Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "economy"

Occupy Sacramento continues after 20 protesters arrested

2011-10-07T23:50:31Z

Authorities said 20 protesters were arrested at about 12:45 a.m. Friday when they refused to leave Cesar Chavez Plaza, the site of the Occupy Sacramento demonstration.

Both police and protesters described the arrests as peaceful.

“They went without any problems or issues,” said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. “They were booked for failure to disperse after a lawful order.”

Anthony Bondi, a spokesman for Occupy Sacramento, agreed.

“It was completely violence-free,” he said Friday afternoon. “The protesters laid down and chose to be arrested.”

Despite what some protesters said they think was an overbearing police presence, Pettit said units involved were either on patrol already or “flexed” their hours to take part in the arrests.

“We had two SWAT teams, the entertainment team and three graveyard teams,” he said, noting that about 40 officers were involved.

The entertainment team is a unit that normally deals with drunken driving and enforcement of laws associated with entertainment venues such as nightclubs, he added.

The protesters who were arrested were booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, and Bondi said supporters marched to the jail Friday morning.

“Everyone is out now,” he said. “A couple have come back (to Cesar Chavez Plaza).”

Officers making arrests donned riot helmets, which Bondi said seemed excessive.

“I do believe that the police were a little bit overkill with the riot gear,” he said. “I mean, you can’t get less violent and more peaceful than (the demonstrators) were.”

Pettit acknowledged the nonviolent nature of those arrested but said wearing the gear is a standard procedure to ensure the officers are protected in case the situation turns violent.

“It was a precautionary measure,” he said. “They were nonviolent, but it’s to protect our officers in case someone else comes in and gets aggressive.”

He added that officers carry their riot gear in their vehicles at all times, so no specialized units needed to be called in.

The occupation has been in place since Thursday morning, when Sacramentans took part in the nationwide trend.

One of the common questions raised by those observing the occupation has been what the activists’ objective is – and that’s a question the activists themselves are pondering.

“The general consensus here – and I know it’s incredibly broad and vague – is change,” Bondi said. “Even in the Wall Street protests, over a week or two, there was no definitive list of demands.”

Bondi described Occupy Sacramento as a democracy where no one person is a leader, and objectives are being worked out.

“We’re trying to get more organized at this point,” he said. “I just hope people stick with us.”

Pettit said police will continue to enforce the city’s listed park hours and “no camping” ordinance.

“We are anticipating to stay there and do the same thing again,” he said. “We’ll see if the same people want to be arrested. It’s up to them. Our primary concern is keeping the peace.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Man on the street: What businesses should come to Sacramento?

2011-09-29T02:52:37Z

Businesses are a vital element of any city’s economy; they create jobs, enhance commerce and give people places to spend their hard-earned money. Sacramento still has plenty of room for new shops and industries, and the Sacramento Press asked locals what type of business they would like to see open here.

“We’re missing a lot,” said waitress Giuliana Gabrielli, who said that she believes the most important thing to bring to Sacramento is a better transit system.

“Every major city that’s cool has really good public transportation," she said. She added that if we revamped our transit system, “it would definitely make travelling within the city easier.”

Jacqui Hayes, a 26-year-old student at Sacramento City College, said that she would like to see more book stores in Sacramento.

“Especially since Borders has closed, we need more places to get books,” she said. “They provide people with literature, poetry, information, maps and tons of other things.”

She said that she also believes access to books increases a city’s culture.

“I’d like to see big companies like Google or Microsoft here in Sacramento,” said Harold Boyd, a 72-year-old lobbyist. He said that he would like to see Sacramento become a home base for larger industries, which would “create jobs and enhance life in Sacramento.”

Rayco Butler, a 37-year-old Christian rapper, said that he also wants to see Sacramento become more business-minded.

“I would like to see more modern shops like in San Francisco,” he said. Butler said that he believes that many Sacramento businesses “don’t represent what (people) like.”

“I don’t want to promote another Starbucks,” he added. “I want businesses that make me feel like I’m a part of the city and new stores that will modernize our way of shopping.”

Kelley Falk, a 40-year-old programmer, said that she wants to see an online listing for odd jobs where people can seek help with everything from moving to yard work.

“They have it in the Bay (area) and in New York … and we totally need something like (it).”

What kind of business would you like to see come to Sacramento? Leave your comments below.

New Political Party Hosts Happy Hour Discussion Thursday

2011-09-27T19:24:59Z

Did you know that 57 percent of California voters want a third party alternative? While the idea may seem pie-in-the-sky, it's not. Just like the dot-com and housing bubbles that suddenly popped without warning, it can be difficult to grasp where we are at our current point in history.

I'm here to tell you that there's a revolution coming, but it's not going to be of the Arab Spring sort. Instead, it's going to come from people like you who decide that even though they have a viewpoint, collaboration is better than competition. Our political system - whether in Congress or the State Capitol - has simply lost the capacity to solve problems. And it's no coincidence that it seems like things are getting worse.

Even if you agree with one party or the other, you also probably recognize that neither side has all of the answers. There are 3.5 million voters in California who have declined to affiliate with any political party at all. That's more than one in every five voters. But who represents them? Who stands for tough choices and political courage even when that threatens the chances of a politician's reelection?

Voters aren't stupid. They know that we've put off the tough choices for long enough. And they're yearning for political leaders to simply tell them the truth so that they know what to expect.

If you think our current system is going to fix itself, I can tell you it's not. There are political startups launching everyday to tackle our most pressing problems and while you may not be aware of them yet, they're led by folks who are willing to take a risk because they know that nothing less than our future is at stake.

I recently launched the California Moderate Party out of my Midtown apartment. If you want to learn more about this project and other similar efforts, we're hosting a Happy Hour this Thursday at 5:30pm that will begin with drinks and socializing, followed by a brief presentation and open discussion. Although I sometimes feel like I'm promoting Scientology, I can assure you that this is about as authentic as it gets.

Lastly, I should note that this is less about getting folks involved than it is about soliciting honest feedback. This is an open invitation and I hope to see you there.

Join the Meetup group and RSVP at Meetup.com/Sac-Moderates.

Learn more about the California Moderate Party at CAMod.org.

Regional collaborative to grow economy to be announced at Friday forum

2011-08-25T16:55:38Z

What will be the driving forces of the region’s next economy?

That question will be explored during the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s annual State of the Region Forum, set for Friday, Aug. 26. In addition, a new regional collaboration in a shared economic prosperity plan will be announced.

Speakers will take a look at opportunity industries and examine strategies to rebuild the region’s economy—those likely sectors that will help lead our businesses and be job growth areas over the next decade. The event is presented by UC Davis and UC Davis Health System.

“Our experts will look at how an economic recovery plan can be crafted that makes the most of current and emerging industry sectors that will lead the region’s economy,” said Martha Clark Lofgren, interim president & CEO of the Metro Chamber.

The keynote speaker, Lenny Mendonca, is a nationwide expert on economic cluster analysis. He is senior partner and director of the McKinsey & Co. San Francisco office. Mendonca has helped dozens of corporate, government and nonprofit clients solve their most difficult problems. He is an expert on globalization, corporate social responsibility, economic development, energy policy, health care and financial services, among others.

An industry panel will look at identified key industry sectors that can lead the way in the economic recovery. Panel members describing these sectors will be Trish Rodriguez of Kaiser Permanente on health care; President Alex Gonzalez of Sacramento State on higher education; Ashil Abhat of Bank of America on financial services; and Meg Arnold, SARTA of on clean tech and biosciences.

Guiding the panel discussion is formidable researcher Dean Steve Currall of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management. Currall is an oft-quoted source in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and The Economist on such topics as innovation and emerging technologies.

Providing a demographic profile of the region and reporting on economic and job trends over the last five years will be SACTO’s Executive Director Barbara Hayes. Rounding out the speakers are Metro Chamber board chair Gregory Eldridge of CH2MHILL and Five Star Bank CEO and Valley Vision Board Chair James Beckwith, with a look at the region’s economic planning efforts.

The event will be held 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency, 1209 L St., Sacramento. For event information, contact Chantal LeFevre at clefevre@metrochamber.org or 916-319-4260.

Disclosure: Hal Silliman is communications director for the Sacramento Metro Chamber

Man on the Street: Recession or Depression?

2011-08-17T02:47:47Z

We’ve all felt the pangs of Sacramento’s economic downturn, from some people losing jobs to others finding it more difficult every day to get one, and the more unfortunate circumstance of many even losing their businesses or homes. But how much longer is it expected to last, and is this the worst of it?

The Sacramento Press asked people in Capitol Park their thoughts on whether Sacramento is in a recession or a depression.

Capitol area resident, 55-year-old Diana Williams, program technician for the Department of Health, said she sees both:

“The reason for it is that I’ve been on the service (for the State) a little while, and I’ve experienced difficulties in politics where it’s influenced, as a state worker, our income, our self-worth. Not only just a state worker just being as a neighbor, listening to other people, the negativity that’s going on in California, people not handling the books right and what have you,” Williams said.

“I think we’re in a recession because you can see it around you. Starting with income – we don’t have the money to take care of business anymore – people are losing homes ... It started with businesses – when they started closing. When we (saw) that, then it started affecting our homes. It’s a recession, and we’re depressed because we can’t enjoy what we worked for.”

Lindsay Landis, a 30-year-old dental hygienist who lives in El Dorado Hills, attributed the problem to the city’s job market.

“So I’m not an economist, but I’d say Sacramento is definitely recessed and close to depressed,” she said. “

I think jobs are tough. The job market’s tough. I think people are definitely feeling stretched, and it’s a tough economy.”

Stockton resident Mike Ellis, a 28-year-old state worker in the Secretary of State’s office, had a similar view:

“I would say recession. (Employment) rates are low. I wouldn’t say depression, I mean, people are still getting jobs, but it’s just not as frequent as people would like – how they used to be.”

“With all the restaurants here closing daily, I think we’re definitely in a recession,” said 58-year-old Robert Gonzalez of Loomis.

“You see a lot of businesses that are just going under, and you see the people staying inside bringing their lunches to work, and these restaurants are just going by the wayside,” he said.

Gonzalez, a contractor for the Employment Development Department, said that local businesses are one of the many who are affected by the economic downturn the most.

“And that’s just a small microcosm of what’s happening around here, but I think it’s a good indicator, so, that’s my answer to that,” he added.

Bianca Aguilar, a 22-year-old student from Midtown, said she would call it a recession “because I feel like some businesses are thriving while others have gone down or even have gone out of business because of the economic state we’re in.”

Natomas resident Monique Tovar, 24, an accountant for Dome Printing, also went with recession:

“I feel as though we’re likely more to recover from this as long as we’re able to get people to stop buying things they can’t afford and if the state can come up with a budget, so I believe we’re in a recession.”

Laolee Xiong, 29-year-old pocket area resident and training coordinator for the California Department of Finance, said, “It depends on how you define it. I think that it’s in a depression. It’s not really going backwards, I think it’s just kind of stagnated from what it used to be. But it’s not really going backwards in my personal opinion.”

What do you think, is Sacramento in a recession or a depression? Tell us in the comment section below.

Downtown brewpub closes for final time

2011-08-02T00:33:44Z

Brew it Up! closed for the final time Sunday, and owner Mike Costello said it underscores a concept that is too often overlooked: If you like a business, patronize it.

Sales at the brewpub took a substantial hit in late 2008, Costello said, and the restaurant – that also offered individual brewing – never recovered.

“If we stayed flat at our 2008 sales, we’d be surviving,” he said. “If you find a business you like, you’ve got to support it.”

The business announced Friday on its website that it would be closing, attributing the shutdown to the economy.

“I’m not blaming anybody,” Costello said Saturday afternoon at one of the tables near the bar as customers came in to grab their last brews and meal at the restaurant. It operated in Davis for seven years before moving to 14th and H streets in Sacramento eight years ago.

“We made good decisions, and we made some bad decisions,” he said. “Couple that with some very substantial hits in sales that came right around the time of state worker furloughs. It was impossible to catch up.”

Costello said he saw the need to close coming, and added, “The decision to close was made for me earlier this week,” declining to go into detail.

For the 55-60 employees who worked for the company, the news came as a surprise.

“It’s not something I expected,” said Head Brewer Raul Munoz, 34. “Most employees don’t pay attention to the behind-the-scenes stuff. We just look out here (in the restaurant), and we’re busy.”

Munoz said the workers will now probably just go their separate ways.

“It’s a state of surrealness,” he said. “I’ve got a cloudy head. It was a really great job, and I was well-compensated. I don’t know if I’ll find anything better.”

Munoz, who worked at Brew it Up! for six years, said the customer reaction was mixed, with longtime customers coming in for the last time seeming depressed, while others – who bought a recent Groupon for brewing their own beer – were upset to find out the the business would not honor the coupon.

“We’re catching a lot of flak,” Costello said. “They’re upset, and rightly so.”

He added that the only reason he kept the restaurant open through the weekend was in an effort to make payroll.

“That was my pledge to the crew,” he said. “Every single employee showed up. Not a single one bailed out.”

He added that several of his serving staff – which receives tips – approached him and asked that the kitchen staff – which does not receive tips – be given first priority when it came to paying wages.

Kristen Weingart, a 23-year-old bartender, said the final three days the business was open allowed her to say goodbye to her coworkers as well as the regular customers she has gotten to know over the past three and a half years.

“So much of this job is a part of me,” she said. “Mike was a great boss. He was really kind, and he may have lost his business, but he gained a family. I’m going to miss that.”

Weingart said she knew the business wasn’t doing very well, but she was still surprised when the announcement came Friday morning.

Customers leaving Brew it Up! Saturday said they were sad to see the business go.

“I used to come down here a lot,” said Sheri Adam, 48. “I started working farther away and didn’t make it in as much. I’m really going to miss their sandwiches and beer, and the people are really nice.”

Ron Liles, a 65-year-old Woodland resident, said he came down one last time to meet his son for lunch.

“This is just this silly economy we’re in,” he said. “Storefronts everywhere are closed up.”

He said he will miss the atmosphere and the people the most, and he enjoyed brewing his own beer with his son in the past.

Costello said he doesn’t have any immediate plans to open another business at the moment, but it’s not something he is ruling out.

If he does go into business again, he said he will work in a partnership with others.

“There are a lot of things about the concept that work,” he said. “There are some things I would change, and I’m just sad to see it didn’t work out.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Sacramento redevelopment future in jeopardy

2011-07-09T01:21:03Z

The future of development and affordable housing projects in Sacramento is starting to look pretty grim. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the state budget into law June 29, putting two new bills into effect that significantly impact redevelopment agencies: ABx26 and ABx27.

“There is no good news in any of this,” said La Shelle Dozier, executive director for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). “It’s very detrimental, given the fact that we have an economy that’s struggling.”

The two bills go hand-in-hand. ABx26 says redevelopment agencies can opt to discontinue redevelopment activities and be dissolved.

ABx27 says that if redevelopment agencies pay a first-year lump sum payment and then commit to annual “continuation payments,” they will be allowed to continue their redevelopment activities – with additional limitations and without any tax increment funding from the state.

Tax increment funding through a redevelopment agency is one way cities and counties are able to finance redevelopment and affordable housing activities.

Over the last six years, tax-increment funding has resulted in the production of 7,329 housing units in the Sacramento area, including 3,189 units for very-low income and homeless families, Dozier said.

According to the provisions of the new legislation, redevelopment agencies have until Oct. 1 to either dissolve or make the first-year continuation payment to continue redevelopment activities.

“We are conducting an analysis of current projects to see how we would generate (our) estimated $22 million payment as well as an evaluation of projects if the agency must be dissolved,” Dozier said.

Each redevelopment agency is subject to a specific first-year and continuation payment schedule, calculated using a formula outlined in ABx26.

For SHRA, which is an authority of both the city and the county of Sacramento, the “year one” payment amount would be $22 million, Dozier said, and continuation payments are estimated to be approximately $5 million every year after that.

~~Once the SHRA governing boards have an opportunity to review the completed analysis, Dozier said, they will give the agency their recommendations on the options available.~~

Once the agency has an opportunity to review the completed analysis, Dozier said, she will give the SHRA governing boards recommendations on the options available.

“Right now, we’re in a state of limbo,” Dozier said.

At this point, several major redevelopment projects in Sacramento are currently stalled, Dozier said.

These include the 800 K Street project, a mixed-use development to help revitalize the center of downtown; the 65-acre Township 9 project, which is a $1.7 billion mixed-use urban fill development, and Veterans Village, a proposed new construction development in the Mather Redevelopment Area that would provide affordable housing for veterans.

Some projects that have already been approved, however, would not be affected by the new legislation, including the Seventh and H streets project, the La Valentina project on 12th Street, and the Hotel Berry renovation project, Dozier said.

These three projects are slated to provide, in total, nearly 250 affordable housing units and create more than 400 jobs, according to Dozier.

"(Redevelopment agencies) do great work – phenomenal work,” said Eric Rasmusson, a Sacramento lobbyist who works on local housing issues. “But we can't afford them the same way anymore. That's the message of this state budget."

By eliminating redevelopment agencies, Brown anticipates a $1.7 billion savings in cost offset to the state general fund.

“Right now, we’re prohibited from engaging in any new redevelopment activity,” Dozier said, “so we’re focusing on existing projects to keep them moving forward.

“We’re hoping for relief from the courts so that we can continue working on projects that were heading toward various stages of approval,” she added.

Kathy Fairbanks, a representative of the California Redevelopment Association (CRA), said the association plans to file a lawsuit in the next couple of weeks challenging the new legislation.

“It’s unconstitutional,” Fairbanks said. "Proposition 22 passed last November by an overwhelming majority, and it specifically prohibits the state from doing anything with local funds, including redevelopment funds.”

Fairbanks said that, if ABx26 and ABx27 are allowed to stand, it will mean redevelopment agencies that are not eliminated will be forced to abandon projects – and any resulting jobs and economic opportunity – in order to make the required continuation payments to the state.

In the lawsuit, the CRA will seek an immediate stay of the two bills. If the court grants a stay, some or all of the provisions of the bills would be suspended until the court makes a final decision. Until a stay is issued, however, the legislation will remain in force.

There are 397 active redevelopment agencies throughout California, according to the CRA website.

The elimination of redevelopment in Sacramento would have significant unintended consequences, according to the SHRA website, including “no way to monitor affordable housing developments, no funding to put more money into affordable housing projects in the future, as well as direct and indirect job losses.”

“With the economy in its current condition,” Dozier said, “this is not a time to be putting redevelopment agencies out of business.”

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Editorial Note: Corrections have been made to this article after it was published. The incorrect information has been struck out and the correct information has been added.

Capitol Aquarium closes after 52 years

2011-07-07T01:02:34Z

Goodbye, Sherbet, the huge orange cyclid that loved to be teased in his tank. Goodbye Moby Dick, the giant gourami that held careful watch over the freshwater fish. Goodbye Capitol Aquarium.

The owners of the specialty fish store that has been a fixture at T and 29th streets since 1978 turned out the lights on the tank lids for the last time Wednesday after unsuccessfully trying to find a buyer for the struggling business.

“It’s really a sign of the times,” said Bob Pasley, son of Capitol Aquarium owner Grant Pasley. “The business wasn’t supporting itself.”

Pasley, 44, said the combination of a bad economy and a sharp decrease in sales contributed to the closure after 52 years in business.

The website for the store said it featured more than 500 aquariums with a wide variety of both freshwater and saltwater fish, along with products “for every aquarium hobbyist, from beginner to pro.”

“I’ve come here for years,” said Rick Moore, 28, a security guard from Sacramento. “I have a 3,000-gallon pond with 40 Koi carp in it.”

When he found out that the business was shutting down, Moore brought his daughters, ages 2 and 3 years old, to the aquarium for one last purchase.

“Good luck finding Koi anywhere else for a good price now,” Moore said.

Grant Pasley started the business in 1959, the year his oldest son, Mark, was born. After that, the business saw a lot of growth and eventually moved to it’s current 9,000-square-foot location in 1978.

“I worked here back in high school,” said Mark Pasley, 52. “Now, things are all happening very quickly.”

For some local fish lovers, memories of Capitol Aquarium go all the way back to early childhood.

Connie Xiong, 20, and her brother, 18-year-old David, said they came in to admire the “famous” Koi fish in the pond near the front door of the aquarium.

“I came (here) in elementary school for a tour, Connie said. “I remember the Koi fish the most. We fed them then. They’re just beautiful.”

Ron Coleman, an associate professor of fish biology at Sacramento State, is a member of the Sacramento Aquarium Society and said he has been associated with Capitol Aquarium for close to 12 years.

“The owners have been members of the Aquarium Society for 50-plus years,” Colman said. “It’s a really old society, and this place has been the focus for fish in this area for a long, long time.”

Coleman said that, for a lot of kids, this was their first fish store.

He recalled kids coming into the store to feed the Koi and to “tease” Sherbet – a huge orange cichlid that had been an icon in the store for years.

“It’s economics,” Colman said. “People have less money, and they just don’t buy as many fish, or they buy them at discount pet places and on the Internet. It’s hard for places like this that specialize in fish.”

For the owners and staff at Capitol Aquarium, closing the store is a real disappointment.

“We’ve been here a long time,” Bob Pasley said. “We have seven people on staff who are really dedicated to the business. They’ve been working their butts off today and every day to make this place what it is.”

Manager Carolyn Taylor has been with the fish and aquarium store for 22 years, and she along with the other staff members told Pasley that they will all stay with the business even after it closes to get through the cleanup and emptying the building.

What’s next for Capitol Aquarium?

Pasley said that he has contacted other fish stores in the area to offer “everything living” at an even greater discount than what is being offered to the public.

As for the tanks, equipment and supplies, they will all be moved into storage and offered on Craigslist over the next few weeks.

Coleman said that there are still fish to be found in town – but nothing quite like what Capitol Aquarium had to offer.

“For a lot of people, the only concept of fish they have is what’s available at PetSmart. That’s about 20 species at best,” Coleman said. “At (Capitol Aquarium), there were always a lot of special fish from the far corners of the earth. They had hundreds of species here. It’s a real loss to see them go.”

As for Sherbet and Moby Dick, they were each sold to families that Bob Pasley said were very excited to take them home.

“It was awesome to find people who really loved them,” Pasley said. “They’ll all be happy.”

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Fog Mountain Cafe a victim of economy

2011-04-26T01:13:44Z

Fog Mountain Cafe, which served the corner of 10th and I streets downtown and catered to government workers, became the latest victim of the recession when it shut its doors for good April 5.

“It was essentially the economic downturn. We just never recovered,” said Jim Harnish, who with his wife, Judy and son, Eric, owned the restaurant. “We opened about six months before that happened, and after the recession and furloughs, it was just too much.”

The cafe opened at 1000 I St. about three years ago in what seemed the perfect spot for a breakfast-and-lunch business.

“When we were looking for a site, I did some research, and that site had 40,000 employees within the block,” Harnish said. “We thought it was a fabulous site being across from Cal EPA and City Hall and just a couple of blocks from the Capitol.”

Initially, business was good, with soups and sandwiches selling well, but the economic downturn, coupled with government furloughs and then the moving of some of the city’s operations from the area to Richards Boulevard, took a lot of the foot traffic away.

Harnish said they cut as many costs as they could, and cut staffing, but while there were good days, they were outnumbered by what he called “dismal days.”

“It stabilized, but it stabilized too low,” Harnish said.

Area workers were still learning of the restaurant’s closing Monday afternoon.

“I liked the variety and the freshness,” said Kevin Morrill. “I went there for lunch once in a while.”

He said he thinks it’s too bad that they had to close because of the economy, but called that the “nature of the world today.”

John Warren said he would eat at Fog Mountain Cafe about twice a month.

“It’s a shame, because it provided good food and service,” he said. “Their soups were excellent. It’s a sad note on the economic times.”

He added that he enjoyed going to Fog Mountain Cafe because it was more formal than some of the other eateries in the area, such as Quizno’s.

The cafe, he said, was a good place to meet someone for lunch downtown, as the food was good, and at $7-$10 for a meal, the prices were reasonable.

The restaurant spawned from their other local business, Fog Mountain Candy, which Harnish said he began 15 years ago. His son, Eric, went to work there, and they eventually opened the cafe.

Eric Harnish has a chef’s background, and he worked at Mace’s Restaurant in Sacramento as a sous chef as well as another upscale restaurant, the Old Bath House, in Pacific Grove.

Harnish said he and his wife might restart the candy company.

“We kind of mothballed that last year because of the same problem,” Harnish said. “The primary business was corporate gift boxes at the holidays. I don’t think we’ll see the cafe come back, but my wife and I might bring back the candy business just part-time for kicks rather than a serious business.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @brandon_darnell.

NBA takes more time to study Kings move

2011-04-15T23:53:49Z

Sacramento Kings fans will have to keep holding their breath over a possible team move after a National Basketball Association official on Friday said the league needs time to learn more about the unfolding deal in Anaheim and the viability of keeping the team in the capital.

The NBA Board of Governors agreed to extend the deadline for the Maloofs’ request to move until May 2.

On Thursday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and San Francisco investor Darius Anderson told NBA team owners that billionaire Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle is leading a plan to buy the Kings or help bring another pro basketball team here if the Kings leave.

Johnson also said he and business leaders have raised commitments for at least $7 million in corporate sponsorships and suite revenues in the last week to create "significant immediate additional revenues" for the Kings, according to the mayor's office.

NBA team owners want to know more about the money available to help the Kings "better compete" and improve economic performance next year in Sacramento if the team stays, NBA Commissioner David Stern said at a press conference in New York Friday.

"Mayor Johnson came in and said ... there will be lots of additional dollars available that would improve the Kings’ performance, the Kings’ economic performance, in Sacramento, if they stay, and that the community had recently been mobilized, and was in a position to (help keep) them there for the coming season," Stern said. "The other things were to find out what the mayor was referring to with respect to additional revenue opportunities that would allow the team to better compete next year and be economically feasible."

While Burkle has a "good reputation," Stern said the sale of the Kings or drawing another team to Sacramento wasn't high on the league's list of priorities.

The key to keeping the NBA in Sacramento is a new arena. Power Balance Pavilion is so inadequate the National Collegiate Athletic Association won't bring its basketball tournament back there, he said.

"The issue first and foremost in Sacramento is whether there's the will and the ability to build a new arena for an NBA team and the other events...." Stern said. "The mayor's vision is for a downtown arena as part of a major redevelopment of 230 acres. You know, we don't know if that's real or a pie in the sky. We don't know whether we can find that out in a couple of weeks, but we are going to knock ourselves out to do it."

A team led by Colorado arena builder ICON Venue Group President Tim Romani and Sacramento developer David Taylor are expected to complete an arena feasibility study in early May.

Stern indicated Johnson's "business-like approach" and thorough presentation about Sacramento's strengths as an NBA market and the current effort to build a new arena were instrumental in getting the league to ask for more time to study the two locations.

Members of the NBA Board of Governors Relocation and Finance Advisory committees are expected to meet with Johnson and Sacramento business leaders to get more concrete information.

Several efforts to keep the Kings or the NBA in Sacramento and to fund a new arena are under way, with new developments still taking place, Sacramento Metro Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Mahood said Friday.

“The Sacramento region’s business community has demonstrated substantial interest in stepping up to ensure we remain viable as an NBA market, with or without the Sacramento Kings," Mahood said in a prepared statement. "Over the course of the next few weeks, we look forward to further defining the business community’s support and commitments."

The idea to extend the relocation request deadline a second time came from NBA Board of Governors Chairman Glen Taylor, who owns the Minnesota Timberwolves; Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett, who chairs the board's Relocation Committee; and the Maloofs.

In a teleconference late Friday afternoon, Johnson said the extension signals the game isn't over in Sacramento yet.

"I'm encouraged by the delay. I'm also encouraged by the fact that the NBA is going to send a team out to investigate the potential of Sacramento," he said. "I'm not declaring victory by any means."

Members of the two committees also want more time to look into the proposed deal between the Kings and Anaheim, especially after the terms of the deal were revised over the last few days. They need more information about loans and investments, television revenue and construction plans that could help increase expected revenue at Anaheim's Honda Center. They also would need to determine the Kings' relocation fee, Stern said.

Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait issued a statement Friday afternoon saying his community is "primed and ready" to welcome a basketball team.

“We understand that the relocation committee is balancing a variety of issues as they make this decision and have decided to take a little more time," he said. "We remain hopeful and optimistic that the NBA will have a franchise playing at Anaheim’s Honda Center in the near future."

The Kings have enough time to move even after the relocation request deadline was extended. The committees’ members are likely to believe Southern California can support three NBA teams, Stern said during the press conference.

"The committee thought that it would be a good idea to do a little bit more fact-finding and determine how this will ultimately play out," Stern said. "There's no agenda here – just to make sure that something as important to all parties as the transfer of a team to another city and the attempts of that city to keep that team was fully understood, fully briefed."

The NBA has declined requests for more information about the relocation vote process.

Neither Anderson nor Burkle could be reached Friday to comment further on plans to buy the Kings or another basketball team. The Maloofs and billionaire Henry Samueli, who owns Anaheim Arena Management, which operates Anaheim's Honda Center, would not comment Friday.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Click it or clip it: How do you save at the checkout?

2011-04-15T23:03:23Z

In these tough economic times, everyone is looking for ways to save money. From cutting back on the daily lattes to at-home “staycations,” people are getting more and more creative in the ways they choose to spend – or not spend – their money.

One trend that seems to be really taking off lately is couponing: clipping out and saving up those little 20-cents-off and buy-2-get-1-free offers that grocery stores put in the inserts of the Sunday paper.

Recently, TLC network aired a new reality show about this very topic, “Extreme Couponing.” This isn’t your momma’s coupon-clipping, however.

In “Extreme Couponing,” we get to see folks who are crazy-good at saving money on their groceries. (Or maybe they’re just crazy?) Some of the people on the show spend up to six hours a day clipping out and organizing coupons for marathon shopping trips. Others stockpile enough food and non-perishables to last up to six months.

How do we do it in Sacramento? Are we jumping on the couponing bandwagon? Or is “Extreme Couponing” a little too extreme for our tastes?

Here’s what some Sacramento-area shoppers had to say when asked, “Are you an “Extreme Coupon-er?”

Sabrina Ratkowski, 40, a scheduler at UC Davis Medical Center, lives in Sacramento and has never seen “Extreme Couponing.” Ratkowski said she does use coupons sometimes, but doesn’t put a lot of effort into it.

“I find coupons online with Raley’s sometimes,” Ratkowski said. “You can go on (the chain’s website) and find some deals.”

If she doesn’t find what she wants or needs online, Ratkowski said she occasionally turns to co-workers for a little help.

“I share coupons with the girls at work,” Ratkowski said. “If someone finds a good deal on something but they aren’t going to use it, they let the others (in the group) know about it.”

More often than not, though, Ratkowski said she shops at a different store near her office to pick up a few things, so she uses manufacturer’s coupons instead of the store-specific ones. It’s worth the effort, though, she said.

“Just this past week I spent $20, and I saved $5,” Ratkowski said. “That’s a pretty good deal to me.”

Margaret Minjarez, a 57-year-old homemaker from Sacramento, has also never watched “Extreme Couponing,” and it doesn’t really interest her much.

“I use coupons sometimes when I find them,” Minjarez said.

Minjarez doesn’t have a computer but said she knows that online coupons are gaining popularity. Without access to online savings, Minjarez said she relies on newspaper inserts and store mailers for opportunities to save on groceries. When she comes across coupons that seem interesting, she takes them to the store with her.

“Sometimes I’ll look at the coupons I have with me, and maybe I can’t use (the item) now,” Minjarez said, “But if I think I’ll use (the item) later, I’ll just buy it anyway.”

She’s a pretty good shopper already, she said, so even without doing much clipping, she said she saves about $20 per week.

Pete Wedel, a self-described “ageless” artist from Sacramento, said he doesn’t use coupons for one reason: “They’re nothing but a hassle.”

“First you have to search ’em,” Wedel said, “Then you have to clip ’em out, keep ’em with you, sort ’em out – you see? Hassle.”

When asked what it would take to get him to use coupons, Wedel said the coupons would have to be more convenient.

“Have ’em in the store next to what you’re buying,” Wedel said. “I look for the deal that’s right there.”

Jolene Wilson, 31, a pharmacy technician from Roseville, is one who clearly prefers clicking to clipping when it comes to saving money on groceries.

“Safeway has the ‘Just for U’ program now, and it’s paperless,” Wilson said. “You go online, sign up, and click on the coupons you want. Your Safeway (club member) card tracks the list, and when you get to the register, you don’t have to have a bunch of coupons in your hand.”

According to Safeway Store Manager Keith Cristobal, the Safeway online coupon program was one of the first of its kind and is now one of the largest in the nation.

“It’s just been a wonderful program,” Cristobal said. “A lot of our customers use it.”

Wilson said the Safeway ad comes out every Wednesday, and she uses it regularly.

“It saves money in this recession,” Wilson said. “If it weren’t for that program, I wouldn’t use coupons.”

Not everyone we talked to was quite so laid-back about couponing, however. For some, it’s an important way to keep within their tight family budgets.

Kelly Schmidt, 33, case manager for Placer County Office of Education, said she uses the “Just for U” program to save money on groceries every week.

“I love it,” Schmidt said.

Online, store-specific coupon programs require shoppers to use the store website and select the items they want to buy from a list of that week’s available special deals.

“You have to print out the list,” Schmidt said, waving a handful of papers. “If you don’t, you’ll never remember which items you really wanted.”

Making up the list took less than 10 minutes, Schmidt said – significantly less time than the coupon-clippers on Extreme Couponing seem to take each day to prepare for their shopping.

Schmidt said she didn’t use coupons before she heard of the online program.

“I didn’t have time,” Schmidt said. “I have kids, I have a full-time job. If I had to cut out coupons, I wouldn’t use them.”

Schmidt said she saves about $100 per week using the store’s online coupon program, and it’s worth the small amount of effort she expends.

“I don’t pay full price for anything,” Schmidt says. “I refuse.”

Are you a coupon-clipper? Or maybe a coupon-avoider? We'd love to hear from you on this one. Leave us your thoughts in a comment below about your own money-saving style.

Popular local eatery closes its doors

2011-03-29T03:01:35Z

Hangar 17, a local bar and restaurant that started with valet service and famously huge hamburgers, closed its doors for the final time last Monday, due in part to unresolved tax issues and a floundering economy.

Joey Madrid, 40, co-owner of Hangar 17, spoke with The Sacramento Press about the events leading up to the restaurant’s closing.

“Everyone thinks we’re terrible people, that we did everyone wrong, but that’s not true,” Madrid said. “We did the best we could, but things got the better of us.”

Madrid and co-owner James Lombardi became acquainted when Madrid and Lombardi’s younger brother, Chris, worked together at Chops Steakhouse in Sacramento.

Madrid and the older Lombardi brother came up with the idea for a “hangout” where they could spend time with friends, eat good food and have a few drinks in a relaxed atmosphere. When younger brother Chris, who was a chef at the time, came up with some menu ideas, the men decided to take the plunge and open shop.

Lombardi found an old military-style Quonset building at the corner of 17th and S streets and ran it by Madrid as a potential site for the new business. Madrid had coincidentally found the same location in his own search for a business site.

“We took that as a sign that it was meant to be,” Madrid said.

The restaurant started with a temporary liquor license that allowed them to sell alcohol until 2 a.m., and Madrid and Lombardi included valet service at the front door to alleviate the notoriously inconvenient parking in the area.

“It was a piece of the neighborhood,” said Nelda Mackey, school guidance counselor and resident near the restaurant’s location. “Everyone over there was like family. We were on a first-name basis with Tracy and Dayla, the bartenders. We’re so sad that it closed.”

As much as the bar grew in popularity with the locals and enjoyed predominantly good reviews when it opened in late 2004, Hangar 17 suffered a setback in mid-2006.

Some residents and property owners had protested the issuance of the liquor license when Hangar 17 first applied for it and, by the time the appeal and hearing process came to a conclusion nearly 18 months later, the license was finally issued with operating restrictions that included a requirement that the front door remain closed during business hours, and alcohol could only be sold until 10 p.m.

“That was what started things going bad,” Madrid said. “We weren’t going to have the late-night customers that we had at first. Once the liquor license was changed, we had to start changing other things to make up for it.”

The first thing to change was a shifted focus from late evening drink sales to food sales, particularly for a lunchtime crowd that was largely composed of state workers with offices nearby.

Robert du Plaine, 52, a former chef and current state engineer, was a frequent diner at Hangar 17 who took note of the quality of the food.

“It wasn’t just a plain burger,” du Plaine said. “The food was always creative and properly prepared. It’s very sad to see it go – it was a wonderful place to eat.”

Despite a good lunch crowd and many “regulars” in the evenings, Hangar 17 felt another squeeze in 2009 when the economy suffered further downturns and furloughs were instituted for state workers. The lunch crowd started to dwindle, and so did the restaurant’s profits.

“People just couldn’t keep going out like they used to,” Madrid said. “Pretty quick, we weren’t making as much in food sales anymore.”

As business slumped and profits disappeared, Madrid and Lombardi found themselves unable to make regular payments to unemployment insurance, the Board of Equalization, and the Internal Revenue Service.

“I called all of them (EDD, Board of Equalization, IRS) to make payment arrangements,” Madrid said, “But every time I paid one, the other two would fall behind, and I’d have to make up for it. Then, another would be caught up, but the first two would fall behind. It just never ended.”

The more they tried to dig the business out of the deepening hole, the worse things got. Payroll checks were bouncing, and unpaid taxes ballooned to more than $500,000 with interest and penalties. Madrid said there came a point where they just couldn’t keep it afloat any longer.

“We got together and just said, ‘Look, we’re drowning here,’ ” he said.

The decision was made, and Lombardi notified employees via text that Hangar 17 was no longer in business.

“We’re so upset that it closed,” Mackey said. “Lots of neighbors went there.”

Mackey wasn’t the only neighbor surprised by the closing of the popular neighborhood hangout.

“It came as a surprise to everyone,” said Stan Barton, 53, controller for Paragary restaurants and a longtime resident near Hangar 17. “We had no idea it was closing.”

According to Madrid, the landlord took possession of the building as of Friday, March 25, and the IRS has a lien on all of the equipment and furniture inside. Madrid and Lombardi will sell some assets to offset their tax liability and then, “We’ll do what we can to resolve it,” Madrid said.

“It’s going to take some time,” he said.

Sacramento County Airport System contributes $4 billion a year to local economy

2011-03-08T22:39:04Z

Every year, the Sacramento County Airport System creates 11,000 jobs with a payroll of $442.5 million and contributes approximately $4 billion to the local economy, according to the Airport System’s most recent economic impact study.

The results of the study were delivered to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The study includes data from Sacramento International Airport, Mather Airport and Executive Airport.

“The Sacramento County Airport System is a bright spot in this slowly recovering economy,” said Interim County Executive Steven Szalay, “and the new terminal opening later this year at Sacramento International Airport will ensure that our region has an airport ready to handle future growth.”

The economic impact study report is based on data collected in 2008 and includes the following highlights:

Businesses and government agencies at Airport System airports directly employ 4,170 people, and contribute 6,830 off-airport jobs
The direct employment payroll for on-airport jobs is $208.1 million, with an additional payroll of $234.4 million for off-airport jobs
The economic impact in 2008 for the three airports in the study was as follows:
- Sacramento International Airport - $4.05 billion
- Mather Airport - $151.3 million
- Executive Airport - $20.7 million
The Airport System’s projected annual economic impact from 2009 to 2013 is as follows:
- 2009 – $3.897 billion
- 2010 – $3.866 billion
- 2011 - $4.095 billion
- 2012 - $4.339 billion
- 2013 - $4.597 billion

We are proud to be a major driver of the economy in Sacramento,” said Sacramento County Airport System Director G. Hardy Acree, “and our focus over the next few years is to continue to improve our facilities to meet the needs of our growing community.”

Sacramento County Airport System began construction on the “Big Build” at Sacramento International Airport in June 2008. The program is designed to meet future air travel demand by replacing the outdated 216,000-square-foot/13-gate Terminal B with the new 669,000-square-foot/19-gate Central Terminal B. Construction is on-schedule and on-budget. The new facility is expected to open in late 2011.

A full copy of the economic impact study can be found on the Airport System’s website at www.sacairports.org.

Disclosure: Karen Doron is a Communication & Media Officer for the Sacramento County Airport System.

Congresswoman Matsui Announces $11 Million in Federal Grants to Hire 51 Local Firefighters

2011-02-24T17:38:09Z

$5.6M for City Will Employ 27; $5.4M for Metro Will Employ 24 Firefighters

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that the Sacramento Fire Department and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District have been awarded $11 million in grants to hire 51 additional firefighters for the Sacramento region. Congresswoman Matsui was joined at the press conference by Sacramento Fire Department Chief Ray Jones and Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Chief William Sponable at the Sacramento Fire Department Headquarters this morning to announce the grants.

“It is my pleasure to announce that the Sacramento Fire Department and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District together have been awarded $11 million in federal grants to hire 51 additional firefighters for the Sacramento region,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Here in Sacramento, our firefighters are on the front lines protecting us all. Now, with the hiring of 51 new responders, we will be able to keep our squads safe, well-rested, keep morale high, and protect our community during times of disaster and distress.”

Through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program, the Sacramento Fire Department was awarded $5,606,864 to hire 27 firefighters and restore two fire companies. The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District was awarded $5,470,824 to hire 24 firefighters. The SAFER grant is awarded annually through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide financial assistance to help fire departments increase their cadre of frontline firefighters. The goal is to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities so they may respond to emergencies whenever they occur, assuring their communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards.

“I am extremely excited about this grant and what it means for both the citizens of our community and our firefighters,” said Chief Ray Jones, City of Sacramento Fire Department. “The grant money will make our communities safer for emergency response by restoring two browned out companies; and improving response time. This is a winning situation on all fronts.”

“This SAFER grant awarded to Metro Fire will save lives!” said Chief William Sponable, Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. “While current economic times remain challenging this grant will provide Metro Fire the ability to hire new firefighters, replacing those we have lost through attrition over the past several years. These firefighters will be used to staff two additional truck companies that will increase public safety and provide additional fire ground safety for our firefighters.”

Congresswoman Matsui has been a strong proponent of the SAFER grant program over the years and helped secure the federal funding by writing a letter of support on behalf of the Sacramento Fire Department in 2010.

DISCLAIMER: Mara Lee is the Communications Director for Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento.)

Rock n' roll high school-ers

2011-01-30T19:51:47Z

“Tony Silva rides the bus to see the punk rock bands
   He rides out from BFN and no one understands
  He doesn’t have a car and he’s not old enough to drive
   But seeing punk rock concerts is what keeps Tony alive.”
--“Tony Silva Rides the Bus”, by The Secretions

Despite a bad economy and multiple venue closures this year, punk rock is alive and well among the under-18 crowd.

“There will be times when things get closed down, and it’ll affect the scene negatively, but in the long run, there’s a resilience in Sacramento,” said Craig Usher, who has been going to punk shows since his freshman year of high school.

Usher, now 42 with children, runs a Facebook page cataloguing shows. He said he still prefers all-ages shows to those held in bars, and smaller, sparser shows to massive ones.

“I was drawn to punk rock, in part, because it wasn’t like mass culture rock n’ roll,” he said. “So if I go to a show where I feel like … the focus is on selling stuff rather than expressing yourself, it just doesn’t feel as rewarding to me.”

The tendency of all-ages punk shows to be smaller and more underground also has practical applications.

Alcohol is an essentially a guaranteed moneymaker for 21-and-up shows, but all-ages venues can only sell food and soft drinks. That tends to raise ticket prices, which makes it harder for teen audiences to afford. The smaller the turnout, the less both venue and band earn.

Amber Rose, a booking agent for Citrus Heights bar the Fire Escape, explained that the key to survival is keeping prices low, and planning all-ages shows on nights when school-attending teens can realistically attend.

The Fire Escape also allows patrons to participate in organized moshing, or “circle pits,” which most all-ages venues have forbidden.

“You have to take care of the people that take care of you,” Rose said.

Though the Fire Escape has a full bar, Rose said the underage shows have been profitable. Openings for all-ages shows have been fully booked through April.

“It’s pretty difficult for kids to (play) all-ages (gigs),” Rose said, adding that there are only a handful of dedicated teenage clubs left.

Mickie ‘Rat’ (a psuedonym), bassist for the Sacramento punk band The Secretions, agreed.

“As a legal, profitable business, all-ages venues will always be struggling in Sacramento until they either lower the legal drinking age or the cost of permits for live music venues,” he said in an e-mail interview.

Rat was much more optimistic about private, underground shows, held in improvised venues like garages and basements and funded partially through donations. Although these shows are held in secret, they aren’t hard to find, he said.

“The people who take an active part in the music scene and go to shows always manage to find out where they are,” Rat said. “Bands will always find places to play, whether it’s in a club or someone’s living room.”

The Secretions are a testament to the punk scene’s vitality, as the band recently celebrated its 20th anniversary together. They still practice and hold the occasional private show at Casa de Chaos, a house in Midtown.

“That old house has seen me through a lot of good times and bad times,” Rat said. “It’s a rundown old shack, but I love it.”

The scene is kept alive by people frequently attending shows of all types and paying to get in, he explained.

“Every person who comes to see a show is just as important as the people on stage,” Rat said. “Without an audience, a show is just a lonely rehearsal in a big empty room.”

But the venue, it seems, is secondary to fans, who go primarily for the music and the friendships they make.

“I go to have fun,” said Gavin Mercer, 16-year-old drummer for the fledgling punk band The Carbonites. “It takes out a lot of aggression, too. You can sweat some of your anger out, or your stress or whatever.”

Rose, the Citrus Heights booking agent, would rather have her teenage daughter attend an all-ages punk show, with lots of people around, than a house party.

“These kids go to all these shows, and they all end up becoming friends. It’s kind of like an underground family,” she said.

Nicole Holbein, 17, said she is sentimental about the “family” the punk scene has introduced her to.

“Everyone has the utmost respect and love for what they're doing, and it's such a positive place to be,” she said. “Everyone looks out for each other.”

Congresswoman Matsui Introduces Critical Flood Protection Legislation for Sacramento Families, Businesses

2011-01-26T21:13:19Z

Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) introduced the Natomas Basin Flood Protection Improvements Act in the House of Representatives Tuesday, which would provide Natomas families and businesses the flood protection they need by authorizing additional construction work on the Natomas Levee Improvement Program, and in turn create jobs and support the area’s construction industry.

"This is an opportunity for the federal government to deliver for the Sacramento region by improving our public safety, strengthening our economy, and creating good jobs for our constituents,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to authorize this project. This Natomas Basin Flood Protection Improvements Act is a critical component in improving the flood protection of our region.”

The Sacramento region is the most at risk urban area to river flooding in the nation. Accordingly, the region has worked continuously to bolster its flood defenses and emergency preparations, and has invested millions of dollars of local, state and federal funding to strengthen its levees. Securing federal authorization for construction in Natomas is the next critical step.

Specifically, Congresswoman Matsui’s legislation would authorize full federal participation in the Natomas Levee Improvement Program, which will restore 100-year flood protection and ultimately achieve 200-year level flood protection. Natomas is home to almost 80,000 residents and hundreds of local businesses. The Natomas area is also a key transportation hub for the region, incorporating the Sacramento International Airport, Interstate 5 and Highway 99, all a critical part of the regional economy.

Each year of delay in levee improvements exposes the community, as well as the State of California and the federal government, to additional risk, increased program costs, and direct and indirect impacts to the economic health of the region. It also creates a financial burden for families. Since the Natomas area was remapped by FEMA in 2008, homeowners have been mandated to buy flood insurance, which can cost up to $1,300 a year.

“My legislation would expedite the completion of urgently needed improvements that protect the people of Sacramento,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “A key component towards addressing public safety concerns in Natomas is seeking federal authorization to allow for these upgrades to move forward more quickly. That is why I introduced this critical measure, and will do everything I can to ensure the project is authorized.”

The foundation for Rep. Matsui’s legislation is a recently completed report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which declared the 42 mile levee improvement project to be in the federal government’s interest. The State of California and Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency (SAFCA) have started work on the levee improvement project, and by the end of this year will have spent $360 million on roughly half the project. The upgraded levees in Natomas will be some of the widest and strongest levees built in the state and will comply with new, stronger federal levee standards.

“I am working every single day to reduce our risk, ensure flood insurance is affordable, and to increase federal support of Sacramento’s flood protection projects,” Matsui added. “From the Folsom Dam Joint Federal Project to the South Sacramento Streams Group, there are a number of currently authorized flood protection projects that are improving our safety and together will offer our region the best possible flood protection.”

For more information, please visit www.matsui.house.gov/floodcontrol

Disclosure: Mara Lee is the Public Information Officer for Doris Matsui's office

Vina details financial recovery plans

2011-01-26T03:18:49Z

Addressing an estimated $35 million-$40 million budget gap for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, Interim City Manager Gus Vina hosted a special workshop on economic recovery for the City Council.

He presented a variety of plans to bring in more revenue, including enhancing the city’s parks with tourist attractions, providing incentives to businesses and creating a mix of opportunities in the city’s job market.

Vina urged City Council members to move quickly on the economic recovery plan so the city can begin to see results.

“I don’t expect the benefits in 2012 and 2013 to be huge, but it will be a good beginning,” he said.

He told council members that unemployment in 2011 is expected to remain between 11.5 and 13.5 percent. Vina said he wants to apply incentives toward small and medium-sized businesses, which make up 96 percent of the employers in the Sacramento region.

“We need to focus on small, medium businesses (and) what we can do for them,” Vina said. These businesses have 500 or fewer employees, he added.

Vina also said the city needs to broaden its employment market, a point that Mayor Kevin Johnson often makes at his press conferences. The city can’t rely overly on its government workers to keep the local economy working, Vina said.

He said he wants to focus on the sectors of green and clean technology, heath and medicine, higher education and agriculture.

“You need to diversify to avoid risk,” Vina said.

Another idea discussed at the workshop is to upgrade regional parks so they draw more visitors. To beckon tourists, the city could explore adding attractions such as museums, aquariums and centers for competitive sports, said Jim Combs, the city’s Parks and Recreation director.

Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell said the city could create skate tournaments as an attraction.

Combs also presented the idea of hiring youth part-time and paying them minimum wage to help maintain city parks.

Combs acknowledged that the department will likely face layoffs as part of budget cuts. “We probably will lose some of our workforce,” he said.

Public hearings on the city budget will begin on Feb. 1.

Vina has taken the lead on the economic recovery plan. The City Council voted Tuesday night in a private meeting not to promote Vina to the permanent city manager position. In a 5-4 vote, council members decided to hold a national search for a new city manager. The council members who voted to conduct the search and not promote Vina were Sandy Sheedy, Rob Fong, Bonnie Pannell, Darrell Fong and Kevin McCarty.

It’s unclear at this point how the City Council’s decision not to promote Vina will affect the economic recovery plan.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

County laying groundwork for economic turnaround

2010-11-11T01:41:02Z

The message from officials at Wednesday’s third annual State of Sacramento County forum was that things might be tough now, but hard work today is laying the groundwork for prosperity in the future.

“We should always question our assumptions that things tomorrow will be as they are today,” said Roger Dickinson, chair of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and State Assemblyman-elect.

The Metro Chamber event was held at Sacramento International Airport, and 260 people attended, according to Communications Director Hal Silliman.

Dickinson said the $1.08 billion airport expansion – also known as “The Big Build” – is iconic of what is in store for the county and will “inspire us to focus on realizing an even brighter and better future.”

For context, Dickinson recalled the devastating news the county received in 1995 when it was decided that McClellan Air Force Base would be closed – a base on which 13,000 people worked, including 10,000 civilians.

Just six years later, 2,500 people were employed on the former base.

“Today, over 15,000 people report to McClellan Park each and every day, and 6.5 million square feet is under lease,” Dickinson said.

He added that the McClellan Park project was one of the best partnerships between government and the private sector he has ever seen, and the airport expansion is another way to strengthen the region.

Interim County Executive Steven Szalay laid out the steps the county has taken to weather the current recession.

He said the county closed a $181 million budget gap this year and is constantly looking at better ways to govern and increase efficiency.

To prevent similar budget crises in the future, Szalay said the county has reduced its reliance on one-time funding from $80 million to $30 million per year and is working to lower that number further.

When the economy turns around, a budgeting policy will be put into place that will save 50 cents of each dollar in revenue. Those funds will be put into reserves and will be reinvested to provide a hedge against future downturns.

To encourage departments to run more efficiently, Szalay said they will now be able to carry over money they save in their own budgets to the next fiscal year, rather than having any savings diverted to the county’s general fund.

Finally, Szalay said the county is working within the region to streamline services needed by all governing bodies, including animal control and emergency dispatching, so unnecessary parallel services are consolidated.

Metro Chamber members were given a look at what will be included in the new airport’s Terminal B by Sacramento County Airport System Director G. Hardy Acree. Details of the expansion will be provided in an upcoming Sacramento Press article.

Bill Swelbar, a research engineer for the MIT International Center for Air Transportation, then discussed the issues facing the global airline industry and metropolitan areas with airports going into the future.

Swelbar said he sees successful airports in the future as being ones around major metropolitan centers, while more-remote ones could find it difficult to stay open.

“That’s not Sacramento,” Swelbar said. “Sacramento is very well-positioned for tomorrow.”

Attending the event was Tim Youmans, who works in the public finance and real estate field.

“The county seems to be repositioning themselves well for the next 10 years,” Youmans said.

He added that he found the presentation on air travel to be interesting and was heartened by the conclusion that Sacramento will continue to be a viable option for air travel growth.

“I think they’re seizing the opportunity in this economic downturn to become more innovative and rethink their procedures and changing them to be more efficient,” said Jim Alves, who works for SMUD.

During his remarks, Dickinson voiced his vision for the future of the county.

“We have a vision of a vital and vibrant region,” he said, “of an ever-growing and attractive center of community life, commerce, entertainment, the arts ... in short, the best place to live, anywhere.”

Photo 3 is Roger Dickinson, and photo 4 is Steven Szalay.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

The French Hen to close

2010-10-29T22:42:11Z

After seven years on Folsom Boulevard in East Sacramento, The French Hen will be shutting its doors.

In an e-mail message sent to patrons, Owner Nicole Turner said that her lease is up at the end of the year, and she is moving out her wares. She also wrote that all items – with the exception of consignment items – will be priced at 25- to 50-percent off.

The store is located at 3200 Folsom Blvd.

Turner’s statement in full:

I wanted to let everyone know that I have decided to close The French Hen.
It has been an amazing seven years. I have enjoyed being able to explore my creative side and I hope I have been an inspiration. I am going to miss seeing all of the friends I have made but I feel I am making the right choice for myself and my family. My lease is up at the end of year so I must begin moving out my merchandise. The store is very full so come down soon for the best selection. All items excluding consignment will be 25% to 50% off. I want to thank all of you that have been faithful customers all these years. I really truly appreciate getting to know and working with all of you.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Survey finds Metro Chamber businesses sustain themselves in current economy

2010-09-09T16:45:40Z

A survey of Sacramento Metro Chamber members for the first half of 2010 shows that the region’s businesspeople are sustaining themselves and believe that economic conditions will improve next year.

Two-thirds of the survey respondents cited the perception of a weak business climate and the state’s ongoing budget crisis as the key issues impacting the economy right now.

“The uncertain business climate created by negative headlines and the lack of a state budget make it hard for businesses to plan for the future,” said Matt Mahood, president & CEO.

With more than 10 percent of members responding, the Metro Chamber’s survey on the economy found that businesses seem to be sustaining themselves by making wise decisions that keep their doors open while eliminating risk, Mahood said.

Five key findings were:

• There was about a 50-50 split between those business whose profits were static or up and those whose profits had declined in the first half of the year.
• Two-thirds were planning on maintaining their current employment levels over the next six months.
• More than half said business conditions were “fair.”
• Fewer businesses than last year were planning on delaying capital expenditures.
• Nearly two-thirds saw no change in business conditions, but nearly half said they would improve next year.

An added question for the 2010 survey asked members about their own personal finances. Nearly two-thirds reported delaying purchases of durable goods (excluding autos) while 30 percent said they delayed purchasing an auto.

“The upside of these reports on delays in purchases means that there is a growing future demand for goods in our economy,” Mahood said.

Couple's Sofia to be shuttered

2010-09-03T01:05:17Z

A downtown restaurant, Sofia on 11th, is expected to close Saturday — another victim of the recession and Furlough Fridays, as well as a somewhat obscure location.

Jeremy and Vicki Bennett, both Mississippi natives, took over the restaurant four years ago with partner Martin Tejeda. Staff was reduced to a skeleton crew in June.

Jeremy Bennett shared news of the closing with employees and customers on Thursday.

"It just got to the point where I couldn't hold on anymore," he said.

Bennett helped seat people when Sofia filled during the lunch rush. Wearing a black T-shirt as he poured iced tea, the most visible sign that he was the owner was the strain on his face.

Dinner business dropped 60 percent since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision in June 2009 to furlough state workers for a third Friday each month to help deal with the state's annual budget crises. Happy hour sales dropped 30 to 40 percent since then, he said.

Attorneys and judges working at nearby courthouses always brought a big chunk of business to the restaurant, tucked inside a Best Western at 815 11th St. Sofia lost many regulars when at least 20 Sacramento County public defenders were laid off this summer.

But those aren't the only blows to hit Sofia. The restaurant's location at the corner of 11th and H streets has kept it largely hidden, Bennett said.

"It's been tough, because we're not part of the main strip," he said. "So getting people to come over here who weren't working nearby has been difficult."

The couple has been redecorating the restaurant gradually over the years, partly with money borrowed from his dad.

Operating independently within a hotel has been good and bad. There hasn't been money for marketing the restaurant the way there would be with a big chain. Many hotel customers eat there, yet some locals had reservations about going to a "hotel restaurant," said Bennett, who speaks with a slight Southern twang.

Hers is much more noticeable. Bennett's really comes out after a long day at work or a couple of cocktails.

They have been trying to sell the restaurant or bring in a major investor. A deal appeared imminent but fell through this week.

They also haven't been able to get state funding for a culinary program they were trying to develop for vocational high school students. The on-the-job-training portion would have started at Sofia in October with juniors and seniors at risk of dropping out of school.

"If either of those had come through for me, I would have been able to weather the storm," Bennett said. "It's just sad for the mom-and-pop shops getting squeezed out. The ones that need help the most can never get it."

An inclusive, progressive church called A Church for All will likely be able to continue meeting in the restaurant's upstairs banquet room on Sundays, he said.

Bennett will continue to pursue starting a culinary and hospitality program for at-risk youth. He'll now need to find a kitchen where he can teach.

When he first moved to Sacramento eight years ago and his drawl was thicker, Bennett used to get teased about being from Mississippi.

But lately, friends and family down South have been making fun of him for being from California, which has become notorious for its financial mess and the problems state leaders have balancing the budget every year. As the state capital, Sacramento and its economy seem to be hardest hit.

"Now we're like the new Mississippi in a way," he said.

Photo of Vicki and Jeremy Bennett by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Sofia restaurant photo by Brandon Darnell.

Le Petit Paris to close

2010-09-02T01:56:00Z

An air of sadness hung about Le Petit Paris Wednesday after the owners announced they will close late this month.

The boutique and Parisian cafe has brought a bit of France to Midtown for the last five years, but it's been struggling for at least two. Owners Tassina Placencia and her husband Ruben plan to close the family business at 1221 19th St. on Sept. 26.

The economy and fewer customers — including state workers making less money because they're furloughed many Fridays — have contributed to the problem, Tassina Placencia said Wednesday afternoon.

"It's not what it was," she said during a break from serving customers who lined up at the counter. "No one's buying coffee anymore. You have furloughs two blocks away."

The couple has been running the business themselves for the last two years. They sold everything from French milled soaps, handbags and baby clothes to fresh-baked croissants, tartine sandwiches and macarons.

More than one set of eyes glistened with tears Wednesday inside the Euro shabby-chic space, where patrons sipped coffee or tea while sitting at metal bistro tables and on overstuffed Victorian furniture.

Regulars like Harv's Car Wash owner Aaron Zeff and real estate agent Bridget Davis said they were shocked to arrive there Wednesday, only to find the business is closing.

Now Midtown residents, the Placencias have been active supporters of the neighborhood and especially the Handle District where the shop is located. Last year, Tassina Placencia organized a night parade just before Christmas — the city’s first electric light parade in more than a century — to add some fun and draw holiday business.

Midtown resident Carole Arbuckle said she'll miss being able to just sit and relax at Le Petit Paris, the same way she did on a favorite trip to the French city.

"It's been such a nice place to come, especially if you've been to Paris," she said.

Even working seven days a week, the Placencias haven't been able to make enough money to continue with a lease that's ending this month. Two weeks ago, Ruben went back to a full-time job as a rocket tester at Aerojet.

“Her dream was Le Petit,” he said. “My dream was to make her happy.”

Their 8-year-old daughter, Bella, has spent many hours at the shop as well. They said they will miss their customers, but chose not to put any more money into the business, she said.

"There are so many times you think it's going to get better," Tassina Placencia said. "But you have to do the right thing for your business and your family."

"We're at peace with it," she said.

Broadway Hardware store might see new tenant

2010-08-11T00:51:13Z

The Broadway Hardware store that has been closed since late 2008 might soon be opening as a pawn shop.

“We’re not 100 percent committed to that location, but we did lock in the building while we do our due diligence,” said Stan Lukowicz, Jr., who owns Capital City Loan & Jewelry, a chain of six pawn shops in the Sacramento area, with his father and brother.

The first one was opened in 1993, and its most recent stores opened in Roseville and on Florin Mall Drive about two years ago.

The possibility of opening in the old store at 1708 Broadway is in line with the company’s goals and works as a location close to downtown without the parking problems associated with a downtown spot, Lukowicz said.

“We’re an aggressive growth company, and we’d like to expand our family and operation and bring a new light to the industry,” Lukowicz said.

In an industry long associated with gruff, unfriendly service, Lukowicz said he and his family focus on customer service and making sure the stores are open and inviting.

“Too many people think our industry is a bad industry,” Lukowicz said. “With this economy, the cash and loan service is very valuable.”

A typical transaction at one of Lukowicz’ stores is when someone in need of money brings in an item – often jewelry – and staff evaluates its value. If the customer agrees to the value assessment, the item is left at the shop while the customer takes the cash, at which point he or she has four months to reclaim it, with interest.

If the item is not redeemed in that time, then it is placed on the store shelves for sale.

“On a $100 loan, (the interest) is $17.50 for the first 90 days,” Lukowicz said. “It’s a couple bucks more after 90 days, but it’s a better deal than if you bounce a check and have to pay the bank fee or skip your PG&E bill and have to pay to have your service reconnected.”

The shops are well-regulated by state and federal laws, Lukowicz said. For every item brought in to be pawned, the customer must submit a photo ID, a thumbprint and a signature. All of that is sent along with a form to the police to safeguard against stolen items.

“It really deters criminals from coming in here,” Lukowicz said.

Just about any item that can fit through the door is accepted, except one type – firearms.

“There are just too many regulations to deal with those,” Lukowicz said.

Located across the street is Broadway Bait, Rod and Gun, which has been in operation for 40 years, according to founder Chris Fulster.

“I’d rather have a business there than not,” Fulster said, adding that he hopes it becomes a trend and other nearby vacant buildings are soon filled with businesses.

“Broadway is a pretty good street,” he said. “We open at 4 or 5 a.m. and close at 8 or 9 p.m., and we never have any troubles or see any crime.”

The slowing economy over the past few years has brought a spike in people bringing items into Lukowicz’ shops, but he said six out of every seven items are redeemed.

“We’ve seen a significant spike in business with new customers, what we call non-traditionals,” Lukowicz said. “A lot of them are people who had great jobs, and because of the economy, they have been using our services.”

Despite that, Lukowicz said he definitely prefers a better economy, and he added that he hopes to retain some of those non-traditional customers as things turn around.

“Our showrooms provide a great opportunity for everyday folks to get a great item at a great price,” he said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Van Jones hypes Greenwise Sacramento

2010-07-21T23:53:17Z

Sacramento Residents have an opportunity to make their region a national leader for green technology development, according to author and activist Van Jones, who received a standing ovation for his speech at Mayor Kevin Johnson's second public meeting for Greenwise Sacramento.

"The kind of environmental solutions that make sense for Sacramento make sense for America," Jones said.

Over 400 area residents attended the Tuesday afternoon meeting to listen to the former special adviser to the Obama administration. He said that he has travelled all over the country for green events, and he was impressed with Sacramento’s.

"Usually (a city) will have the mayor, they'll have a press conference and one green intern, and that's their whole agenda," Jones said. "I think the most important thing to say is that you have a mayor in Kevin Johnson that is totally breaking the mold…This is a mayor that is showing regional leadership."

With unemployment still high in the area, Jones sympathized with local leaders and residents.

"It's tough at the local level, you get all the pain," he said. "You see all the impact of bad economic policy and bad trade policy."

Jones also said it is important to integrate the lower-income communities into the action plan.

"Think about Oak Park, they should be at the center of this agenda," he said. "If you're an aluminum can you got a great chance in Sacramento, but what about a child in Oak Park?"

Jones ended his speech by stressing that this is an initiative both conservatives and progressives can get behind.

Jones wote “The Green Collar Economy.” Copies of the book were being sold by Underground Books in the lobby of the Byron Sher auditorium in the Cal/EPA headquarters where the meeting was held.

The meeting was held to boost awareness for Mayor Johnson's green initiative. The initiative has five policy focus areas: energy, waste and recycling, water and nature, urban design and green building, and green and clean technology. Each of these issue areas are led by an individual selected by the mayor.

Over the next several months, an action plan will be developed for the region, including six counties and 22 cities, that Mayor Johnson will reveal in January of 2011. The mayor concedes that getting elected officials to work together across city boundaries will be tough, but he said he is determined to make it work.

"My vision is really to transform Sacramento into the Emerald Valley," Johnson said. "Why can't we, as Sacramento, be the leader when it comes to sustainable technology?"

He said Sacramento is over-reliant on government jobs and real estate, and that this initiative will help shift our the workforce into profitable, enduring job sectors.

Dean Steven Currall from the University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management was there to speak about his role as the leader for the green and clean technology policy area. He stressed that central to the entire initiative was job creation in the Sacramento region that would involve several different components of the community.

"It's very much an ecosystem model that involves higher education" as well as innovators, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and other parts of the business community, Currall said.

Currall's responsibility is to lead a team of individuals that will focus on market creation and demand, regional business opportunities, finance, education and innovation based entrepreneurship.

The mayor said he felt that the event was a huge success and wants residents to get involved.

"I would beg people in Sacramento to go on the Greenwise website, sign up for the initiative and come to the monthly meetings. If you just start there, we'll plug you into a policy area, and we'll teach you how you can be helpful," he said.

Marie Brown, 52, from Eco-Chic Design in Lincoln has been an environmentalist for more than 30 years and came to learn more about the initiative and to hear Jones speak.

"I actually was a lawyer,” she said. “I decided to switch from that to something where I felt I could…help people improve the health in their own homes and their workplaces with healthy interiors."

Executive Director Simeon Gant of Green Technical Education and Employment, a program where young people can learn about career opportunities in green technology, brought two of his students to learn more about the initiative. He said he sees a clean environment as an impotent asset to leave to future generations.

"Our grandchildren and great grandchildren are going to wonder how we could allow our country and our world be degraded by the way we were building, the way we were living. I thought that was very important," he said.

City marina faces challenges

2010-07-16T03:42:14Z

Boating season has hit full throttle in Sacramento, yet nearly a quarter of the slips at the city's public marina sit empty.

That's unusual for the 475-slip Sacramento Marina, which boasted a waiting list of 300 just three years ago. The problem may be about to get worse after rate increases took effect at the marina Thursday.

Slip occupancy levels change throughout the year, with the highest levels during boating season from Memorial Day to Labor Day. In fiscal year 2010/2011, the marina — the largest in the city — is expected to see an average annual occupancy rate of no more than 65 percent. The down economy is largely to blame, with an unfortunately timed renovation playing a role in the situation, said marina officials.

"Generally speaking, the marina industry is hurting along with the rest of the country," said Barbara Bonebrake, director of the city's Convention, Culture & Leisure Department, which oversees the marina. "It's very much the same as real estate. In fact, it is real estate — only for boats."

However, some boat owners say new rate increases are pushing them out.

With three out of four boaters earning less than $100,000 annually, the recession has hit hard for many. Reduced income and the cost of gas to fill a boat's tank were cited by nearly a third of boaters as the reasons they didn't boat more last year, according to figures compiled by the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

On a recent Friday afternoon, boats motored through the off-river marina, which sits in a quiet basin in Miller Park at the west end of Broadway. Couples, friends and families fueled vessels at the marina's gas pump before heading out onto the Sacramento River.

“I know a lot of people who are furious about the hike in the rates,” said one boater, who didn’t want to disclose her name.

Like its remote location, the marina operates largely independent of the city. The marina is an enterprise zone, a self-supporting business making money from slip rentals, gas and store sales, and rentals of its newly renovated Captain's Lounge. Slips range from 25 to 50 feet.

Its annual gross revenue is expected to be $1.5 million for fiscal year 2010. Ten percent of gross revenues are paid to the city each year as a franchise fee for payroll, accounting and attorney services provided by the city, said marina Manager Bud Camper, who had 20 years' experience managing private marinas in the Sacramento Delta before going to work at the Sacramento Marina.

The marina took shape about 50 years ago after the Miller family donated land to the city. The marina originally had only 200 floating slips. About half were uncovered. About 25 years ago, the city expanded the basin harbor and added new docks with about 275 more covered slips and a marina administration office, which sits on a hill overlooking the basin harbor.

In 2007, just as the economy began tanking, the marina underwent an $11 million renovation to replace the south basin's original, 50-year-old wooden docks and its 200 slips. Bellingham Marine Industries, the largest dock builder in the country, built floating concrete docks with steel roofs and a new floating fuel station with a tiny general store in the south basin.

The marina supported 370 boats during construction. Many had to be moved daily to make way for the work. But the marina lost about 100 boats before construction started. Most slips became vacant due to normal attrition. However, management had to ask a few owners to remove boats that were not seaworthy or had let insurance lapse, and asked a few of the less-senior boaters to find an alternative dock during construction, Camper said.

"We anticipated we'd fill the marina right back up again. But the economy kept getting in our way," said Camper, who was hired to oversee the renovation. He began one day before the work started.

"We noticed it at the same time we started calling boaters to come back after building the new docks. To our surprise, people were saying no," he said. "Turned out, that was the beginning of it. We never got the marina full again."

Recreational boating sales have fallen throughout the country. The industry generated $30.8 billion in sales and services in 2009, but that was a 9 percent decrease from 2008. Sales of new boats and motors fell by 24 percent, according to the NMMA.

Dealers selling new boats began pulling out of Sacramento in early 2009. Now, there are none selling boats over 25 feet, said Camper, wearing a black captain's cap, Hawaiian shirt and a tattoo with his wife's and son's names on his forearm.

Most marinas enjoyed high occupancy levels and waiting lists for years. Now, occupancy levels are down at many marinas throughout the region and the country.

"It's the economy," said boater Greg Hatfield, a former city employee. "You look on Craigslist or in the newspaper. It's just boat after boat after boat for sale."

Slips at urban marinas are more costly than those in the Delta, where rural land is cheaper. There, hundreds of mom-and-pop marinas are able to charge 30 to 40 percent lower than the city's public marina and other urban marinas like River View Marina and Sherwood Harbor Marina.

People are pulling boats out of the marina because they can't afford to boat or they've found a cheaper place to dock in the Delta. Some didn’t have a choice. About 24 boats were repossessed at the Sacramento Marina in the last year. When they go, few boaters explain the reason for leaving, Camper said.

"Most of the time, they just take out a boat and don't say anything," he said.

For years, the Sacramento Marina charged $10 a foot for any size slip. In 2006, following industry standards, the marina began calculating rates differently, charging $10 a foot for whichever was longest — the slip or the boat.

In 2008, the marina got City Council approval for five years' of increased rates to pay for the expansion and to bring their rates in line with other urban marinas, where larger slips cost more per foot because they cost more to build and operate. The increased fees also help pay for marina maintenance and keeping the basin waterway clean.

The most recent rate increases started in fiscal year 2009. Annual increases ranged from 5 to 17 percent, depending on slip size. For fiscal year 2010 only, the marina changed the rate increase to 8 percent across the board. Rates, which took effect Thursday, are now $300 a month for 25-foot covered slips, $406 for 30-foot slips and $770 for 50-foot slips.

The 120-slip Sacramento Yacht Club in West Sacramento is cheaper, charging just over $8 per foot per month for slips that are 30 to 50 feet. Members must volunteer or attend meetings monthly, which keeps costs down. They haven't had a vacancy in a decade, said Port Captain Chuck Lenert. The atmosphere is different as well, with a location right on the river and club members who know their slip mates.

Another boat owner said his fees have doubled in the last five years. He found another marina where he’ll pay $200 less per month for a slip and gave notice that he’s leaving the marina. Other boaters are about to do the same thing, he said.

“When times are tough, they continue to raise it on the people who are still able to boat, so they're going to run everybody off,” said the boat owner, who didn’t want to give his name for fear he’d be “blacklisted” in Sacramento.

The rate increase — coupled with the lower occupancies most marinas are facing — may have helped spawn a marina rate war. Nearby River View Marina on Garden Highway is now offering 10- to 20-percent discounts off published rates to boaters who relocate.

"Whatever Sacramento Marina is charging, we'll charge 20 percent less,” River View Marina co-owner John Maddex said Thursday. “It's a highly competitive market.”

The public Sacramento Marina can’t engage in a bidding war for customers. Its rates must stay the same for everyone, said Camper, who wasn’t surprised by the competition.

Marinas are like hotels — amenities and quality vary, and no two are alike. The Sacramento Marina may lose boaters because of the rate increase, but in the end, the renovation and rate changes will pay off with a long-term, successful marina, Camper said.

“We think we have a top-notch place to be,” Camper said. “We want to keep it that way.”

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

County budget hearings next week, 725 planned layoffs

2010-06-11T02:35:29Z

Sacramento County officials plan to lay off 725 employees in response to the county’s budget hole.

The Board of Supervisors will discuss the county’s $181 million gap and planned layoffs at budget hearings next week. Board members may approve the budget for the 2010/2011 fiscal year next Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, according to the county’s schedule of budget hearings.

The proposed budget figures released by officials Thursday include major cuts to programs as well as the planned layoffs.

Interim County Executive Steve Szalay said at a Thursday morning press conference that the proposed budget was the third consecutive county budget containing deep cuts.

“This is a sad day in the history of Sacramento County,” he said.

If the board approves the layoffs, they would go into effect July 3, Szalay said.

The Sacramento Press will post the proposed budget as soon as it is available online.

Here is the schedule for next week’s budget hearings:

Monday, June 14:

The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. Departments and programs that will be discussed include Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, Correctional Health Services, District Attorney, Probation, Public Defender, Engineering, Planning, Animal Care, Regional Parks, Finance, General Services and Personnel.

Tuesday, June 15:

The meeting will start at 2 p.m. and cover cuts to the county’s Medically Indigent Services Program, Health and Human Services and Human Assistance.

Wednesday, June 16:

The meeting will start at 2 p.m. and include discussions on the In-Home Support Services Public Authority, Retiree Health and the Transient Occupancy Tax.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Rep. Doris Matsui Hosts Successful Clean Energy Forum Today with Almost 200 Participants

2010-06-03T23:39:40Z

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) hosted a first of its kind forum at the Sacramento State Alumni Center for local clean technology companies to explore federal funding opportunities with representatives from the Administration. Joined by prominent representatives from the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Export-Import Bank, Rep. Matsui’s event highlighted Federal programs that businesses can apply for to promote the use of clean technology, bolster the clean energy industry, increase exports of American-made clean energy products, and reduce both energy consumption and costs for consumers and businesses. ‪‪

“As our regional economy continues to recover and grow, the emerging clean technology industry is helping to ensure that Sacramento is prosperous throughout the next century,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “When our local companies have the opportunity to sit down and meet with Administration officials face-to-face, they can better understand what is required of them in the loan process and that will make our region more competitive down the road.”

Almost 200 participants attended today's event - a clear sign of the excitement around the clean energy sector in Sacramento. Local businesses, non-profits, government agencies, university representatives, and citizen activists came together to discuss on-going projects as well as future opportunities coming to Northern California.

Representative Matsui also discussed legislation she recently introduced, the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010, which would assist small- and medium-sized clean technology businesses to find new markets at home and abroad to sell their clean-tech products.‪‪ This legislation would create a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund to be administered by International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce to help increase the competitiveness of American-made clean technology.

“Sacramento is poised to become a national leader in clean energy,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Today’s forum will help our local stakeholders understand what federal resources are available to them and how best to prepare, strengthen and grow their businesses to compete in a global marketplace.”‪

The Recovery Act, supported by Congresswoman Matsui last year, has set forth record levels of investment in the burgeoning clean and green technology industry. The Obama Administration and this Congress continues to deliver on its promise to support clean tech companies that, in turn, will help reduce our dependence on foreign oil, renew our competitiveness in a global marketplace, and promote the use of alternative technologies that do not threaten our natural resources. Last fall, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) in cooperation with California State University Sacramento (CSUS) and Los Rios Community College received a Recovery grant of $128 million for the installation of smart meters and a regional smart-grid infrastructure. The federal funding will enable SMUD to deploy technology that it could not otherwise afford that will, for example, help SMUD predict power outages, and know more quickly when they do occur.

“SMUD proudly supports the Sacramento region’s clean technology business sector,” said Elisabeth S. Brinton, Chief Business & Public Affairs Officer, SMUD. “As the nation’s most progressive electric utility, SMUD has been a local economic development engine for many decades, from pioneering utility scale solar over 25 years ago, to our Smart Grid and Advanced Renewable Energy Development work happening today. Congresswoman Matsui’s practical and visionary leadership is a key to our region’s competitiveness. Today’s Clean Energy Federal Funding Forum gives local private sector companies important access to federal funding options needed to accelerate the commercialization of energy related technology in today’s otherwise tough economy – supporting the clean energy technology that will help utilities like SMUD best serve our customers for years to come.”

# # #

Rep. Matsui Introduces Legislation to Bolster Local Clean Tech Industry

2010-04-27T19:50:32Z

Today I introduced the Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010 to boost the competiveness of U.S. clean technology industry in the U.S. and international marketplace. This will have an enormous impact on the Sacramento region, and help further the region’s progress toward becoming a clean-tech capital.

The bill is co-sponsored by leading Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, including House Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush (D-IL), Chairman Emeritus John D. Dingell (D-MI), and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA).

Currently, our nation’s clean tech industry is lagging behind many of its international competitors, particularly in exports abroad. According to a U.S. Senate Report released in January 2010, the U.S. clean technology industry exported about $7.7 billion in products and services last year compared to China’s $22.7 billion and Germany’s $19.6 billion. Moreover, the Department of Energy has found that the increase in exports of green technology could reach $40 billion per year and could create more than 750,000 jobs by 2020.

The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act would create a $15 million Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund – to be administered by International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce – to help increase the competitiveness of American-made clean technology industry here in the U.S. and in the international marketplace. The newly-created Fund would support the development, implementation, and sustainability of a National Clean Energy Technology Export Strategy, and serve to assist U.S. Clean Tech firms with export assistance in finding and navigating foreign markets to export their goods and services abroad.

My legislation would help also strengthen America’s domestic clean tech manufacturing industry by requiring the Fund to promote policies that will reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment, and productivity in the clean energy technology industry at home. In turn, that will help American companies increase their demand and create new, good jobs in communities like Sacramento.

The U.S. must be a leader in manufacturing and exporting clean technologies, not one that becomes dependent on foreign energy products. This legislation will enhance the U.S. standing in the race to clean energy by coordinating a national strategy to increase the competiveness of the U.S. clean tech industry here in the U.S. and in the international marketplace. Sacramento is poised to become a national leader in clean tech. This legislation will provide much-needed resources to strengthen and grow our local businesses in Sacramento as they expand into the global clean tech marketplace. This legislation sends a strong message to businesses around the world that America is serious about being a leader on producing clean energy.

“Right now, the global market for environmental goods and services is estimated at $700 billion,” my colleague, Chairman Rush said in a statement. “This means that the future of the overall U.S. economy not only depends upon a vibrant domestic market but strong American leadership in the rapidly expanding green economy. At present, only six of the top 30 global companies that lead in this sector are American owned. This must change. This bill will help innovative U.S. companies close this global gap. I’m committed to working with my colleague, Rep. Matsui, to do all I can to assure the passage of this legislation.”

“I am proud to join with my friends, Representatives Matsui and Rush, in introducing this important legislation, the Clean Energy Export Act,” said Chairman Emeritus Dingell. “It is part and parcel to the President’s goal of doubling exports in five years and gives wonderful incentive to American companies to design and manufacture the environmentally friendly technologies of tomorrow. Initiatives such as the one proposed in this bill will help our country gain a competitive edge in the export of the technologies the rest of the world wants and needs.”

“Clean energy technology will be a critical component of tomorrow’s economy, with the potential to create thousands of jobs and provide domestic energy without harming the environment,” added Rep. Eshoo. “China and European Union nations realize this potential and are investing heavily in this developing industry. We have two choices: invest now, make America #1 in the world, and help our companies succeed, or watch other nations corner the global market. The Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010 will position our nation to compete and become the world leader in this increasingly competitive global marketplace.”

Steve Kircher, Chairman and CEO of Solar Power, Inc., a solar company based in Roseville, added his support for the legislation, stating: “We remain very enthused about building high quality manufacturing in the United States for solar technologies, specifically at McClellan. This legislation will certainly be helpful. We can’t build a business that relies solely on selling products into Sacramento County. We currently sell our products into Europe, Asia and Australia and it is our firm intent to sell the products we will be making at McClellan throughout the world.”

Greg Brehm, Distributed Renewable Energy Resource Director at OPDE U.S. Corporation, a solar manufacturer locating its American headquarters at the Port of West Sacramento also expressed support for Rep. Matsui’s legislation saying, “OPDE U.S. Corporation enthusiastically supports Congresswoman Matsui’s efforts to enact the ‘Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2010.”

The OPDE U.S. Group includes Mecasolar U.S., which produces its Spanish-designed solar PV tracking equipment near the Port of West Sacramento, CA, U.S.A. from U.S. made steel. Mecasolar’s trackers have demonstrated increased energy harvest by up to 40% for solar farms around the world. “And Proinso, the distribution arm of OPDE U.S., views the Congresswoman’s bill as an opportunity to increase exports of this U.S. manufactured clean technology equipment,” Brehm added.

KEY PROVISIONS OF THE CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING AND EXPORT ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2010:

The legislation would create a “Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund” administered by International Trade Administration within the Department of Commerce to ensure American clean energy technology firms have the information and assistance they need to be competitive both at home and abroad.

Specifically, the Fund would serve to require the International Trade Administration to:

1. Assist U.S. Clean Tech firms with export assistance and find and navigate foreign markets to export their goods and services abroad.
2. Enhance U.S. Clean Tech Manufacturing firms by requiring the Fund to promote policies that will reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment, and productivity in the clean energy technology sector.
3. Develop and Implement a National Clean Energy Technology Export Strategy.

For more information, I encourage constituents to visit my website or call my office at (916)498-5600.

Has The Sacramento Bee heard of the housing bubble?

2010-04-03T15:37:01Z

A story in The Sacramento Bee on job creation in the U.S. and in California sidestepped the main cause of the recession and unemployment: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/03/2652552/stronger-us-job-numbers-dont-carry.html
That is the $8 trillion national housing bubble. In California, this bubble inflated higher than it did in most other states. Thus the loss of housing wealth in California’s economy has led to a sharp drop-off in residents’ wealth. This means that these consumers have less money in their pockets to buy goods and services. That, in turn, has dampened the bottom lines of businesses, big and small. This loss of consumption has also slashed tax revenue flowing to the state and local governments. Furloughs and layoffs of workers on state and local government payrolls further undermine consumption. That trend depresses private businesses, which employ the vast majority of the labor force. The bursting of the housing bubble caused the recession, the driving force of job losses in California and across the U.S. Maybe The Sacramento Bee can cover that news in the future.

Sacramento to Celebrate "Beer Week"

2010-02-16T03:46:42Z

This week marks the first Sacramento Beer Week. Breweries, restaurants and bars throughout the Sacramento region will shine a spotlight on beer. Sacramento Beer Week will feature more than 200 events including brewer’s dinners, beer and cheese pairings, rare ale tastings, pint nights and brewery showcases.

Sacramento Beer Week seeks to brew up interest in beer generally and in locally brewed craft beer in particular. The period following the holidays and before the warmer Spring weather is traditionally a slow period for beer sales, and Sacramento Beer Week organizers hope their event will be a shot in the arm for the local economy.

Local brews won’t be the only ones showcased during Sacramento Beer Week. Many of the scheduled events will feature craft beers from other American breweries or specialty imports with an emphasis on Belgian ales.

The Beer Week concept was born in Philadelphia just two years ago and has since inspired other cities and regions such as San Francisco, San Diego, Cleveland and Baltimore to follow suit.

The Sacramento region’s local beer community has had its struggles in recent years. Elk Grove Brewery, Beermann’s (in Roseville), and Sacramento Brewing Company have permanently closed their doors.

Brewpubs, restaurants and bars from Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville, Rocklin, Auburn, Nevada City, Davis and more will host Sacramento Beer Week events February 22-28. Go to SacramentoBeerWeek.com for more information.

“Spay Day” means financial relief for pet owners

2010-01-18T19:10:54Z

Despite a stagnant economy, Sacramento area veterinary clinics and animal shelters are poised to give away as much as $160,000 in services to pet owners in need as part of “Spay Day Sacramento” on February 28.

Operated annually by the nonprofit Sacramento Area Animal Coalition (SAAC), Spay Day Sacramento is the largest one-day spay/neuter event in the country. This year, approximately 800 dogs and cats will receive spay/neuter surgery for just $20 per dog and $15 per cat.

According to SAAC board member Kim Kinnee, spaying and neutering is one of the most effective ways to reduce the number of homeless and unwanted pets in the Sacramento area. About half of the 40,000 animals entering Sacramento’s three shelters each year are euthanized because there are not enough homes for them.

Spaying and neutering can also provide health and behavior benefits to the animals, she said. For example, spaying female pets can reduce or eliminate the risk of certain cancers. Neutering male pets can reduce or eliminate annoying behavior like urine marking, spraying and mounting; reduce fighting with other males; and reduce the risk of certain infections and diseases.

“Spaying and neutering benefits both people and pets,” Kinnee said. “Animals who are spayed and neutered can be healthier, better behaved and live longer, and they do not produce puppies and kittens who often end up being euthanized in shelters because there aren’t enough people willing to adopt them.”

Spay Day is open to residents of Sacramento, Yolo and Placer Counties with an annual household income of $35,000 or less. An advance appointment is required.

Pet owners can request a Spay Day appointment for up to two pets by calling (916) 808-SPAY [7729] beginning on Saturday, January 23.

For just $15 per cat and $20 per dog, each animal will receive approximately $250 worth of services, including spay/neuter surgery, permanent microchip identification, vaccinations and flea preventive. Spay/neuter surgeries will be performed on February 28 at more than 20 veterinary clinics, animal shelters and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Since 2000, SAAC has spayed and neutered more than 5,300 pets as part of Spay Day Sacramento. Learn more at www.sacanimal.org.

Kings beer promotion sends wrong message this holiday season

2009-12-16T13:55:36Z

When I first heard that the Sacramento Kings would be offering “dollar beer night” on its nationally televised Wednesday night home game as a promotion to bring in more fans, it was surprisingly troublesome to learn on many levels. As someone who is a community advocate and supporter of the organization MADD, this to me has the makings of irresponsibility written all over it, similar to letting a drunk tend bar. The Kings for all that can be said about their play on the court and lack of home attendance, should not display such gimmicky promotions that will encourage people to engage in risky drinking behavior just for a quick buck. Granted buying beer is an option to fans and no one’s arm is being twisted to indulge on the dollar adult beverages, however, you would think that the Kings could come up with something a bit cleverer this holiday season. This is the time of year when you find people are drinking at holiday after holiday party and in these economic times who needs more enticing.

The Kings seem to forget that they essentially fired one of their former head coaches for a DUI offense just a few short years ago. The area surrounding Arco Arena is one that dockets a high number of drunk driver arrests within Sacramento. The bottom line of this is it just doesn’t sound right when the Kings should be doing else to promote a more family fun atmosphere such as family night for a dollar, now how’s that for a promotion.

From Mondragon to the Rust Belt: Lessons for Sacramento

2009-12-16T00:37:23Z

I recently spent three weeks in the Rust Belt—America’s old industrial heartland—looking at the ways Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit have responded to economic crises. I was seeking what lessons these cities might have for my hometown of Sacramento.

This tour followed 10 days in Europe studying Mondragon, which is the world's largest and most complex system of worker-ownership. Mondragon is located in the Basque Country, in Northern Spain. This region has taken an economic trajectory opposite the Rust Belt. While Cleveland and Detroit fell apart, the Basques clawed their way back from post-war devastation and oppression to achieve an average income that is now nearly 40 percent higher than the European average.

Mondragon: A better economy

Mondragon's cooperative system, inspired by a parish priest in the aftermath of World War II, combines voluntary shared ownership with democratic control. Here, dozens of cooperative enterprises build washing machines and buses, assembly lines and microchips, skyscrapers and bridges; they include Spain’s second largest retailer—with 2,400 locations nationwide—and one of Spain’s largest banks.

Mondragon has also built its own systems of medicine, education, social security and more. Their co-ops employ more than 100,000 people, and have consistently outperformed the rest of the Spanish economy. They weathered a severe recession in the 1980s without resorting to layoffs of their members. Even now, Mondragon’s tens of thousands of co-owners have a degree of job security that is rare elsewhere.

Mondragon’s success is based on collective capital. A large portion of profits is allocated to the capital accounts of individual workers. But the real genius is that until they retire, that capital is pooled for investment in new cooperatives. In contrast, U.S. retirement funds are often invested in the stock market where they may be used in ways that go against the worker and the community’s interests, such as mergers or moving jobs overseas.

Mondragon is a self-duplicating system that has created a genuine alternative economy. The Basque Country feels very different from the United States, and this is especially true in the areas where the cooperatives are well established. The co-ops link their starting wage to the prevailing wage, and generally limit executive pay to only six times starting wages of the workers; the chief-executive officer of the whole system can make only nine times the base wage. As a result, I saw much less visible poverty and hardly any conspicuous wealth.

I was also impressed by thriving rural industries. Small towns tucked into beautiful mountain valleys boasted large modern factories, sometimes numbering in the dozens. It was as though Placerville had a clean, locally owned manufacturing sector as a centerpiece of their economy. It is the sort of economy I would expect a community to choose, if given the choice.

I’ve never seen anything like it in California.

A new Rust Belt?

Sacramento has never been a big factory town, but it is facing major structural unemployment similar to what struck the Rust Belt a generation ago. Our main industries (agriculture, government, real estate) are struggling. We have a number of empty and half-built buildings, fallow fields and dead orchards. The State of California has a fiscal crisis with no end in sight, affecting this capital city like nowhere else.

Every time Sacramento gets some good news, it is quickly overwhelmed by bad. The real estate market may be perking up again, but news from the state of California—Sacramento’s largest employer—is nothing but grim: $20 billion deficits stretch off into the future. Agriculture is also quite precarious.

During my trip—a sort of economic pilgrimage—I sketched out some areas for further research, which I hope will prompt my community to ask hard questions as it faces these interlocking crises.

Will Sacramento be another Cincinnati, whose concentration of corporate headquarters protected it from the worst of deindustrialization? Or will we follow Detroit’s full-scale collapse, which has driven away more than half of the city’s population and created great opportunity for grassroots development? Will we take the path of Pittsburgh, which reinvented itself through “meds and eds”? Or will our reinvention take the form of Cleveland, where subsidy-based economic development failed and worker ownership is now regarded as the best cure for rampant poverty?

At first glance, there isn’t much similarity between these cities and our own. Our climate and culture are obviously different, as well as our economic foundations. Sacramento has much less of the deep urban decay that has stricken the Rust Belt.

However, Sacramento faces serious crises: water shortage, real-estate collapse and over-extended governments. Our troubles could eventually rival those of the Rust Belt, so we should learn from their experience and consider job creation through Mondragon-style cooperatives, as they are starting to do. This approach is relatively low cost, protects local wealth and can have a high payoff whether the economy improves or deteriorates. More importantly, cooperatives can make improvement more likely.

Each of the cities I visited are now home to some sort of cooperative organizing, more or less modeled after Mondragon. To see how this developed, and hopefully shorten Sacramento’s learning curve, let’s briefly look at their experiences.

A tale of four cities

Cincinnati is home to an unusual concentration of major corporations. These headquarters have created a high concentration of white-collar jobs, which may have been resistant to the industrial job losses faced by the region beginning around 1980. Unemployment here was not as bad as the other cities. Still, Cincinnati has not escaped unscathed and now has unemployment around 9.4 percent, compared to 10 percent nationally and 12.3 percent in Sacramento.

In Cincinnati, I visited many decaying neighborhoods, and saw factories replaced by half-vacant office parks. These sorts of problems—along with a visit by local nuns to Mondragon—have inspired Interfaith Business Builders to launch a janitorial cooperative, giving low-income residents a chance a business ownership and control of their workplace. IBB is now working toward opening a retail store.

Pittsburgh was devastated by the collapse of the domestic steel industry, but reinvented itself through education and medicine, and has done relatively well in recent years. Local unemployment is now at only 7.7 percent, well below the national average. However, there are limits to Pittsburgh’s recovery, and the city’s many college graduates often move away in search of work.

Recognizing the need for more jobs, Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers—North America’s largest industrial union—are launching an historic agreement with Mondragon to create worker cooperatives throughout North America. This initiative, coincidentally announced during my visit in late October, marks the first time that Mondragon has publicly partnered with another group outside Spain to reproduce itself.

This is big news, but USW is not the first large organization to attempt to recreate Mondragon’s success.

Last October, the Cleveland Foundation sponsored a study trip to Mondragon, and then led an initiative that is channeling the buying power of several hospitals and a university into the struggling neighborhoods in which they are located, an area known as University Circle.

While in Cleveland, I visited Evergreen Cooperative Laundry. This green industrial laundry is the first of a planned network of worker-owned businesses linked by cooperative financing. Ohio Cooperative Solar is also underway, and next year the foundation plans to launch a five-acre urban greenhouse to provide millions of heads of lettuce and bunches of fresh herbs, grown right in Cleveland.

What interests me most about Cleveland’s efforts is the extent to which the city’s economic leaders—including the mayor’s office—have bought into the cooperative model. The city already tried attracting business through workforce development, but the lack of connection to specific jobs undermined that approach. There is an emerging consensus that the only way to sustainably build community wealth is through community ownership of business. There is also a strong common desire to avoid the fate of their neighbor across Lake Erie.

Detroit’s struggles are well known, but their severity is difficult to grasp from afar; the once-thriving metropolis is now a ghost of its former self. I only saw a fraction of the city, but in most of what I did see, empty houses (often burned or partially collapsed) outnumber those still occupied, while vacant lots outnumber them both. The last two major grocery stores closed in 2007 and in some areas it can be a mile between convenience stores.

Detroit is full of community activists seeking to build something entirely new. Community gardens flourish. A coalition of churches has joined with the United Food and Commercial Workers union to form the Detroit Community Grocery Store Coalition. They seek to address the near total absence of food access in much of Detroit.

Detroit is not hopeless. Once again, I found people inspired by cooperatives. Local activists recently brought in a speaker from Mondragon for a few days this fall, and there was avid interest in what I saw on my trip.

Bringing it home

A month of travel has given me new eyes for Sacramento’s economic troubles and for possible solutions. We don’t have to try desperately to attract outside corporations through subsidies and weak regulation. We don’t have to wait for the job market to turn around, or for state employment to recover. We don’t have to keep relying on an agricultural system that is dominated by global commodity markets and a few corporations.

Cooperative ownership can be a key part of solving Sacramento's problems. Rust Belt citizens are discovering what Mondragon has to offer, and we should too. Our nation and our own city are still reeling from last year's banking crisis, so there is a greater need than ever to find new ways of doing business.

Mondragon’s example has taken a generation to gather steam in the Rust Belt, but we cannot afford to wait that long.

Town Hall on arena ideas draws 80 people

2009-12-04T05:58:21Z

About 80 people turned out for a town hall meeting Thursday night to weigh in on plans for a new entertainment and sports complex. Business leaders and residents presented their ideas to Mayor Kevin Johnson’s "Sacramento First" arena task force at the Sacramento Public Library downtown.

The task force is assigned to analyze developers’ ideas for the complex. The 12-member group includes real estate, finance and communications executives. Task force members are not paid.

Johnson told the audience a new complex needs to generate jobs. “We’ve got to create jobs; we’ve got a down economy,” he said.

Chris Lehane, the task force’s co-chairman, echoed that point. “This is about economic development for the city of Sacramento,” he said. “This is about jobs.”

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, pushed for downtown as the site of an entertainment and sports center. A downtown location could encourage people to walk to the arena, he said, which would take people out of their cars.

“We do believe that now is the time and downtown is the location,” Ault said.

Steve Hammond, chief executive of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, also urged the task force to consider putting the center downtown. That would help the bureau attract about 17,000 conventioneers, he said. Right now, It's difficult now for the bureau to bring in those large conventions because the arena is far from hotels, Ault said.

Meanwhile, Noel Martin, the president of the Natomas Chamber of Commerce, asked the task force to select Natomas for the center. He said many Natomas businesses support the idea of a new arena at the ARCO Arena site. “When it comes to location, we feel the Natomas area is superior to all other sites,” he said. The land is available at that site for redevelopment, he added.

Ed Wiggins, a Sacramento small business owner, said he favored putting a new entertainment and sports center on K Street. “The K Street corridor from the mall to the Convention Center is really important,” he said.

Lehane said recently that the task force expects to make its recommendations to the City Council in mid-March.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Bankers to Replace Lawyers in Lab Experiments

2009-12-01T21:30:14Z

You have likely heard the old joke that lab rats are being replaced by lawyers because the lab workers do not get emotionally attached to lawyers. Or the one about a thousand lawyers being chained together at the bottom of the ocean being a “good start”. As these jokes (and the hundreds of others) show, lawyers have a bad reputation. Personally, I have never had the need for one and only know a few, and I have worked pretty hard at maintaining the status quo on both of those points. It seemed to me that lawyers are for people who live near secret toxic waste dumpsites.

Recently, my work helping small businesses with marketing led me to a local Law Firm and Real Estate company where I’ve learned several things (including the fact that there is such a thing as a combination Law Firm/Real Estate company, and that combining those services is a huge benefit to their clients- more on that later).

The people I met there are well aware of the reputation Lawyers have; working with them I quickly picked up on the company jargon that “nobody likes a lawyer until they need one”. With the recent happenings in the Real Estate market, there’s not a whole lot of popularity on that front, either. I have always advocated integrity and personal responsibility, which I feared would not mesh well in a Law Office. I kept these thoughts to myself and focused on my responsibilities, to build awareness of their services and to market a loan modification program.

Surprisingly, I discovered a deep seeded passion in the Attorney and his staff. Ted Greene, the owner and Attorney, is an affable but direct communicator. In one intense conversation with Ted four days into my work he stopped me and said, “You don’t talk to these people. You don’t understand the fear and hopelessness that these people feel. They want assurance, they want an advocate, to speak with an Attorney who knows the law.” I was taken aback and humbled at his perspective and his passion for the distressed home owners that his company had been serving. Integrity and responsibility in a Law office? The list of things I was learning continued to grow.

Every day that I work with the law office I encounter another story of distressed home owners in desperate need of help. These stories have forced me to re-examine another long-held belief. I consider myself to be a savvy consumer and I’ve long followed conventional consumer wisdom, which made me wonder: Why do these people think they need us? Everybody should know that they can do their own loan modification. Call your bank, fill out some paperwork, and get a loan mod. Anybody who has taken in an afternoon of Clark Howard could tell you that. Besides, the larger banks are receiving government money to help us all out of this mess and it only stands to reason that they’d rather agree to a lower house payment that can be paid every month than get nothing, right? Somehow this has proved not to be the case for many people. My conventional wisdom is not serving me well.

The clients at UpsideDownCA.com, the joint venture of Ted Greene Law Offices and JCL Realty, are not lazy people who can’t fill out forms. They have tried all of the options available to them and they have nowhere left to turn. Many are home owners who have already been denied their modifications. Some have come home to trustee sale notices posted on their front door after never hearing from their lenders. Others have had their paperwork lost by the bank or have received rejections despite overwhelming hardships. All of these customers received reprieve through the services of UpsideDownCA.

Working with this team has been an incredible experience- fulfilling, even, to earn a living while helping people who are saving their homes. They might not be doing the work that is typically thought of as community service, like feeding the hungry or giving toys to needy kids. No movies will be made featuring the team at UpsideDownCA.com. Still, I do think that this team is doing some pretty heroic work. There are dozens of families who will go to bed tonight in their house because UpsideDownCA went to bat for them. It feels good to be a part of that.

I’ve also been thinking about the lenders who are refusing service to the under-employed, the furloughed State workers, and the suddenly single-income households. I believe that they are doing our society an extreme disservice, and I’m not alone in noticing. People have a long memory for companies who turned a blind eye to the needs of their customers. Maybe it’ll be the bankers offered up for lab experiments in the coming days. Lest the employees of these companies wish to become the butt of longstanding jokes, I hope they take heed and change their tune.

And remember- you never know. Next time you meet a lawyer, they may turn out to be one of the good guys.

* Photo from above - “Furlough Friday” – 12:30pm – taken by Josh Bruno at the corner of 5th Street & Q Street just a few blocks from the Law Offices of Ted Greene.

Sacramento Office Market Favoring Tenants

2009-10-14T21:35:30Z

Sacramento's office space market will continue to favor tenants as vacancy rates increase and businesses consolidate existing office space. That combination is allowing prospective tenants to negotiate deals that may not have been possible before the economic downturn.

According to Reid Boggiano of Sacramento Tenant Advisors, companies looking for class B or C office space will be able to get deals and allowances that weren't possible during the economic boom.

"It hasn’t been this much of a tenant’s market in Sacramento for a good many years," said Boggiano. "Right now we are negotiating rent reductions and generous tenant improvement allowances that we wouldn't have imagined only a few years ago."

Even businesses that aren't looking to expand might be able to save money by renegotiating an existing lease. Companies that leased space when rates were at their peak, can cut their costs by up to $0.15- $0.25 per square foot depending on their requirements and landlord's willingness to deal. It is generally cheaper for building owners to keep existing tenants so many landlords will be receptive to negotiating new deals.

Below is a list of major submarkets in Sacramento with asking rates for office space. These prices do not necessarily represent the lowest rate in each market, rather they show the general asking rates for their respective markets and may be higher or lower depending on your company's requirements.

Arden
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.85/Sqft/Month Full Service

Auburn
Starting Rates: $1.00/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.83/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Cal Expo - Point West
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.90/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Carmichael
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Davis Office Space
Starting Rates: $1.30/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.90/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Del Paso Office Space
Starting Rates: $1.25/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Downtown
Starting Rates: $1.25/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.87/Sqft/ Month Full Service

East Sacramento
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.90/Sqft/ Month Full Service

El Dorado Hills
Starting Rates: $1.10/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.87/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Elk Grove
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.90/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Fair Oaks
Starting Rates: $1.15/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Fairfield
Starting Rates: $1.35/Sqft/Month Full Service
Class A Starting Rates: $1.90/Sqft/ Month Full Service
Folsom
Starting Rates: $1.30/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.90/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Fulton
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month Modified Gross

Howe
Starting Rates: $1.30/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting low as $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Laguna
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.85/Sqft/ Month Full Service

McClellan
Starting Rates: $1.00/Sqft/Month NNN

Midtown
Starting Rates: $1.25/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

North Natomas
Starting Rates: $1.30/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Placerville
Starting Rates: $1.15/Sqft/Month NNN

Rancho Cordova
Starting Rates: $1.15/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.75 Sqft/ Month Full Service

Rocklin
Starting Rates: $1.30/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.90/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Roseville
Starting Rates: $1.25/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.85/Sqft/ Month Full Service

South Natomas
Starting Rates: $1.40/Sqft/Month Modified Gross
Class A Starting Rates: $1.75/Sqft/ Month Full Service

South Sacramento
Starting Rates: $1.10/Sqft/Month NNN

Vacaville
Starting Rates: $1.25/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.85/Sqft/ Month Full Service

West Sacramento
Starting Rates: $1.10/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Woodland
Starting Rates: $1.00/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.80/Sqft/ Month Full Service

Yuba City
Starting Rates: $1.20/Sqft/Month NNN
Class A Starting Rates: $1.75/Sqft/Month Full Service

CA Unemployment Hits All-Time High; Jeans Size Follows Suit...Pt 1

2009-09-02T06:08:53Z

Grrrrr.....just.....one.....more......inch....and....I've......got it!

I thought the days of lying down to zip my jeans were over years ago. Ugh. An unexpected by-product of 13 months of unemployment has made it's presence known, unfortunately, in a really BIG way.

At 11.6%. there are countless stories of unemployment in the big city; the pounding of the pavement; the plethora of interviews; hours of staring deeply into the 'eyes' of an lcd screen, peering at one job search engine after another. I'm here to touch on those, but to clue you in on a lesser known side-effect of the unemployment scene.

Sacramento is a terrific place to live. Great weather, a booming arts scene, hip restaurants, close proximity to recreation no matter which direction you're headed. From an employment standpoint, as a commercial print veteran, there were a plethora of employment opportunities; we had more than our fair share of commericial printing faciilities and enough demand to keep them all humming along. At least, that's how it was a decade ago.

It's been 18 months since my first lay-off---oh, yes, there have been more than one. Layoff #1 happened when my job was eliminated due to a corporate merge. I'd never been unemployed before, but at the time, I wasn't too terribly panicked; I'd never had the luxury of devoting every waking moment to jobsearching. I should find something in no time flat............right?

At first, I bore the brave face and hopeful optimism of a child. I'd happily spend hours tweaking my resumes to emphasize the skills I possessed that would best fit whatever job I was applying for. There wasn't much in the commercial print arena, but I was confident that hiring managers would see past my lithography-heavy resume, and look at my ''big picture'', the broad skillset I'd amassed that could transfer into other industries with ease.

Um, no, that didn't happen. Not once. No phone calls, no "Dear Johnna" emails, not a single "no thank you". Just silence

BU (Before Unemployment) I was a human Energizer Bunny. I was the single parent who worked a full-time job, plus a sometimes-part-time job, organized two wine and cooking groups, and still got up every morning and hit the gym before work. I rarely had a moment to catch my breath, so rapidly spun my hamster wheel. It was total insanity at times, and I'm still not sure how I managed to cram it all into each day. From 5:30 am to 11:30 at night I was a whirl of activity. It felt like stress, but in hindsight, it must've been the adrenaline pumping instead.

It took exactly 3-1/2 months until I was employed again,. A referral by a former co-worker landed me a great work-from-home gig for a broker. I started on July 1st, and ahhh, that first month was great: terrific boss, and the perfect working environment. I didn't have medical bennies, but the pay was good, and I WAS WORKING!! Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that there was not enough work to keep me busy for 8 hours every day. On September 26, my sweet work-from-home gig went away....

Pass the guacamole please, and that really BIG bag of chips......

Part II - Unemployment 'Stimulus' and the Baskin Robbins 2 fer Sale....

River Cats filling seats despite recession

2009-08-15T02:40:38Z

There is no doubt that the Sacramento River Cats have brought an exciting and competitive brand of baseball to this city since they moved to Raley Field from Vancouver, Wash., in 2000. From the moment of arrival, the team performed and continues to perform well, winning four PCL championships and seven PCL southern division titles, as well as the Triple-A championship last season.

Another area in which this team has never struggled is putting fans in the seats. For the past nine seasons, the River Cats have led all minor league baseball in attendance, carrying about 10,000 fans a game during that span. However, attendance has dropped during the current season due to the economic situation, holding a mark of close to 9,000 a game compared to last year’s clip of 9,700. Because of this, Sacramento's beloved team is facing unprecedented challenges this season.

Yet despite the diminished turnout at games, Vice President of Media Relations and Assistant General manager Gabe Ross said he feels the company is well prepared to handle the down economy.

“Just like any business, we’re not immune to the recession,” Ross said. “But we like the position we’re in. We have tickets that are affordable and a great community reputation, and we’ve had a lot of success. So we’ve been prepared to withstand this climate as well as anybody.”

Affordability, Ross said, has been a central theme the front office is trying to operate by this year. Cheap tickets and more promotional deals have been two ways River Cats management has tried to counteract the effects of the recession on attendance.

Tickets start at $7 for lawn seats and the highest regular seating sections, with the nicest spot in the ballpark topping out at $40. There are also added promotions like Kids Eat Free on Tuesday nights, where children 12 and under get a free dinner.

It's promotions like that, Ross said, that have encouraged more parents to bring their kids out to the ballpark.

“People don’t stop doing things with their family when times are tough,” Ross said. “They just look at getting more value and more bang for their buck. The River Cats can provide that. Another good family deal is on Friday night with our Family Fun Fridays, where you can get four tickets, four hot dogs and four ice creams for 36 bucks.

"People come out to our games for the experience and affordability, and that’s what we try and provide,” Ross added.

There are a number of other weekly promotions offered by the River Cats as well. Sundays are U.S. Bank Kids Days, which provide various activities, including face painting, for children to partake in free of charge. On Tuesdays, single folks can bring a date to the game for free with the buy-one-get-one-free ticket deal for select seating and lawn seats. Tecate beers are also discounted at $3.50 between 6 and 7:30 p.m.

One of the more popular promotions is the Miller Light ‘Que and Brew on Thursday nights. Implemented last year, the event target towards the 21 to 35 age demographic, where there's various barbecued foods, and Miller beers are only $2 from 6-8:30 p.m. A more in-depth look at the 'Que and Brew can be read on a previous article here.

Even though most promotional offers are planned out before the season gets under way, Ross said his staff members have really had to think on their feet this year. He also said they’ve had to be more willing to make adjustments mid-season, while continually keeping an ear open for suggestions from anyone, anywhere.

“We’ve had to be creative,” Ross said. “We’ve done more promotions to focus on the value aspect that highlights the affordability of our product. We did Kid’s Eat Free for the first time on July 28, so that was added well into the season.

“We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas. So if we get an idea, be it from a fan or another corporation, that might resonate with the people of Sacramento, we definitely will try and implement it.”

Another reason attendance has stayed relatively high this season is due to the River Cats' repeated competitiveness, currently holding the best record in the Pacific Coast League at 73-45.

Although River Cats management has no direct control over the personnel assembled on the field, Ross said he has no doubt that a winning team does help the situation. He also added that he wouldn’t be surprised if the turnout remained fairly high even if the team had a poor record, given that many people come out for the experience rather than the product on the field.

As affiliates of the Oakland Athletics organization, the River Cats' fan base tends to be composed of mostly A’s fans. And while many people from Sacramento would make the trip to the Bay Area to catch an A’s or San Francisco Giants game, Media Relations Coordinator Nick Lozito said he suspects more folks are staying local and heading to Raley Field for the sake of saving money.

“The good thing for us is that a lot of people in the Sacramento area, instead of driving to see an A's (or) Giants game, are saving on gas money and buying a cheaper ticket here,” Lozito said. “We offer a good product and are much more affordable, so it just makes a lot of sense for many people out there.”

Despite all the challenges the River Cats have faced this season, things have gone relatively well for the Triple-A powerhouse. And while struggles will continue into the unforeseen future, Ross said that one thing will remain constant: the fans.

“We’re very fortunate to have such a loyal fan base that Sacramento has provided us since the start,” he said. “This city has been, and I’m sure will continue to be, supportive of this team, and we’re lucky to have such great fans.”

More ticket and promotional information, as well as the team’s schedule and other River Cat inquiries can be found on the team’s website at rivercats.com.

Back on the Block, Sacramento's Best Kept Secret.

2009-08-06T15:37:09Z

Traversing the Sacramento County area for a great burger at a great price can be a hard thing to do. Where Classic Burger formerly stood, owner, Steve of the Granite's family, has owned, operated and served up a huge menu of great eats, with "an east coast touch", going on one year now.

This isn't your ordinary hamburger stand, Steve serves up a full diverse menu of Charbroiled Burgers, Italian Meatball Subs, Steak and Mushroom Cheesesteak Hoagies, Hot Pastrami on french roll, Grilled Chicago Dogs, Charbroiled Chicken Sandwiches, B.L.T, Chef Salads, Cold Cut Combo, Ham, Turkey, Italian Salami, Pepperoni and NY Buffalo Chicken Wings 10-50pc to name a few, including 92 other menu items to savor over.

ALL reasonably priced, prices already include sales tax, very generous portions at small prices, mouthwaterin fries in big baskets, huge cheesesteaks, tempting burgers, dogs, or doggery as Steve likes it . It's a restaurant savings and taste factory explosion of greatness in the Arden / Arcade area you've probably driven by or never heard of.

Located at 2440 Fulton Av, Sacramento, CA 95825 at the Southeast Corner of Fulton And El Camino Av. 916-486-0110 business line. Across the street from Mike Daugherty Chevrolet.

Business Hours: 7 Days a week 11am - 7:30pm.

2 over head TVs, usually with ESPN playing, sports memorabilia, ample booths, posters, staff providing a clean atmosphere make for a restaurant you'll keep wanting to come back to. Catering of 4-6ft subs and Wings available.

Bring your appetites & Tell your friends.

Looking forward to seeing you at the shop!

Steve & Bruce & Brian

Granite's Back on the Block - 2440 Fulton Av Sacramento, CA 95825 - 916-486-0110

Eco-friendly biker offers new brand of catering

2009-07-22T04:24:27Z

One would be hard-pressed to find somebody more passionate about preserving the environment than multi-professional bike enthusiast John Boyer.

"I was mad as hell about the treatment of the planet since I was very small," he said. "I've always been an environmentalist at heart."

Boyer Currently holds four occupations: a mechanic at Carmichael Cycle, an instructor at the Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen, a long-time waiter at La Bohème and now founder of catering delivery business Edible Pedal. Yet despite his loaded work schedule, Boyer said he's able to find solace in his work because of the eco-friendly message it provides the community.

"I bike everywhere," Boyer said. "When I was a child, I was probably the original eco-terrorist because I grew up in Michigan and watched the destruction of my environment at a very young age."

As he grew older, Boyer's distaste for his environmentally unsound surroundings drove him to get on his bike and pedal his way to Portland, Ore. to begin life anew in a community he felt better shared his sentiments. From there, he decided to make bicycling more than just a hobby, but a staple of his business and identity, eventually leading him to Sacramento.

"I had always used a bike since I was little, and I used that bike to get out of Michigan to Portland," he said. "After that, I continued to bike my whole life, one way or another. I want to get people out of their cars."

After working for several years as a bike mechanic and waiter, Boyer recently had the idea to merge the two jobs into an eco-friendly catering business called Edible Pedal, a bicycle service that delivers food from a number of smaller catering restaurants within the downtown grid.

Initiated in January of this year, Edible Pedal has continued to grow in recognition and now delivers for several catering restaurants like Sampino's, Magpie, OneSpeed, Steamers and La Bohème, among others still in the works.

"I sort of married the two concepts," Boyer said. "I also incorporated into that the idea of helping small restaurants market themselves. Delivery's not for everyone, but it also helps expose smaller restaurants to the corporate world downtown and in the neighborhood.

"In the future, I'd like every neighborhood to have a nice quality restaurant deliver either pizza, pasta, family style, or something of that sort," he said. "My goal is to have numerous applications of Edible Pedal."

As the business expands its number of caterers, so too has the distances Boyer needs to travel to deliver the food. As the owner and sole employee of Edible Pedal, Boyer bikes across all of downtown while also covering some of East Sacramento in some circumstances. Although it hasn't been easy, Boyer said he is having a state-of-the-art bicycle constructed just for his delivery service by Whitworth Cycles that will significantly improve his carrying capacity, as well as his time efficiency.

Unfortunately, Boyer said that many restaurants are contracting their operations — not expanding — so it has been difficult for him to negotiate with some establishments. However, Boyer said it has also been a great opportunity for him to pitch his inexpensive alternative delivery service to some small businesses that welcome such ideas, as well as corporations who are on the fence with catering and might consider a more affordable option than traditional delivery.

"Because of the economy, it's been a bad time for me to expand with corporations cutting back, so I've noticed a little dip in my catering, to be honest," Boyer said. "But with that said, it's also an opportunity for businesses to use me as a marketing device that's inexpensive. And I've got some marketing ideas up my sleeve that will hopefully get more corporations to cater to their personnel, because they do better when they eat well," he said.

While Edible Pedal is a dream being lived out, Boyer said he knows that additional help will eventually be needed to help him carry the load, literally. He continues to run his business on his own while also working his other professions, something he said has been rather difficult to manage. In the near future, Boyer said he'd like to hire people to deliver alongside him, but that it's been a struggle locating those willing to put themselves in harm's way for the good cause.

"I haven't had that much success outsourcing my riding," Boyer said. It's something I hope to fix here very soon, but it's hard to find good people that have the karma of never getting hit. The Achilles heel of this business is the liability. I'm wiling to take that risk because I believe in the business, and I know I'll find others who feel the same way."

More information and links to the restaurants Edible Pedal delivers for can be found at ediblepedal.com.

Local Veterinary Technician School Meeting Growing Need

2009-07-11T00:50:52Z

Seventeen-week program expands job opportunities in a tough economy

Two local veterinary educators have found a way to help animals, people and the economy all at once.

Al Aldrete, DVM of Davis and Alex Henderson, RVT of Dixon in 2006 founded a school that trains veterinary assistants to become registered veterinary technicians. There are plenty of veterinary assistants, but not enough registered techs authorized to perform certain medical procedures and operate technical equipment independent of a veterinarian’s supervision. If a veterinarian doesn’t have enough registered technicians, they must do the work themselves or risk losing their license.

Veterinarians outnumber veterinary technicians, 2-to-1. Veterinary Allied Staff Education (VASE) fills this need while helping veterinary assistants boost their career and earn a higher income. Published reports say an average unlicensed technician earns about $23,800, while a licensed one makes around $36,200 annually.

VASE first opened in Sacramento and has since expanded to offer classes in Fresno, San Diego and La Mesa.

The 17-week course is accepted by the California Veterinary Medical Board under the California Alternate Route program. The alternate route means the student completes a required number of hours working under the supervision of a veterinarian who certifies they are competent in specific clinical competencies. The VASE curriculum rounds out the requirements to sit for a state RVT licensure exam by offering students the academic portion of the training. Since the school opened, more than 100 students have completed the curriculum with a state exam passage rate of more than 95 percent.

Aldrete, former chairman of the California Veterinary Medical Board, is a veterinarian and former instructor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Henderson is a registered veterinary technician. They’ve known each other since they were pre-vet students at San Diego City College.

Henderson helped start the vet tech training program at Western Career College in Sacramento, and ran it for 20 years. Al was a program adviser there for 13 years, and taught some of the classes.

While private veterinary technician programs can cost as much as $27,000, VASE’s price for the alternate route academic curriculum is $4,000, all-inclusive. Plus, its schedule is attractive to those who can’t afford to quit their jobs to get the training. While community colleges can offer the training for less, it takes at least two years to complete, and not all of the classes are available at night.

“We try to minimize the cost to keep it affordable for the students,” Aldrete said.

VASE is a 17-week program, with classes from 6 to 10 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays. It prepares students to take the state exam for certification by the California Veterinary Medical Board. The program, based in Davis, rents classroom space locally at 1111 Howe Ave. in Sacramento.

Emily Gould was one of the first VASE students when the program began in Sacramento. Today, the 24-year-old not only has an RVT license, she’s a first-year veterinary medicine student at UC Davis.

“The biggest advantage to the course was being able to complete in four months what takes most other programs two years,” she said. “It’s taught at a pace meant for people with experience in the field.”

Kathy Burns, 51, said it’s difficult to fit in school when you’re working full-time and have a family. The VASE format makes it convenient. “To be able to do it in 17 weeks is awesome. I recommend this for anyone who has constraints with their time.”

The demand for the program is increasing, even in the tight economy. Vet assistants want a convenient, inexpensive way to advance their career. Aldrete and Henderson hope to offer the program in more communities, and are getting requests from people in Marin and San Luis Obispo counties.

Veterinarian Jon Klingborg who practices in Merced noted, “Our employee who took the VASE course began asking more detailed questions and demonstrating she understood the reason why she was doing the tasks. My confidence in her has grown and now that she has passed the exam, she is being rewarded through new career options and increased compensation.”

Department of Labor statistics show that the number of veterinary technician jobs is expected to increase 41 percent by 2016. For every technician graduating from an accredited program, there are six to eight jobs available.

The average VASE student has about five years of experience as a veterinary assistant. Often they think they can pass the board exam on their own but soon “realize they must know so much more to be successful on the exam,” Henderson said. “They know the mechanics of the task, but not the medical reason. We teach them the ‘why’s’ of what they are doing so they will be better in their jobs and the care they provide the animals will be better.”

Gould agreed. “There are so many things that you do every day as a technician because you know you are supposed to, but you don’t really know why. VASE was awesome because it showed us why we do a lot of the things we do every day in the veterinary field, and how that relates to the animal's medical status.”

The classes are taught by veterinarians and RVTs, with a maximum of 20 students. Since students are working and don’t have much time left for studying, the program relies on repetition to build knowledge and understanding. It teaches concepts instead of memorization.

What they learn is applied immediately when they return to work the next day. “That’s how you learn,” Aldrete said. “This is basically giving them the science behind what they are doing at work.”

Burns, an office manager at a Stockton vet hospital, said an RVT license brought with it a new degree of respect -- at work and at home.

“I am very proud of what I did. Even my little grandson sent me flowers,” Burns said.

Sessions begin each year in August and January. Call (888) 499-8273 or go to http://www.vetstaff-edu.com for more information.

Note: Shannon Mayo has posted this article on behalf of Veterinary Allied Staff Education (VASE). She works for ACS Quantum Strategies, a public relations firm in Sacramento.

Sweet side of summer

2009-06-29T04:21:36Z

They call him the Ice Cream Dude.

And when people stop 24-year-old Cody Hale on the street, it's just as much because of his car as it is to buy a Watermelon Bomb Pop, Cry Baby Italian Ice or a Bubble Gum Snow Cone.

That's just what the former construction worker from Rio Linda hoped for when he took a gamble with his last $500 and built a rad ice cream wagon that'd be at home at any California beach. Lucky for him, he had an 1965 Volkswagen Beetle sitting in the garage and a dad who helped him restore and modify the car.

Just two weeks into his new profession, he thinks he's found a recession-proof job he can still do despite a recent injury.

"I make more money driving an ice cream truck than in my old construction job," he said as the Beach Boys blared from a loudspeaker attached to the hood. "The job isn't even like a job, 'cause I just drive around and have fun all day."

Unfortunately for Sacramento residents, "Cody's Ice Cream" won't be sold in the city until at least next year. Being so new to the business, he can't afford the insurance coverage needed to be permitted to operate in the city. He can, however, afford to operate in unincorporated Sacramento County and Rancho Cordova.

Last week, he drove into Rancho Cordova and Sacramento to get a county health permit, a background check by the sheriff's office, a county business license and and specialty mobile business license totaling about $275.

Driving the wagon around downtown Sacramento, Hale explained how he and two other family members modified the car. He and his dad, Lyn Hale Sr., cut the top off the Bug and cut the doors down low. His brother, Lyn Hale Jr., painted the body pale green-blue with paint left over in the garage.

They added wood paneling and trim to the sides and replaced the windshield with a low racecar windshield they had. They also removed the back seat and built a back deck for an ice cream freezer.

The cost of his ice cream wagon: $100 for parts, $100 worth of Bondo and $200 for a small freezer from Home Depot. He estimated buying a vintage Bug and having the work done would have cost $8,500.

Hale broke his left wrist in two places six months ago while riding a friend's horse. With his wrist in a cast, he was unable to work as a construction laborer, and the doctor told him the wrist would need to keep healing for many months. His wrist is still so weak he can't do much except drive.

He considered going to truck driving school but decided to become the Ice Cream Dude so he could stay near his family.

Hale designed his ice cream wagon to draw business. Music and an outgoing personality help, too, he said.

In his short time at the job, he's discovered a few other secrets. He does a lot of community public relations at Little League games and cheerleader car washes in the Rio Linda and Elverta areas. He also drives only about three miles an hour -- while most ice cream trucks drive about six, he said.

"I'm going about half that to give the older people time to come out of their house," Hale said. "I have a lot of older clientele. They appreciate the car. They always buy the ice cream sandwiches and Big Dippers, which are the higher-priced items."

He's also figured out where the most people will be outside in highly populated neighborhoods after dinnertime, the magic hour for ice cream vendors.

"Now I have a route and I run the same pattern once a day," said Hale, who estimates gas costs him $7 a day.

He plays mostly 1950s music and the Beach Boys on the loudspeaker and built an open wagon, rather than an enclosed car or truck, to make it easy to have friendly conversations with all his customers.

"I'm trying to bring back the whole '50s era of ice cream trucks and take them back to a happier time of life," he said.

He'll even wear a dog costume when he takes the ice cream wagon to children's birthday parties. He spends $60 to $90 a day on ice cream and $10 a day on dry ice.

He considers it all a fair price to pay.

"It's fun and I make real good money. I don't have any boss over my shoulder. I get to be friendly and talk to people all day long," Hale said. "I'm having the time of my life."

Will the Construction Market Continue to Slide in Sac?

2009-06-15T07:50:15Z

The construction market in Sacramento is at a 16 year low. Unemployment rates are continuing to rise in 2009 and what may seem like “light at the end of a tunnel” is beginning to be going out.

After the financial meltdown in the fall, private financing for construction has almost disappeared. That has left contractors scrambling for public works projects until the financial markets get right again.

According to a recent article in www.californiaconstruction.com, it is estimated that next year at this time, the California Construction Top Projects list may feature road projects, military work and public office buildings instead of retail centers, hotels and office complexes. Contractors in Sacramento are being affected with the types of projects they are building, how they bid and the bids of their competitors.

Another thing is clear: companies that are prepared to work on public projects, especially with more federal stimulus projects being available this summer, will be in much better shape than those who have relied on privately-funded infrastructure.

Joe Bean, a human resource manager for Teichert Construction, a “big player” in the Sacramento area, says, “The construction industry is cyclical. It typically booms for about seven years, then slumps from one to two years. However this last upswing lasted about 12 years of the market being good and some believe, we might have to accept the market to be bad a little longer than usual.”

Advice for the current contractor? Bid smart! Take into consideration prevailing wages and be efficient when constructing. Even if the profit margins are lower, keep work active for employees relying on you to make ends meet. And until the financial markets become stable again, pick your projects carefully and strive for public projects.

County officials address sour economy, "structural deficit"

2009-06-10T05:06:04Z

Sacramento County officials began budget hearings Tuesday with an explanation of the county's poor financial state, noting that the county is expecting an ongoing pattern of poor sales tax revenues, among other problems. The county is also facing criticism about its budgeting practices from credit rating agencies, said Nav Gill, chief operations officer for the county.

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is addressing a $180 million budget gap in budget hearings this week. Supervisors may approve a proposed budget next week. The county’s proposed overall budget is $4.3 billion for the 2009/2010 fiscal year. The proposed general fund budget is $2.03 billion.

“This budget is the most difficult one I have faced in my professional career,” said Sacramento County CEO Terry Schutten on Tuesday.

The poor economy has meant that county revenues from sales taxes and property taxes have fallen, Gill explained. He noted that the county has seen its revenues from sales tax dive, noting that the trend of poor sales tax returns “continues into the future.”

While the economy’s condition has meant decreased revenues for the county, credit rating agencies are launching criticism at the county's budgeting practices. Credit rating agencies have downgraded the county's credit rating, Gill said. The agencies are saying the county has a “structural deficit” because it has used one-time funds to balance budgets in the past, Gill said. They expect the county to balance its budget without using one-time funds, he also said.

The board will hold a hearing on county public safety budgets at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Sacramento Area Business Owners Teach Why Now's the Time to be Excited about Doing Business - Despite Hard Economic Times

2009-06-07T16:52:07Z

Many small business owners are succumbing to fear due to the economy and worry whether they will succeed. Business owners are finding it more challenging to be optimistic and excited about the future of their businesses. However, two Sacramento area business owners are teaching that now is the time to be excited about doing business and they are teaching how business owners can be excited about doing business - despite hard economic times.

Jerry Kennedy, owner of Inside Out Business Solutions, and Joel D Canfield, author, award-winning speaker and co-founder of the Northern California Association of Entrepreneurs, conduct interactive business workshops where attendees learn why now is the time to grow your business and how you can succeed while others fear and fail. Their workshops are titled, "The Time is Now 11:59".

Many immediately think of impending doom when they hear the phrase 'the time is now 11:59'. When asked why they chose that title and what it means to them, Joel and Jerry explained that the source of the phrase is Rick Wilson, a very unconventional people-oriented dentist in Philadelphia. Joel explained that rather than feeling impending doom due to the economy, we should feel the enormous excitement similar to what we feel the minute before midnight on New Year's Eve - even if we have to intentionally cultivate that excitement because we don't feel it naturally. Joel said: "We understand some people are worried right now but we believe you can choose to be excited even if you are not already. That choice will make your business better starting right now."

Joel and Jerry don't just want to share their enthusiasm, of which they have plenty. They want to share why you should be enthusiastic and practical steps on how to have that enthusiasm in your business. Jerry says that at the minute before midnight you can be facing one of two directions. If you are looking backwards you are looking at all the things you could have done differently. If you choose to look forward, you see what you can do tomorrow to get the results you want. He stated: "That's what we are encouraging business owners to do - look forward and make decisions today about what you're going to do tomorrow that is going to get the results you want."

Why do Joel and Jerry feel now is the time to be excited about business when there's an economic downturn? "The economic downturn is what it is," said Jerry. "I love the quote that our suffering is caused by our resistance to what is. If we want to wallow in the misery of the crisis, we can choose to do that or we can choose to focus on how we are going to play a part in fixing it. By focusing on solutions we take our power back because right now for the most part we are giving our power to the media outlets and the doom and gloomers. All we have to do is make the decision to take our power back."

As Joel pointed out, psychologist and sociologists have conducted studies and found that when you have a positive frame of mind you think more clearly, see abstracts more readily, and are more open do different ways of thinking. Because of those things you become better at problem solving and creative thinking. Even if the situation doesn't warrant it, a positive frame of mind still is a better tool for small business persons. "We're not being Pollyannas, pretending nothing's wrong", says Joel. "We just don't believe that the situation has to decide our future."

"It all comes down acting as if," added Jerry. "You can act as if the situation you are in is real and stay in that reality or you can act as if the situation is what you want it to be." Jerry went on to discuss cognitive dissonance, which he explains is a condition of disagreement of what your conscious mind observes through your senses and what your subconscious mind believes to be the case. He says, "Your subconscious ALWAYS, make that bold, all caps, underlined, wins the disagreement." So act as if a belief in your subconscious mind is reality and is what you expect it to be because the subconscious wins the disagreement.

Dr. Richard Wiseman in The Luck Factor and Dr. Barry Schwartz in The Paradox of Choice both refer to counterfactual thinking. Joel says this is needed for creating cognitive dissonance as a tool for improving our mental and emotional state and just plain creating good luck.
So what is the main thing Jerry and Joel want each attendee to take away from their workshop? Simply stated Joel says, "That each attendee can choose to be happy about the future of their business." Jerry adds, "If you are in business, you are in sales: accept it, get over it, and move on. The caveat being do it well, do it properly and you will be a HERO."

Joel and Jerry's next workshop will be held on June 12, 2009 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at 9380 Elk Grove-Florin Road in Elk Grove, California. One of Jerry Kennedy's topics will explain how each business owner today can be a HERO by creating an atmosphere where it's comfortable for people to buy from you. One of Joel D Canfield's topics will discuss how you can make a great living doing what you love. To learn more about their workshops, visit their website at http://theTimeisNow1159.com.

Street Interview

2009-06-05T05:00:14Z

The Sacramento Press is all about providing an outlet for everyone in the community. We recently hit the street to get people's comments on how they're coping with the recession.

This week's question: How has the continued recession affected your spending habits? What are you buying and what are you not buying right now?

Regina LaFitte, 45
Analyst, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Elk Grove Resident

"We're not going out as much. Most days, I bring my lunch. We get the essentials -- that's about it. I have a daughter who's in college. With the (student aid) cuts in education, I'm really feeling that one. As a state worker, we're doing a two-day furlough each month, and they're talking about an extra 5 percent (pay cut) across the board. My husband's not working right now. So overall, it's really touched my family. We really don't do a lot of extra stuff."

Sean Nichols, 41
Mail Handler
Midtown Resident

"I'm still keeping my gym membership. I'm still making money to be able to go to the movies twice a month and modest luxuries like that. I used to buy a shirt or a pair of pants a paycheck. I've cut back on restoration of my car -- a '68 Beetle. I've cut way back on the sports supplements. I used to spend $150 to $200 a month; now I'm spending $50 a month. I don't take as much protein. I'm less likely to be experimental. I've changed my exercise plan to supplement that."

Christine Apostol, 46
Mom
Elk Grove Resident

"We're trying to be reasonable. We're trying to look for sales, taking advantage of the discounts, out-of-business stores -- 'Hello!' I try to make sure the kids are (taken care of). Today's my son's graduation, so whatever his little heart desires -- within reason. The plan is to feed him and take him to his favorite spot. He wanted an earring. We also got him a hat with his name on it."

Cliff Watson, 51
General Contractor, Soon-To-Be website Publisher
Midtown Resident

"Construction's completely stopped. That's why I'm shopping instead of working. I like Macy's; I bought underwear today. I started my cuts (in expenses) last fall. I eliminated cable TV. Extra landline phones: gone. Fax line: gone. I stopped barbecuing and eating meat for the most part, because it's expensive and fattening. So now I eat rice and beans and turkey spam, instead of steak and fettucine alfredo. I'm one of those people who prepares for emergencies. I'm watching the dollar; I think the U.S. currency is going to collapse, and California is going to default and the United States is going to follow suit. So I bought an eight-month supply of rice and canned meat, and backup water filters, containers for water, and a supply of (nutritional) supplements to last for months. I stocked up on things I can use a long time -- except fresh juice, vegetables and fruit. I'll never go back to eating the way I did. Now I'm losing weight and getting more fit."

Elicia Allen, 28
Paralegal
Rancho Cordova Resident

"Our grocery bill has gone up due to the increase in the cost of groceries. My brother moved in with us. That also impacted our grocery bills. I don't usually sale-shop. Now I'm going to Food Source; I'd never gone there before. They have good sales on meat and produce. I got engaged in October. With the way the economy is right now, both myself and my fiancé didn't get our raises this year. Times are tough, and we're both lucky to have our jobs. Unfortunately, it's kind of extended the date of our wedding due to not having enough finances. Instead of having a 75-person wedding, we're going to 50. We're also not going to have a wedding cake. It (the cake) doesn't seem that important when other people don't have homes."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. We welcome your suggestions for future "Street Interview" questions. She can be reached at suzanne@sacramentopress.com or 804-2856.

Sacramento housing: putting a lid on the grid

2009-05-29T05:33:50Z

Special to Sacramento Press

By Dena Kouremetis

It may seem like an anomaly, but it really comes as no surprise to REO expert and Re/Max agent Ray Ponce. Housing in Sacramento’s ‘grid’ – surrounded by freeways in all directions, has simply not become a casualty of foreclosure crisis.

“It’s just a matter of supply and demand,” says Ponce. “There has always been, and will continue to be a demand for housing in this area. Most of the homes in this area were built during the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s during a period of time when quality of craftsmanship and individual style were important for homeowners. These homes are built well and possess charm and character that today’s modern homes simply do not have.”

Ponce adds, “Since there is no more open space for builders to come in and throw up massive subdivisions of homogenous tract houses, the supply has remained relatively stable, even in these hard times. You may have noticed that the areas of Sacramento with the largest number of foreclosures are the areas that grew the fastest during the boom years -- places like Elk Grove, Natomas, and Lincoln. Most of this was caused from over-building and over-pricing.”

Another factor protecting grid homes from the foreclosure glut is the fact that many of the homeowners in East Sac and downtown are original owners or are heirs of original owners, according to Ponce, making them debt-free and lien-free as well. Fewer liens mean fewer foreclosures.

A snapshot of foreclosure activity, in mid April from Foreclosure Radar,for example, reveals approximately 115 active foreclosures in the Elk Grove area as compared to only four in the grid area. The contrast has not changed significantly since then.

According to Ponce, other types of home owners in the grid tend to be young professionals; doctors, attorneys, and business owners, who could afford to put 20-50% down when they bought these homes. “They purchased homes within their means and probably took out fixed rate loans. The buyers who purchased in the new subdivisions may have been the victims of variable rate loans, since homebuilders’ in-house lenders tended to make qualifying easier for cash-strapped buyers.”

The grid area holding its own is consistent, judging by a story reported several years ago in the Sacramento Business Journal. In it, staff writer Michael Shaw found that homes in East Sacramento were selling handily while homes in other areas three times the size of the diminutive East Sac footprints were sitting on the market for at least six months at the time. “Homes located in East Sacramento, one of the city's venerable neighborhoods, along with others such as midtown, Land Park and Curtis Park have in many ways resisted the ravages of the housing downturn,” reported Shaw.

Rapid growth areas are traditionally hit hardest, reminiscent of the saying, ‘the bigger they come, the harder they fall ‘ The 2007 Sacramento Business Journal investigation revealed that Sacramento's strongest neighborhoods, however, have been landlocked for years, resulting in little new construction. This makes them a smaller commodity, forcing prices to stay stable or even increase over time when other areas suffer.

The beauty of downtown-close neighborhoods isn’t all about economics, however. The proximity to the downtown job core is a big draw for buyers, along with the area’s tree-lined streets, neighborhood shops and eateries and entertainment venues.

Instead of three car garages, you get charm,, instead of strip malls you get sophisticated Downtown Plaza, and instead of freeway gridlock, you get light rail, a few bus stops or a 10-minute drive.

Even though the grid area is resilient, however, it is certainly not immune. “Just as in Sacramento as a whole, the inventory of homes for sale in core neighborhoods has crept up over the past two years,” reported Shaw, adding that multiple offers are not commonplace. But homes within Sacramento’s coveted grid have been and always will be a draw, no matter how you slice it.

Why Sacramento Needs Coworking

2009-05-21T23:14:56Z

These days, coworkers don’t have to work for the same company. As a noun, the word “coworker” typically conjures up the default image of people sitting inside little cubes.

But no more.

We are on the cusp of a new economy where workers reclaim and repurpose stale philosophies. Enter coworking, and a movement driven by creative professionals who refuse to be bound by the stodgy cubicle and the 9 to 5 schedule.

These are the people redefining “coworker.” They do all kinds of creative things; they think differently about working, business, food, economics, and even church. They are learning how to cowork in every aspect of life.

They are members of the creative class, which, as Richard Florida writes, is quickly becoming the dominating working class and will have huge economic impacts if creatives in key metropolitan areas can collaborate as a cohesive group.

The spirit behind coworking is inherent in the word, a verb: working together, collaborating. It’s more than a single location; rather it’s a way to harness this city’s Creative Class. To cowork is to collaborate – something that Sacramento desperately needs.

Sacramento Office Space Rates Decline

2009-03-30T23:49:53Z

The Sacramento office market experienced a year-over-year decline of up to 13 percent for key submarkets as landlords began lowering prices and offering incentives in order to attract tenants. In addition with businesses downsizing or closing offices altogether, more space has come on the market which has helped to drive down prices even further.

The following section shows the year-over-year declines for the average price of space in key Sacramento submarkets. (The price range factors in specific location and class of space) :

Downtown - 2009 rates are 8 to 11 percent lower

El Dorado Hills - 2009 rates are 7 to 11 percent lower

Elk Grove - 2009 rates are 8 to 11 percent lower

Highway 80 Area - 2009 rates are 6 to 10 percent lower

Roseville/Rocklin - 2009 rates are 10 to 13 percent lower

While none of the major submarkets posted a gain in average price between 2008 and 2009, there is a silver lining for businesses that signed leases at higher rates. Depending on their individual lease situation, they may be able to negotiate for a lower rate if they are willing to renew their lease. However with the current market situation, many Sacramento businesses are apprehensive about making long-term commitments until the economy begins to turn around. Until that happens, prices for office space in Sacramento will likely go even lower.

Data Source: Synergy Real Estate Group

City's response to 10th and K development project comments

2009-03-20T04:19:17Z

Maurice Chaney, Public Information Officer for the City of Sacramento, had this to say in response to comments made by Cline Moore and Jim Knapp of the Build America nonprofit organization.

"In terms of the money that will be used to fund the 10th and K development, I think it's important to clarify that the Sheraton Hotel proceeds are legally obligated to David S. Taylor Interests and the CIM Group, and can only be used for downtown development projects.

"The City believes that this project builds on the momentum and number of investments made downtown, including the Citizen Hotel, the Crest, Ella’s, the Cosmopolitan, and Marilyn’s. The development of 1012-1022 K Street not only reinforces these investments, but will compliment business activity in Midtown.

With regard to the cost, the City of Sacramento is providing $5.7 million in assistance for the project; not $10 million as mentioned.

"It’s important to remember that the City of Sacramento did its due diligence as part of this project proposal. It met with many stakeholders and other interested parties, including the midtown businesses, over several months to ensure that full participation and outreach was conducted to understand the issues and concerns. Prior to the council meeting, an accord was made, whereby the Mayor, Councilmember Tretheway and several midtown businesses and restaurateurs agreed to move ahead with this project.

"As part of the provision of the agreement, it was agreed that a marketing campaign between the Midtown Business Association, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and the Convention and Visitors Bureau be developed and implemented to effectively market Midtown and central city businesses. Additionally, the city has agreed to match the private dollars generated towards this effort."

A networking night to remember

2009-03-11T06:53:19Z

The Sterling Hotel on 13th and H Street was filled with enthusiasm, entrepreneurial energy and estrogen, Tuesday, March 10.

A group from the Sacramento Press was fortunate enough to attend the monthly Accelerated Networking Dinner for eWomenNetwork. It was the first networking dinner any of us had attended.

Upon checking in, participants received their name tags and were encouraged to mingle among the other business professionals.

Two ballet dancers from the Sacramento Ballet performed while the attendees were getting set up and mingling.

Ron Cunningham, artistic director of the ballet, gave a speech about the upcoming events the ballet has planned (30 more for the rest of the season) and discussed the organization of the Save Our Ballet group, which hopes to raise $150,000. He also mentioned that the ballet had a new home on 14th and H Streets, where the Center for Performing Arts will house four of Sacramento's major classical arts in one building.

The event officially started at 6 p.m. when Suzi Sherman, executive managing director of the Sacramento eWomenNetwork, read the group's mission statement and introduced the women who had set up booths for the evening.

For a timed 60 seconds, each person sitting at the table gave an infomercial about who she was, what she did and what she was looking for in the next 30 to 60 days. Some women were looking for a new laptop, free publicity for an event they were organizing – it was not confined to just obtaining new clients.

Women from all different walks of life were in the mix, and there was one male member out of the more than 40 women in attendance. There was a DJ, green consultant, one-of-a-kind garment designer, professional display sign vendor, life coach, jewelry designer, and writing services specialist, to name a few.

The goal of the dinner was to make connections, not to pass out as many business cards as possible. Not everyone exchanged cards, only those who felt they could benefit from knowing the new contact.

Before dinner was served, attendees were split up into groups of eight to 10 by a pink deck of cards placed on the table for one more round of speed networking.

As dinner finished, Michelle Gamble-Risley, who has over more than 20 years of experience in communications and is a professional writer, public relations and marketing expert, according to her website, began her speech on being successful even in this economy.

Gamble-Risley was not the original scheduled speaker, but her interactive presentation on creating a vision proved to be very useful for the women and man involved.

The Accelerated Networking Dinner concluded with a raffle, which included a pedicure and wine adventure, two tickets to the Sacramento Ballet's Modern Masters, Abbreviated, an Afternoon Tea gift pack and cookbook and many other prizes.

Many of the women in attendance admitted that they have been to many networking events over the course of their careers, but that the eWomenNetwork dinners were the most enjoyable and the most successful.

To learn more about the Sacramento eWomenNetwork, visit ewomennetwork.com.

Editorial: In hard times

2009-03-08T00:47:21Z

These are the strangest days. Even after a decade of bad news, the news is even more terrible. And the bad news is now as close to home as it's ever been in my memory. Sacramento always felt like a bubble, largely because of the state and the diverse economy, we weathered previous downturns better than a lot of places.

But with the ongoing shrinkage of the mighty Bee, not to mention the troubles at the state, which always protected us from feeling what places like Michigan felt, Sacramento feels less like the safe place it's usually been.

Today, the New York Times tells us that 2009 is going to be more of the same, and other economists are saying that a recovery won't come until next year at the earliest, with others citing 2011, 2012 and others are evoking the spectre of a "lost decade" like Japan's. The "D" word - Depression - is showing up on TV screens from CNBC to Fox. Moody's economist Mark Zandi was quoted in the Bee yesterday as saying that the stock market may not see 12,000 again for a decade. This is not good news.

Today's NYT also said that many of the jobs that are leaving us will not be back, just as Bruce Springsteen wrote during our last terrible recession in the early '80s.

“These jobs aren’t coming back,” said John E. Silvia, chief economist at Wachovia in Charlotte, N.C. “A lot of production either isn’t going to happen at all, or it’s going to happen somewhere other than the United States. There are going to be fewer stores, fewer factories, fewer financial services operations. Firms are making strategic decisions that they don’t want to be in their businesses.”

Our world is changing, perhaps even more than it did after 9/11. That changed our sense of security, and for many, undermined our trust in government, as US citizens' privacy became a moot point in the pursuit of "enemies foreign and domestic."

But what makes it doubly strange is this: Today, it's sunny and breezy and trees are budding and people are out and about and life just ain't so bad. We're in a drought, but it's been raining enough to help, a bit. The economy is tanking, but most of us still have jobs. Job losses have been severe, especially in construction, and high profile troubles at the state and for media workers in newspapers - and TV, and radio - underline how bad it is.

Still, between bouts of pessimism and despair, I'm essentially an optimist. It's harder in times like these, but while I see very clearly the hard times - having been through more than a year of no job myself - it's still the only way to go.

These are the times that try men's souls, it's true. And you see a bit about people in their reactions to the bad news, not always appealing. I admit my own vascillations between hope and despair, particularly in the way I talk - one day I'm quoting terrible news, the next I'm sayin' it ain't so bad. Strange times.

But I had a conversation with some good friends the other night, outside the Torch Club, and the conversation turned to the economy, and the gloom. And several of the conversants - all guys in their 30s and 40s - opined that, in times like these, the cops were spread thin, and the best insurance against hard times was a shotgun.

I see their point - guns can be powerful protection against home invaders, maybe - but maybe they aren't. And maybe being able to kill someone isn't really the best solution to an economic problem (isn't that the province of armed robbers?). What was most striking was that my friends went there - they chose to go there. Of all directions they could go, they chose to focus on the fact that they had guns, and that those weapons bought them some sense of security.

In times like these, there seem to be two basic choices in how to respond. One is to hunker down, surround yourself with your dwindling cash (or better yet, supposedly, gold), a pantry full of canned goods and home schooling for your kids. We've all seen dystopian films about a devastated future in which everyone wears black leather or rags, the guys shave every three days and the women look kinda hot and are even more "accessories" than usual.

But that's not how it's going to be, folks. It's going to be a lot less appealing to guys who like to see some showdown on the front lawn as the final denouement of our civilization.

It's not going to be like that because life goes on. Life must be lived, not fought. And the other choice is to do just the opposite of hunkering down; it is to expand, to reach out, to do things that are NOT the stuff of macho movies and apocalyptic fantasies. It is to do the hard work of community.

The solution is to do what every great spiritual and moral tradition dictates as the road to happiness, and probably even success: GIVE. Look outside yourself, your little house and family, and see what other people need.

It is perhaps no surprise that this is the basic advice of entrepreurship: "Find a need and fill it."

Well, folks, there are a lot of needs out there. One of my hopes for The Sacramento Press, coming into being at such a strange moment, at a time when not only is society in general undergoing major shifts, but the news business is as well, is this:

We choose optimism. We choose community. We are offering a place where members of our community can reach out to each other, give each other news and ideas that can help mitigate the difficulties of the time and even inspire. I want us - and when I say us, I mean all our readers and contributors now and in the future - to ask a basic question of ourselves:

What is needed? What information can I post here that will help other people, help our community see a way forward, help our town's leadership make wise choices, and do everything we can to make sure that our connections with each other are stronger, and more productive, than they've ever been before?

Jobs at paper-and-ink (and gas) newspapers are shrinking, but the news (bad as it is) is still crucial. It will get out. As the Times said, a lot of the jobs we thought we'd always see, or have, are going away and not coming back. The world is changing. The choice is simple: Hunker down and try to hold onto what you've got, or expand, look at things in new ways, try new things, and above all, be hopeful and optimistic.

This may be a tall order, particularly in times when the "natural" impulse is to protect what is "mine." But nothing is really ours, we just have things for a time, and that includes our very lives. One of the basic wisdoms of the world is to practice "non-attachment": to things, to people, to outcomes. Life is going to give us what it gives us - or takes away - ultimately, it will take everything. Being OK with that is the first step to being able to see past ourselves, past our animal instinct to go into our holes and put a rock in front of the door.

Times like these offer us a chance to roll away the stone and step out into our community. It may be scary, but it also may start a shift away from fear and into something like love. And it will probably be what saves our economy.

Rep. Doris Matsui On Mayor Johnson’s Volunteer Initiative

2009-03-02T20:07:54Z

The following is a news release from the office of Congresswoman Doris Matsui:

Calls for Renewed Commitment to Service in Wake of Recession

Sacramento - Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-05) renewed her call today for Americans to participate in community service in the wake of challenging economic times. As a Co-Chair of the National Service Caucus, Rep. Matsui has been an advocate and leader on national service issues. Congresswoman Matsui has continued to promote service locally, participating in numerous events with service members who build homes, tutor children, clean parks and assist first responders during fires and other natural disasters.

Congresswoman Matsui also introduced House Resolution 43 earlier this year, which recognizes the efforts of those who serve their communities on Martin Luther King Day and promotes the holiday as a day of national service. As the Honorary Chair of Volunteer Sacramento, Rep. Matsui released the following letter today in support of the Mayor Kevin Johnson’s initiative:

Dear Friends,

As your representative in Congress and as Co-Chair of the Congressional National Service Caucus it is an honor to support Mayor Kevin Johnson’s efforts to increase volunteerism in our city.

From our nation’s beginning, Americans have always valued service and giving back to the communities that we are from. Sacramento is no different, as the spirit of volunteerism has always defined our city. We are privileged to be home to AmeriCorps*NCCC’s western headquarters, hundreds of community based non-profits and countless individuals that are committed to improving the lives of others. I am confident that this new initiative, which is designed to further enhance that spirit of volunteerism, will enjoy your support.

I look forward to working with you to help this initiative be a resounding success, a success that our city can be proud of.

Best regards,

DORIS O. MATSUI

Crocker Launches Arts Stimulus Package

2009-02-20T23:24:28Z

Economy have you feeling down? The Crocker Art Museum is offering some much-needed respite and relaxation at special rates through its Arts Stimulus Package. Launching today, the special deals and discounts will remain in effect through 2009.

“Historically, museums are very well attended during times of national strife and economic decline,” comments Lial A. Jones, Director, Crocker Art Museum. “Individuals look for places to relax and refresh. Our goal is to keep the Crocker easily accessible during this difficult time.”

The Arts Stimulus Package includes two ongoing specials for the general public and extra discounts for public employees on Furlough Fridays.

Guests can purchase a new membership onsite at the Museum and receive $5 off an Individual or Family-level membership, regularly $45 and $55 respectively. Membership benefits include one full year of offerings from the Crocker, including free admission, special exhibition opening celebrations, Third Thursday Jazz concerts, family programs and more.

Visitors enjoy 10 percent off a purchase of $10 or more at the Museum Store with the coupon available for download at crockerartmuseum.org/specials. The Museum Store offers a variety of unique items that reflect the Museum's diverse art collection, its exhibitions and programs and the regional arts scene.

Every Friday, state, county and city employees may show their business cards or identification badges to receive reduced admission for up to four individuals. Furlough Friday admission rates are $4 adults, $3 seniors and $2 students. Admission is regularly $6 adults, $4 seniors and $3 students. Public workers will also receive $10 off a new membership when purchased onsite at the Museum on Furlough Fridays.

For more information, visit crockerartmuseum.org/specials.

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in Downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday; 1st and 3rd Thursdays until 9 p.m. Free admission on Sundays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. is made possible through the support of Bank of America. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 808-7000 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

State of the People

2009-01-15T17:05:00Z

Wednesday, on the eve of Governor Schwarzenegger's annual state address, droves of people gathered at the State Capitol to protest the recent budget cuts. Various state, union and trade organization members, as well as local students and state workers, attended the rally entitled "State of the People."

The recent cuts -- totaling $10 billion in 2008-09 -- have left many throwing blame at each other for the state's financial problems. In the meantime, many California families' financial problems multiply in the midst of our nation's economic crisis.

This protest is held annually, with a similar larger one scheduled during the Governor's address. Though upwards of a thousand people showed up, they were a passionate and peaceful crowd.

Evan LaVang, director of the Independent Living Resource Center of Northern California, warmed up the crowd and emceed. "Budget cuts have deeply wounded our families," said LaVang.

Roughly a hundred stood behind him, holding signs with slogans such as "We need jobs not layoffs," "School cuts won't fix the economy," and "Families are losing their homes."

The overall message of the nine featured speakers was that regular people -- teachers, health care providers, the elderly -- suffer disproportionately from the budget cuts.

One speaker, Herb Meyer, a disabled 73-year-old, is not only a veteran of a foreign war, but a veteran of the protest.

The Marin County resident said in his speech, "This is the fourth year in a row I've been here." A recipient of In Home Supportive Services (IHSS), Meyer relies on home workers to help him with his daily activities. "IHSS is one of the most cost effective programs in the state of California," said the disabled veteran from his wheelchair. But if the Governor’s proposal passes, IHSS will be eliminated.

Audience member Juan-Antonio Molina, a home care worker from San Francisco, was also visibly angry about the effects of the yearly budget cuts.

"Every year it is the same," Molina said. "Home care and health always get cut first, but everybody needs it; it's not a luxury. The elderly need and depend on the home care workers. Why not cut money from the rich people?"

When asked about what the protest meant to her, Berta Perez, another home care worker, said, "It means that we have hope. It's not right what he's cutting, especially for the elderly because they need to live with dignity. The governor should sit down and realize that the elderly and disabled people need the most financial help."

The Governor’s budget proposes that grants for elderly and disabled individuals to receive money from Social Security Income and the State Supplement Program will be reduced to the 1983 standard level.

Speakers led the crowd in chants such as, "Enough is enough!", "No more cuts!", and "Walk one day in our shoes!"

Most speakers targeted Governor Schwarzenegger as the person to blame. California families wanted to make it clear that the "State of the People" is grim, and to see Schwarzenegger's plan is faulty.

Was anyone there? If so, what was your impression of the protest? How has the state's budget cuts affected you? How can we solve the state budget problem?

Slow death of the Record Store?

2009-01-06T23:02:36Z

Those who know me know that one way or another I love to share music. As such, for Christmas and other occasions I try to give the gift of music, these days typically in the form of a CD. Thus the other day I went in search of an album by the famous Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, (he’s the big guy who does the great version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"). Alas, my favorite local "record" store "Off the Record" here in Auburn, is no longer, having recently succumbed to the economic pressures independent retailers face these days. Not to fear, the new Best Buy must have a CD of this popular artist, but no, I glanced over to the local K-Mart, possibly they would have it, nope. What to do? My last hope on this Sunday was the Target; I tried but no luck there either, SOL in Auburn on this quest. I did succeed in my task, down the hill to Grandmother's place we went, and along the way we stopped by a Borders Book's, and after a good search found a CD, while not my 1st choice, it did serve the purpose, and after dinner we all enjoyed some the beautiful music that Israel left behind during his ever so brief life.

This adventure made me sit back and look at the role "record stores" have played in my life, and what will happen without them. Yeah I know there is more music and more variety than ever on the World Wide Web, but it’s just is not the same, and without human interaction, finding new music is a big gamble. Sometime around 5th grade, my parents bought me an electric guitar, my Grandmother knew about this, and wanted to get me something that related to this gift. So off Grandma went to the local music store. As was the norm, she went up to the clerk (I don't care what the time period is, I guarantee the appearance of an independent record store clerk, has to be fun for Grandma's), told them about me & asked for a suggestion, end result: under the tree that year was a copy of Jimi Hendrix’s' "Are You Experienced". While I was exposed to the typical commercial fare of the time, music I would equate to what you would typically find at today's Wal-Mart, Jimi Hendrix opened a whole new world to me (in retrospect I think my parents might have preferred me to have gotten a copy of the Partridge Family!).

I was fortunate enough to grow up (at least grow older) in the '70's, a time which for a musically confused person such as myself, there was no better period. And to top that off, midway through the decade, I moved from the Bay Area to the East Coast, near Philadelphia & New York City. I cannot imagine what my life would be without the local record store. While I am sure the top acts would still get some recognition & fame, i.e. Zep, Kiss, Fleetwood Mac, KC & the Sunshine Band, Lynyrd Skynryd, Bruce, etc., some of my more favorite music & artists that most influence and affect me would likely not, i.e. acts the Grateful Dead, Elvis Costello, Roxy Music, Jerry Jeff Walker, John Prine, Bob Marley, or for that matter Metallica (& these are the big names). These acts and so many more did not get mainstream air play, radio stations such as KFAT & KSAN in the Bay Area were not to be found in most areas of the country. For one to discover the music of these artists, you had to count on word of mouth, if you were lucky, the Sunday paper may have a decent selection of music critics (the Bee used too) or as was more often the case than not, the luck of perusing the racks of the local record store. Our shop was great, there was the rocker clerk, the punk clerk (who dabbled in New Wave also), and of course the obligatory Hippie clerk. All of who had a mission to discover & promote the newest and “best” music around, and all of these clerks had a play in what I listened too (resulting in a trip to the Spectrum for the Dead, or off to CBGB’s for the Ramones!). "Cut-Out" / Demo and the import singles could be found, all of which could be played upon request, not to mention the world of used records. For the cost of a top selling album of the time, a record store junkie could purchase 2 cut outs & 3 singles! Of course this opened led to wanting to see these acts who would frequent famous venues such as CBGB's, the Bottom Line, the Keystone & Stone clubs in the Bay Area, the list goes on.

Alas from San Francisco, to New York these clubs like record stores are getting fewer and farther between. Musicians that can still be heard on stations like KFAT, KVMR (89.5 FM here in the Sac area) or your local college radio station, have fewer and fewer options to pay the food and gas bills. There was a time when on any given night a great act could be caught at a local venue, and one could head to the local record shop to buy there music (rarely did artists have their own music to sell at shows), if not available they would be more than happy to special order it for you. That is not the case now, fewer and fewer venues are having fewer and fewer shows, and as mentioned fewer and fewer record stores to listen and buy their music. Music critics are usually the 1st to go at a struggling paper, and "free" advertising is almost a thing of the past. Yeah there are exceptions, and I pray they continue. Sacramento is especially blessed, with outlets like the Beat, Dimples or R5, and venues such as Empire, Marylyn’s, Old Ironsides, and The Boardwalk or even Club Retro. But I know it is tough for them to survive. In addition, Sacramento is blessed to have publications like SN&R & Alive and Kicking, and e products such as the SacramentoPress & eMusiConnect (while not as much as a couple years ago, I still like the Sunday "Explore" - alas the "Ticket" is gone too). The cost to present and promote a show is very high, it gets harder and harder for promoters & proprietors to take "risks" on little or "un" known acts. On the flip side, the costs for a musician / band to hit the road are ever increasing, and if not part of a package deal, it often costs more than you make to hit the road, for which shortly one can add "traveling" musician to the "disappearing" list. I think you all get the idea. From the change in drinking age, to the budget restraints on patrons, making a buck as a music focused venue is next to impossible.

I shudder to think of what my Grandmother might have gotten me if she was forced to go to the local Target or Wal-Mart for my gift. One can only imagine the recommendation of the clerk, who was pulled from the toiletries section to help her out! Today I would hope she would at least go to Wal-Mart, because thanks to exclusive contracts (that's another story) they are the only place to buy the new AC/DC Album (I still have the Australian Import of Dirty Deeds, gotten well before the 1st US Release, thanks to a local record store!). No I would probably be planning to get in line for the Poco, Pure Prairie League & Firefall 2009 Tour (in all honesty, I did like PPL back in the day), instead of planning out this years Auburn Rec Districts Free Party in the Park featuring The Waybacks (Don't miss them, the way things are going, this is exactly the kind of music you may not get to hear in the future visit www.partyinthepark.net for more- sorry for the shameless plug, but it is a great time & it is free and I get paid nothing, so...)

That's my rant for the day; stay tuned for my take on ticket prices, “national” promoters & parking! In the mean time, support local music, put a tip in the musicians cap, buy from independent retailers be it online (miles of music, village records, cdbaby....) or in person & as always ...

Keep Smilin'

Scott Holbrook

Struggling Auto Repair Shop Owner, Dad, Husband, Member Auburn Rec District Board of Directors, egotistical music snob & stubborn opinionist!

Midtown "Night Life" Issues Meeting: Tough Questions Untouched

2008-12-11T21:37:36Z

11 December 2008

A meeting was held on 10 December at the Hart Center at 27th and J Streets, hosted by Councilman Cohn, to address midtown night life issues. City departments, residents, neighborhood associations, businesses, and the Midtown Business Association were all represented in the excellent turn out.

The meeting opened with the Councilman’s observation that night life in Sacramento appears to be flourishing, especially in the central city, and that “night life” and “Sacramento” can now be used in the same sentence without eliciting outright laughter. On the agenda were discussions of how to best address code violations, noise, graffiti, and parking, as well as a discussion of best practices in other cities.

Notably absent was a discussion of how to address the balance of costs and benefits of midtown night life to the community as a whole.

Community members who’ve been vocal about the adverse impacts of the boom in night life activity in the central city have been labelled backward, obstructionist, anti-business, unwelcome, and worse. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Midtown community members live and work here because they value mixed use in their community, as well as their close proximity to the center of Sacramento. They appreciate the short walks to local businesses were they can develop long-term relationships with business owners and other members of their community. They value the diversity of people living and working in their community and believe that a balance between competing interests can be achieved.

The same community members understand that living in a central city area does not exclude the development of safe, stable, diverse, and livable neighborhoods. In fact, the sustainable growth of a successful central city is entirely dependent on obtaining and maintaining these desirable characteristics. However, to achieve this goal, the principle of balance must be respected.

In comment after comment at the meeting, residents and business owners from the midtown community noted the negative impacts of the ever growing numbers of “entertainment venues” on their ability to maintain safe and livable neighborhoods. Issues raised included the observation that it has not proven possible for residents, businesses, and the city to abate the effects of code violations, such as parking and noise.

Notably, the most egregious adverse effects of the “entertainment venues” do not involve retail or primary restaurant business, but appear to result from large venues who’s “entertainment” offerings consist primarily of alcohol.

Unfortunately, these observations were dismissed, as they have been in the past, as inevitable growing pains. When asked directly whether the city has any intention of restricting the future proliferation of alcohol-related “entertainment” in midtown, they were informed by Councilman Cohn that this would continue to occur on a case-by-case basis- which is exactly what has allowed the current imbalance and resulting conflicts to develop in the first place.

Successful community development can only proceed with the consent of the community. Outside interests, particularly those driven by profit motives and misguided notions about progress, including government, cannot substitute for the will of local community members.

Missing in the discussion that took place at the Hart Center is an acknowledgment that the public sector (government) exists to protect the commons (e.g., the general environment, public safety, and intangible commodities like livability), as well as other goods that are not valued appropriately by the market. Although government should not obstruct the private sector, it must also recognize when the market is devaluing the commons, an event known to economists as “market failure”.

When market failure occurs, it is the role of government to address it using appropriate enforcement and regulation as authorized by the community. One need only look at the current worldwide economic crisis to see that an unholy alliance between markets and the public sector will inevitably undervalue the needs of the community and will produce undesirable outcomes. Without a discussion about the costs to the community of the further development of midtown as an “entertainment district” of venues whose primary business is the sale of alcohol, any attempt at problem abatement is the equivalent of mopping rainwater off the floor without adressing the hole in the roof.

Let’s hope this oversight will not continue in future discussion between members of the midtown community regarding night life issues.

Do You Have a Business?

2008-11-29T19:42:26Z

Do you have a business?

As the sales manager of The Sacramento Press, I have been meeting with a lot of small business owners in the area who I would have never heard of if it weren’t for a few good leads. And, it’s pretty likely that a lot of other Sacramentans haven’t heard about these quaint little businesses either. We are talking about businesses that could offer up some great goods and services to you and those you know.

With the economy in a downward spiral, it’s becoming more and more difficult for these businesses to brand themselves and market their offerings. As a result, they aren’t in a position to buy internet advertising like they used to.

So when faced with these oppositions I often find myself telling the client, “I understand your dilemma, and eventually I want to be your online ad manager.” “If you can’t place an ad with us today, then we will follow-up with you in the coming weeks with the hope that things have gotten better.”

We all know times are hard, financially, for everyone; however, businesses must advertise in order to keep sales up. Internet advertising can be a key driver to getting more people in the doors of so many local retail and service shops. More people go online now, than ever before, to find nearby restaurants, specialty shops, doctors, dentists, etc.

So the question is, “Do you have a business?”

If you do, send me and email or give me a call. If you don’t, then chances are you know someone who does and you too can drop me a line. You’ll not only be helping The Sacramento Press, you will be helping our community and those small business owners who are in dire need of patrons.

Thanks again,

Angela Jackson
Sales Manager
The Sacramento Press

Working Poor Hit Particularly Hard Now

2008-11-15T16:47:22Z

I'm the first Community Editor for The Sacramento Press, but my full time work is in the social services. I have the sometimes heartbreaking opportunity to learn the intimate details of people's lives- particularly their financial lives. Did you know there are people living in Sacramento who are not at all equipped to weather any hardship? For example, I routinely help people who have an income of $800 a month, and their rent is $500. And they just had a joint replaced at 73 years old. Or they need an anti-biotic that is not covered by Medi-Cal. So they can't pay SMUD this month. And then next month SMUD's $40 instead of $20, and with last month's problems and getting behind....and you could see how this chain of events could lead to disaster with such a small margin of income.

Some of my clients are never going to be able to increase their income because of genuine disability or age. It's also not uncommon for me to help someone who teeters on the edge of homelessness- an injury puts them out of work, which was a part time or a contract job to begin with, and now they're hurt and don't have disability pay and can't really get another job in their current state of health.....you get the picture.

If you are not as bad off as what I've described, maybe you would want to give back to the community- financially. Volunteer hours are great, but consider donating gifts through a giving tree, donating money to an organization where the money would directly benefit those in need, or donating food to a family in need (this can be done through the Food Bank or Wellspring.) And remember, there's a need year-round, not just at the holidays.

Senior Connect

2008-11-05T00:29:40Z

Due to dozens of urgent phone calls from seniors struggling with the tough economy, Senior Legal Hotline, Meals on Wheels and the Volunteer Center of Sacramento and the City of Sacramento, have come together to create SENIOR CONNECT a direct service event bringing help to those who need it. The event will be held from 10am – 2pm on Friday, November 14 at the Oak Park Community Center, 3425 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Sacramento.

No ordinary information and referral fair, Senior Connect will include more than 20 agencies, providing important information and on-site services including: SMUD with immediate utility assistance, consumer debt assistance from Senior Legal Hotline, HUD-Approved Housing Counselors answering questions, Food Stamp Eligibility Screenings and more.

There will also be free services, such as, on-site Blood Pressure Screenings, a specially erected clothing closet, and dry haircuts given by MTI College A Paul Mitchell Partner School. Free morning snacks will be available and free lunch will be available to the first 100 seniors (over age 60).

On-site Seminars include: 10am Fraud Prevention, 11am Foreclosure & Predatory Lending, 12:30pm Planning for Long Term, and 1:30pm Healthy Aging.

For more information please contact Jennifer Anders, Senior Legal Hotline at (916) 930-4930 or janders@lsnc.net or Christine Wallace, Volunteer Center of Sacramento at (916) 567-3100 x106 or cwallace@volunteersac.org for more info.

How do sports impact Sacramento?

2008-10-14T02:06:18Z

How should sports impact a city? Since Sacramento is the capital of the state, should sports play a more central role in its economy, community and priorities?

The California International Marathon is approaching in December, this year's race will end at the Capitol. In 2006, Sacramento saw 6,000 delegates and $1,893,312 in economic impact as a result of the California International Marathon. Next year, the AMGEN tour will draw thousands to see the largest bicycling tour race through the streets of midtown. Parking and traffic will be affected with street closures and limited parking in a huge chunk of downtown Sacramento. However, one positive aspect of the AMGEN tour was that it brought 5,000 delegates and $1,052,454 in economic impact last year.

The Capitol hosts the start and end of many important runs and walks. Just this month, two major fitness events will grace the steps of the Capitol. On October 11, hundreds of people will participate in the Step out Walk to Fight Diabetes, and just over a week later (October 19) walkers and runners will join the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Sacramento race.

Sacramento does not have a Major League baseball team, nor does it have a National Football League team. Plans to build a new arena for the Kings where the Union Pacific railyard is were derailed in the past.

Is it fair to say that midtown and downtown Sacramento favor more community involved sports - where anyone can participate and enter, rather than sports that only a select few, many from all over the country can participate? How much money do Sacramentans spend to travel out of city or out of state to see their favorite sports teams play at other venues? How much of a crowd do we draw from other states to see our events or our teams play? Should Sacramento spend more on the development of sports teams and venues? How much of a presence should sports have on a city?