A community activist who was at the center of a campaign to maintain Sacramento’s historic Memorial Auditorium has died. Richard LaVoie of Sacramento died April 2 from heart failure. He was 48. LaVoie was the organizer of a campaign in the early 1990s to renovate Memorial Auditorium while staying true to its original design, said Bob Rakela, a member of the nonprofit group Friends of Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. Today, the interior of the building looks impressive, Rakela said. And that’s largely because of LaVoie’s efforts and his fight to “keep it in its original configuration,” he added. LaVoie pushed for passage of Measure H, the 1992 ballot initiative that successfully prevente

More than 125 people gathered Saturday to honor community activist Mary Brill. Brill died Oct. 24 from breast cancer. She was 59. Friends, family, politicians and others active in the community met at Florence T. Clunie Memorial Auditorium to pay tribute to Brill, who co-founded and led the Sacramento County Alliance of Neighborhoods. She led work on issues that included affordable housing, living conditions, transportation and smart growth. State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento and former Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo were two of the speakers at the memorial. “She was the bravest person I ever met in my life. She was the strongest person I ever met in my life