There is nowhere else in the world I want to live but Sacramento, Calif. Bold statement? Not for me. Let me explain why. Two recent life events have reopened my eyes as to why this place is unique. I’ll get to those in a minute, but first it’s important I define Sacramento. When I say Sacramento, I think of one place: the grid. That’s the area from Old Sacramento on the west to Interstate 80 Business on the east, and from the American River to the north to the WX Freeway on the south. It’s a roughly 900-square block area that contains world-class food, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, art, recreation and businesses. It also has acres of parks, a beach (no, I’m not telling you where),

Friday, May 3, 2013 MIDTOWN: Suspicious Circumstances, 24th Street/P Street, 10:06 a.m. The victim reported that a suspicious parcel was delivered to her door. It was determined that the package was in fact sent from a known friend of the victim; however, the item appeared suspicious to her. Officers arrived and determined that there was nothing dangerous regarding the package and the currier was notified for further follow up. DOWNTOWN: Resisting, 7th Street/F Street, 12:46 a.m. Parker Caldwell, 24, was taken into custody for resisting arrest after officers contacted him in the area. Witnesses reported seeing Caldwell knocking on doors in the area and he became aggressive upon officers

  The candles are no longer lit, but here you will find mementos of his life, pictures with his friends, a poster demanding justice and a rock painted green that reads, “Rest in peace my son 3-17-13.” This is the where he was fatally beaten, only a few steps from his home. This is the lamppost memorial at 18th and P streets. On March 17, early on St. Patrick’s Day, Josiah Humphreys, 28, had a physical altercation with three men near his apartment in midtown Sacramento while on his way home from a local bar and restaurant. Seriously injured, his neighbors administered first aid to him, but he later succumbed to his injuries at an area hospital, according to the Sacramento Police Departmen

In the Downtown Plaza mall, between the cell phone shops and the two big spaces occupied by Macy's, there's a store for emerging Sacramento artists to sell their wares and get exposure to new audiences. The Flywheel Incubator program, which is run by the Arts & Business Council, is holding a grand opening for its storefront location at the plaza on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. The store is on the first floor, near Lens Crafters. Expect food, drinks, live music, good conversation and lots of local art, clothing, jewelry and other unique creations (even bowties and comics are in the inventory, according to Sacramento365). The suggested donation is $10, which goes to the Arts & Business Counc

On Saturday, April 13, 2013, the Sacramento French Film Festival will bring Gainsbourg-mania to Sacramento for the fourth year in a row, with Serge! a party paying homage to one of France’s most provocative artists, Serge Gainsbourg. Featuring films, music, art and French cocktails, Serge! is one of the most fun and unique parties Sacramento has to offer! Serge Gainsbourg, a major figure in the 1960's, ‘70's, and ‘80's pop-culture, took the world by storm through a fog of Gitanes and alcohol, reinventing himself from Gainsbourg to “Gainsbarre”! Singer-songwriter, director, actor, photographer, provocateur, and iconoclast, Gainsbourg was the lover of sex-symbol Brigitte Bardot and fathered

Food Trucks 4 Fido is making its way around the Sacramento region with the goal of increasing dog adoptions from area animal shelters. Last Thursday the event was at the California Auto Museum in support of the Front street animal shelter. Sponsors, the California Auto Museum, Purina, and SactoMoFo, brought together adoptive dogs and prospective pet owners. The Front street animal shelter, gourmet food trucks, live Music by the Bathtub Gins, prospective pet owners, and dog lovers  enjoyed a convivial time eating, petting and generally having fun. The shelter's goal was to find owners for 30 dogs.  As a dog owner and lover, I was able to catch the event in these photos.   Food trucks for

Yesterday, Sacramento Press contributor Tony Sheppard challenged fellow readers and contributors to share what they would do with a theoretical $250 million, in a way that might bring a greater return than a basketball arena. I started writing a comment but, as often happens, it ended up being an article in itself. So here it is. Step 1: Build the Downtown/Riverfront Streetcar: $130 Million. Streetcars are often called "development-oriented transit" because they promote growth of transit-oriented neighborhoods along their right-of-way. Portland is the canonical example of a new city streetcar line spurring growth in the "Pearl" District, a mostly vacant industrial district until installa

Let's come at this from another perspective. And just in case I sound like I'm anti-arena, I'm not – I'm just inclined to be wary of public spending on developments of this nature as they rarely pan out. Money often gets made, but it's not by the city or municipality involved. Deals are made that involve fabulously wealthy people who generally get wealthier (the Maloofs being bad examples) with public assistance. And if the overall business proposition involved was so appealing, there would be private investors lined up around City Hall, bidding on the opportunity to build an arena and operate it. The only time recently we've had that kind of rush to bid on something was when the city prop

In order to build a downtown arena, Sacramentans will have to give up that which they hold dearest: free parking. The funding plan requires expansion of on-street metering downtown, and will increase parking rates at city lots. The arena’s presence dramatically changes the economics of private parking lots, in ways that threaten the main funding source for the arena. By releasing the term sheet at the absolute last minute, on a Saturday night, followed by a Monday city holiday and a crashed City of Sacramento website, the opportunity for public review is so limited that it is effectively nonexistent. Three days is simply not enough time for a detailed look at the term sheet, but it was su

The City of Sacramento  held open house on the plans to build a downtown arena Thursday at 5:30 pm to 7:30pm in the New City Hall Foyer. Here's how the meeting went down on Twitter: Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

A high speed chase involving Sacramento Sheriffs Deputies and a man wanted for robbery ended when the suspect spun out of control and crashed on J Street in downtown Sacramento Thursday afternoon The chase began when deputies with the Sacramento Sheriff's Office attempted to pull over Andre Rushing, 23, on Mills Tower Drive in Rancho Cordova, according to Sergeant Jason Ramos, the spokesman for the Sacramento Sheriff's Department. The (appropriately named) Rushing sped off, and took officers on a chase that went through the South Sacramento area to Interstate 5, Ramos said. Rushing, who had a 38-year-old female passenger in the car, reached speeds of 90 miles per hour and higher, and co

On Monday, March 18, Turn Downtown Around presents a Public Forum, a discussion of how downtown Sacramento reached its current state, what its situation is today, and what can be done by regular citizens to create positive change in our urban core. I was asked to talk about how we got here. If we want to turn downtown around, this implies that, at some point, downtown Sacramento was going in the right direction. How did that Sacramento differ from the one we know today, and how can we recapture some of that spirit? What lessons can we learn from the past--both the mistakes to avoid, and the useful elements that we can use today? [Note: Read the live blog of the forum as it happened here.]

Who said fundraising can’t be fun? After all, "fun? is part of the word. But to be fair, fund is too. So why not take a cue from Golden Bear and Low Brau’s St. Baldrick’s fundraising team and their effort and simply do both? All leading up to Monday’s big shave day, team “Balds Deep” has been setting up its own mini-benefits around Midtown. With the goal to raise money benefiting cancer research, team captain Kellen Mcconnell said “Balds Deep” held an event Friday, March 8, at The Golden Bear to raise money, and confirmed new Midtown favorite, LowBrau, has been donating $1 for every beer sold to his team’s efforts. A little healthy competition never hurt anyone, especially if the result

Hollywood band Black Veil Brides performed at Ace of Spades on Wednesday night in support of their new album "Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones." The air was thick with anticipation as support bands Overwatch and William Control played their sets. When Black Veil Brides finally took the stage, the packed venue erupted with the defeaning squeals of teenage girls and made me very thankful I had brought hearing protection. I can say with complete confidence that it was an entertaining show. Want to see what shows are coming up at Ace of Spades? Click here.  

Don't let the party stop after you've had your fill of beer and fashion this week, Sacramento! How do tattoos, black face paint, and tight, black leather sound? Good? Then check out Hollywood rock band Black Veil Brides at Ace of Spades next Wednesday, March 6. While seemingly more known to some for their visual aesthetics than their music, these wild-haired bad boys in eye shadow are continually refining their musical style and have seen it evolve from screaming heavy metal to a more anthemic rock sound. They're making a play for the big time with their third album, "Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones," an ambitious rock opera à la My Chemical Romance's "The Black Parade.

While Mayor Kevin Johnson, the City Council and a good chunk of the media are focused on the fate of the Sacramento Kings, a group of renegade entrepreneurs in downtown has decided that, arena or no arena, basketball team or not, they are going to start pushing to improve the neighborhood where they work and live. You may already have heard of Turn Downtown Around, a community group made up of business owners and downtown residents, mostly in their 20s and 30s. The group is still informal at this point but it has a vibrant Facebook page and big ambitions. I recently had the chance to meet with about a dozen people who say they're committed to the group and its mission. We’ll be featuring

It was Coco Chanel who once said fashion does not exist in dresses only. “Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, and what is happening now.” Fashionistas young and old were in full force in the streets of downtown on Sunday evening, making their way to Mix Downtown, where love and support for local designers, retail shops, and all things chic was in the air and palpable. Sacramento Fashion Week — a week-long series of workshops, forums, parties, and runway shows that foster local talent — got underway the only way those in attendance knew best, in style. "I like to see the up and coming designers,” said Ashleigh Banks, a Fashion Week veteran

Mayor Kevin Johnson held his weekly press conference Tuesday at 11 a.m. Read our coverage as it happened below. 

If you didn't make it out to Ace of Spades last night to catch the Hot Water Music tour, you missed some great performances. Critically acclaimed group The Menzingers kicked off the night right with a set of rough, blue-collar punk. Vocalist Greg Barnett mentioned that it was the band's first time in Sacramento. Mission accomplished on making a good first impression. After finishing a set that included fierce songs like "Nice Things" and "Irish Goodbyes," the crowd hoped to hear more, chanting "One more song!" which doesn't happen very often with supporting bands that no one cares about. All signs (my past experience) pointed to second support act La Dispute putting on a passionate, en

A man was robbed at gunpoint early Tuesday morning, only to have his property later returned when police found it at the scene of the crime. On the 900 block of 15th Street, at 1:45 a.m., the victim was approached by two suspects in a vehicle when the passenger produced a gun, according to the Sacramento Police Department. The victim complied with the suspect's demand for his property, and placed the items on the ground before fleeing on foot. The victim then called the police; officers checked the area and found the victim's property, as the suspects apparently left it behind at the scene. No specific description of the vehicle or the suspects was available.