As of Jan. 1, laws affecting child booster seats, LGBT rights, handgun open-carry and liquor sales will be among many going into effect in California. Here are some of the highlights of what Californians – and Sacramentans – have in store for them in 2012. BOOSTER SEATS: Previously, children had to ride in approved child restraint devices – booster seats – until they turned 6 years old or weighed 60 pounds. As of Jan. 1, children must ride in booster seats until they are 8 years old or at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Kids under 8 years who are taller than 4 feet 9 inches are allowed to use a safety belt instead of a booster seat. HANDGUN OPEN CARRY: Bans citizens from openly carrying hand

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday that with the NBA lockout over – and the Sacramento Kings resuming their season – more than 700 workers at the Power Balance Pavilion will be able to return to their jobs. “We are excited. With the lockout ended you will see people returning to work,” Johnson said. Since the lockout began, Power Balance Pavilion employees have lost a significant amount of work, and businesses that rely on the traffic that NBA games bring in have suffered financially. With the four-plus month lockout and all pre-season games cancelled and a shortened season ahead, employees have missed out on a substantial amount of work. On Del Paso Boulevard, businesses have repor

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 inf

Everyday, millions of conversations take place across the country. Employers ask, teachers tell, and friends talk. Communication, it is said, is the key to success. For many people with developmental disabilities who cannot speak, the lack of basic communication is an ever present barrier in developing relationships, finding a job, being hired, or performing a job optimally. Other than a few exceptions, people who cannot talk do not work. An inability to effectively communicate with peers, employers and support staff most often leads to stereotyping, social rejection and failure in the workplace. Frustration caused by an inability to express basic needs becomes a “behavior problem” to be f

Law professor Michelle Alexander, author of "The New Jim Crow," spoke to a standing-room-only crowd of over 200 people at the Women’s Civic Improvement Center in Oak Park on Wednesday. The event was sponsored by a variety of local organizations, including the local chapter of All of Us or None, A Project of Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. The crowd was virtually mesmerized by the fascinating statistics about the devastating effects of the “War on Drugs,” along with the explanations of important details from relevant rulings from U.S. Supreme Court cases that drove home nearly every point made by Alexander’s seemingly encyclopedic recitation from memory. Although Alexander rea

There’s something unusual happening at the Orangevale Recreation and Park District. It’s not ballet classes or a magic show—although those things are happening. It’s something that has grown behind the scenes and yet is a key part of the parks we enjoy. For almost 13 years, Orangevale parks have benefitted from a crew that does everything from waxing the slide at the pool, to chalking the baseball diamond. What’s unique about this crew is that it consists of three individuals who have a range of developmental disabilities. You might not normally think that people with developmental disabilities would be shredding almond branches through a wood chipper, or driving giant lawn mowers across

Q: How does a company that employs over 200 people, supports over 400 participants, works with over 100 businesses, and has been doing so for 58 years fly under the radar of most of Sacramento? A: Because, maintaining a strong and steady course doesn’t always get you noticed! Today I would like to introduce you to InAlliance, a successful nonprofit that is on a mission to build a more livable workable world by developing programs that support adults with developmental disabilities in the greater Sacramento area. In the 1950’s the world was a different place, and if you didn’t fit into the general idea of “normal,” you didn’t stand a strong chance of succeeding. This was especially true

 It was testimony to the tenuous state of the Sacramento job market that a full house attended the Sacramento Social Media Club’s May event, “Putting Social Media to Work: leveraging social networking tools to find and fill jobs.”  The panel discussion, held at the Urban Hive last week, featured four local professionals speaking of their experiences and expertise using social media to implement and accelerate job searches. The overall message of the four speakers was that social media--Twitter, Facebook and the like--have the potential to vastly broaden the parameters of a job and/or employee search. Speaking from one side of the hiring table was Curt Cetraro, CEO of ConnectPoint Search

Unemployment and job-seeking are still the number one issue in Sacramento and that’s the impetus behind The Sacramento Social Media Club’s panel discussion, “Putting Social Media to Work: Leveraging social networking tools to find and fill jobs” at the Urban Hive on Tuesday, May 18. The speakers represent a number of perspectives on exploring the tools that job seekers and recruiters alike are using to connect with each other via social media. Curt Cetraro is the CEO of ConnectPoint Search Group, a Sacramento region recruiting firm that provides Direct Placement, Contract Staffing, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing, enabling companies to use social media to increase recruitment efficien

Early Tuesday morning, hairspray filled the air and clothes flew off the racks while women in a fashion frenzy closely studied their figures in full-length mirrors. Laughter echoed down the hallway of the Women's Empowerment building as ladies were transformed into professional divas. The ambiance was similar to a group of friends during a shopping trip. The makeovers were not simply a day at the mall. The event was aimed to prepare formerly homeless women for job interviews. Women's Empowerment is an eight-week program designed to help women ease their way out of poverty.  Although revitalizing physical appearance is part of the process, the three core emphases of the program include fi

Thursday morning, the Federal Department of Transportation is expected to announce it’s decision on how roughly $8 billion of federal stimulus funding will be allocated. California hopefully awaits a response to it's application for $4.7 billion of the stimulus funds in order to proceed with a high-speed rail project that has long awaited realization. California High-Speed Rail Authority Board Chairman Curt Pringle believes California is a strong contender. “We can double the value of the federal government’s dollars by matching them with state bond funds approved by California voters last year.” He said. By this, he referred to the narrow passage in November 2008 of Proposition 1A, al

California's unemployment rate is now the highest it's been in nearly 70 years. While some are still struggling to find a new job as an employee, there are those with the entrepreneurial spirit who have decided to create their own job by becoming a business owner - an entrepreneur. This is a growing trend here in Sacramento. A rapidly growing industry is that of virtual assistants, also know as VAs. Though small business owners cut back on expenses and lay off employees, they still need have a need for certain tasks to be done - such as bookkeeping, phone calls, document creation and other administrative tasks. Instead of hiring a full-time or even part-time employee, they have chosen to

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

Unemployment figures that we hear, as bad as they are, are not the entire picture of todays unemployment. Tens of thousands of people have lost their (self employment) jobs within the real estate and finance fields within the last year alone. Real estate fosters many different self employment opportunities.  When the markets were good, the California Association of Realtors held their tests in locations that would hold thousands of applicants at a time. Tests were given monthly and often times several times a month.  Within the field of real estate alone, you have Appraisers, Loan Officers, Home Inspectors, Realtors, and Notories.  In addition to real estate, the financial markets also hav