bar on J Street.

Jazz on J features a local jazz band every Thursday. The first Jazz on J show was on Feb. 17.

Grady worked with saxophonist Ava Lemert to create Jazz on J, which had its fourth show Thursday. Lemeret performs every week before the featured band.

“Grady and I met up at Shenanigan’s to talk about putting something together,” Lemert said. “He and I are the creators of the series. Grady had the idea that he wanted to put something together. Maybe have something every week.”

Every Thursday, from 6 - 7 p.m., local jazz artist Ava Lemert sings and plays her saxophone. The featured band plays from 7 - 9 p.m., and DJ Rock Bottom spins from 9 p.m. to midnight playing a contemporary jazz mix. Cover charge is $10.

O’Bryant explained his motivation behind starting Jazz on J.

“I worked over the past three years with various jazz bands,” O’Bryant said. “They complained that there’s not enough venues featuring jazz bands.”

O’Bryant also runs Sacramento Wine & Night Life Tours. He said he is planning on combining Jazz on J and the tours.

“I got a little different twist on it,” he said. “We’re bringing wine makers from wine country to Jazz on J, and we’re bringing the jazz bands out to wine country, too.”

The jazz scene has been lacking in Sacramento, Larry Ellis Jr. said. The 36-year veteran jazz pianist has been witness to the scene shrinking and growing for the past three decades. Larry Ellis Jr. and Southwind were featured at Jazz on J on March 3.

“The jazz scene as far as the kind of jazz that I play is really weak in Sacramento,” Ellis said. “Sacramento is notorious for supporting it for a little while and then flaking out.”

Ellis expressed hope and enthusiasm about Jazz on J.

“Jazz on J St. is a rekindling of jazz in Sacramento. It’s an outstanding event – a place for grown folks to go and enjoy themselves,” Ellis said. “They have good-quality music.”

Sabor Jazz was featured on opening night, on Feb. 17. Micheal Otwell plays flute and saxophone in Sabor Jazz.

“Grady is an absolute networking monster,” Otwell said. “He pulled us into the Jazz on J family of all places from Facebook. I never thought I would get a gig through Facebook.”

“The venue’s really good to play at,” Otwell said. “We had a pretty good crowd of about 50 or 60 people. The social media thing was really working for us.”

DJ Rock Bottom (profile on The Sacramento Press here) was asked to perform by O’Bryant to DJ Jazz on J.

“I think it’s great. It’s a good idea. It’s a good thing for the scene,” he said. “Many jazz musicians that don’t have that avenue to expose themselves on a commercial level can get exposure here.

“People don’t have to drive to the bay for it anymore,” he added. “It gives the people that love it the opportunity to see it live every week.”

Bill Meyer plays lead guitar for Innersoul. They were featured during the second week.

“I think it’s a very positive thing, and I’m glad to see the music is coming back to Sacramento,” Meyer said. “I think it’s going to grow.”

For information about future events, go to JazzonJ.com.

The Vibe Foundation hosts Cake Decoration Contest in Midtown

2011-03-14T05:21:35Z

The Vibe Foundation held Cake Craze Saturday night. The Vibe Foundation hosted their Cake Craze fundraising event Saturday night, pitting nine local bakeries against each other in a cake-decorating contest themed “Generation Y” at 1725 K St.

The event was fundraising for the organization’s opening this summer.

Julia Hidalgo,18, another Christian Brothers senior, is the chair of Vibe’s youth board.

“The fundraiser is really just to get our doors open,” Hidalgo said.

Hidalgo expressed her vision of Vibe as molding to the needs of the youth community that leads it.

“It’s all about what kids want,” Hidalgo said. “If kids want free SAT classes, maybe we’ll do that,” Hidalgo said. “We’re hoping to get our doors open no later than July.”

Chelsea Carter,18, is a senior at Christian Brothers High School and is Vibe’s event planner. She said Vibe’s goal was to provide a place for Sacramento youth to go and hang out at night.

“Basically we want a place for teenagers and youth to hang out in a safe place,” Carter said. “We are working to create a teen urban lounge and career and resource center.”

“It was so stressful to do it and plan it to get stuff done,” Carter said. “Now that it’s here, it’s fantastic. The music and the cakes are super cool,” said Carter. “I’m glad everything is working out well.”

Sweet Cakes was awarded the Incomparable Innovation (best in show) prize.

Kat’s Cakes was awarded the Premium Pioneering (most creative) prize.

Crazy Cake Company was awarded the Optimum Outrageousness (most outrageous) prize.

Cake Castle Bakery was awarded the Supreme Stimulation (best depiction of theme) prize.

The event was well attended with a steady stream of people coming and going. The organizers felt the event went well.

Christine Giffin, Vibe’s executive director, echoed Hidalgo’s sentiment that Vibe activities are open to the interpretation of the youth who lead the organization.

“I’m not attached to any one idea with this place,” Giffin said. “The idea is just whatever our current generation of teens in Sacramento want, that’s what Vibe aspires to be.”

Access Sacramento to start Neighborhood News Bureaus

2011-03-12T01:34:13Z

Access Sacramento is putting together a network of news bureaus in the South Sacramento area. The goal is to get youth to report for their communities, producing news stories about South Sacramento. The effort is based around a website that access Sacramento has set up called accesslocal.tv.

Ron Cooper, executive director of Access Sacramento, said that besides being known for negative news, South Sacramento seems to be absent from the news altogether. He wants to help revitalize the area through empowering the youth to become news reporters and serve them by developing their journalism skills.

“South Sacramento is big area with lots of people and lots of ethnic diversity,” Cooper said. “Stories with positives don’t usually trickle out.”

There are currently five neighborhood news bureau locations. Asian Resources, La Familia, Florin Creek, Pannell Center and Valley Hi-North Laguna Library were selected as the initial locations to host the news bureaus. They were provided with computers, flip cameras and funding for training.

“Young people accept challenges and changes much more readily. That’s always been the case,” said Cooper said. “I like the idea of organizing young people and challenging them to tell the stories of their communities.”

A part of the project is bringing in the technological resources for youth to use. The project is providing computers and cameras to help them report stories. He said that providing the resources and letting youth “play” and experiment will be an important way of developing how the neighborhood news bureaus turn out.

“I’m not launching a five-year plan here. We have some tenets, but it has to be responsive to what we learn along the way,” Cooper said. “Over the next six months, we will gradually widen the sphere and add more neighborhood news bureaus.”

The Sacramento Metropolitan Cable Television Commission provided the initial technological equipment.

“We went to the Sacramento Metro Cable Commission, and they gave the equipment necessary for the initial sites,” Cooper said.

Part of the project is being funded through the California Endowment, which selected South Sacramento as one of 14 neighborhoods across California in need of assistance, said Christine Tien, California Endowment’s Sacramento’s program manager.

“For us, it’s a youth empowerment tool – a good way to generate stories from the youth perspective, especially in the South Sac area,” Tien said. “Currently, the only type of stories coming out of South Sac are crime-related.”

“Part of the grant is for training youth to be community reporters, reporting from their perspective on community issues.” Tien said.

Fong Tran is a youth coordinator at Asian Resources. He works on helping to produce and guide the stories of the young reporters.

“The purpose of the neighborhood news bureaus is to provide an opportunity for grassroots and community organizations to work with youth, and to put out news that comes from the community and the community perspective.” Tran said.

“It’s a chance for, what were marginalized communities, to speak in their own words about events and topics,” Tran said. “It’s a way for youth to get what they want to say out to the mainstream world.”

Access Sacramento is a nonprofit community media organization that provides resources to Sacramento community members to produce independent media. The organization has been producing radio and cable programmes for the last 25 years. The neighborhood news bureaus are the most recent way of engaging the Sacramento community.

To learn more about the neighborhood news bureaus, visit AccessLocal.tv.

Ladybug Ladybug store offers gifts and gifts cards

2011-02-25T06:25:21Z

Ladybug Ladybug opened its second location at 2512 J St. last November, where they sell greeting cards and gifts.

“It’s kind of your one-stop gift shop,” said Sheila Istvanick, 40, Ladybug Ladybug’s owner.

Istvanick opened her first gift card store in San Francisco’s Noe Valley at 24th and Sanchez in 2002. Since opening the store, Istvanick has had three daughters. She recently moved to Sacramento to be closer to her extended family.

Istvanick worked at Papyrus before partnering with a friend to open the first Ladybug Ladybug.

She said she really values small business and locally sourced products. From cards to gifts, Istvanick tries to find and promote local items.

“I hope to carry more local products,” Istvanick said. “We have a focus on trying to promote local products and keep the local business vibe alive.”

Ladybug Ladybug carries Trumpette socks, Slainte Bags and Susanne George gift cards.

“The people in Midtown have been so wonderful,” Istvanick said. “People come in to talk and say that they support small businesses.”

“People love to know that there’s a real person, a real human being that they’re supporting locally.”

The store specializes in cards, candles, small gifts and functional gifts like water bottles and purses.

“One of our best products is our recyclable bags and water bottles as gift items,” said Istvanick said. “Candles are probably our No. 1 gift.”

Melissa Cates, Istvanick’s cousin, left her job as St. John’s Homeless Shelter’s art program director to help run the Sacramento location.

“She took a big risk opening this store,” Cates said. “We’re hoping with Second Saturdays starting again the foot traffic will get better.”

“We try and do original stuff and change it up for holidays,” Cates said.

Cates said that Istvanick wants to focus on the Sacramento store and eventually make it the base store.

Sharon and Harry Tanovitz own Art Ellis, an art supply store down the street from Ladybug Ladybug that has been open since 1952.

“It’s a lovely little shop,” Sharon Tanovitz said. “They have a nice range of cards and fun gifts and things.”

University Art is on the opposite corner from Ladybug Ladybug at 26th and J. David Saalsaa has been the division manager there for 13 years.

“We’re happy that they’re here and hope to see more retail stores open up,” Saalsaa said.

“It’s a real joy to get a card in the mail,” Istvanick said. “It’s a thrill. It’s not an everyday occurrence.”

Ladybug Ladybug is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday though Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Sacramento's 2nd Annual Beer Week Feb 25 - March 6

2011-02-22T06:29:41Z

This Friday the second annual Sacramento Beer Week is bringing local brewers and beer enthusiasts together for over 300 events in Sacramento from Feb. 25 through March 6.

Dan Scott, 38, founded Sacramento’s Beer Week in 2010. Scott is currently a grad student working on a Masters in public policy and administration from Sacramento State.

“We’ve got an incredible beer culture in Sacramento,” said Scott.

He said he loves beer and has traveled to more than 500 breweries tasting and sampling brews from around the world.

“I’m a beer connoisseur, not a beer brewer,” said Scott. “I’d rather drink a lot of different beers from different people than a lot of my own.”

“There’s opportunities for people to learn how to home brew (during Beer Week),” said Scott. “and classes on beer appreciation.”

There will be a scavenger hunt that will run all week. The clues will be posted on the website on Feb 24. The prizes will be gift certificates to pubs and restaurants and various beer items that have been donated.

“There are 30 locations around Sac to take a photo of something described in a clue,” Scott said.

The Sacramento Brewers Showcase kicks off the week-long beer fest on Feb. 24 at the Crocker Art Museum. The event will host 12 local brewers including special brews created for Sacramento’s Beer Week by Sierra Nevada from Petaluma, Lagunitas in Chico and Sudwerk in Davis. Admission is $20. Tickets are available at Rubicon Brewing, River City Brewing and Pangaea Two Brews.

Lagunitas has created a new beer in their fusion series called Fusion Sacramento Beer Week
said Don Chartier, the Mr. Nice Guy of Lagunitas’ marketing department.

“It’s something we started with Chicago's craft beer conference,” said Chartier “It’s where we created the fusion series. We wanted to continue that in Sacramento,”

“In Sacramento they wanted something darker, so we crafted a rye beer,” said Chartier “We did up about 78 kegs for the week.””

To close out Sac’s Beer Week The Capitol Beerfest will take place at Cal Expo on March 5. Fifty-nine breweries are expected to attend.

For the connoisseur there is a V.I.P. tasting of rare and special brews from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The public session is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. V.I.P. tickets include admission to the public session and cost $60. Public session costs $30.

“We have beers from around California, across the country and the world,” said Scott.

According to Scott, there will be a free shuttle from Midtown to Cal Expo to promote safety and responsible drinking.

“We want people to celebrate with us safely and responsibly.” said Scott

Glynn Phillips, owner of Rubicon Brewery said he is looking forward to their cask beer day on Thursday, March 3.

Cask ale is fermented a little bit differently and the naturally occurring carbon dioxide has a much softer taste than the manufactured carbon dioxide, Phillips said. No additional carbon dioxide is added to the beer. It is also served with gravity instead of pushed with carbon dioxide, Phillips added.

“(There will be) traditional ales brewed in a very old fashion way,” Phillips said. “No one else does a cask tasting like we do.”

Brian Cofresi, Brewmaster at River City Brewing for 11 ½ years, said that there will be a bagpiper, Bill Tubbs, playing at 4 p.m. on Tuesday to celebrate tapping the River City’s seasonal Irish Red Rye ale.

“We want to make sure that craft beer is supported and promoted,” said Cofresi. “We try to promote the local breweries but it’s mostly about beer.”

Shady Lady Saloon, another participating bar, will be tapping the hard to find Hoptimum by Sierra Nevada and the special brew they crafted called Hopsicord, according to co-owner Jason Boggs.

On Sunday, March 6 they will have a Mardi Gras celebration with a New Orleans style brass band and beer from Abita Brewing from New Orleans.

“I think that Sacramento is having a a beer renaissance,” said Boggs “The town is going beer crazy.”

Brooke Tachibana, who is a manager at the Streets of London, said she is also looking forward to Beer Week.

“It’s a good thing. Last year was really busy, it brought a lot of people into the bar,” said Tachibana “This year every night we will be featuring a different beer.”

There are too many events to list all of them. Here are links to what is going on everyday during Beer Week!

Friday Feb 25
Saturday Feb 26
Sunday Feb 27
Monday Feb 28
Tuesday March 1
Wednesday March 2
Thursday March 3
Friday March 4
Saturday March 5
Sunday March 6

Sick of the Radio? dot com

2011-02-18T03:49:25Z

Sick of the Radio (SOTR) is a Sacramento-based website that covers indie art and music from Sacramento and around the world. The website has artist interviews, photography, art, music videos and even free MP3s.

Started last February by 28-year-old Andy Johnson and his wife, Melissa, SOTR aims to share a love of the arts and offer daily inspiration for artists, musicians and art lovers.

“We strive to expose all types of art to the masses,” Johnson said. “I am an artist and musician, and love the idea of an online collective of various artists.”

Johnson has had the idea for the site for a few years. The birth of his son motivated him to make it a reality.

“I’ve had the idea for the website for a while, then my wife got pregnant,” Johnson said “So I thought, ‘I got to launch this.’ ”

He built the website himself using the Wordpress content management system and customizing it to his needs. He said he doesn’t feel he is very tech-savvy and is looking for tech help to maintain and update the site.

“One time, none of the contributors could log in, the web tech guy wanted to charge $200 to fix it,” Johnson said “Once I figured it out, I fixed it in two seconds.”

Johnson attended Sacramento State for a couple of years. He hopped between majors, then decided to go with his inclination toward art before leaving without a degree.

“Going into college, I was already an artist and musician,” he said.

“My parents sent me to college, and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I just started taking a bunch of art classes and then just kind of dropped out,” Johnson said. “My problem was I just didn’t know what to do.”

Johnson said he wants to expand on the idea behind SOTR by organizing art shows and concerts in Sacramento.

There are about 20 writers that contribute articles to the site. Contributors come from all over the world, including Canada, China and England.

Contributors volunteer their time. Johnson said he wants to be able to pay them in the future, probably through placing relevant ads on the site.

“When it comes to art and music, when you find people that are passionate, it’s easier to find people to do it for free,” Johnson said “The writers are trying to find experience for a paying job, eventually.”

Sarah MacDonald heard about SOTR through a friend. She started writing for the arts section last September from Waterloo, Canada. She has written articles for the art, photography, fashion and music sections. You can read samples of her articles here and here.

“I feel very passionately about reporting on arts and cultural stories under the radar of the mainstream culture,” MacDonald said. “Not everyone wants to know about Top-40 music, but would rather be informed about other musicians worldwide with different sounds.”

Richard Greenan started writing for SOTR a year ago. Originally from Brighton, England, he found the site while studying in Cardiff, Wales. He contributes about three articles a week on new and retro music. You can read samples of his articles here and here.

He said he’s seen SOTR really grow over the last year, and it has been mentioned by other indie music websites such as Pitchfork and Gorilla vs. Bear.

“I believe it has real potential to offer alternative coverage of the indie music scene,” Greenan said.

Johnson has produced three albums by himself under the name Tony Bonanza. His song “Singapore Sling” on Baby B. EP was featured on Fader magazine’s website.

“You could say I’m a multi-instrumentalist,” Johnson said. “My main goal right now is just to be able to survive doing something I love.”

SOTR gets about 1,000 unique visitors a day and double that in page views.

“It’s good to know that people are sifting through the site,” Johnson said.

SOTR on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook.

Jack Gallagher's "The Jokes on me ... Again" at the 24th Street Theater on Feb. 26

2011-02-16T05:34:14Z

Sacramento native and humorist Jack Gallagher is returning to the 24th St. Theatre/Sierra 2 Center for the Arts & Community after his sold-out performance of “The Joke’s On Me” last year. His encore show, “The Joke’s On Me....Again,” will run twice on Feb. 26.

The show will be a combination of music and personal stories, Gallagher said, with a mix of music from the last four decades and will be performed by the Dick Bright Band.

The stories will center around Gallagher’s life as a performer. Band members will recount their experiences with some of the original musicians of the covers that will be played.

Members of the Dick Bright Band have played with prominent musicians like Todd Rundgren, Tony Bennet and the Grateful Dead.

Audience interaction will be a key part of the show.

“We’ll be getting people up on stage to sing in the background,” Gallagher said.

There will be trivia about some of the songs with prizes, and some lucky audience members will be invited on stage to sing background vocals.

“The Joke’s on Me” came out of a rut Gallagher found himself in while writing his play “A Different Kind of Cool.” He said he needed something to break his writer’s block. He talked to his longtime friend, Tommy Dunbar of the Rubinoos, and they came up with last year’s show.

“We’ve always talked about doing something together,” Gallagher said. “We decided to do half a show of stand up and then play some rock and roll songs.”

At “A Different Kind of Cool,” people asked him if he was planning another comedy rock concert in 2011.

“People got really excited about it,” Gallagher said.

This year he will be expanding on the anti/pro-drug medley that he did last year with songs like “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, “Ichy Coo Park” by Small Faces, “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul and Mary, and “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf on the pro-drug side.

Anti-drug songs include “Mother’s Little Helper” by The Rolling Stones, “Kicks” by Paul Revere and the Raiders, and “Mama Told Me Not To Come” by Three Dog Night.

Some of the other songs that they will be play include: Juan Vivan, XTC, Jackson brown, The Turtles, Elvis costello and Delamitry. Gallagher encourages people to stand up and dance.

“It’s a very cozy and intimate, great little theater,” Gallagher said. “The only thing is that it’s missing a dance floor.”

The shows will be at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 at 2791 24th St. Doors will open at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door and are available at Inticketing.com, Phono Select Records at 2312 K St., Dimple Records at 2433 Arden Way and at Dimple Records in Davis, at 212 F St.

According to Mindy Giles, of Swell Productions, the 5 p.m. show is already sold out.

Mayor Johnson speaks at Oak Park Neighborhood Association Meeting

2011-02-05T01:27:51Z

The Sacramento Food Bank was filled with about 50 people Thursday night as Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke at the Oak Park Neighborhood Association meeting.

Johnson spoke about the green economy, downtown development, the state of Sacramento’s schools, volunteering in the city and homelessness.

He emphasized the need for a strong and vibrant downtown and a growing green economy.

“You kill two birds with one stone,” he said. “No. 1, you improve the environment, and No. 2, you can create jobs.”

Johnson said he is a proponent for building the sports arena downtown.

“Our community deserves a world-class facility, and I’d like to see that downtown because it creates jobs, and all the other businesses benefit from 20,000 people coming to that place 50 or 100 times a year,” he said.

The city has hired a business recruiter to find businesses to fill up the empty spaces on K Street, he said. He added that the pedestrian malls around the country haven’t worked, so cars are coming back to K street in 2011.

He also brought up the problems with Sacramento’s schools, especially the reading levels.

“In terms of third graders in the city of Sacramento, only 39 percent are reading at grade level citywide,” Johnson said. “That should be alarming. That means 61 percent are not.”

He proposed a citywide initiative to get 70 percent of third graders reading at grade level. The proposal would involve a tutoring and mentoring program utilizing seniors and recent college graduates.

Johnson said the initiative could begin in March.

People are moving away from the city for their children's education to places like Roseville, El Dorado, Folsom or Elk Grove that have better schools, he said.

One community member voiced concerned about Sacramento High School.

“Is there a threat to Sac High?” she asked. “How do we fight this idea that because student population has dropped we close the school?”

Johnson explained that the school district had prevented Sacramento High from recruiting students from the Oak Park area.

“What the school district did for the last five years was they would not allow Sac High to recruit kids from the normal middle schools that would go to Sac High,” he said. “They would not even send information to the middle school families to say that this is an option that you have.”

“That just doesn’t make sense,” said Johnson.

He expressed confidence that the community would fight to keep the school open.

An Oak Park Neighborhood Association board member wondered how people in Oak Park could work with the city volunteering effort.

Johnson suggested she contact Keith Hart, chief service officer, who is coordinating the city’s volunteer effort.

He said he set a goal of 500,000 volunteering hours in 2009, and the city got 1.7 million. In 2010, his goal was 3 million, and the city got 3.1 million hours. This year, his goal remains 3 million, with the addition of raising the number of Sacramentans who volunteer from 24 to 35 percent.

The mayor’s top four issues for volunteers to get involved with are education, homelessness, environmental issues and emergency preparedness.

“What are we doing about the homeless?” one attendee asked.

Johnson responded that the city set a goal of building 3,000 permanent housing units over three years and built 1,500 of them last year.

“In the first year we’re 500 ahead of schedule,” he said.

He mentioned an effort by the faith community called Winter Sanctuary, where churches bring in up to 100 homeless, the effort has saved the city a couple hundred thousand dollars, he said.

Sacramento had the opportunity to get $1.6 million from the federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program but had to raise $400,000 to receive the funds.

The city raised matching funds with the help of area churches who asked their congregations to contribute at least one day’s worth of their rent.

After the mayor finished, the OPNA held an election for seven board positions. Only seven people were on the ballot. One community member, Cory Cliff, attempted to put himself on the ballot but was ineligible because he hadn’t attended three OPNA meetings in the last 12 months.

The new board members are: Bill Knowlton, Terre Johnson, Micheal Luna, Charles Mason, Rev. Ashiya Edeye, Julian Slee and Joany Titherington.

The next Oak Park Neighborhood Association meeting will be held on March 3 at the Sacramento Food Bank, 3333 Third Avenue.

City Council discusses closing next years projected budget gap

2011-02-02T08:29:47Z

Sacramento is facing a $35 million - $40 million budget gap next year, according to city officials who gave an update to the City Council Tuesday night.

The city must reduce expenses by 20 percent to close the gap for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, according to city staff.

Interim City Manager Gus Vina, who held a financial recovery workshop for the council recently, characterized the budget gap as “ugly and persistent.”

City Council members were in agreement about the desperate budget situation. They emphasized how hard it will be to cut more than they already have in the last several years.

“We’ve been squeezing and squeezing and squeezing,” said Councilman Kevin McCarty.

Mayor Kevin Johnson pointed out just how severe the cuts have been.

“(We’ve had) 191 million in cuts over the last four years,” Johnson said. “We have a serious commitment to be actively involved to solve this.”

Councilman Steve Cohn echoed Johnson’s sentiments, saying, “It cannot be business as usual for us, employees or the public.”

Leyne Millstein, director of finance for the city, said, “This is the most significant policy decision the council hears every year.”

Over the last five years, more than 900 positions have been eliminated, she added.

The rollover from last year’s budget shortfall, renegotiated labor contracts, public employee retirement system cost increases, new facility staffing costs and Proposition 218 corrections contribute to the projected budget gap Millstein reported.

Staffing for new facilities includes two libraries (Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library and Valley Hi-North Laguna Library), Fire Station 43 in Natomas and a commitment to the Crocker Art Museum to staff the expansion.

Millstein presented guiding principles for the effort to balance the budget: maintain current core service levels while decreasing the cost of delivering services, avoid using one-time funds to pay for continuing expenses and rebuild the uncertainty reserve for emergency needs.

“We need to ask ourselves as a council how disciplined we’re going to be,” said Councilman Rob Fong. “We need to bind ourselves to these principles. It’s not going to get fixed in a year, and (it’s) not going to get fixed by building revenue.

“One thing we should also be thinking about is how we’re going to bring our services,” he added. “Given our revenue projections how would we run our city?”

“The economic cycle will come back. It’s going to take us a long time,” Councilman Jay Schenirer said. “We have a lot of education work to do, people are still in disbelief, they think there’s still 40 million in waste.”

The proposed budget is scheduled to be presented to the City Council by May 1.

According to Tuesday’s presentation, the city should be on track to a sustainable budget by the 2014/2015 fiscal year.

Local Cafe helps ex-cons with employment

2011-01-29T01:26:43Z

The kitchen at George Karyszyn’s Uptown Cafe serves plenty of eggs, chicken fried steak and vegetarian sandwiches, but has also served ex-convicts by giving them a place to work for the past 14 years.

“No one gives them a break,” Karyszyn said, “so we do.”

Some of the employees he has hired have been convicted of murder or petty larceny, but that isn’t a deal-breaker for Karyszyn.

“People stay till their paroles are up. They’re good workers and loyal when given a chance,” he said.

Shane Eck, 37, has been working at Uptown Cafe for two months. Eck lived at the Safe Ground tent city for 11 months after being released from prison. He said he heard about Uptown Cafe from Safe Ground leaders.

Working as a cook at Uptown Cafe enabled him to move into an apartment in December, Eck said. He reached the one-year anniversary of being out of prison on Jan. 23.

“What’s worked for me is that I’m honest and a hard worker. There’s work out there – you just have to look hard for it,” he said. “Stay motivated, stay focused, and people will be inclined to help you.”

Because of the economy, Karyszyn has had to cut back on employees. “I usually had 12 to 14 employees, now only four to five,” he said.

One of his former employees was convicted of accidental murder.

“Now he has his contractor license, got married and has kids. Some make it through parole and get a good life going” Karyszyn said.

Tia Helm was unemployed and started working at Uptown Cafe a month ago as a dishwasher. “I love working here,” she said.

Uptown Cafe is open Tuesday - Friday, from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m and Saturday and Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. It is located at 1121 Del Paso Blvd.,

Black Parallel School Board meets to discuss SCUSD problems

2011-01-11T20:14:46Z

The Black Parallel School Board discussed its plans for 2011, including addressing problems with the quality of teachers and underachievement of black students in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

The meeting was held Saturday at the Oak Park United Methodist Church.

The BPSB’s mission is to ensure quality education for African American students in the SCUSD. The board observes and critiques SCUSD performance and advocates for African American students.

The BPSB was created in Jan. 2008. It was born of the frustration of Sacramento State professor Otis Scott with the SCUSD at a Sacramento Area Black Caucus meeting in 2006.

According to Carl Pinkston, secretary of the BPSB executive council, Scott was angry that the SCUSD failed to follow up on issues concerning the black community.

Scott wanted to call attention to a crisis in education and to reframe the discussion as a new civil rights struggle. The community needs to be proactive rather than reactive toward the crisis, he said.

After the BPSB was formed, the members studied state of education for black students in the SCUSD and created a report from their findings. The report shows an achievement gap between black and other students that steeply rises after second grade.

The report showed only eight out of 644 black students were enrolled in eighth grade geometry and that they have an 84 percent failure rate for geometry in the 10th grade.

At Saturday’s meeting, Executive Council Chairman Darryl White brought up one of the major problems the BPSB has with the SCUSD: the constant influx of new teachers to already underachieving schools.

White said schools with a history of underachievement tend to be where new teachers are hired. It takes three to five years for teachers to gain the experience to be effective, and once they have it, they move on to “better” schools, he said.

This means that some students never learn from an experienced teacher. Perpetually in class with new, bad or substitute teachers, students have a difficult time progressing at a rate commensurate with being taught by experienced and effective teachers, White added.

He pointed out that it’s not one person or group that’s the problem, it’s teachers’ career paths within the SCUSD that prevent underachieving schools from providing a quality education. Teacher quality makes or breaks a school, he said.

SCUSD President Gustavo Arroyo was also at the meeting. He outlined his goals for solving issues within the SCUSD, saying he is reaching out to communities to hear their issues, and his main goal is creating space for people to voice their issues with the current system.

“I’m trying to open the door for dialogue,” he said.

Sacramento is one of the most diverse urban education systems in the country, according to SCUSD’s education technology plan. The district is 32 percent Hispanic, 21 percent White, 21 percent African American, 20 percent Asian, 2 percent Pacific Islander, 1 percent Filipino and 1 percent American Indian.

The system teaches more than 48,000 students in Kindergarten though 12th grade among 88 schools. SCUSD is governed by seven elected members and a student member.

Some of the other goals of the BPSB are “to assure that classrooms with high African Descended student populations start and end the school year with qualified and experienced teachers that possess the ability to relate to students of color; to assure that teacher/student ratios are between 20-25 students per teacher (less for K-3) in all grade levels to promote the academic success of all students; to assure that schools with high numbers of African Descended students are properly funded,” according to the report.

Anyone of African-descent who regularly attends BPSB meetings can become a board member.

The executive council is in charge of implementing decisions that the board passes.

“Everyone has to participate,” Pinkston said. “It’s a culture and place to develop new leadership.”

White added, “The Black Parallel School Board is a watchdog group. We are here to observe and find out about negative impacts on the students we support.”

The next meeting will be at 10 a.m. Feb. 5 at the Oak Park United Methodist Church at 36th Street and Broadway.

The first photo is of Gustavo Arroyo. The second is of the Oak Park United Methodist Church.

Downtown Sacramento Partnership's "Dine Downtown Week"

2011-01-06T02:17:48Z

Downtown Sacramento Parternership’s “Dine Downtown Restaurant Week” will begin its sixth year Friday, with 30 participating downtown restaurants each offering special $30 three-course meals through Jan. 16.

DSP Marketing Manager Megan Emmerling said the week is meant to draw visitors and locals on a budget to Sacramento’s finest downtown restaurants.

Last year, the International Downtown Association gave the event its Award of Distinction of Outstanding Achievement. The IDA advocates for livable and vital downtown culture around the world.

When asked how the restaurants have responded about the Dine Downtown weeks DSP marketing manager Megan Emmerling said “participating restaurants said that the week is like 10 Saturday nights during the week.”

This will be Cafeteria 15L’s second Dine Downtown week. Assistant Manager Danielle Meaux said the event brings people in, and the restaurant is definitely busier during the week.

“We’re including a glass of Cupcake Chardonnay or Sawbuck red wine and half-off bottles over $40,” Meaux said.

Bar Supervisor at 3 Fires Lounge Mark Kaniser said it creates a nice buzz for people to come have dinner.

“Last year was great. We had a lot of people come in, we actually had to turn some people away because of seating,” Kaniser said. “It’s also a good thing for people not in Midtown. They come down because of this. They get to experience all the restaurants. People enjoy it.”

3 Fires Lounge
1501 L St.
(916) 267-6823

3 Fires Lounge’s starters are:
Baby spinach salad (pine nuts, chenel goat cheese, dried cranberries and miso vinaigrette) or
Langostino lobster bisque (créme fraiche and basil oil).

The main-course options are:
Seared mahi mahi (pear salsa, garlic mashed potatoes and braised kale),
Braised pork Osso Bucco (creamy risotto, asiago cheese, cranberry apple chutney),
Baked natural herb chicken (roasted fingerling potato with rosemary, seasonal vegetables and pan jus) or
Grilled creekstone Angus New York steak (sautéed broccolini, steak fries and chanterelle mushroom ragout)

Desserts:
Chocolate torte or
Zinfandel poached pear with vanilla ice cream.

Cafeteria 15L
1116 15th St.
(916) 492-1960

To start, Cafeteria 15L is offering:
Butternut squash soup (toasted pumpkin seed pesto) or
Roasted beet salad (bosc pears, arugula, goat cheese and spiced pecans)

The main courses are:
Grilled New York steak (garlic mashed potatoes, wild mushrooms and whiskey peppercorn sauce) or
Seared ahi tuna (sesame crusted, kabocha squash, shiitake mushrooms, baby bok choy and caramel ginger sauce) or
Roasted half chicken (breast with butternut squash, Swiss chard and mushroom jus)

Desserts:
Warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream or
Cranberry bread pudding with pumpkin ice cream.

Capitol Garage
1500 K St.
(916) 444-3633

Capitol Garage will be offering salads for its first course:
House salad (fresh mixed greens with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, house-made croutons, manchego cheese and Italian vinaigrette) or
Chipotle Caesar (petite romaine hearts with a mildly spicy chipotle Caesar dressing, fresh avocado, manchego cheese, cilantro, lime and crispy tortilla strips) or
Spinach salad (toasted hazelnuts, applewood smoked bacon, fresh diced Granny Smith apples, cucumber and goat cheese).

The main-course options are:
Crab cake linguini (sautéed cherry tomatoes, prosciutto, garlic and herbs in a lemon cream sauce served with bruschetta bread) or
Jambalaya (grilled prawns, andouille sausage, sweet potatoes, peppers, onions and garlic with a Cajun cream sauce, topped with char-grilled chicken, served with steamed white rice) or
Farmers market pasta (sautéed fresh seasonal vegetables with walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes in a pesto cream sauce served over four-cheese tortellini with bruschetta bread) or
Burrito Vegetariano (large flour tortilla stuffed with rice, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro, topped with tomatillo salsa and melted manchego cheese, served with fresh avocado, pico de gallo and shredded lettuce) or
Jack & Blue (half-pound Angus burger topped with Gorgonzola cheese, Jack Daniel's onions and mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon on a burger bun with mayonnaise and all the “fixins”) or
Leaky Roof (Zoe’s Meats’ roasted turkey breast with caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon, Gruyere cheese, sliced Granny Smith apples and honey mustard aioli on thick grilled sourdough bread)

Desserts:
Black bottom cheesecake topped with fresh blackberries or
Tiramisu with white chocolate mascarpone mousse and amaretto espresso-soaked lady fingers or
Apple pie with fresh whipped cream

For more information and a full list of participating restaurants visit DSP’s website or call (916) 442-8575.

"Golden State" book signing, David Prybil

2011-01-03T04:07:01Z

David Prybil will be reading from and signing his new book “Golden State” at Time Tested Books on Monday at 7 p.m.

Prybil is a Los Angeles resident who has been a producer with Paramount for over 15 years. He worked on “Saved!,” “Lost in Space,” “Black Dog,” and “Dancer Texas, Pop. 81.”

“Golden State” is the story of four people in Sacramento living their versions of the California dream.

The Sacramento Press asked Prybil what inspired him to write “Golden State.”

“It seems in general that California as a state attracts dreamers, people that are looking for more, whatever that may be. Whether it’s the Gold Rush that helped found Sacramento or coming to Hollywood to be discovered as a star, or Silicon Valley, people are thinking they are going to go out there and create the next Google.

“When I was following the recall election, it just seemed like that kind of encapsulated that better than just about anything. It was just so out-of-the-box bizarre. All of a sudden there’s 135 people running for governor.

“Schwarzenegger, there’s always been kind of an inkling that he might run for office at some point. He basically just went on the Jay Leno show and said, ‘I’m running.’ He showed up for one debate, where people just kind of fawned over him because he’s a big movie star. And he won.”

He said that his characters feed off this example of the California dream that Schwarzenegger exemplified in winning the recall election, it was an opportunity to write interesting characters.

“There are a lot people that spend their entire lives chasing unrealistic dreams, and that can be very tragic at times. What I found with my characters is that the dreams they sought, that they were chasing at the beginning of the story, aren't necessarily the ones that came true, but it led them ultimately to some kind of happiness. It’s like that Rolling Stones song: ‘You can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need,” Prybil said.

Time Tested Books is located at 1114 21st St.

To read the first chapter and a summary of “Golden State” go to davidprybil.com.

Coats for Kids warms Sacramento residents

2010-12-31T01:06:35Z

The 20th annual Coats for Kids coat giveaway was held at Cal Expo today. Swanson’s Cleaners, ABC News 10, The Salvation Army and a local The UPS Store partnered to collect and distribute the coats.

Sacramento resident Mike Hainline attended the event to get a new coat. He has been collecting unemployment for almost two years.

“The economy has a lot to do with it, that’s why I came out here,” Hainline said. “I’ve donated coats in the past. I actually received one this year. It helps out to have an extra jacket, plus I got a waterproof one now,”

JoAnn Lemmon is the governor of the North Sacramento Rotary Club. She volunteered her time to help at the event. 

“I wish we had more coats. I think the part that people probably don’t realize is that we need coats for adults as well,” she said. “We have a lot of adults in need of coats, especially larger sizes. It’s something to remember for next year.”

Syd Fong is the public relations director of the Sacramento Salvation Army. He said the nonprofit organization had collected more than 27,000 coats, surpassing its goal of 25,000. Coats are being distributed at locations around California in Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Lodi, Roseville, Antioch and Fairfield.

“In the 20 years that the Coats for Kids program has been going, we’ve collected and distributed over 500,000 jackets,” Fong said.

Brian Levingston, a cadet in Natomas High school’s Airforce JROTC program, came out with other members of his unit to help with security.

“It makes us realize that we really are blessed,” he said. “I like getting out to meet other people, to help them, you know. To let them know that this is a place that they can come and that people care.

“That’s the reason why I like the event: because it shows that people do care and that when there’s times that are hard, like now, you can go somewhere and find refuge if you need a coat,” Levingston said.

Greg Higley is the owner of The UPS Store at Elk Grove and Stockton Boulevard. This was his first year helping to sponsor the event.

“It’s a good event. We’re in partnership with channel 10,” Higley said. “We will be doing this again. We’re going to try and get more coats and more people involved next year.”

Cindy Cain volunteered at the event with Hands on Sacramento.

“It’s my first year,” Cain said. “I’ve really enjoyed it. I usually donate coats. It’s great to see were the coats go.”

News10 and Swanson’s Cleaners created Coats For Kids in 1991. Since then, more than 500,000 new and used coats have been distributed to children and families in need.

Zephyr McIntyre on "Sacramento Area Peace Action shows "Paperback Dreams""

2010-12-30T01:24:17Z

Photos courtesy of "Paperback Dreams" Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Paperback-Dreams/31582115661?v=wall)

Sacramento Area Peace Action shows "Paperback Dreams"

2010-12-30T01:04:51Z

On Tuesday, the Sacramento Area Peace Action showed the PBS documentary “Paperback Dreams” for its fourth Tuesday film this month. Only seven people showed up to this month’s showing, which is abnormal, according to David Kimble, who regularly attends. (good info)

SAPA’s fourth Tuesday films are at 909 12th St. in the first-floor conference room. The showings are free and open to the public. SAPA has been showing films on the fourth Tuesday of the month for free the past seven years. The next film will be “Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports” on Jan. 25.

“Paperback Dreams” tells the story of two Bay Area independent bookstores, Cody’s Books and Kepler’s Books. The film documents the struggles of the stores to survive in the face of changing reading habits, chain bookstores and the Internet.

Fred and Pat Cody opened Cody’s Books on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley in 1956. They moved the store to Telegraph Avenue in 1960 and again, down the street to it’s iconic location, in 1965. The store was sold to Andy Ross in 1977, who eventually had to close it in 2008.

Roy Kepler opened Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park in 1955. His son, Clark Kepler, took over the store in 1980. Clark moved the store to its current location in 1989.

The paperback opened the world of literature to a wider audience by lowering the price of books. Both stores opened in the midst of the paperback revolution, taking advantage of the generation’s thirst for reading and ideas.

The ’60s and ’70s brought the social movements surrounding the Vietnam War. Cody’s was at the center these events in Berkeley at its Telegraph Avenue location. At one point, the bookstore acted as a refuge for injured protesters.

According to the film, during the last three decades, growing chains like Barnes and Noble have increasingly taken sales from independent bookstores. Corporate cooperation between publishers and stores has changed the way books reach readers.

The film comments on this corporate cooperation and how it can marginalize non-mainstream authors.

Firoozeh Dumas’ “Funny in Farsi,” her autobiography about growing up in Iran, ended up next to the bathroom in a large chain, in the sociology section. In Cody’s, it was out front, and the author was even recognized when she walked in.

But the Internet has been the greatest threat to the independent bookstore, the film said. Online book retailers like Amazon.com took advantage of the Internet to cut costs and reach more customers than independent bookstores could.

Cody’s and Kepler’s have tried to weather the storm.

Kepler’s closed for a while before community support helped it to reopen. The initial boost in sales didn’t last long. Management decided to recast the store and business model in the style of large chain stores, doing almost 25 percent of its sales in gifts and book-related merchandise.

Cody’s opened a new store in downtown San Francisco in an attempt to stay above water. The iconic Telegraph Avenue store closed in 2006, followed by the San Francisco store in 2007 and, finally, the original location on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley closed in 2008.

In the bookselling business, a 3 percent profit margin is considered good, and losing 10 - 15 percent of sales is a death sentence. Combined, these make it a very tough business to stay afloat in, according to the film.

With cheaper and wider selection from online retailers and the decline of book buying in the past 10 years due in part to the Internet, it’s increasingly difficult for independent bookstores to stay in business.

Independent bookstores in the Sacramento area include: Beers Books, The Avid Reader, Time Tested Books, Book Collector, East West Books, Richard L. Press Fine Books and Barry Cassidy Rare Books.

Youtube Trailer for “Paperback Dreams”
Youtube Trailer for “Not Just a Game”

Photo one is of Pat Cody and Andy Ross; Photo two is of Clark Kepler; Photo three is of Andy Ross.

New Year's Eve In Sacramento

2010-12-28T01:02:00Z

2011 New Year’s Eve Wine Fest
Sacramento’s Masonic Temple, 1123 J St.
9 p.m. - 2 a.m.
$89 per person. No tickets will be sold at the door.
21+

Sacramento Wine and Nightlife Tours invites all wine lovers to ring in the new year with their favorite glass of red, white or bubbly. Held at the Sacramento Masonic Temple, this bash promises to be one of the biggest and most elegant new year’s celebrations in the city. Hosted in two rooms, the Wine Fest will feature a champagne toast, open bar with wine and beer, live music from performers Larry Ellis Jr. and Southwind, saxophonist Ava Lemert and DJ Rock Bottom. Appetizers will also be served, prepared by local chefs Anthony Brenes of Enotria Restaurant and Wine Bar and Nick Gardella of Mother Lode Market in Jackson.

Other party perks provided by the Sacramento Wine and Nightlife Tours include nanny services by licensed professionals ($20 for first child, $10 for each additional), valet parking ($10), end-of-night shuttle services and next-day car retrieval for those living within a 15-minute radius of the Masonic Temple ($20 round trip) and a special promotional price for ticket holders who are from out of town or looking to end with a romantic evening at the Sheraton Hotel ($99 per person).

Sacramento Press readers may use promotional code EscapeSac.com for $10 off ticket price, courtesy of Sacramento Wine and Nightlife Tours.

For more information call (916) 443-8741 or visit sacnewyear.com.

New Year’s Eve Bash with Stacie Eakes and the Superfreakes
The Torch Club, 904 15th St.
Doors open at 8 p.m., show starts at 9 p.m.
$25
21+

After relocating to the east coast a year and a half ago, longtime Torch Club performers Stacie Eakes and the Superfreakes will return to their old stomping grounds to help celebrate the new year with some of Sacramento’s best soul and blues. The party will go until 2 a.m., and includes complimentary party favors and a champagne toast at midnight.

For those who can’t make it out that late or simply want to continue into the day, The Torch Club will also host a free New Year’s Day Hangover party from 2 - 5 p.m. on Saturday. Come and enjoy $4 mimosas, a complimentary Mexican breakfast and the live music of the X-Trio.

For more information call (916) 443-2797 or visit torchclub.net.

New Year’s Eve Cruises on the Hornblower
Empress Hornblower, 1206 Front St., Old Sacramento
Dinner Gala Cruise, 7 - 10 p.m., $168.65
Midnight Cruise, 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., $114.36
All ages

Experience the new year in style aboard the Empress Hornblower yacht, a stately vessel with turn-of-the-century decor, mahogany bars and large dance floors. Partygoers will have two cruise options for the evening: a dinner cruise for the first, featuring a buffet dinner and open bar including champagne and liquor, while the second will provide hors d’ouevres, bottomless champagne, and some of the best seats in in the area to view the Old Sacramento Fireworks show at midnight.

Both cruises will also provide complimentary preboarding photo opportunities, new year’s party favors, and a live DJ for entertainment and dancing.

For more information call (916) 446-1185 or visit hornblower.com.

New Year’s Pajama Party
Sacramento Comedy Spot, 1050 20th St.
9 p.m.
$20 advanced tickets. No tickets will be sold at the door.
21+

Laugh your way into the new year at the Sacramento Comedy Spot’s New Year’s Pajama Party. With a strictly enforced dress code, pajama-clad partiers can enjoy dancing, short comedy shows, party games and, of course, the countdown. Guests will get their money’s worth as there is no end-time to the festivities, and snacks and beverages will be provided.

For more information, call (916) 444-3137 or visit saccomedyspot.com.

New Year’s Eve at Capitol City Garage
Capitol City Garage, 1500 K St.
Special New Year’s Eve Dinner: 4:30 - 9:30 p.m., $49.95 for dinner for two, RSVP only
New Year’s Eve 2011 Celebration Massive, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m., $10, 21+
New Year’s Day 2011 Brunch, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., prices vary per plate, bottomless mimosas for $6.95

Whether it’s a romantic dinner, a crazy countdown or a rejuvenating brunch, there’s something for everyone at Capitol Garage this new year. Those interested in a relaxing meal are encouraged to reserve a table and enjoy the special dinner for two, which includes two salads, two entrées, dessert and a bottle of the couple’s choice of house wine or champagne.

After the kitchen closes, all guests 21 and over are welcome to ring in the new year at the garage for the New Year’s Eve Celebration Massive, where there will be a full bar, free champagne, live countdown and plenty of live west-coast music including reggae, funk and hip hop. One warning for this great party: Go early. It tends to get packed, and the first 50 guests will receive free promotional gifts and favors. Presale tickets available at United State clothing boutique or online here.

Follow up the crazy night with Capitol Garage’s award-winning food and bottomless mimosas on Saturday.

For more information call (916) 444-3633 or visit capitolgarage.com, or click here.

2011 New Year’s Eve in Old Sacramento
Old Sacramento
6 p.m. - 1 a.m.
Free
All ages

Old Sacramento’s New Year’s festivities will be fun for the whole family. Starting at 6 p.m. there will be lots of live music and two fireworks shows.

There will be performances by the Natomas Night Hawks Drum Corps, Radio Disney Rockin’ Road Crew, Diplomatz Showcase, a youth hip-hop group, Arrival, an award-winning Journey tribute band, Purple Haze, a Jimi Hendrix tribute band, Hip Trash and Friends, a Jazz and Blues band and Obsidian Firefly, a group of fire dancers.

For more information call (916) 808-7777 or visit discovergold.org/nye.

2011 Jerry Perry's New Year's Eve Party at Luigi’s Fun Garden
Luigi’s Fun Garden, 1050 20th St. (20th and J streets)
8 p.m. - 1 a.m.
$5
All ages

Luigi’s Fun Garden only hosts original music. Lite Brite, Pets, Favors, and SIMPL3 JACK will be performing.

For more information visit Luigi’s MySpace Page.

2011 New Year’s Eve at Hilton Hotel, Arden West
Hilton Sacramento Arden West, 2200 Harvard St.
8:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.
$65
21+

Singles of Sacramento, this is possibly the biggest new year’s party in town. Sold out for the past 12 years, the party will be in three ballrooms, featuring Mercy Me, the Groove Thang Band and DJ Ron Davis. The ticket includes two drinks, party favors and free parking. Mix96 will be giving away prizes, including a $1,000 grand prize. There will also be casino gaming for more chances to win. At midnight there will be a big balloon drop.

For tickets and more information visit clubzone.com.

2011 New Year’s at Beatnik Studios
Beatnik Studios, 2421 17th St.
Free art show 6 - 9 p.m.
$15, 9 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.

The evening starts with the opening of Beatnik’s new art show, “Shades and Scripts.” Then at 9 p.m. the new year’s party starts. The theme is ’20s speakeasy. There will be a photo booth with appropriate ’20s props. The bar is provided by Concerts for Charity. There will be champagne at midnight.

Jamar Wallace, Alyssa Cox, and the Happy Medium will perform from 6 - 9 p.m., followed by Goodness Gracious Me, Prieta, The Kelps, and Musical Charis from 9 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.

For more information, visit sacramento365.com.

Sasha Krongos contributed to this article. Photos by Kati Garner.

Sacramento's Charitable Side

2010-12-24T01:55:35Z

It’s that charitable time of year again. During the holidays, many feel compelled to share with those around them. In the spirit of the holiday, The Sacramento Press set out to find people who do give back and where they do it.

A few givers wished to remain anonymous. One man shared that his family adopts a couple of families for the holidays, buying gifts for them instead of each other. A woman said she donates to the local county animal shelter and the Best Friend Animal Society, a no-kill animal shelter. Another man said his family donates to an organization that provides animals to families in Africa. A couple said they donate to Sacramento Loaves & Fishes and the Salvation Army in downtown Sacramento.

Jeffery Cross works for the Board of Equalization as a space planner. He is pursuing a doctorate in health-care administration online at the University of Phoenix. He gives monthly to the Sacramento Food Bank.

Gail Betty works at the American Red Cross as a part-time instructor. She said she was being charitable toward herself this year. She said, “I’m working on forgiveness and letting go of expectations.”

Megan Emmerling works for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. She helped clean a property at 11th and J streets this year for the DSP’s volunteer day.

Henry Harry, who ran for City Council, supports local Oak Park correctional officers. “I was there and knew some people, so I donated about 50 bucks. It’s because I knew they had made a big effort.” He also gave to the Black Parallel School Board.

Eric Love lives in Land Park and works as a structural engineer. “We mainly give through our church, Fremont Presbyterian,” he said. The church sponsors a team that goes to Ethiopia every year, and it also has missions to Jamaica and Haiti.

Roderick Campbell is a political consultant. He donates to the New Millennium Foster Family Agency in South Sacramento, the Sacramento Food Bank and local churches in the Oak Park Area.

James Hinsman is from Citrus Heights and has been in the Army for two years. He donates to the Wounded Warriors Project.

City Council accepts Paralympic grant

2010-12-17T01:29:36Z

The City Council accepted a one-year, $150,000 grant on Tuesday from The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs through a selection process done by the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).

The USOC selected Sacramento as one of five regions to receive the grant to promote sports and recreation for veterans with disabilities. The four other regions to receive the grant were Boston, Georgia, Texas and Chicago.

A City Council report said that “it is likely that the USOC will select the City of Sacramento as the recipient of these funds annually for a total of four years.”

In a Department of Veterans Affairs press release, Charlie Huebner, chief of Paralympics at the USOC, said, “Research shows that sports and physical activity provide incredible healing power and contribute significantly to successful rehabilitation and re-engagement in life for people and soldiers who become physically disabled.”

The grant will be used by Access Leisure, a division of the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation to hire a full-time program coordinator and two part-time recreation leaders to coordinate, expand and enhance veterans with disabilities participation in Paralympic sports in northern California.

The new staff will work with Access Leisure’s Paralympic Sport Sacramento Club, an official Paralympic Sport Club of the USOC Paralympic Divison since 2008.

Annie Desalernos, director for regional programs for Paralympic sports, said, “Locally what we’re trying to do is to get people with disabilities and visual impairments involved in active sports. It’s our responsibility as community members to provide them with the sports and recreation that is a part of every individual’s lifestyle.”

The Paralympic Sport Club’s goal is to be a place for people with physical and visual difficulties to engage in sports, not to produce Olympic-level athletes, Desalernos said.

The Club is actively seeking injured, ill or wounded veterans to come and participate in the program. The sports are sled hockey, track and field, hand cycling, goal ball, quad rugby, swimming, wheelchair basketball and wheel chair tennis.

“We are actively seeking veterans with visual impairment or are that are blind to participate in our tandem cycling program” Desalernos, said.

Those interested in participating in the club can contact Annie Desalernos at adesaler@cityofsacramento.org or (916) 808-3809. For more information, go to http://www.accessleisuresac.org/.

“The Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2008 authorizes VA to award $8 million in annual grant support to the U.S. Paralympics to plan, develop, manage, and implement an integrated adaptive sports program for disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Force,” according to a Department of Veterans Affairs press release.

Capitol Events this week

2010-12-15T07:52:58Z

12/15/10

On Wednesday 15 Dec. Food for Thought will have food and drinks between 5p to 8p at the California State Library’s 1st floor Rotunda.

12/16/10

On Thursday from 2p to 4p the Calif. Department of Food and Agriculture is having a public press conference on the west steps.

New organization to take over the fight against homelessness

2010-12-15T01:47:14Z

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Sacramento City Council are moving forward with their plan to implement a new two-tier organization to continue the fight against homelessness.

Current funding at The Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance will run out June 30, 2011. The new organization will be a two-tiered public-private collaboration to fight homelessness in the city and county.

Mayor Kevin Johnson introduced his homeless liaison, Ann Moore, at his weekly press conference Tuesday. Moore is the former executive director of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency.

“Our intent is to set up a new joint nonprofit/JPA (Joint Powers Agency) with a goal of having it fully operational by the end of this fiscal year,” said Moore. “The actions today at the (County) Board of Supervisors and the (City) Council will actually start the process going.”

The new organization is scheduled to take over The Homeless Continuum of Care by July 1, 2011. The CoC oversees many county programs in the fight against homelessness.

The nonprofit half of the structure would take the reins of the CoC from the DHA. The JPA portion would set policies, procedures, provide a forum for multi-jurisdictional meetings and coordinate public-private sector collaboration.

A Dec. 14 City Council staff report said that the benefit of this public-private partnership is the ability to tap multiple sources of funding. The JPA would have access to federal and state funds.

The nonprofit would manage grants and private sources of funds. The partnership also helps smooth over transitional challenges stemming from funding sources requiring government administration as part of the deal.

This dynamic combination is being modeled after the success of Safe Passages in Oakland and the Community Shelter Board in Columbus, Ohio.

The CoC is a broad government and community response to homelessness in the county that oversees 79 different programs dealing with homelessness prevention, emergency shelter and transitional and permanent housing. CoC manages more than 70 contracts with organizations that provide services to the homeless. It receives $29 million to run its programs from federal and other sources.

The DHA is under a March 15, 2011 deadline to present a working plan to transition CoC to its new administrators.

ZuhG Life

2010-12-11T02:59:52Z

Local musician Bryan Nichols, of the reggae band ZuhG, opened an independent music store in the Westfield Downtown Plaza on Nov. 13. The store only stocks local musicians’ albums, the work of other local artists and apparel.

Apparel includes styles by 215Grass, Calibis Clothes, Hippy Tree, Dome Apparel and independent craftspeople on consignment.

In The back of the store, which is named ZuhG Life after the band, serves as a space for music lessons.

“It just kind of happened” Nichols said. He had been booking live music for the mall when management offered him a space to open a music store.

“We’re Sacramento’s local music shop” said Aaron Hoberman, a roadie who also operates the store when Nichols can’t. “The store exists to get the Sac music scene where it should be.”

The enthusiastic and ever-friendly Hoberman is constantly looking for new artists and bands to fill the space with.

Jessie Brune, of the band Musical Charis, teaches guitar, piano and vocals as well as how to write songs and record them. She said the store is a “good location to teach.” She’s been a music teacher for two years working out of Beatnik Studios on 17th and Broadway.

Alexis Heints, age 9, takes guitar lessons from Brune. Her mother, Ole Heints said it’s a “friendly and nice environment,” for her daughter to learn.

Jesi Naomi is a local artist and musician who works at the BodyShop next to the FootLocker just a couple dozen feet from ZuhG. She displays her paintings in the store and has already sold one.

“I’d been looking for a place to show my art, and then ZuhG opened up right next door,” she said “It’s great. It’s what Sac needed, something local to get people together, to network and meet other artists and collaborate.”

Local truck driving instructor John Morris was browsing the store Thursday afternoon and said it reminded him of Berkeley. Morris said he was a roadie for Anthrax and Nightranger when they toured with Ozzy Osbourne in the ‘80s.

Debbie White from Debbie Does Dyes, who consigns her tie-dye shirts at ZuhG, said she likes the store and that everyone should come check it out.

Some of the local artists represented are Monophonics, Todd Morgan and the Emblems, Journal, ArdenPark, Random Abiladeze, Musical Charis, Secretions, Juana Blaze and ZuhG.

Nichols books the small venue in front of the store from 4 - 8 p.m. Fridays and 1 - 5 p.m. Saturdays. It’s a small covered open-air stage. The first gig a band plays is unpaid, with following shows being paid.

Local bands are encouraged to bring their CDs to the store to sell. ZuhG can be contacted at (916) 822-5185.

ZuhG Life is located next to the food court on the second level near Fifth and J streets. The mall is open from 10:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sundays.

ZuhG is Bryan Nichols on vocals and guitar, Matt Klee on drums, Jacob Gleason on saxophone, JR Halliday on lead guitar, Tommy G on percussion, Bianca Wright on vocals, Charlie Wheeler beatboxing and Jacob Jarzemkoski on bass. The band recently won a Sammie in the reggae/roots/jam category. JR helps manage the House of Hits, a local practice space.

Photos by Zephyr McIntyre

Zephyr McIntyre on "Happy hour with a heart "

2010-12-03T18:49:30Z

"In 2009 to harvest oranges in the McKinley Park area engaged over thirty volunteers and donated about 3000 pounds of fresh citrus to the Sacramento Food Bank." Wow that's a lot of fruit!!

Zephyr McIntyre on "Local Charities Wish for “Regifting” this Christmas"

2010-12-03T18:44:54Z

Thanks for the info Michtell! I would have spelled out what CASA is in the first paragraph. What are some of the other causes you really care about that your organization is helping with?

Zephyr McIntyre on "Travelers' thoughts about firearms on Amtrak"

2010-12-03T18:36:39Z

Bill, I really hope that Amtrak doesn't get locked down like flying has. Since the TSA took over security at the airports I've been avoiding flying. The level of paranoia is just insane for plane travel these days. I could definitely see the people behind TSA-craziness coming to Amtrak and fueling a fear campaign to get stricter security. Is a dose of radiation or an 'enhanced' pat-down in our future for train travel?