With lenders tightening credit and the housing market still in flux, renters and homeowners are finding it hard to find an affordable place to live. Because funding is at all-time lows, nonprofit developers of multi-family and for-sale housing are looking for new ways to finance communities for people of modest means. Sacramento|Yolo Mutual Housing Association is no exception. The recent introduction of California bills like the HOMeS Act (Senate Bill 1220) could help. Introduced by Mark DeSaulnier (C-Concord) and Senate President pro tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) as well as co-author Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) on the Assembly side, the bill would generate an estimated $700 million

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Jessy Wei shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.  She is the last in a series of VISTAs to share their story this week. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works". As a current VISTA at the Sacramento Food Bank & Fam

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Lamara Burgess shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at Folsom Cordova Unified School District's Parent Engagement Project. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works". Born and raised in Bronx, New York, I was exposed to many inequalities within my neighborh

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Jamie Ports shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at UC Davis Communities and Health Practitioners Together. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works". Prior to my AmeriCorps service, I was working as a Peace Corps Health Volunteer in Malawi, Africa from 20

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year. We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities. I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies. Below Courtney Jallo shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works".   My name is Courtney; I am a twenty-something female VISTA working at Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. Fuele

AmeriCorps Week is March 10th-18th this year.  We honor the hard work of service Corps members in our communities.  I asked local AmeriCorps Volunteers in Services to America (VISTA) members to write about their experience doing a year of service building capacity and fighting poverty at local non-profit agencies.  Below Deborah Elliot shares her story of service as AmeriCorps VISTA at The GreenHouse. For more information about AmeriCorp programs go to http://www.americorps.gov  or check out my SacPress article from March 9th titled "AmeriCorps Works".   Deborah's Story: I am a middle child of seven children. Because I grew up in a large family, I didn’t grow up with a lot of things. We

While decision-makers can’t seem to agree on how to improve the economy and tackle the country’s toughest challenges, one thing even Congress can agree on is the value of service in strengthening communities. This year, during AmeriCorps Week, March 10-18th, we honor the service of AmeriCorps members and alumni in our communities. What is AmeriCorps anyway? It can be difficult to explain. Most people are content with the explanation that it’s the “domestic version of the Peace Corps”, but that doesn’t scratch the surface of the diversity of projects AmeriCorps Nation Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA), and State and National members tackle during the

The City Council approved a plan Tuesday for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the city and making planet-conscious choices in land use, transportation and waste reduction. The Climate Action Plan is designed to satisfy the requirements of AB 32, which the California Legislature adopted in 2008, calling for local governments to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions to at least 15 percent below then-current levels by the year 2020. According to the plan summary, in 2005 Sacramento emitted more than 4.1 million metric tons of greenhouse gases – an amount equal to the emissions produced by driving around the earth almost 412,000 times. The single largest source of emissions cam

The Sacramento Press is seeking a dynamic editor-in-chief to oversee the day-to-day operations of the newsroom. This position will play a key role in expanding the presence and reach of The Sacramento Press into the surrounding media market. We’re looking for someone who is ambitious, confident in their ability to learn quickly, and focused on creating compelling content for the local communities. Excellent writing and reporting skills and good editorial judgment are essential. The ideal candidate will bring lots of ideas for new ways to present stories online, through text, photos, or videos. Experience in using a content management system is a plus, as is experience in podcasts, editi

Local job search engine Sacjobs.com is expanding despite the economy and job sites such as Craigslist and Monster, and it launched Sackjobs.com Jan. 2, with plans to expand nationally. “We’ve got about 1,200 local listings right now, and then our next step is to focus on the Bay Area and Southern California, so we’re going to take our thrust from Sacramento and hopefully by next year take over the West Coast,” said Sackjobs.com owner Ian Coltoff, a 40-year-old Sacramentan. The site launched in 1999 as Sacjobs.com as an homage to Sacramento, and Coulter said he added the K to appeal to a national audience, with the tagline “Your next career choice is in the bag.” And to be clear – typing

If you’re a highly motivated individual who enjoys working with people in an energized retail environment, consider becoming part of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries team!  With a new showroom opening soon in West Sacramento, the local owners are hosting a Career Fair on Wednesday, January 11 and again on Saturday, January 14 in an effort to hire up to 10 full-time retail sales consultants who will start training in mid-January.  Interested applicants should bring a current resume, be prepared to fill out a job application and be ready for on-the-spot interviews at the Career Fair.  While experience in sales is not necessary, applicants must be enthusiastic, willing to work evenings, we

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

SACRAMENTO, CA - Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) held a press conference announcing that the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency (SETA) is receiving $300,000 in federal funding to support SETA's On-The-Job Training Program. The event was held at the Beutler Corporation, located at McClellan Park, one of the several Sacramento companies that will be able to hire workers as a result of this grant. Congresswoman Matsui was joined by California Energy Commissioner Karen Douglas, SETA Executive Director Kathy Kossick, and Beutler Corporation President Rick Wylie to make the announcement, followed by a tour of Beutler's manufacturing plant. “I am excited to announce the all

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 studen

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 t

Sacramento, CA | Tim Mason, CEO of California based Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, with Mayor Kevin Johnson, Councilman Jay Schenirer and other community memberrs broke ground Wednesday morning in a well attended ceremony in Oak Park.  The market will be built on the north west corner of Broadway and 34th Street. Mayor Kevin Johnson stated that when he came back from college he said "what can we do with this piece of property? As a year or two went by, you realize that properites this size get into the wrong hands."  Johnson bought the land in 2002 and just held it "till the right person came in or the right company said 'we want to do something that will be an assest to the community.

With the approval of the 700 block project on K street, developers Bay Miry and Ali Youssefi are closer to realizing their long-awaited vision. But that vision has changed in some unexpected ways since its initial proposal. First, that vision “got a lot bigger,” Miry said. When Miry and Youssefi were awarded the project in July 2010, they didn’t have access to the interior of the buildings at the project site. “The initial proposal was very conceptual in nature,” Youssefi said. “We knew that if our team was selected we'd have the opportunity (later) to refine the project design based on a thorough inspection of all the buildings.” Once they were handed keys in late August, they had a

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05) announced that two local Sacramento organizations will receive a combined $2,087,419 in AmeriCorps grants from the Corporation for National and Community Service, and will be able to hire 253 AmeriCorps members as a result. Congresswoman Matsui, Co-Chair of the bipartisan National Service Caucus, has been continually supportive of both AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service, and has helped lead the fight for adequate federal funding to support programs like these in the last several Congresses. “As our region continues to work toward economic recovery, these funds will help put 253 AmeriCorps participants to work in our

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps (SRCC) has been awarded a Department of Labor competitive grant of $542,502 to support their YouthBuild program. This is in addition to the $1 million in federal funding SRCC received in June 2009 for their YouthBuild program; a three year grant that ends in 2012. “YouthBuild helps young people in Sacramento gain both the academic and work skills they need to succeed,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “By providing valuable job training skills and a modest stipend, the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps is literally helping our youth build a better life, brick by brick, project by proj

Who says Sacramento’s job market is lousy? Well, it is, as we’ve reported. But within The Sacramento Press, we’re experiencing just the opposite: We’ve got good jobs available in nearly every department. Jobs are open or opening in our Sales, Tech and Community Outreach departments. And yes, we’ve even got an opening in Editorial! We’re advertising the positions on craigslist but wanted to make sure that you, our faithful readers, knew about them right away. Since we are a community resource, we want our community involved in making The Sacramento Press the best local coverage available. If your skills, or your friends’ skills, match up with our needs, we’d love to talk to you about join