Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "oak park"

New venue The Cave to host live music, comedy, other events

2012-02-08T02:04:31Z

The Cave is a new music and multi-use venue coming to Stockton Boulevard, moving in next door to the Colonial Theatre.

Formerly a shoe store, The Cave is currently used to hold wrestling events put on by Total Wrestling Federation, and starting Feb. 24, it will be opened to live music, standup comedy, art exhibits and other uses, said Mike Flanagan, who books the venue.

“We want this to be a public space where people can come and see a show, hear some comedy or see an art exhibition,” he said. “We have no intention of getting a liquor license, because we want this to be an all-ages place.”

Flanagan, who owns Bad Current Records and has been involved with the local music scene, said he wants to make the roughly 1,000-square-foot space available to neighborhood kids after school as well.

“I have a friend who refurbishes old arcade games, so we could have some of those, and they could come in here and play them for basically free, and they would have a place to go instead of getting in fights and that kind of thing,” he said.

Flanagan said keeping the cover charge down between $5 and $10 is key, and he wants to provide another venue for local musicians at a low cost. A tentative rental rate of $200 for a day is planned to make it affordable for local acts to get exposure.

The grand opening party Feb. 24 will include music from four musical acts including local singer Autumn Sky, two local comedians and photography exhibits from local photographers. For more information on the event, click here.

While the venue is still waiting on final inspections, Flanagan said he hopes to be able to fit about 100 people into the space in addition to the bands and other performers, who will be on a raised stage.

Total Wrestling Federation will continue to hold training and events at the space, with a removable wrestling rink brought in when the space is not being used for other events.

“I’m excited to be able to expand it,” said TWF owner Jake Sherman. “It’s going to be great to get live music in here, and I really think we can do a lot with the space.”

Flanagan said he wants to be able to offer light refreshments at the place, but it does not have a kitchen or food preparation facilities. Working with local food trucks to provide eats and drinks on event nights is something he said he wants to pursue.

A recent talk at Time Tested Books about the state of Sacramento’s music scene touched on the need for more venues, and while Flanagan said that most agree more medium venues are needed, he hopes to be able to expand the possibilities for local artists and those interested in seeing music shows in more intimate settings.

For more information about The Cave, visit the Facebook page.

The Cave is located at 3512 Stockton Blvd. Shows are anticipated to be held from 8 p.m. - midnight. For booking information, email Flanagan at indiehelpsindie@gmail.com.

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

"Diamonds" ladies night out at the guild theater

2012-01-31T09:05:08Z

The 2012 premier of the Ladies Night Out series of events returned to the historic Guild Theater in Oak Park Saturday evening. The headlining act was veteran singer, songwriter, producer and actor Danny Boy.

Best known for his work as a backup singer during the heyday of Death Row Records, Danny Boy’s solo music is grounded in his musical roots of R&B and gospel as he ably demonstrated to an appreciative audience.

“In 2012 we are taking the Ladies Night Out concept to a new level,” said poet Terry Moore, the T-Mo Entertainment founder who was responsible for bringing Danny Boy from Atlanta to Sacramento. “It is the vision of T-Mo Entertainment to bring outstanding artists to Sacramento while still showcasing our local talent.”

“The Diamonds” Ladies Night Out event also featured nationally recognized poet Ner City (pronounced “inner city”) from Oakland, along with Annie Jay, Sacramento’s reigning “Queen of the Mic.”

Also included on the program was Sacramento-based artist Carla Fleming, who joined forces with homegrown saxophonist Garrett Perkins for a brief set.

Before the curtains opened for the show to begin, poet Steve Morgan graced the audience with two heart felt poems, “Gift from God” and “B-girl Rap.

The always hilarious comic Dru Bruks was introduced as the emcee for the evening and immediately had the crowd in stitches.

Providing the live music for the night was LSB (Love Somebody), which features Leon “Scrap” Gray on the keyboards and Brian Randle on the drums. Joining LSB for the evening was Charles Andrews on lead guitar and Robert Williams on percussion.

Annie Jay was the first featured performer. Her music displayed influences ranging from neo-soul, jazz, gospel and R&B, with a little funk thrown in. She brought composer and guitarist Russell Brown with her, along with percussionist Dominic E. Garcia, who displayed his talents throughout the set playing a wooden drum box known as the cajón.

She opened her set with strong sultry vocals, covering “The Way” by Jill Scott. The “Queen of the Mic” showed her musical sensitivity, covering “Afro Blue” by John Coltrane, “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin and “Brown Skin” by India Arie.

The remainder of Jay’s set consisted of her original music. She frequently acknowledged Brown for his contributions in composing. Her down-to-earth lyrics reach out and speak to all who have experienced life and love.

Those who were introduced to the “Annie Jay Live” experience for the first time were in for a surprise with her stunning vocal range and ability on the songs “Shine,” “Lotus,” and “Caramel.” Her down to earth lyrics reach out and speak to all who have experienced life and love.

Annie Jay closed her 45 minute set with a funk based song entitled “Beast,” which had the audience moving and grooving while Annie Jay cut loose on stage showing her dance moves.

Annie Jay conveyed her love for performing in Sacramento after the show and wanted to be sure to let her growing legion of fans know she is hard at work in the studio on her upcoming debut album.

Dru Bruks introduced local singer Lenoris (P-Dub) Louis, whose vocal skills were frequently met with spontaneous applause and catcalls from the female-dominated audience.

Louis made a difficult task look easy while covering “Lady in My Life” by Michael Jackson. While singing Babyface’s hit song, “Whip Appeal,” Louis interacted with the ladies in the audience, bantering back and forth with them and having them laughing and applauding in response.

LSB did an admirable job with the live music during Louis’ set, and they really shined during his final number, “Do Me Baby” by Prince. Louis flawlessly hit all of the difficult falsetto notes.

After his set, Louis expressed his appreciation for the support and indicated that he will soon be featured in local venues around town with his own live band.

Intelligent, poignant, hard-hitting, heartfelt and often gut-wrenching: Those are the terms that describe the poetry of Ner City, who closed out the first half of the event.

As the recipient of numerous spoken word awards and multiple poetry slam competition victories, Ner City smoothly and flawlessly flowed between poems. He introduced himself to the audience by reciting the poem “My Bio,” explaining his qualifications as a wordsmith and detailing his experiences growing up nurtured by the dichotomy of formal education and education learned only through experience in the streets of Oakland.

In the poem “For Tre,” Ner City describes the challenges and pride he feels by living up to the role of father to his stepson. He was eloquently profound when stating the “job of being a father” is the one that is always available but far too few are willing to accept. The theme of fatherhood extended to his own father, whose virtues he extolled in the poem “My Father.”

To close out his set, Ner City recited his piece called “Letter to the Ex,” wherein he exposed his vulnerability to love and the manipulations and machinations that occur between the sexes.

“I thought the spoken word tonight was excellent,” attendee Candice Johnson said. “Ner City was truthful and touching in his poems and his remarks.”

During the brief intermission, Moore and Burks took charge of handing out gratuities from event sponsors including ladies clothing from Konceited Boutique.

Vocalist Carla Fleming and Garrett Perkins took the stage together after intermission. Fleming performance featured some beautiful vocals and inspirational lyrics from her soon to be released track and video entitled “Rise Again.” On this first track of their set, Perkins, put on exhibition the musical talent on the saxophone he developed while attending the Berklee School of Music.

Followed by another original tune called “Ooh Wee,” Fleming showed her sensual side with the help of Perkins who displayed the skills he has honed through his years of experience touring around the world playing music.

Fleming and Perkins then covered the Ashford and Simpson composition, “You’re All I Need to Get By,” made famous by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. They combined Fleming’s strong and versatile vocals with the influences of neo-soul and jazz to arrange the well-known R&B song in their own unique way.

Dru Burks then brought local R&B singer Kaleo to the stage for a brief appearance to sing Maxwell’s hit song “Ascension.” Backed up by LSB, Kaleo put his heart into the well-loved track, much to the appreciation of the audience that seemed visibly disappointed that he only performed one song.

It was evident that the evening belonged to Danny Boy once he took the stage and took command of the audience.

From the moment of his introduction by Burks, it was clear that Danny Boy is a man whose love of music is the passion of his life.

After thanking T-Mo Entertainment for putting on the show and inviting him to perform, he began singing Bobby Caldwell’s, “What You Won’t Do Love.” Backed by LSB, Danny Boy exhibited the vocal skills that made him famous while demonstrating that his days as a youth at Death Row Records are securely in his past.

While talking to the audience after the opening song, Danny Boy thanked God first and explained how it was his belief that music “touches us, helps us and heals us.”

He then took the crowd on a musical voyage by singing “Rocket Love” by Stevie Wonder.

Danny Boy’s professionalism and status as a veteran singer was apparent to all in attendance when he ventured into some of the original material from his upcoming album “Love Offering,” a two-CD release that will include one disc devoted to R&B (“Love”) and the second devoted to gospel music (“Offering”).

In between his original songs entitled “A Song for Love,” Thunderstorm,” “Some for Love,” and “I Can’t Wait,” Danny Boy showed his versatility switching between love songs, gospel music to the crowd mostly had never known this aspect of his musical journey.

The depths of Danny Boy’s personal struggles in the music business also became evident as he candidly discussed his free-wheeling days and the fact that he left Death Row in debt and was forced to file a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

In true artistic fashion, he turned his misfortunes into music and displayed how from his faith came the songs “Nothing” and “Emotional Bankrupt.”

As his set was winding down, Danny Boy had everybody in the audience on their feet dancing with his rendition of “My Girl.” Much to the crowd’s delight, he came down from the stage and brought a grandmotherly member of the audience from the front row onstage to boogie with him.

He ended his set by covering the gospel songs “Grateful” by Marvin Sapp and “God Is Good” by Regina Belle. He completed the evening with a heartfelt blessing to the audience that included a prayer for healing and help for everyone to become better in their roles in life as husbands, wives and members of the community.

While Burks attempted to close out the show, a request for Danny Boy to return to sing a few hooks from some of his Tupac Shakur songs quickly turned into a spontaneous rendition of Luther Vandross’ “Superstar,” as LSB picked up the cue and joined in after the first few lines.

After a final prayer offered by Moore, who thanked all in attendance and who performed, the easygoing Danny Boy came out from his dressing room and signed autographs and CDs and posed for photos.

“It was an awesome show,” exclaimed local poet and educator Claudia Epperson who attended the event and was waiting in line to meet Danny Boy.

“The show was wonderful,” Ingrid Pinkett said. “I appreciate the fact that Danny Boy reminded us that we always have to remember where everything we have comes from and to give thanks and praise.”

The Ladies Night Out series will resume on March 31. Contact Moore well in advance at (916) 208-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail.com to purchase tickets. The event is guaranteed to be another inspirational and fun evening of entertainment.

Disclosure: Othello Curry was an active participant in this week's Ladies Night Out Event. Othello worked as a member of the event staff.

Volunteer coaches needed for youth basketball league

2012-01-27T23:59:05Z

The Salvation Army of Sacramento is looking for some volunteers to coach in its youth basketball league (13 and under, 10 and under, and 7 and under).

League organizers are seeking individuals with a basketball background and experience managing youth activities.

Games are all played at The Salvation Army Ray Robinson Oak Park Community Center (located on the corner of Alhambra and Broadway).

For more information, please call 916-469-4620.

Disclosure: Syd Fong is the public relations director for The Salvation Army of Sacramento County. For more information about The Salvation Army, log onto www.salarmysacto.org or join the facebook page www.facebook.com/salvationarmysacramento

Oak Park to get new middle school

2012-01-27T01:38:34Z

A new middle school will open in Oak Park in the fall – the neighborhood’s first stand-alone middle school since 1963.

Oak Park Preparatory Academy (Oak Park Prep) is a St. Hope Public School and will open to seventh graders in August.

Oak Park’s previous middle school – Stanford Junior High – was burned down by two teenagers in 1963.

There are three middle schools in the district that serve Oak Park students – California, Will C. Wood and Kit Carson – but none are located within Oak Park.

The Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education trustees voted to approve Oak Park Prep’s charter Oct. 6, and the new school will serve 60 students the first year.

The school’s attendance will increase to 180 students over the next four years, according to Paul Schwinn, Oak Park Prep founding principal, allowing time for the new school to “fine tune” its programs as it grows.

Michael Boyd, president of Oak Park Neighborhood Association, said there has been a positive response from the neighborhood about the new middle school.

“People get excited anytime a quality school comes to the community,” Boyd said Thursday. “There are some controversies around charter schools, but overall we want to see kids get the best education.”

The St. Hope Public Schools organization runs three schools in the Oak Park area: PS7, a K-8 program, Sacramento Charter High School and Triumph Center for Early Childhood Education, a public preschool. There are about 1,500 students attending the three schools.

Faye Lawrence, a parent of two Sacramento Charter High graduates and two students who currently attend PS7, said Thursday that the new middle school will provide more educational opportunities to Oak Park families.

“(The new middle school) will be modeled after PS7,” Lawrence said, “and the PS7 kids generally enter high school ahead of other students coming from other schools.

“Being able to get kids on a good learning track earlier will really make a difference in their education,” she added.

At the moment, the new middle school doesn’t have a set location. Schwinn said the school applied in November to SCUSD for space in a wing of the Sacramento High School campus that, until December, housed The Met High School.

Schwinn said he expects to have final approval for the location by spring.

City Councilman Jay Schenirer, who represents Oak Park and District 5 on the City Council, said he’s glad to see Oak Park get another school.

“It’s being operated by an organization with a great track record of providing an excellent education, and of sending kids on to be successful in college,” Schenirer said. “They are filling a need in the community.”

Schwinn attributed the success of the schools to their focus on the core subjects of literacy and math.

“We spend 3.5 hours each day on literacy and two hours on math,” Schwinn said. “We’re trying to get our students to a place where they are ready to take calculus in their senior year of high school and take honors classes throughout high school.”

Oak Park Prep students will largely come from the neighborhood's seven elementary schools – Ethel Phillips, Oak Ridge, David Lubin, Father Keith B. Kenny, Fruitridge, Tahoe and Bret Harte.

As a charter school, however, enrollment is open to any student in any district, Schwinn said.

The school is accepting applications until March 15 for 60 openings for the 2012-13 school year. If the school receives more than 60 applications, Schwinn said, there will be a random-drawing enrollment lottery to fill the openings.

Remaining applicants will be placed on a waiting list.

St. Hope Public Schools will host an information session for interested families Feb. 9 at the PS7 site on the Sacramento High campus.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Muhammad Ali featured in Oak Park gallery show

2012-01-14T00:37:47Z

Boxer, entertainer, activist and undisputed champion Muhammad Ali is being celebrated by artists from across the nation at Oak Park’s Evolve the Gallery, with 24 works of art on display through Jan. 28 to celebrate the boxing legend’s 70th birthday, which falls on Jan. 17.

“Every piece except for three was created specifically for this show,” said Evolve the Gallery co-owner A. Michelle Blakeley.

Blakeley and her husband, Brady Blakeley, put the call out to artists in August, and Brady Blakeley selected those who now appear in the show, titled “Ali: The Greatest.”

“From 1960 to 1981, Ali won 56 of 61 matches, 37 by knockout,” A. Michelle Blakeley wrote in a press release. She added that the boxer was also an important social activist, philanthropist and humanitarian.

Michelle Blakeley said the turnout from artists was strong, but not unexpected, with about 20 taking part.

“Who wouldn’t want to paint Muhammad Ali?” she asked. “A lot of these artists are huge fans, and they were excited to honor him on his 70th birthday.”

The works on display are mostly paintings, though some are mixed media, and one is a jacket hanging in the front window, painted with images and quotes of Ali.

Five Northern California artists have pieces in the show, including Sacramento resident Gerry “Gos” Simpson.

“The piece I have created is of acrylic paint, enamel pens and gold leaf,” Simpson said. “What I tried to depict was the entertainment side of Muhammad Ali. I knew everybody else was going to focus on the sport, so I included circles that, for me, represent the spotlight and the color in his personality.”

The chance to pay homage to Ali was an honor, Simpson said.

“I knew it was going to be amazing, and it’s also the chance to celebrate someone who, as a kid, I watched and was amazed by his ability to see who he was, what he wanted and to be able to do what he did.”

Simpson said that the African American art community can often be insular, focusing on themes or traditions that tend to appeal most to other African Americans, but that is not the case with the current show.

“Muhammad Ali attracted people from all over the world,” Simpson said. “This show is a great show to have in Oak Park because it brings people together from all different cultures.”

A. Michelle Blakeley said the inspiration for the show came from a conversation in August among friends that eventually turned to boxing.

“We’re huge boxing fans, and I thought, ‘I wonder if Muhammad Ali has a major birthday coming up,’ ” she said.

With the show attracting artists from as far away as Georgia, it will travel to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York and possibly San Francisco once it finishes its run in Sacramento, she said.

The opening reception will be held Saturday from 6 - 10 p.m. at Evolve the Gallery, 2907 35th St. The show can be viewed anytime Thursday through Saturday by calling 572-5123.

“We say, ‘by appointment,’ but it’s just to make sure we’re here and haven’t stepped out,” she said.

Next month’s show at Evolve the Gallery, which opens Feb. 4, celebrates Black History Month with a series of spiritually uplifting works of art, and the gallery will be open on Sunday afternoons for those who want to drop by after church, Blakeley said.

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

Communication issues addressed at town hall meeting

2012-01-11T01:05:52Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson opened Monday night’s town hall meeting with a speech on his upbringing in Oak Park. The attendants quickly shifted the mood of the meeting with a flood of questions on issues in Sacramento, and many ethnic communities showed concern for lack of support and communication in the past.

Johnson said that early on in his term he made the mistake of thinking that there was only one Asian/Pacific Islanders community (API) in Sacramento, when there are in fact more than 40 communities. Because of this, he said he didn’t attend many of the API meetings held last year. He told attendees that this is something he wants to change.

“When I was talking to the API community, I said that I’m willing to go to any event that you want me to go to… I thought I would have to go to two or three events a year to fulfill my obligation,” Johnson said. “After the first year, I did not realize I was not fulfilling my obligation.”

So far, Johnson said he believes his biggest accomplishment within the API community was “marrying into the family” when he married Michelle Rhee, a public figure in American education.

He encouraged the API community to be open with him.

“Anytime I can be helpful,” Johnson said, “you gotta let me know. I’m willing to fight and stand with you if it’s important to the community.”

The majority of those attending the meeting were different members from different groups of the many API communities. Most seats were filled and many hands filled the air when the time came to ask questions.

Sukh C. Singh, general secretary of Indus Valley American Chamber of Commerce, brought up how two deaths in his community were handled by Johnson.

He said that the Sikh community turned to Johnson for support when two of their own were randomly shot and killed last year, but that they received no support whatsoever.

“We did not see any active part made by the mayor of Sacramento,” Singh said. “In this kind of situation, (our community) really needs a word of confirmation that we have a representative who cares for us.”

Singh ended his statement with an apology, saying he didn’t intend to criticize.

“Don’t apologize,” Johnson said. “I want to be held accountable.”

Johnson said he did show support on this issue, and apologized for the fact that “his people” did not get back to Singh. However, this was not the only show of disappointment from present communities on his support in such cases, and Johnson said he would do better to show it this year and defend the rights of people in Sacramento.

“If we get all of our ethnic groups participating,” Johnson said, “we’ll have a stronger Sacramento.”

Another important issue brought up by many was education. According to Johnson, only 37 percent of third graders in Sacramento can read at grade level. Through the new organization Stand Up, he said he and Rhee hope to learn what changes the community wants and find a way to get better teachers and make school relevant to students.

“Nothing is more important to me than educating our children,” Johnson said. “You can’t have a great city without great schools.”

More and more hands rose with questions for Johnson, but the meeting started to run past the allotted time. The meeting ended with hands still in the air and Johnson asked those in attendance to “be relentless” in emailing him and thanked them for coming.

No date has been set for the next town hall.

Homelessness in Sacramento: A look back at 2011

2011-12-30T04:59:18Z

From head counts and courtroom drama to Winter Sanctuary and SafeGround – homelessness remained at the top of the list of issues in Sacramento in 2011.

Despite data showing the number of homeless in the county had declined over the past year, there were still many people sleeping on the streets each night in 2011.

Local charity groups and community service programs struggled through the year to provide for the homeless – including an increasing percentage of families – many of whom were homeless for the first time due to fallout from the housing and mortgage crisis.

The alleged mishandling of homeless individuals’ personal property as police enforced city anti-camping laws resulted in a lawsuit filed by local civil rights attorney Mark Merin on behalf of the homeless.

As the lawsuit made its way through the halls of justice, another fight was brewing over creating “safe ground," a place for homeless people to call their own – if only temporarily – while they worked toward securing permanent housing.

Community events held in 2011 designed to raise awareness of homeless issues included a SafeGround Jubilee, and a workshop for City Council members to discuss ways to provide such a safe ground area for homeless.

Jennifer Lystrup, a teacher of social justice at Christian Brothers High School, created a documentary series on homeless youth, and artist and filmmaker Costa Mantis created the film series “Searching for Safe Ground,” revealing the daily struggles of being homeless in Sacramento.

In September, the court in the homeless class action suit decided in favor of the homeless plaintiffs, but the city appealed the decision, and the case is still pending.

Without a tent city to return to each night, and without a safe ground option, many homeless people set up tents on the edges of the American River Parkway – which was at odds with the city’s anti-camping ordinance, and rangers soon moved in to oust the homeless “campers.”

As winter approached, faith-based organizations came together with the nonprofit agency Sacramento Steps Forward to provide the Winter Sanctuary program for the second year, offering shelter for the homeless during the coldest part of the year.

The program – which provides shelter from Thanksgiving to March 1 at an estimated cost of $150,000 – lacked adequate funding, and the program was in jeopardy of not being able to open.

With the help of numerous donations from local businesses and individuals – and a last-minute $75,000 donation from Wells Fargo – the program opened on Dec. 1.

At the end of December, the winter shelter program was expanded, thanks in part to efforts by City Council members Steve Cohn, Jay Schenirer and Angelique Ashby, and requests for increased local donations to open more doors to the homeless.

Homelessness has been a hot topic for local government for many years, and despite minor upturns in the economy of late, it is an issue that does not appear to be going away anytime soon.

In November, the City Council started developing a plan to address homelessness from a regional standpoint – to include city, county and regional resources and leadership in solving the issue.

Perhaps 2012 will bring greater security – whether it’s “safe ground” or more transitional housing or enhanced services – for those struggling in the city without a permanent place to live.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

New Texas barbecue spot on Broadway

2011-12-22T08:57:49Z

T & R Taste of Texas opened on Broadway near 36th Street in late October, and Chef Rodney Ray said he thinks the barbecue restaurant will be able to last in the spot that has seen several businesses come and go in past years.

“It’s simple, good, home-cooked food,” he said Wednesday. “It’s great barbecue, and we don’t grill it – we smoke it.”

All meats are smoked a minimum of five hours in an on-site smoker, and four types of wood are used: apple, hickory, mesquite and cherry, Ray said. Meats and other ingredients come from local restaurant suppliers, and he added that he wants to work with farmers markets to bring in local produce during harvest season.

Ray, who is a longtime friend of owner Clarence Pughsley Jr., said he got much of his experience with barbecue cooking as a freelance chef – including time on cruise ships.

“I travel all over, and Sacramento has been my home base for the past 10 years,” he said. “I really like going to the Caribbean. They’ve got a lot of great barbecue there.”

Both Pughsley and Ray have Texas roots, and Ray said he likes the Texas style of barbecuing, with a heavy emphasis on ribs.

“Our pork ribs are our most popular,” he said. “We’re working on a boneless beef rib, too, and tri tip is really popular here.”

The 1,300-square-foot restaurant holds 30 people, and there are plans to build a patio starting in March or April. Prices range from $6 - $10 for meals, with a combination platter of two meat types with two sides for $7.99 available from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Before T & R, the space was briefly Johnny Broadway’s, another barbecue restaurant, Ray said.

Sides include coleslaw, barbecue beans, potato salad and tater tots.

In addition to walk-in dining, T & R also caters, and Ray said he can cook a multitude of types of food – not limited to barbecue.

“We’re a barbecue restaurant, but we can do a lot more,” he said.

Sandra VanHook, owner of the Images & Beyond sign-making and silk-screening business a block away, said she has eaten at T & R several times since its opening nine weeks ago.

“When I tasted their pulled-pork sandwich for the first time, it was really good,” she said. “I think it’s the first time I’ve tasted it done right, with coleslaw on top.”

She said she has liked all the food she has tried, including the pulled pork, fried wings and hot links.

“The hot-link sandwich is unusual, but delicious,” she said.

She added that the restaurant is a good addition to the area, with food options predominantly being fast food.

Norma Henderson, owner of the Norma J’s Place beauty salon less than a block away, said she thinks that once the restaurant gets established, it will help draw business to the area.

“It’s very good, and the hospitality is really nice,” she said. “I’m glad to see a business there.”

T & R Taste of Texas is located at 3621 Broadway. It is open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and on Sunday from noon until the customers stop coming in, Ray said.

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

The Occupy movement struggles to resonate within the black community

2011-12-22T00:33:31Z

For the past few months cities across America have seen crowds of protestors taking to the streets angered by the state of the U.S. economy in the wake of noticeable corporate greed, Wall Street failures, and home lending corruption scandals to name a few gripes. In what has become known as the “Occupy Wall Street” or “OWS” movement, citizen discourse has largely become a protest of “We won’t take it anymore” politics, against the widening wealth divide and continued mistrust of a political system. A type of corporate-political combo agenda that has seemingly sold out main street Americans for the greater catered interest of the top one percent richest people. Now this does not on its surface mean that the masses of people are demanding a total change of the three branches of government, however people from every sector of civilian life are demanding more accountability in the way politicians and corporations do business.
Many of the captions of the Occupy movement has been one of that focuses on grievance oriented whites against the system. This scene is something that is not new to the rank and file of black Americans who themselves know the routine to what demonstrations can do. Blacks once led marches of change across the south during the height of the civil rights movements of the 1960’s when institutional racism was formidable on the social issues stage. In the decades since 60’s, blacks have continually had a reason to gripe about many of the same issues that the Occupy movement demonstrators are now protesting about. Conversely, critics and pundits alike have been asking why has there not been much larger support and inclusion among the black community to join in with these mass demonstrations across the country.

When I am in the communities of Del Paso, South Sacramento, or Oak Park and ask some of the black brothers and sisters what they think about the issues of OWS or locally organized Occupy Sacramento (OS), and whether or not they feel more blacks should be out on the streets joining this movement, many are conflicted. Some feel as though that other people (mostly politically conservative whites) want to blame President Obama for this country’s political and economic mess, when in fact Obama inherited more on his presidential plate than any other president to come into office during his first term. “I am tired of white folks blaming someone other than themselves for what’s happenings, they had Bush in office for what 8 years” says Mark Livingston. Others such as Kenyon Davis thinks that the problems can’t be easily solved in the manner the protestors are taking action, “I think at the end of the day, these protests are not going to change anything”. Davis sentiment’s seems to be what most blacks are saying about the organization of these protests to really affect this change.

Examining the economic state of the black community, blacks are no better off after the emergence of Obama than when Bush was in office. In some cases segments of blacks are in worse shape. As the cycle of jobs leave areas of the Sacramento valley region so do more opportunities for mainly underserved and less represented groups such as blacks. Studies continue to show that black men in America with bachelor degrees still have a harder time finding upwardly mobile jobs and careers than do their white counterparts with only a high school diploma. Therefore it is no surprise when asking blacks to join such movements as OWS that there is little to no action on the side of the vast majority of black people.

It is quite clear that there is a dire need to increase and improve the level of job and economic opportunities in all communities, however, as the jobs go so do the opportunities for those men in disenfranchised and isolated communities. The problem with the Occupy movement is that there has not been one single leader or voice that can articulate and influence what are the key demands for this change movement. Rather it’s an autonomous leadership model with an underside of freedom, liberty, and justice as its motto for an all people’s revolution. The result being that it allows for as many individual leadership voices as there are grievances. While black leadership on the other hand has pretty much stayed out the fray, you can find pockets of black contribution, activism, and support within the ranks of the Occupy movement. Traditional community action oriented and black run organizations such as the NAACP and Urban League, have only partially galvanized black member support and that visibility is minimum at best in Sacramento.

The national face of the Occupy movement has largely been one of a frustrated white, middle class, college educated, and unemployed demographic group. If the message of OS is to transform the traditional barriers that are now affecting the majority white protestors of this movement, than it must see that these same barriers have limited blacks and other Latinos from gaining a advantage before the economic crisis hit.

Oak Park Church works to make a difference to end youth violence

2011-12-10T03:04:35Z

For many Oak Park residents crime and violence has long seemed as if it has become a way of life over the past two decades. Oak Park is a community rich in neighborly tradition and serving as a staple of black culture for many within Sacramento, yet hard times over the years has made life more challenging for this ever growing racially diverse community. Gang violence has affected the area and young people have become vulnerable to making fast drug money when jobs are scarce. This is why the timing could not have been more perfect than when the leadership of Kyles Temple AMEZ Church recently invited members of the community to attend a forum against violence and its affect’s on the community. Ewell Wood, one of the forum organizers feels that despite the hard times of the community it is time to take the community back. “We live here, and it’s up to us to make sure we take care of where we live, who else can do it”, says Wood. However if Wood and others of this local church has it’s say of things then things will be sure changing for the better when it’s all said and done. Around the neighborhood you see once model homes that aren’t as well kept as they use to be, closed down store fronts, and few and fewer variety of afterschool and summer programs that give kids something to do in a positive way.

This is why Wood with the help of other members of the church went to work to host the forum by inviting speakers from a variety of organizations and community professionals to come out and speak on such things as jobs for youth, the dangers of drugs, gangs, drinking and driving, domestic violence, and life behind bars. All of the topics centered upon a keep it real message that struck to the core of what not to do with personal choice. Churches such as Kyles Temple have become overwhelmed with trying to serve the needs of the community beyond traditional spiritual healing and worship. “The task of church leadership is greater now than in the past, and we are required to step up to the plate”, adds Wood. Speakers at the event represented a variety of organizations and agencies including WEAVE, MADD, Kaiser, Youth Authorities and Detention, and Sacramento City Services among others.

The purpose of the event was to galvanize the community that there are resources available and hope is not all lost even during very tough economic times when so many social services are being cut. ‘I want to know what I can do to help my son stay away from gangs, which are a big problem in my neighborhood”, says Betty Dowdy who attended the event with her 13-year old son De’Ante. The message for mothers such as Ms Dowdy is to never give up, that as a community that it will take the African proverb of ‘It takes a village to raise a child” to solve the problem. As one of the included speakers, I spoke on behalf of my efforts working with MADD and helping spread the word with more blacks that there is a impact that drinking and driving has within the black community and urban neighborhoods as much as it does in suburban ones.

Business investment doesn’t come around often in communities such as Oak Park and so residents have to look to other resources to serve their needs and Kyles Temple is one of those resources that is making a change for the better in Oak Park.

Ladies Night Out VI at the Guild Theater

2011-11-15T07:09:41Z

The Historical Guild Theater in Oak Park featured this year’s final Ladies Night Out event this past Saturday evening. Host Terry Moore put together a program that featured music, poetry, comedy, dancing, a fashion show and motivational speaking.

“I listen carefully to the feedback I receive from each event and respond accordingly,” stated Moore when commenting on how he determines the lineup of entertainment for each show.

“Our patrons request many of our performers who have been featured at previous events, but I always make it a point to bring in new artists who are working hard and deserve the opportunity to be showcased in front of their hometown,” said Moore.

The special guest host for the evening was Lee Perkins, best known as the DJ host of the morning show at V101.1 radio. Perkins’ debonair personality and easygoing style was accentuated by his well tailored appearance. He joked easily with the performers while complimenting each act for their contributions to the evening’s success.

During the preshow, two local poets came out and warmed up the crowd with their heartfelt original compositions.

First came Poet Dan Blake who recited a poem entitled, “It.” This was followed by a piece entitled, “I love you,” wherein he expressed his deepest sentiments about the woman in his life.

Poet La Roc then took the stage and debuted her newest poem, “Black Queen.” In it she expressed why it is so important for Black women to maintain the dignity, poise and self-respect of a queen, even in the face of what may sometimes seem to be the overwhelming circumstances of life.

Before the show officially got underway, models from Javonne Soder’s Live to Model modeling school put on a dazzling display of fashion. Their outfits ranged from street wear casual to formal wear, and were designed to catch the eye of and compliment women regardless of their age or figure.

The Sacramento Soul Line dancers were the first performers to come on stage. The audience responded with appreciation as they demonstrated the well-choreographed moves of the “El Paso” line dance to the remix of Mary J. Blige’s hit song “Just Fine.”

The dancers’ outfits were all black with pink trim and each of them wore a matching t-shirt that displayed a nickname. Ladies Night Out host Moore was a surprise guest dancer who had the name “Poet” emblazoned across his back.

House band Ear Candy displayed their customary level of talent and professionalism while playing behind the curtains before the show began and providing live music for artists whenever asked.

Ear Candy features Brother Gary on the bass, Lemont Kelsey on percussion, Ray Shamsid-Deen on drums and Jordon Tholmer on the keyboards. Singer J’Neen accompanied the group and provided lead and background vocals during the evening.

Ear Candy band leader and lead guitarist Norman McDaniel showed his skill and experience on the Roland synthesized guitar during their rendition of the Quincy Jones’ track, “Secret Garden.”

Singers Tony R., Remy, Lanoris Louis and Tone Malone each took a turn on lead vocals while setting a sensual atmosphere as they crooned to the ladies in the audience.

During their extended interpretation of the classic hit song, the ladies of Live to Model surprised the audience when they emerged dressed seductively in lingerie. The models used the aisles as their catwalk and were well-received and appreciated by both the men and the women in the audience.

Guest Host Perkins then brought the vendors that were present at the event onstage and asked each to describe their wares or the nature of their services.

Comedian Steph Sanders took the stage next and had the audience laughing immediately after he acknowledged the recent loss of boxer Joe Frazier and rapper Heavy D.

Sanders displayed a wide range of comic ability with his jokes. He went from poking fun at the Soul Line Dancers to describing the difficulties of bouncing back from a night on the town partying after the age of 30.

Sanders demonstrated comedic spontaneity when he broke out dancing and perfectly mimicked the video routine of New Edition’s “Cool It Now” in the moments after he experienced a brief microphone malfunction.

Motivational Speaker Theodry Carruth was then introduced to the audience. Carruth was immaculately dressed in a business suit that symbolized the serious nature of the subject matter of her talk entitled, “How to Keep Your Man at Home.”

Carruth had both male and female members of the audience mesmerized as she described to the ladies how she surveyed and obtained her information from a wide variety of men from all around the county.

Her advice to the ladies ranged from simple things to demonstrate appreciation, love and affection, to suggestions of a more serious nature. Her ideas included such things as leaving love notes in his homemade lunch and preparing homemade meals as often as possible, to practical advice on how to stop nit-picking and make him feel miserable and “less than.”

Throughout Carruth’s presentation, the audience frequently responded audibly to the many points she made. This was especially true when she advised the ladies to stop telling their friends what he’s not doing and instead, let him know. Carruth counseled that a woman should compliment her man often, treat him to a night out once in awhile and to stop using him like a personal ATM machine.

Popular singer and musician Tone Malone, aka Soulfish McGee, took the stage and treated the crowd to a demonstration of his unique talents by playing the piano and singing an original composition entitled, “Funk Song.” During the tune, the audience reacted with spontaneous applause to the stellar solo performance of Ear Candy’s McDaniel on lead guitar.

Tone Malone completed his set with a soulful performance of D’Angelo’s track entitled, “Chicken Grease.”

Just before the intermission, Tina B’s Men of Soul had the ladies in the crowd cheering in approval as they took the stage and performed the line dance, “Act Like You Know,” to Jaheim’s hit track, “Ain’t Leaving Without You.” The Men of Soul followed this up with some smooth coordinated steps to the song “Can you Feel It,” by Kem.

“It’s my first time here and I had no idea all this was going on,” said Marty Long while catching a breath of fresh air in front of the Guild just before the intermission.

“The show is very entertaining and I’m enjoying myself. I’ll be back at the next event,” stated Long.

During the intermission, host Lee Perkins took the stage with the ladies and gentlemen of the Tina B’s Soul line and had a fun time stepping to the song “Wobble Baby Wobble” by V.I.C.

While the dancers were clowning around on stage during the break in the show, a long line formed in front of the Guild Theater as the patrons patiently waited for the opportunity to obtain some delicious barbecue. Simply Southern Café owners Michael Mullins and Lynnis Woods-Mullins parked their catering truck just outside and made sure no one who needed food or refreshment when away without it.

“This is a very classy event,” said Pamela Talacon who was attending Ladies Night Out for the first time with her husband Joe.

“I came with no ideas or expectations,” stated Talacon during the intermission. “It has been an uplifting evening and I particularly enjoyed the comedy and the Sacramento Soul Line Dancers.”

Immediately after the break, guest host Perkins introduced comedian Dru Burks as the featured performer for the second part of the show.

Burks, a seasoned veteran of the local comedy scene, demonstrated his comedic chops by immediately teasing those audience members who might confuse Oak Park with the midtown area of Sacramento.

Burks then requested a showing of those who loved their women. He received a huge laugh after he challenged all the men who responded to turn over their cell phones to their lady. He went on to describe with great humor how women are far smarter than men when it comes to cheating on their mates.

House band Ear Candy immediately responded to Burks’ request for some gospel music, whereupon he started making jokes about his troubles with ushers whenever he shows up late for church in order to avoid the multiple times the plate is passed.

The surprise of the evening came from Robert Lee, J-Styles and Trei-Knoxx, three young male singers who call themselves True Stylez.

True Stylez took the stage and captivated the audience with a brief a cappella rendition of the Boyz II Men standard, “The End of the Road.”

Throughout their set, the three young men were rewarded with intermittent spontaneous applause for their coordinated dance steps, harmonies and vocal skills. All three songs, “Kick Rocks,” “Drowning” and “Can’t Let You Go,” were original tunes.

The final vocalist of the evening was singer Lady G, who exhibited strong passion and exquisite voice control while singing the track ‘Someone Like You,” by Adele.

Host Perkins thanked the crowd for attending the event before the Men of Soul took the stage for the final time.

“It was a really good show,” stated Katherine Gales as she left the Guild Theater.

“I’d like to see Ladies Night Out more often,” said Gales.

The Ladies Night Out series will resume in the new year on January 28, 2012 with a brand new show featuring more of Sacramento’s local talent.

Be sure to contact Terry Moore well in advance at (916) 208-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail.com to purchase your tickets. The event is guaranteed to be another inspirational and fun evening of entertainment.

Disclosure: Othello Curry was an active participant in this week's Ladies Night Out Event. Othello worked as a member of the event staff.

Councilman helps youth in Oak Park

2011-10-27T05:36:45Z

On Wednesday, City Councilman Jay Schenirer launched WayUp Sacramento, a community development initiative aimed at helping Sacramento’s youth live healthier and prepare for successful careers. The first stages of the program are set to be implemented in Oak Park by the end of this year.

Schenirer held a conference on Wednesday to debut the program at the Effort/Oak Park Community Center, 3415 Martin Luther King Blvd.

WayUp has been in development for 10 months, however Schenirer said that the ideas behind the project have been with him for much longer.

“I’ve been doing community work forever,” he said. “I also believe that all kids should have the same opportunities that my kids have.”

WayUp consists of five youth-oriented programs: WaySmart, WayFit, WayFresh, WaytoWork, and WayHome.

WaySmart is an educational initiative that exposes children to potential health-care careers. The initiative includes field trips to hospitals, volunteer opportunities, and internships.

Schenirer said he is focusing on training students to work in health-care careers because of forthcoming job opportunities at Sacramento’s UC Davis Medical Center.

“UC Davis just signed a deal with BGI (Beijing Genomics Institute), the largest DNA sequencing company in the world. This will create many jobs in the medical fields,” he said.

WaytoWork is the step beyond education that is aimed at helping students get internships and pursue careers in health care by guaranteeing positions through collaboration with medical facilities.

And medical education may inadvertently improve another problem: hospital space.

Schenirer described overcrowded emergency rooms that are the result of a high percentage of the population not having health insurance. WayFit aims to change this by providing all of the Oak Park youth with yearly checkups.

“Having access to medical care is crucial,” Barbara Kronic of the Sacramento City Unified School District said. “By bringing medical exams, we can guarantee better success for these kids.”

Healthy living is also being promoted through WayFresh, a grassroots development of community gardens to promote healthy and sustainable eating habits by educating young people on the benefits of gardening.

“I want people to see the community gardens within nine months,” Schenirer said.

Schenirer is currently trying to purchase an abandoned Coca-Cola factory on Martin Luther King Boulevard in hope of renovating it and turning it into a tool library that will rent out gardening equipment, and building a facility for garden education.

WayHome involves purchasing dilapidated properties and converting them to affordable and livable homes that, according to Schenirer, will cost less to buy than many properties in the area cost to rent.

The project has so far accumulated roughly $800,000 from corporations and individuals who have donated. Furthermore, 27 vacant Oak Park lots have been donated for garden space.

“We’re sort of building the airplane as it’s going down the runway,” Schenirer said.

“The city has got some challenges, but we are trying to start (in Oak Park) and then build outside and institutionalize the movement,” he said.

Sacramento's below average readers. Who's working on solutions?

2011-10-18T20:48:45Z

Sacramento, CA | The momentum is building. That was the message that Stand Up, the Sacramento based non-profit organization devoted to reforming education, touted in front of a packed house at the Guild Theater on Monday night.

The event was part of a series of monthly meetings organized by Stand Up to spotlight education improvement efforts in Sacramento. Previous events have brought in former California State Senator Gloria Romero to discuss the “parent trigger” law, the founder of Teach for America Wendy Kopp, and the co-founder of the Knowledge is Power Program, Mike Feinberg.

Local high school students acted as ushers alongside staffers from a variety of organizations including Sacramento READS!, Mayor Kevin Johnson’s third-grade reading initiative, and StudentsFirst, Michelle Rhee’s latest foray into education reform.
Monday’s guest speaker was CNN’s education correspondent Dr. Steve Perry, there to promote his new book Push Has Come to Shove, a warning cry to the “grownups” about our failing education system. Dr. Perry pulled no punches in his address to the mostly welcoming crowd. “Every day you drive by a failing school in your community,” he said, “and you know where they are, you have blood on your hands for not doing something.”

The frankness that won him accolades as “America’s most uncompromising principle” was on display as he excoriated communities for failing to shut down schools, principles for allowing unions to bully them, and absentee fathers to whom he pointedly asserted, “No, we can’t be friends.”

His fiercest criticism, however, was reserved for poor teachers. When asked in the post-presentation Q & A session about disproportionate numbers of minority students facing in-school suspension and other punishments, he laid the blame squarely on the educators. “If my detention hall is filled with student athletes who are doing well in other classes,” he said, “then maybe the problem is [the teacher]. You suck.”

If his presentation had a dose of harsh medicine it only endeared him to the crowd members even more, many of whom were educators and parents struggling with their own classrooms and schools. He fielded questions about boarding school alternatives to public school education, the tendency to blame parents, and the high illiteracy rate in Sacramento County.

Mayor Johnson addressed the audience briefly to tout the progress made in the reading initiative and to thank business partners who adopted schools in which they spent time and money to assist education efforts. In particular, Old Soul Co. was applauded for hosting a book drive and encouraging employees to volunteer their time to read to students at Peter Burnett Elementary School.

Other speakers included the Eric Lerum, the Vice President of National Policy at StudentsFirst, who ran down national mission goals of the organization, and the oldest volunteer in Sacramento READS!, former Queen of the Rose Parade Margaret Huntly. Her personal journey, as a 90-year old former school teacher who still goes back to the classroom to volunteer, drew perhaps the most enthusiastic applause of the event.

The statistic that most participants will walk away with was pointed out by Sacramento Reads earlier in the evening, that “only 37% of our third-grade children are reading at grade-level; the flip-side of that coin is that 63% are not.” Dr. Perry later took the opportunity to expand on that point. “If we are to have a real conversation about this issue, we have to recognize that some of us in here aren’t reading as well as we should either.”

It's official: New map changes district boundaries until 2021

2011-09-07T09:13:23Z

The City Council voted 6-3 Tuesday night in its final redistricting vote, keeping a map that has been hotly protested over the past weeks, leaving hundreds of people sad and angry – and ready to cast ballots in June to prove it.

With a vote identical to the one on Aug. 23, the City Council approved a final redistricting map – a revised version of a map called “NeighborhoodsTogether 2.0”– that puts the the downtown railyards in the same district as East Sacramento, divides South Land Park at Fruitridge Road and makes the Central City one district.

And – against the vehement opposition of residents, business people, students and community leaders – it is a map that takes the UC Davis Medical Center out of Oak Park.

At each of three prior council meetings, members of the public showed up in force to loudly oppose proposed new district boundaries. The Aug. 23 meeting in particular saw a record 103 people signed up to comment on the subject.

Just before public comment began Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Johnson set the tone for the discussion, saying, “I hope we will let civility rule the day.”

Audience members held their applause between speakers and raised brightly colored signs to show their approval of some comments.

“All of the political deals have already been made,” said Oak Park resident Julie Mumma. “Set aside your politics. If you were judging this as unbiased jurors in a court of law, you’d look at the evidence, and you’d do the right thing.”

The 375 people in attendance was less than the 600 to 1,000 that City Hall staff and security had anticipated.

Although a few commenters spoke about the downtown railyards or South Land Park or Del Paso Heights during the five-hour council meeting, an overwhelming majority of speakers Tuesday voiced their opposition to the proposed shift of the Med Center out of Oak Park.

By the time public comment concluded, 76 people had spoken, all in opposition to the proposed map.

Things got heated between council members as they began deliberating on the map and responding to public comments and to each other.

“We can’t deny the economic impact on the region and the city as a whole, but (the Med Center) sits on 140 acres, embedded in my district,” Councilman Kevin McCarty said, in defense of the map. “It’s our neighbor first and foremost.”

Johnson focused on equalizing population as the “primary goal” of redistricting, and asked McCarty what putting the Med Center in McCarty’s district would do for balancing population.

“There are other things to consider besides equalizing population,” McCarty responded.

When Johnson pressed further, it was Councilman Steve Cohn who spoke up to say the district location of the Med Center might not affect population “much,” but other criteria for drawing district maps – such as communities of interest and natural, geographic boundaries – was “also very important” to the process and shouldn’t be ignored.

Although the most pronounced issue of the evening surrounded Oak Park and the Med Center, each council member took a few minutes to address the audience to talk about impacts of redistricting to their own districts.

“I honestly believe that everyone up here is doing what they truly think is the right thing to do,” Councilwoman Angelique Ashby told the audience.

Throughout public comment, council members were reminded that they are elected officials and there were many suggestions of recall or failure at the next election.

“I believe there will be a petition going around after this is all done,” Meadowview resident Ray Park told Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell, “and you’re not going to like it.”

In one brief exchange with audience members, Pannell quickly addressed any concerns about her political future.

“(Former City Councilman) Sam Pannell died in 1997,” Pannell said. “ I am Bonnie Pannell and I’ve made my own way with my district. If anyone doesn’t like how I’ve done things, I’ll be on the ballot in 2012.”

One audience member called out, “We’ll see you there!” to which Pannell responded, “I’ll see YOU there. Thank you.”

By the time all council members had an opportunity to express their opinions on the proposed map, it was clear that each was standing firm in his or her previous vote on Aug. 23.

“I think you can already read the tea leaves for how this vote is going to go,” Johnson said before the vote was taken Tuesday.

“To the faith community, I want to thank you for showing up,” Johnson said. “For the business people, the students and the community at large – this was a powerful act of democracy in action. You did your part.”

Johnson said the council couldn’t justify its vote and the result would be “a real loss” to communities.

As each council member answered to the roll call vote, audience members reacted with sighs and heads shaking in disappointment.

New district boundaries become official on Oct. 6, according to city staff.

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

SacPress on Insight: Arena financing, gelato and chickens!

2011-09-06T23:43:33Z

On Tuesday’s regular visit with Jeffrey Callison on Capital Public Radio’s “Insight,” we discussed this week’s unveiling of the arena financing deal, the long-awaited passage of the backyard chicken ordinance and the opening of a new gelato shop in Midtown.

The highly anticipated report by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s Think Big Sacramento committee should give Sacramentans a better idea of possibilities for financing the entertainment and sports complex the mayor has been pursuing for more than a year. It will be unveiled at a luncheon at the Sacramento Press Club on Thursday, and we will be there. Meanwhile, here’s our most recent story on the subject.

On a much less grand scale, after two years of discussion, the City Council finally got around to passing the so-called “chicken ordinance,” which will take effect Nov. 1 and will allow people within the city limits to raise as many as three hens (but not roosters) in their backyards.

We also discussed Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, which was scheduled to be the last in the long, drawn-out redistricting process, with passions still running high concerning the move by Councilmembers Steve Cohn and Kevin McCarty to remove the UC Davis Medical Center from its traditional place in District 5 into McCarty’s District 6, a proposal that has drawn an ongoing public outcry.

Still being largely ignored is the move to incorporate the downtown railyards into Cohn’s East Sacramento District 3, removing it from its connection to next-door downtown, which is moving from District 1 to District 4. The Old Sacramento City Association is against this land grab, and the Alkali Flat neighborhood nearest the railyards will be heavily impacted, but the area’s representative, Rob Fong of District 4, will not be representing the railyards.

Fans of gelato got a boost last week when a new gelateria opened in Midtown in the spot on 19th Street near Capitol Avenue that was previously occupied by Le Petit Paris.

We also discussed a recent photo essay on GRAS (Green Restaurant Alliance of Sacramento), a consortium of local restaurants including Mulvaney’s, OneSpeed, Grange, Ella and others, who recycle their kitchen scraps into compost.

To listen to the audio, click here.

Ladies Night Out V at the Guild Theater

2011-09-06T06:15:37Z

Terry Moore Presents brought Ladies Night Out V to the Historic Guild Theater in Oak Park this past Friday night. This final show of the summer series at the Guild lived up to its billing as a red carpet event complete with celebrity VIP guests and a fantastic show.

“We really wanted to show our appreciation to Sacramento for all of the support we’ve received this year by ending the summer with a special event,” stated Moore.

“The most satisfying part of the evening was looking out over the audience and seeing everyone enjoying themselves and having a good time,” said Moore.

The special guest host for the red carpet extravaganza was Courtney Dempsey of Channel 31’s “Good Day Sacramento” morning show. Moore’s choice of Dempsey to host the show proved to be the right one. Smartly outfitted in an all white dress, Dempsey brought to the stage her unique combination of elegance, charm, polish, and wit.

The Sacramento Soul Line Dancers charged the atmosphere in the theater with electricity before with curtains opened to start the event by showing off their synchronized line dance moves to Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine” and V.I.C.’s “Wobble Baby Wobble.”

The evening’s house band Ear Candy started playing Bobby Calwell’s hit “What You Won’t Do For Love” before the curtains opened with local R&B singer Tony R. peeking out first on the vocals before the curtains opened to start the show.

Tony R. then had the pleasure of introducing Dempsey to the audience who immediately encouraged the crowd to relax and get comfortable while commenting on the soul line dancers and describing the lineup of entertainment scheduled for the evening. Dempsey acknowledged and thanked Moore for all of his efforts to put together the series of events showcasing all of the local talent in Sacramento and providing an opportunity for artists to build a following locally as the foundation before moving forward in their careers.

The Lady Jaz Project opened the show with its’ unique style of gospel, funk, urban contemporary music. The band features Lady Jaz on the lead vocals with backup singers Sharhonda Ruffin and Arameya Scott, Rick Smith on guitar, Willie G. Martin Jr. on the bass, and Robert Scott on the drums.

The band played four original songs in its set. “What’s His Name,” “Better Than That,” “One on One,” and “Solider Song.” Lady Jaz demonstrated her strong vocals and a powerful stage presence throughout the set, but the crowd really got moving and motivated with swaying and hands clapping on the final number as their dance step routines mimicked soldiers on the march.

In a surprise addition to the program, Dempsey brought out the men of Sacramento Soul Line Dancers to show off their moves to Usher’s track, “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home).” Each member displayed their own individual style while staying in step with the others which lent an air of spontaneity to the well rehearsed dance routine.

The ladies in the predominately female crowd moved to the aisles and started to groove along with the men on stage who were all sharp dressed in an array of fashionable suits, ties and dress hats. After the number, everyone in the audience rose and gave the dances a standing ovation in appreciation of their entertaining performance.

J.D. Sanders described the purpose of the Sacramento Soul Line Dancers as, “A way to have fun, maintain good health, and make new friends,” when speaking of the weekly practice sessions every Thursday night at the Touch of Class from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the many events where they perform throughout the Sacramento region.

Accomplished local comedian Andre Bailey showed off his comedic chops and demonstrated why he has been featured everywhere from the Apollo Theater to Laughs Unlimited when he took the stage to tickle the funny bones of the Ladies Night Out audience.

Poking fun at everything from Oak Park to airport security x-ray machines to members of small churches to Wocka Flocka Flame, Bailey visibly enjoyed himself by laughing along with the crowd at his own jokes.

Event founder Terry Moore stepped up to the stage to acknowledge some of the celebrity V.I.P’s in attendance and to pass out some door prizes to the guests who were seated in the V.I.P. seating with the help of host Dempsey.

Dempsey introduced R& B singer Kaleo Ross who began his set with “Blackstreet’s Before I Let You Go,” before launching directly into his recently released single ‘Supaman.” Kaleo responded to cheers and loud applause from the audience as he appeared to feeding off of their encouragement as he sang the difficult notes in both of the tracks.

Much to the surprise of the audience, House Band Ear Candy reappeared on stage behind Kaleo as he announced a special collaboration. As the music played and Kaleo used his voice as an instrument, the voice of Terry Moore came over the loudspeakers as he read one of his newest love poems, “Married Kind of Love,” from offstage, much to the delight of the audience.

In response to the crowd’s demand for more, Moore then came on stage and joined Kaleo and recited his well loved poem, “12 Things I’ll Do to Keep You,” with Kaleo singing ad lib’s of the lines between each of the verses.

Throughout the performance of the combination of poetry and singing, Ear Candy band leader and lead guitarist Norman McDaniel showed his skill and experience on the Roland synthesized guitar.

With band members Brother Gary on the bass, Lemont Kelsey on percussion, Ray Shamsid-Deen on drums, with both Karen Westbrook and Jordon Tholmer on the keyboards, the group played jam session style and never missed a beat. Moore, Kaleo, and Ear Candy all entertained the audience as a unit making it appear as if they had been doing it together for years.

Ear Candy brought the volume down while playing Bobby Caldwell’s hit song “What You Won’t Do for Love” in the background as Dempsey briefly appeared on stage to introduce singer Yardley Griffin, Jr.

Griffin and Ear Candy picked up the volume as the jam session continued with guitarist McDaniel leading the band with various arrangements of the Caldwell track including one with a reggae beat.

Griffin then introduced himself and showed a great deal of personality and stage presence as he joked with the crowd before he amped up the energy in the theater by singing “The Truth” by India.Arie. The ladies in the crowd responding by waving the carnations in the air concert style that Dempsey passed out earlier in the evening from the stage with the help of the ushers courtesy of event sponsor G.Rossi & Co., Florists.

After Griffin had the crowd clapping along with a bluesy song entitled “Get On Away From Me,” he took a moment to explain his roots in gospel music and to compliment the crowd for being one of the best live audiences he had ever performed in front of in his career.

Everyone in the theater responded enthusiastically by standing on their feet and singing along the chorus to Griffin’s earnest rendition of Fred Hammond’s song, “We’re Blessed,” to finish out his set

During the intermission a few audience members, including some small children, joined in on stage with the Sacramento Soul Line Dancers who were demonstrating their line dance routine to “Cupid’s Shuffle” by Cupid.

In the lobby Simply Southern Café owners Lynnis Woods Mullins and Michael Mullins, offered plates of fish, chicken, or ribs with side orders of green beans and salad along with a drink.

While waiting in line to be served, patrons were browsing through the selections offered by vendors including Traci Lynn fashion Jewelry offered by Zina Beard, Mary Kay Cosmetics offered by Mary Kay Beauty Consultants Lolita Johnson Hopkins and Nadia Olivian, and fashions offered by African American Expressions.

During the intermission, celebrity V.I.P. guest Amar Khalil, lead singer of Tony! Toni! Toné! stated,

“This is a great event, how they got it together and got everybody to come. The food is fabulous and the talent is really good. I’m enjoying myself.”

Samoria Lamuse stated, “I like this atmosphere and I feel really comfortable being able to move around without being restricted to enjoy the food.”

“This event is nicely put together,”Lamuse said.

When the show resumed, high energy dancer Ozala showed the ladies how to stay fit with a lively demonstration of Zumba.

Dempsey then introduced by designer and image consultant LaTanya DeNine, who in turn presented a brief fashion show featuring original creations from her de Neuf clothing line.

Comedian Dru Burks came to the stage and immediately began teasing everybody in the theater from the “skinny women” in the audience to the Sacramento Soul Line men whom he referred to as “The Five Heartbeats.”

Burks told event founder Terry Moore that the lobby reminded him of a church picnic during the intermission before he went on reprove the ladies for “facebook trickery” by only putting head shots on their facebook pages.

Dempsey then warmly introduced her long-time friend, poet Sean King, after she described the reputation for being an intellectual he earned at Sacramento State during their time on campus together.

King departed from the thought provoking poetry that is his stock in trade and recited two of his love poems, “Bit the Apple” and “You Inspire Me,” in keeping with the theme of love that is a part of Ladies Night Out.

Poet, singer, and actor Noah Hayes, aka, Supernova, then took the stage and honored his wife with his love poem, “You…” before reciting another love piece entitled “I’ve Seen My Future.”

Supernova then demonstrated his versatility as an entertainer by singing “My Cherrie Amor” by Stevie Wonder and “Ordinary People” by John Legend. He finished his set by singing the gospel standard ‘How Great Is Our God” to the highly appreciative audience.

After host Dempsey closed out the show by thanking the audience, the Sacramento Soul Line Dancers capped off the evening a final line dance to “Work It Like a Pro” by Roi Anthony featuring Cupid.

Former V101.1 radio D.J. Lee Perkins commented regarding the evening of entertainment,

“This was an excellent show and it’s great for families. Its’ better that the club scene and it had some real quality entertainment.”
“I had an absolutely wonderful time.” said Denise Henderson.

This event reminds me of the good times I had on the east coast- I’m impressed,” Henderson stated.
The Ladies Night Out series will resume after a two month hiatus on November 12, 2011, with a brand new show featuring more of Sacramento’s local talent

Disclosure: Othello Curry was an active participant in this week's Ladies Night Out Event. Othello worked as a member of the event staff.

March of unity against Med Center district move

2011-09-02T07:28:40Z

About 150 people marched through Oak Park Thursday in a “unity march” to fight against the City Council’s proposed redistricting map that would move the UC Davis Med Center out of Oak Park’s council district.

“The purpose for tonight is to try to find a hero in this whole controversy, and by that I mean someone who will find a real compromise,” said Michael Boyd, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association.

The marchers Thursday night walked from the intersection of 34th Street and Second Avenue to the Med Center, chanting slogans and carrying signs along the way as police blocked the streets and kept a clear path.

Residents of Oak Park have repeatedly made their voices heard at City Council meetings in recent weeks, even setting a record for number of speakers, according to Mayor Kevin Johnson.

The OPNA organized the event, and Boyd said he wants to see the council set up a committee ideally involving the two council members – Kevin McCarty and Jay Schenirer – as well as representatives of Elmhurst and Oak Park, and possibly Tahoe Park. The committee would strive to find a compromise all could agree upon.

The redistricting map currently under consideration would move the UC Davis Med Center from Schenirer’s District 5 to McCarty’s District 6, a move Johnson’s special assistant, R.E. Graswich, has called “a power grab.”

McCarty has defended the move of the Med Center to his district, saying that the Elmhurst neighborhood in District 6 is more “attached” to the Med Center area than Oak Park, and that, logically, the Med Center area should be overseen by the same council member who represents Elmhurst.

Boyd said he hoped to draw residents from beyond Oak Park to the march, adding that the issue is broader than one neighborhood.

One marcher, 62-year-old South Sacramento resident Susiana Donaldson, said she came to support Oak Park, where she attends church.

“It’s important for me that the people in power listen to us,” she said. “We are the ones who put them there. We’re the reason they’re in office.”

Retired teacher and Oak Park resident Linda Brewer said she is upset at what she sees as council dealmaking without the public in mind.

“I’ve been to the City Council meetings twice, and I’m going to be going back,” she said. “We think this whole process has been decided behind closed doors, out of the public eye.”

Councilwoman Angelique Ashby made an appearance, saying she wanted to show that she is listening to the marchers.

“I support anything that brings the community together,” she said. “They’re really united.”

A spokesman for Johnson told The Sacramento Press Thursday that the mayor is supportive of the group’s efforts.

Schenirer, marching at the head of the column down Second Avenue, said he came out to support the neighborhood.

“The council has taken the wrong action here,” he said. “I hope to see it corrected.”

None of the six council members who voted for the proposed map – McCarty, Sandy Sheedy, Bonnie Pannell, Darrell Fong, Rob Fong and Steve Cohn – were present at the march.

Oak Park resident David Moen, 52, expressed a common feeling of frustration among the marchers.

“We have a group of people really trying to make (Oak Park) a neighborhood, and we feel like we’re being kicked to the dirt again,” he said. “It’s really depressing.”

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

A 'neighborhood' is more than skin deep

2011-09-01T01:34:59Z

Some people say a neighborhood is better defined by the residents who live, work and play there than by physical boundaries, lines on a map or the number of inhabitants.

Just ask the people who live in Oak Park – or Elmhurst, or Med Center or Tahoe Park.

Glenn Corngold, an Elmhurst resident who spoke at the Aug. 23 City Council meeting, told council members, “Med Center’s dirt is in our yard. It’s our neighborhood.”

As the once-a-decade redistricting process for Sacramento comes to a close, there has been a lot of emotion, protest – and, yes, drama – focused on the redrawing of district lines that would shift the UC Davis Medical Center from District 5, where it has been since it was built in 1978, to District 6.

As drawn on the official city of Sacramento map, the Med Center campus lies within the Med Center neighborhood, which is bordered to the north and east by Elmhurst and to the west and south by Oak Park.

Councilman Kevin McCarty said that because the Med Center is physically “attached” to the Elmhurst neighborhood to a much larger degree than it is to Oak Park, then the council member who represents the Med Center should be the one associated with the neighborhood that is most impacted by its proximity to the center.

“There’s no question the Med Center is part of this (Elmhurst) neighborhood,” McCarty said Monday. “Or, at least, it’s more closely associated to this side of Stockton Boulevard than to Oak Park.”

Stockton Boulevard is a heavily traveled, five-lane road that bisects the Med Center neighborhood – and physically separates the Med Center from Oak Park and homes and businesses on the west side of the street.

But seeing homes, parks and businesses through the car window at street level is strikingly different than what appears on a map on the wall – and Elmhurst residents say they need to be represented by someone who sees their neighborhood the same way they do.

In an Aug. 14 email to the City Council, Elmhurst resident Diane Cummins told council members that there are a number of issues that directly impact the Elmhurst neighborhood and affect the quality of life for the residents.

“It seems most logical to me,” Cummins said in the email, “that the Med Center and the Med Center Neighborhood remain in District 6, which would link those areas with Elmhurst.”

Elmhurst resident Jeff Simon described in a letter to council members that noise from ambulances, helicopters and other medical vehicles can be heard “at any hour of the day or night,” despite the double-pane windows installed in his home to diminish the noise.

Simon also described traffic congestion, limited parking, and hospital employees and emergency room visitors smoking and littering in his front yard.

“The impact that UCDMC has on us is – to say the least – extraordinary,” Simon added.

Simon agreed with Cummins and other Elmhurst residents who said they want “to have an arbiter of sorts,” and “a single source” to turn to.

“Where the line is drawn is no matter,” Simon said, “other than we wish to be in the same district as the Med Center campus so our common council representative can decisively and quickly address the issues that impact us.”

McCarty said that, by redistricting the Med Center into District 6 alongside Elmhurst, he is “focusing on practical issues.”

“We make our decisions on sound public policy, not on emotion,” McCarty said. “Certainly emotion is a factor, but what is the best public policy?”

McCarty said that if there was a “big economic dollar factor” that went with the district, it would be a consideration. Failing that, “neighborhood issues reign supreme.”

“I hear the emotion (of Oak Park residents),” McCarty said, “but I think we need to focus on the facts and public policy and what’s practical.”

“What we’re feeling in Elmhurst,” Corngold said at the Aug. 23 meeting, “is a need for representation.”

Corngold described the traffic and noise from construction at the Med Center and said, “We can’t just walk into the (Med Center) building and ask them to do something about it.

“We want to be in the same district as the Med Center so we can have someone to speak for us,” Corngold said. “Whatever (the Med Center district) is in, I’d like to be part of it.”

For the 2,000 residents in Elmhurst, according to McCarty, “it complicates things when the councilman for the hospital and their own councilman are two different people. It’s an unnecessary extra layer of bureaucracy.”

The real problem, according to R.E. Graswich, special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson, is not an “extra layer of bureaucracy,” rather a divided council.

“Unlike Sutter, Mercy and Kaiser hospitals, which require permits and entitlements from the city, UCDMC needs no city permits and entitlements,” Graswich said. “To be a successful neighbor with UCDMC, the city must rely upon relationships built between city officials and UCDMC officials. A divided council does not bode well for relationships.”

If UCDMC is returned to District 5, Graswich said a 9-0 council vote on the base map could be expected.

“Politically (and realistically) speaking, it’s indescribably better to have a 9-0 vote than a bitterly divided 6-3 vote,” Graswich said.

The Med Center has been referred to as an "economic engine" many times throughout the redistricting process – so, what economic advantage does the Med Center really bring to Oak Park or Elmhurst if it is drawn into either district?

According to McCarty, there is none.

“None. Zero,” McCarty said Wednesday. “It is an economic engine to the region, jobs and it has an impact on community health. But advantage to the district? No.”

Graswich said he disagreed.

“Economic benefits are obvious,” Graswich said in an email Wednesday. “The Med Center employs approximately 7,000 people, bringing jobs and support services to a neighborhood that has been steadily rebounding from challenging economic conditions for 50 years.”

Councilman Jay Schenirer, the current council representative of District 5 and one of the three council members who voted against the current base map, said the Med Center does have economic benefits to the neighborhood.

“The feeling of Oak Park and how it’s been developing is important,” Schenirer said. “(The neighborhood) is on a move upward, and (the Med Center) is one of the main assets that they can claim in their neighborhood.”

Despite McCarty’s argument that the practical matters from being adjacent to the Med Center are the most important, Graswich and others – including Mike Boyd, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association – have questioned what appears to be a “power grab” by McCarty.

“There is no impact (from shifting districts) on the redistricting map in terms of numbers,” Boyd said, “so it must be political.”

“(Oak Park) has for decades been treated as the poor part of the family,” Boyd said. “We’ve (been) the ones (everyone) can take advantage of.”

“No one reached out to Oak Park to ask what (residents) felt about it,” Boyd said.

“I have no comment on McCarty’s motives,” Schenirer said, “but the fact that neither (Elmhurst nor Oak Park) was consulted before the (Neighborhoods 2.0) plan was laid out is telling. No one who drew these maps talked to the community about how (residents) felt about it.”

“It has unnecessarily pitted one neighborhood against the other,” Schenirer said.

As far as the Med Center is concerned, the district it is located in makes no difference to the work the center does – or to the benefit it provides to the region.

Robert Waste, assistant director of government and community relations for the UC Davis Health System and the Med Center, said Wednesday that the issue of redistricting is “a determination for the City Council to make.”

“We work with all of the council districts,” Waste said. “Our buildings and our operations deal extensively with all of these council districts on a range of issues from schools to workforce development.”

“There has been a neighborhood task force which has ebbed and flowed over the years, and we use it and will continue to use it in the future to solve problems.”

Waste said the task force was initiated by the Med Center to work with “all neighborhoods in every direction of the compass.”

Waste declined to comment further on any opinion or preference for which district the Med Center should be located in.

“We’ve had a neutral position (on this issue) from day one,” Waste said. “Our business is patient care and health, and we’re going to stay out of the politics and stick to our mission.”

“Some people speaking at the last council meeting said they felt they were ‘losing’ the Med Center,” McCarty said, “but the center is not moving. It will still be right where it sits.”

McCarty noted that the district the Capitol building is in has changed, and so has the district that includes the Sac State campus.

“Boundaries change,” McCarty said. “Population changes. It happens.

“I stand by this map,” McCarty said, “and I stand by my constituents who think there is a crystal-clear link between the Elmhurst neighborhood and the Med Center.”

“I thought (having the Med Center in District 5) was a flaw in the 2001 redistricting,” McCarty said, “and I think it should be corrected now.”

Oak Park residents and community leaders will hold a Unity March at 6 p.m. on Thursday to protest the proposed new district lines. The march will start at the Sacramento Food Bank (3333 3rd Ave.) and end at the UC Davis Medical Center.

The final vote on the new redistricting map is set for Sept. 6.

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

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market breaks ground in Oak Park

2011-08-31T23:00:26Z

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.'" Prior to Fresh & Easy, Johnson stated that "they wanted to put a used appliance store there..." Johnson stated that this (Fresh & Easy) is the right business.

“I’m excited to welcome Fresh & Easy to our neighborhood,” said Johnson. “Fresh & Easy is not only bringing more good jobs to Sacramento, but also high-quality, healthy food at affordable prices to neighborhoods that don’t always have access to such foods.”

Johnson thanked Chris Brown who worked tirelessly and handled the real estate transaction, making sure the properety fell into the right hands.

In his opening remarks, Mason stated, "We hope to continue to be part of the solution in providing greater food access and help give food options to all types of communities... at a price they can afford right where they live."

Mason stated they have opened 137 stores since they opened in 2007, invested over two billion dollars and created more than 4500 jobs. In Oak Park, the new store will create 300 construction jobs and when it is finished it will create 30 retail jobs for the community.

"We have worked very hard to create a thoughtful business and a business that can make a difference in the community" Mason stated.

In a press release, Fresh & Easy noted the locations opening in greater Sacramento in 2012

Watt Ave. & El Camino Ave.- Sacramento
34th St. & Broadway- Sacramento
Mack Rd. & Franklin Blvd.- Sacramento
Lincoln & Sterling Rd.- Lincoln
Elk Grove Florin Rd. & Calvine Rd.- Elk Grove
E. Natoma St. & Blue Ravine Rd.- Folsom

"When you say Oak Park, when you put those two words together, people show up; people have been showing up for a long time. We are hitting our stride in this community; we are doing great things" Councilman Jay Schenierer stated.

"I know you said that you like to put your stores in all types of communities, so on behalf of Oak Park, I want to thank you for putting your store in the best and most engaged community that we have in Sacramento" Schenirer stated to Mason.

"When you look at Oak Park you see a diverse community, not just one sector of Sacramento" said Schenirer

Fresh & Easy has created nearly 5,000 jobs in California, Arizona and Nevada. Entry-level positions start at $10 an hour in California and provide room for employees to grow quickly. The company offers quarterly bonuses of up to 10% as well as a 401(k) with company match. Fresh & Easy believes everyone deserves access to affordable and comprehensive healthcare and provides all employees the opportunity to work at least 20 hours per week, which entitles everyone in the business to vision, prescription drug, dental and medical coverage with Fresh & Easy paying at least 75%.

In an impromptu open dialog, Mason committed to Johnson to install a solar roof and create space on the grounds for community members to sell their produce from the community gardens being developed. As a gesture and token of the commitment, Mason took his tie off and gave it to Johnson. Johnson holding the tie up stated that he would wear the tie at the ribbon cutting when the store opens.

"Fresh & Easy is going to open six stores in this area, that's a total of 150 jobs. We have double digit unemployment rates; that is a big deal." Johnson stated.

Fresh & Easy touts being a "green" company and you can learn more about them at their site>>>

Fresh & Easy invites community members to join their "Friends" to say in the know>>>

View more photos from this event>>>

Fourth Annual Art Bra Show

2011-08-31T06:59:18Z

Breasts have been bared in the name of art for as long as man has been making art. So why not create art in the name of breast health as well? That’s the idea behind the gallery show at 40 Acres Gallery located in Oak Park.

The fourth annual Art Bra Show will run from Sept. 8-17. More than 150 pieces of art from 100 area artists will be featured.

“Every year we increase the amount of art and quality,” said Kelly Siefkin, spokeswoman for Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. “I think it’s really grown in terms of scope. A lot more people in the community are aware of it. A lot of people love attending it.”

The Art Bra Show will feature sculptures, collages and paintings that are inspired by breast cancer.

“Every piece of art will have a bra or a symbol of a bra. Sometimes they’re hidden, and sometimes they are very visible,” Siefkin said.

This year, contributing artists including post-funk artist Tony Natsoulas, Sandora Nishio and Marjorie Morbitzer of Sacramento will be donating their work.

Natsoulas created two sculpture pieces for the Art Bra Show aimed at eliciting humor amid a serious subject.

“What’s Your Cup Size?” features a pink breast placed in a lime green coffee cup. His other sculptural piece, “Hey, I’m Up Here” features a pair of breasts with glasses on.

Natsoulas said that he has had close friends who have been affected by breast cancer.

“They’ve all survived so far. I haven’t had anyone die on me yet,” he said.

Chico-based artist Sandora Nishio used acrylic paints to create her subject, the star-flower. Her star-flower is poised in the sky and over the ocean. Two petals on her star-flower form a bra. Nishio said that the piece is a dedication to women who have been affected by breast cancer.

“My mother-in-law passed away from breast cancer a couple of years ago and it adds another personal layer of significance to it,” Nishio said. “Any time you can give back and your creativity can benefit in a social way, it’s pretty neat.”

Marjorie Morbitzer, an artist based in Oak Park contributed a ceramic sculptural piece called “Marian the Librarian.”

Morbitzer is a scientist by profession but creates sculptural pieces on the side. She said it took a week and half to make her art bra piece.

Organizers will raise money through a silent auction from 5 - 9 p.m. Sept. 10 during a Second Saturday Art Walk reception for the Art Bra Show. Each of the displayed art bra pieces will be put up for auction. There will be bid sheets next to the artwork.

This year organizers are expecting to raise $10,000 through the silent auction, according to Helen Plenert, Women’s Wisdom art program manager. Women’s Wisdom is a nonprofit organization that provides art resources, including supplies and studio space to women through Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services.

The Sacramento Food Bank and the Albie Aware Breast Cancer Foundation, which provides free mammograms to women who do not have the resources to get regular breast exams, is sponsoring the art show. Viewing is free to the public.

40 Acres Gallery is located at 3428 Third Ave.

Youngsters help to clean up Salvation Army playground

2011-08-30T23:59:35Z

“There was a lot of weed growing. It was really dirty.”

That is the way 16-year-old Brianna described the playground area at The Salvation Army Oak Park campus.

“Just didn’t look good,” she said.

But that changed on Saturday when Brianna and nearly 20 other youngsters from The Salvation Army youth, church and education programs volunteered to help spruce things up.

In a community event called “Together We Grow”, the kids, along with Salvation Army staff and other volunteers, worked collectively to take out the weeds, plant vegetable seeds and clean up all of the playground area.

“We’re giving young people a good example of working together,” Luisa Lose, Salvation Army community center coordinator. “It’s also great that they’re learning about growing plants in the garden and healthy eating, as well.”

In all, the project took more than three hours to finish, with the youth doing the lion’s share of the work.

“These kids were amazingly focused,” said Rosella Shapiro, master gardener from the Sacramento County UC Cooperative Extension Service. “I was stunned at how interested they were in pulling up weeds and (discovering) the bugs that came from the ground.”

For Brianna, however, this day was much more than just a volunteer project.

“This brought people together and kept them out of trouble. It was also very spiritual because it really brought us closer to God.”

Soul Night at the Guild Theater

2011-08-30T05:12:58Z

Terry Moore Presents brought his latest show concept, Soul Night, to the historical Guild Theater in Oak Park Saturday night. The “Soul Night" show was ably hosted by popular certified life coach and Christian counselor Kerri Herndon.

“We are evolving and growing as an organization while responding to the feedback we receive from our supporters,” said Moore when describing how the concept of Soul Night originated. “Soul Night is a show for everybody to come out and enjoy music, poetry, and dancing that will inspire the soul.”

Poet Aaron G. read his poem. “I Had a Dream” and Othello H. Curry, 3rd read his poem, “Single and Free to Mingle” at the open mic before the curtains opened to begin the show.

Host Kerri Herndon, who was introduced by singer Tony R., thanked Terry Moore and welcomed the audience to the event. Herndon then brought out popular dancer Sonic Boom to open the show. Sonic Boom amazed the crowd with an energetic and enthusiastic display of his prowess on the stage.

Leah Byrd was the first featured poet onstage during the evening. Her three poems “Broken Glass,” “Jungle Fever” and Farewell Religion” spoke of various aspects of her personal journey. The themes of her poems Included heartache caused by a failed relationship, the complex issues of self identity caused by a mixed race background, and own personal quest to move her spirituality beyond the confines of religious practices.

Local R&B singer Kaleo then crooned to the ladies in the audience with the song, “Love,” by Musiq Soulchild. His performance also included his two original songs, “Don’t Let Your Love Go,” and his recently released single, “Supaman.” The audience responded as he hit difficult high notes with frequent and spontaneous applause.

Host Kerri Herndon then took time to pump up the crowd by looking for the most enthusiastic members. Herndon then passed out pairs of tickets to the upcoming performance of “What My Husband Doesn’t Know,” featuring Morris Chestnut. Several audience members were observably thrilled with their good fortune.

Herndon then brought statuesque vocalist Yvette Gauff to the stage. After acknowledging all of the hard work put in by Terry Moore and the event staff, Gauff took time to model the necklace she wore during the evening. Her accessory was provided by Traci Lynn Fashion Jewelry and offered by independent fashion consultant Zina Beard.

Gauff also encouraged audience members to familiarize themselves with the selections offered in the lobby by Deborah and Mz. J, the proprietors of Sista Girl Clothing.

With Gauff on the vocals and the evening’s house band Ear Candy, event founder Terry Moore inspired the audience to dance in the aisles to the heartfelt rendition of Tom Brown’s hit song, “Funkin’ for Jamaica.”
Norman McDaniel playing the Roland synthesized guitar, Brother Gary on the electric bass guitar, Jordon Tholmer on the keyboards and Ray Shamsid-Deen on the drums, Ear Candy demonstrated its versatility, experience and talent with some creative solos while playing Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do Love.” Gauff sang the first verse onstage before coming down into the audience and asking for individual audience members to sing the chorus in exchange for pairs of tickets to the upcoming stage play featuring Morris Chestnut.

While the band continued to play in the background, Herndon brought out R&B singer Tone Malone, aka Soulfish McGee, who picked up where Gauff left off and continued on with his own rendition of Caldwell’s hit. Ear Candy altered the arrangement to match Malone’s voice and style.

Following the soulful tune, Malone spoke for a few minutes about the meaning of soul music and the recent loss of songwriter and singer Nick Ashford. As a tribute to the duo Ashford and Simpson, Malone then brought out singers Denice Jones, Kaleo and Yvette Gauff to sing a verse of their hit song, “Solid as a Rock.”

Malone ended his set by demonstrating the amazing vocal range and talent that has made him so popular in Sacramento by singing “Beautiful” by Musiq Soulchild.

Gospel singer KoRae’Jus (pronounced courageous) then brought some heartfelt inspiration to the stage with her original song, “Breathe.”

With her backup singers, known collectively as Gideon 300, KoRae’Jus inspired the audience with her uplifting message of taking the time to simply breathe when facing difficult times - regardless of your life’s circumstances.

KoRae’Jus ended her set with another original song entitled, “Get Your Life Back.” She demonstrated powerful vocals reminiscent of Shirley Caesar and Patti LaBelle while relating to the audience the importance of being spiritually grounded.

After a short break, versatile songstress Tessa Evans opened the second half of the show and astonished unacquainted fans with her original song, “Infliction,” due to be released on her upcoming E.P. Evans’ soft voice and sultry jazz-influenced sound shone through as she graced the audience with her fluent vocals. To complete her set, Evans brought singer Tone Malone on stage. They showcased their unique vocal talents as a duet while singing, “Ordinary People,” by John Legend. They made the song their own, much to the appreciation of the audience.

The crowd was then treated to a brief fashion show featuring the de Neuf clothing line created by designer and image consultant LaTanya Denine.

Poetry once again took center stage when Anna Marie took the mic for two selections, “Freedom of Speech” and “Love Poem.” She was followed by poet and spoken word artist NSAA, whose high energy and rapid fire reading of his two pieces, “This Poem Is Stronger Than Me” and “The Trap,” held the crowd between rapt attention and laughter.

Dance group Naé² (pronounced nay to the second power) finished the show with an energetic synchronized dance routine choreographed by troop members Shayné Stanley, Zhane Stanley and NuNue LaShae.

Their dance number featured skit-like expressions and costume changes that were coordinated to their own mix of popular dance tracks and hip-hop raps appropriately sanitized for the family friendly audience.

As always, audience members were both pleased and impressed with the evening’s performers.

“I was skeptical when I first heard about Soul Night, but it was refreshing to see and hear so much talent from Sacramento,” said Marcia McClain, “I really had a good time.”

Dana P. stated that she was impressed by the diversity of the performers and their performances.

“It’s very nice to see that Sacramento is making the effort to showcase all of the local talent that is here.”

Herndon reminded the audience that the final Ladies Night Out event for the summer will be held on Friday, September 2. She told everyone present to come out looking their best as it will be a red carpet extravaganza complete with celebrity V.I.P. guests. The event will be hosted by Courtney Dempsey of Channel 31’s “Good Day Sacramento” show.

Be sure to contact Terry Moore well in advance at (916) 208-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail. com to purchase your tickets. The event is guaranteed to be another inspirational and fun evening of entertainment.

Disclosure: Disclosure: Othello Curry was an active participant in this week's Soul Night event. Othello recited poetry and served on the event staff.

Why Do We Say The Council Stole UC Davis Med Center?

2011-08-30T02:56:24Z

A few basics should be mentioned first.

It does not matter where UCD Med is as far as balancing populations. Also, look on a map and you will see that UCD and the Medical buildings running down Stockton Blvd. have an impact on several neighborhoods not only Oak Park or Elmhurst.

UCD has been in District 5 since the start of redistricting. Oak Park has also always been in District 5. So, for 40 years UCD and Oak Park enjoyed the same representative on the City Council. There are benefits that come with being a Council member representing such a large economic and community asset and with the relationships that are formed. Otherwise, it would not have been prized so highly by the players.

The nominal reason for taking UCD out of District 5 and giving it to District 6 is that the Council member from D6 can protect the interests of those most affected—namely the Elmhurst neighborhood. (Basically, it borders the northern campus and has little buffer to noise, etc.). The result of the theft has been to separate another neighborhood, up-and-coming Oak Park, and its representative from the process they so highly seem to value, for the more affluent, already there, Elmhurst.

You might think this was driven by an outcry from the people living in Elmhurst and the Council was simply responding to a well articulated need. Not so fast. The Elmhurst Neighborhood Association was consulted after the 2.0 map was drawn and were not even involved in the redistricting process to protect their interests. They didn't go to the Council member and beg for the new lines. The new lines were drawn and they were asked to support the deal. Elmhurst merely saw what they considered a good chance to get some of their issues taken care of. They admit their view is narrow and that others are affected but, what the heck, they got an easy win.

This is the situation; UCD was stolen from D5, not to protect Elmhurst as they had no real part in the process. No, it was taken from D5, behind the scenes, not fully discussed in public before hand, and voted on by the Sixer Club--the members who trade votes in a block--Sheedy, Cohn, Fong, McCarty, Fong, and Pannell. It was taken because they could. They could take it from a non-club member and give it to a club member.

They thought they would do this with little public outcry. They simply are too engrossed in their vote trades to know that the nerves are raw in our struggling community. They exposed that nerve and in doing so, exposed themselves to sunshine. We know what they did.

It stretches the mind to believe that not one of the Sixers was moved by the historical attendance of more than 500 residents and emotional testimony of 100 residents, to change their vote. Yet, not one of the Sixers changed their vote to protect the interests of Oak Park but chose to protect a neighborhood that had not requested their help.

On the other hand, Oak Park represented by the Oak Park Neighborhood Association (full disclosure, I am the proud president of OPNA), was involved from the beginning of the process with the submission of one of the 37 maps. We discussed redistricting at several of our general meetings attended by about 75 people each night, and we held committee meetings. Several of our members testified before the Redistricting Committee and then the City Council. We worked with our Council member, Jay Schenirer and his representative to be certain our needs were considered. In other words, we did what we were supposed to do and played by the rules they gave us

Fast forward to the springing of the Cohn/Sheedy map on the Council. Without adequate time for open analysis and discussion, the Sixer Club moved quickly away from the four submitted maps and chose to work with this map. Shave some here, add some there and you find the almost magically, out-of-the-hat map by Cohn with the Orwellian name--Neighborhoods Together 2.0.

Because Oak Park is vulnerable, it was not considered necessary to keep it together or to include our Council member in the discussions. There is no Brown Act in play if they talk in public, but alas, that was not to be. The real deals were done in darkness.

Let's get to the theft. Right before the August 23 City Council meeting, while standing in the Chamber lobby, I was told, by a prominent and powerful Labor leader, that "the compromise" had been reached and it was a done deal. He told me the exact details of the deal and that I should sign on. I was appalled and skeptical.

Inside the Chambers, even the Sixers assured us that all minds were open and that we-the-people would be heard. I don't know about you, but I don't think open minds is the right phrase for listening to "we the people" when the deal is already done. I call that a charade, a farce and theft when it results in lines which move an unpopulated asset from a non-club member into a district represented by a major Sixer Club member. The deal was indeed done.

It is beyond my volunteer pay-grade to know if the Labor folks drew the lines, merely supported them or influenced them or just thought that screwing the process, the residents of Oak Park, Distinct 5 and ultimately Sacramento, was a good idea. Labor is often considered part of the Progressive movement and protective of the working and middle classes. Seems like we either change the meaning of progressive or it does not apply to Labor or the Sixer Club. How have they protected the most vulnerable in our city by stripping our representative of this asset?

What's the big deal? The big deal is that residents in District 5 have a representative with even less power than before. It is as-if the representative of the most challenged and integrated areas in Sacramento, Oak Park, is not going to get support from the Sixers or Labor.

Could it be payback for Mr. Schenirer's winning an election without the usual support of so many players? Or is it a message to Curtis Park that an alliance with Oak Park will see a reduction in their influence and next time vote for the chosen candidate? Or is it simply telling Oak Park residents to stay in their place? Or perhaps the Mayor is the real target and the rest of us be damned? Above my volunteer pay-grade.

The good news is that it isn’t absolutely over; we can still be heard. OPNA is leading a Unity March on Thursday, Sept. 1, leaving 34th Street and 3rd Avenue at 6 PM. We will also be at City Council meetings to voice our outrage at this brutal, ugly, and unnecessary theft. Please join your fellow citizens to remind the Sixer Club that this is our City; not theirs.

Disclosure: I am the President of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association.

Building community and gardens in Oak Park

2011-08-29T08:01:23Z

The former site of a gas station at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 12th Avenue has been transformed into the city’s ninth community garden. The garden’s grand opening on Saturday offered free seeds, magazines and workshop information to several dozen attendees.

Bill Maynard, Sacramento’s director of community gardens, has been working on this project for four years. He said half of the garden plots have already been rented at a cost of $25 to $50 per year. WIC, a federally funded organization that focuses on nutrition and health for women, infants and children, rents space in the garden, which is near their office building.

Andrea Kennedy, one of several people tending gardens at Saturday’s opening, has a plot divided into four sections, which include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, cauliflower, yams, chard, snap peas, snap beans, mint, peppers, herbs and flowers “for color.”

John Roberts was busy tilling the soil, claiming it was harder than when he worked in the concrete business. He has a family garden plot where he will plant celery, garlic and broccoli.

“Taking a vacant lot and doing something great signifies what’s happening in Oak Park,” Councilmember Jay Schenirer said, adding that his office will subsidize the first year of rent for residents who cannot afford it.

The garden’s site was acquired several years ago through a “grant for redevelopment purposes,” said Matt Hertel, redevelopment planner for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. The site has been soil tested and cleaned and is, in Hertel’s words, edible.

In addition to individual and group plots, the garden has community plantings, including pumpkins that will appear this fall, and fruit trees planted along one fence. Maynard said the mandarin is the garden’s ceremonial tree.

On-site compost bins will be used to teach gardeners about composting and reducing waste. Composting reduces greenhouse gasses, particularly methane, by keeping green waste out of the landfills.

“Composting is a great soil amendment, plus it is economical,” Sacramento waste reduction coordinator Doug Huston said. “Fifty to 70 percent of waste to landfills could be composted.”

The garden is the first official element of the MLK Streetscape and Urban Development Plan, providing access to healthy foods and improving the street’s aesthetics. Where a vacant lot once stood, a garden will provide food, beauty and community.

The parks and recreation department has scheduled to open gardens at Valley Hi Park and Camellia Park by the end of this year.

Solomon-esque compromise moves Med Center into District 6

2011-08-24T18:26:14Z

In a King Solomon-like compromise, Oak Park lost one of its key components Tuesday when City Council members voted to divvy up the 100-year old neighborhood between two council districts.

District 5 gets to keep most of the Med Center neighborhood and Sacramento HIgh, but District 6 gets the coveted Med Center.

In a 6-3 vote, council members approved a variation of the “Neighborhoods 2.0” base map, drawing the boundary between Districts 5 and 6 – right down the middle of Stockton Boulevard.

“We have let you down as a council,” Mayor Kevin Johnson told the audience just before the vote. “We can say anything we want and make it all fancy, but you guys see right through it.”

Tuesday’s City Council meeting had more than 500 people in attendance and a record 103 speakers took to the podium to address the council before the final vote of the evening.

During the five-hour long discussion, members of the public spoke emotionally and emphatically about what their neighborhoods mean to them, asking council members to “put the people first.”

Quoting English poet William Wordsworth, Oak Park Pastor Darrell Roberts said, “ ‘It takes less time to do something right than to explain why you did it wrong. Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Virtue is doing it.’

“You’ve heard from the people,” Roberts said.

Councilman Steve Cohn defended the map he presented on July 26 and the merged map he and Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy developed and presented on Aug.4., saying it kept more neighborhoods intact than other versions, and resolved more problems than it created.

“In the end,” Cohn said, “I think everyone can agree there’s no perfect solution.”

The controversy that boiled over at the Aug. 16 council meeting – and continued at Tuesday’s meeting – was fueled by the shifting of the Med Center neighborhood out of District 5 and into District 6 with the Neighborhoods 2.0 base map, which the council approved on Aug. 9.

Oak Park residents and community leaders quickly mobilized opposition to the proposed new district boundaries and more than 60 people commented publicly at the Aug. 16 meeting.

Redistricting was not an item on the agenda at that meeting, so council members could not discuss the issue – they could only listen to the public comments, though there was some discussion at the meeting.
At Tuesday’s meeting, redistricting was the final item on the agenda and council chambers remained full to capacity throughout the entire discussion.

Many times, as speakers were addressing the council, the applause of the audience was loud and lingering and Johnson banged the gavel to restore order.

Speakers young and old approached the podium, sometimes giving a simple plea for keeping a neighborhood unified, and other times chastising council members for being “self-serving” and not “respecting the process” of redistricting.

At one point, Councilman Kevin McCarty addressed audience’s questions about ”Why the change” to the boundaries affecting Oak Park, the Med Center, and Sacramento High School.

“I think, Neighborhoods 2.0 is the right map and it is the least flawed,” McCarty said. “District 6 has been growing toward District 5 for years. (Toward District 5) is the only direction it can grow.”

While acknowledging that the Med Center in an “economic engine” for the city, he said “it is also a neighbor” that directly impacts the immediate vicinity more than anything else.

McCarty concluded that Med Center – and the area immediately surrounding it – should be part of District 6.

Tim Jordan, a business owner in Oak Park, said there wasn’t a “compelling reason” for the shift of the Med Center neighborhood out of Oak Park.

“North Oak Park is a positive example of investments made in the area over the years,” Jordan said. “The population is a small percentage of District 5, but they are the heartbeat. There’s no reason to move us.”

When public comment concluded, council members gave the audience their take on the process, the maps and the public outcry they witnessed both at council meetings and from people in their districts.

Cyril Shah, a local businessman and a former member of the Citizens Advisory Committee on redistricting, told council members there were three tenets he followed while working with the committee: listen to the citizens, focus on fairness and equity in every district, and focus on providing government services to those who need them.

“Listen to all of the citizens before you make a decision,” Shaw said. “It is my hope and, quite frankly, my expectation as a citizen that you will come to a conclusion than not only a few but all of the citizens can be proud of.”

Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy told audience members that the process has been “very challenging,” but the public had been “heard.”

“Don’t think we haven’t listened to you,” Sheedy said. “We have. We really have heard you.”

Council members Darrell Fong, Rob Fong and Bonnie Pannell made similar comments, pointing out the difficulties of balancing a requirement to equalize population with all of the community’s needs.

When Johnson called roll for the vote, Sheedy, Cohn, Rob Fong, McCarty, Darrell Fong and Pannell were all “aye” votes.

Angelique Ashby, Jay Schenirer and Johnson opposed the motion.

“When you think of assets that represent Oak Park, you think of Sac High and you think of the Med Center,” Schenirer said. “I think it would be criminal to take that away.”

The law requires the redistricting ordinance that the City Council approved Tuesday to be published for the public for one week before the final vote is taken Sept. 6.

The final ordinance will go into effect 30 days after it is adopted by the City Council, and then the current district boundaries no longer exist. Council members will still represent the district number they were elected to, but with the new boundaries in place.

Record number of residents speak out at City Council meeting

2011-08-24T07:08:00Z

At the outset of the City Council meeting Tuesday, Mayor Kevin Johnson promised a robust discussion on the subject of redistricting, and robust is what he got.

It was another full house Tuesday with nearly 500 people crowding into City Hall, filling every seat in the council chambers and overflowing to makeshift seating areas on the second floor – everyone with the same agenda item on their minds: redistricting.

Neighbors, schoolchildren and spokespeople for Latino and African American communities of interest lined up – more than 100-deep – to give their two minutes’ input on where new district boundary lines should be drawn.

At the council meeting on Aug. 16, more than 200 people attended and nearly 70 people spoke during public comment expressing outrage about the proposed redistricting map, even though the item was not on the agenda.

Representatives from the Oak Park and Med Center neighborhoods – which are the focal point of contention for the council at the moment – took center stage once again this week as speaker after speaker took council members to task on a decision that may change the way their community is represented for the next 10 years.

“We are speaking with one voice,” said Mike Boyd, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association. “We’re speaking about how it feels to a community like Oak Park to have the heart of our community cleaved from our neighborhood body.”

In a letter sent to Oak Park residents on Friday, Boyd encouraged people to “organize and mobilize” to keep the community “whole.”

“We will not allow our assets to be looted,” the letter stated. “Keep the pressure on!”

The Neighborhoods Together 2.0 map changes the district boundaries around Oak Park, placing the Med Center neighborhood – which includes Sacramento High School and the UC Davis Medical Center – from District 5 into District 6.

Strictly speaking, they’re talking about 1,053 residents, with all but six people living west of Stockton Boulevard.

Practically speaking, however, the discussion is about more than population – it’s about history, community, and the will of the people.

“You wouldn’t take the Statue of Liberty out of New York; or the White House out of Washington, D.C.; or the zoo out of South Land Park” said Junea Montoya, a senior at Sacramento High School, “so why would you take Sac High and the Med Center out of Oak Park?”

In response to public comment at last week’s council meeting, Councilman Jay Schenirer asked city staff to provide a map variation that places the Med Center neighborhood in District 5 rather than District 6, as it’s drawn in the current 2.0 map.

Schenirer said that he hopes the council will give serious consideration to his revision, “if we’re really about neighborhoods and keeping neighborhoods together.”

With the legal deadline looming to finalize a new district map for the city, council members are under the gun to make a final decision – and it’s a decision that has, so far, spurred an outpouring of emotion from people in every camp.

“Redistricting is not about moving assets from district to district,” said Andie Corso, an Oak Park resident and a member of Johnson’s Stand Up education initiative.

“It’s about evening out population,” Corso said. “We’re talking about two community assets being moved (because of) the 2.0 map, and it’s completely unnecessary.”

Councilmen Steve Cohn and Kevin McCarty each addressed the crowd to explain the rationale for the makeup of the 2.0 map, but their words were met with groans and head-shaking from the audience.

“We’ve collected more than 500 signatures in just 13 days,” said Oak Park resident Kristina Smith. “Fifty-four of these signatures are from your neighbors on your block, Mr. McCarty. Will you ignore the voices of your own neighbors?”

Before starting public comment, Johnson told the audience that a record 103 speakers had signed in – 24 supportive of the Neighborhoods Together 2.0 map, and 79 opposed to it.

“It’s clear by the showing here today – nearly three to one – how you feel about it,” Johnson said, referring to the number of people who asked to speak Tuesday.

One of the speakers in opposition to the 2.0 map was Sacramento County Supervisor and former Sacramento Mayor Jimmy Yee, who returned to council a second time in two weeks to reiterate his feelings about the division of his neighborhood, South Land Park.

Holding up a sign that read “Keep Oak Park whole,” Yee said, “I want to change this sign a little and have it read ‘Keep Oak Park and South Land Park whole.”

At a press conference earlier in the day, Johnson said he hoped Tuesday’s meeting would have at least one “happy surprise” for Sacramento – that of coming to a consensus about what the new map will look like.

“It’s about doing what’s right tonight,” Johnson said.

The council was set to vote on an ordinance finalizing the 2.0 map, unless someone on the council made a motion to amend the map in some way.

The ordinance stated that preserving existing neighborhoods was “a major focal point” during the deliberations by the City Council.

“The concern over existing neighborhoods made for difficult policy decisions,” the ordinance states, making it “impossible to satisfy” the wishes of all of the residents who voiced their concerns at public meetings.

More than three hours into the meeting – and after more than an hour of public comment – a final vote was yet to be taken at the dais.

The Sacramento Press will post an update in the morning on the result of Tuesday’s council meeting.

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

Leave our crown and its jewels alone

2011-08-18T19:03:23Z

A looter enters a vault to grab a valuable gold crown studded with beautiful diamonds and topped with a magnificent ruby.

While loading the loot, he is surrounded by an overwhelming show of police. The police negotiator, captain and even many of his neighbors talk sense to the thief and assure him that he cannot get away with the theft. Just give it up. They will even let him go back to his home without charges.

“Compromise” says the looter. “We must reach a reasonable compromise. I promise that I will sacrifice and leave the crown behind. Yes, I will suffer and only take the diamonds and ruby. Don’t feel you must thank me but you’re welcome.”

Council member McCarty offers a compromise: He will keep North Oak Park and the UC Medical Center and generously “give-up” Sac High.

The police may agree to this compromise, but the owners of the crown will not.

Now, think of Mr. McCarty as the looter, Sac High as the crown, North Oak Park the diamonds and the UC Davis Med Complex as the ruby. This looter would generously allow Oak Park to keep the crown while he takes the diamonds and ruby.

The City Council may allow this looting but Oak Park and our friends in other coucil districts will not. Take our crown and jewels and we will not forget or forgive.

Sign the "Just Tell Us Why" petition.

Disclosure: President of Oak Park Neighborhood Association

City Council takes heat for an avoidable redistricting issue

2011-08-17T19:11:05Z

Last night, the Sacramento City Council spent nearly two and a half hours taking public comments regarding the proposed council district map that it approved last week. More than 50 residents of at least four city districts rose to voice their concerns, yet not one of them spoke in favor of the proposed baseline map, ironically but officially referred to as "Neighborhoods Together 2.0".

Most public comments came from two groups, referred to as "communities of interest" in the redistricting process. Oak Park advocates objected to the proposal to draw their neighborhood in a separate district from Sacramento Charter High School, the UC Davis Medical Center campus, and the northeast corner of North Oak Park. Representatives of the Hispanic community expressed concerns about diluting the group's votes in a way that might continue historical underrepresentation on the city council. The comments were passionate and, at times, contentious. Several times, the Councilmembers were accused of placing their political self-interests ahead of the public good, and on more than one occasion, they were reminded that the city's voters had the right to remove them from elected office.

Things never had to get to that point. Weeks earlier, the City Council chose to reject all four maps recommended by the Sacramento Redistricting Citizens Advisory Committee (SRCAC), a panel of Sacramentans assembled to review community suggestions, identify critical issues, assess the strengths and weaknesses of alternatives, and submit recommendations to the Council. Each of the four maps proposed by the SRCAC contained at least one district with a greater Hispanic representation than any of the districts in the Council's baseline map.

Furthermore, some of the rejected maps included a creative suggestion that would have kept Sac High and the Med Center in the same district as Oak Park. Two of the SRCAC's maps proposed drawing a district that joined Oak Park with its neighbors to the east. The rationale, as explained in the summary of user-submitted Map SR017, was to strengthen economic development opportunities by uniting the neighborhoods that are currently separated by two commercial corridors that double as district boundaries: Broadway and Stockton Boulevard. Additionally, the proposal sought out to consolidate four of the city's established redevelopment zones into a single district, thereby strengthening the district's position during revitalization efforts.

As creative as the consolidation proposal was, it is not difficult to understand why it was not embraced by the Council. A combined district would threaten the political futures of Councilmembers Jay Schenirer and Kevin McCarty. Each would face challenging re-election campaigns after working hard to establish their bases of support in Oak Park and Tahoe Park, respectively. Under the plan, McCarty, who ran as an uncontested incumbent in 2008, could find himself in a battle against any candidate with strong ties in Oak Park, West Tahoe Park, and Colonial Heights. Schenirer's dilemma would have been even more difficult. Before he could begin work introducing himself to nearly every voter east of Stockton Boulevard, he would need to move from his Curtis Park home to an address within the new district's boundaries. Again, it's easy to see why a combined Oak Park/Tahoe Park district would fail to receive support from either councilmember in Districts 5 or 6.

Putting re-election prospects aside, it's only fair to afford Councilmember McCarty the benefit of the doubt regarding his decision to promote the Council's baseline map. Consider the assets of the four districts that make up the mid-section of the city. District 3 can lay claim to Arden Fair, Sacramento State, and most of the booming Midtown area. District 4 is home to much of Broadway's commercial corridor, as well as what is arguably the city's greatest public space, William Land Park. District 5 includes the campuses of Sacramento City College and the UC Davis Medical Center, as well as the Western Pacific/Curtis Park railyard redevelopment area, Executive Airport, and Bing Maloney golf course. Meanwhile, District 6 can point to little more than a portion of SMUD's campus and a struggling business park created after the closure of the Sacramento Army Depot. Unlike other districts, the 6th is defined by its proximity to job creators and promising redevelopment projects, as opposed to being home to those types of resources. It's understandable that McCarty was looking out for the interests of his district; the area has historically been an afterthought in the city's revitalization priority list.

This is not to say that District 6 needs the Medical Center or Sac High within its borders; it does not. District 6 benefits from being located close to the Med Center and Sac State, institutions that provide the area with positive social and economic impact despite being located in other council districts. While some may argue that the same could be true of the proximity between Oak Park to a redistricted Sac High and Med Center, it is fair to say that Oak Park needs those facilities more than District 6 does. Stuart Eldridge, an Oak Park business owner, summarized it best during his comments at Tuesday's Council meeting when he said "those institutions are too vital to Oak Park's psyche...ripping out our inner core, even symbolically, is something Oak Park does not need."

Hopefully this issue is not used to create a wedge between the people living on opposite sides of Stockton Boulevard. The citizens of Oak Park are upset right now, and they have every right to be. However, it's important to point out that key citizens of Tahoe Park advocated--and continue to advocate--redistricting plans that seek to unite, not separate the two communities.

Public comment at Council meeting results in one more map

2011-08-17T08:14:06Z

City Council chambers were overflowing Tuesday night with residents lined up to voice their concerns about which redistricting map will – finally – be the final map, but the meeting didn’t end until one council member asked for one more map to be brought to the table.

With audience members behind them holding signs that read, “Just tell us why?” and “Keep Oak Park whole,” more than 70 speakers chastised, questioned and – at times – shouted at council members as they expressed outrage over the most recent development in the redistricting saga.

The outpouring of emotion from meeting attendees stemmed from a City Council vote last week on a proposed map to redraw city district boundaries – the eighth map to be discussed by council members since the citizens advisory committee sent its final recommendations to the council on July 12.

The map, designated “Neighborhoods Together 2.0,” was introduced by Councilman Steve Cohn at the Aug. 9 council meeting – after public comment had concluded and before some council members had an opportunity to review it. That map was ultimately passed on a 6-3 vote as the ‘base map’ to be considered for final approval later this month.

During two hours of public comment Tuesday, council members heard testimony from lifelong residents of Oak Park, Sacramento High School students and community leaders.

Some speakers accused council members of “back room dealings,” while others questioned council members’ intentions by “creating a charade that was the advisory committee” on redistricting.

“You’re going to sit there and rip off the economic arm of Med Center off of Oak Park with no regard for the community?” asked Betty Williams, president of the Sacramento NAACP. “Really? No!”

Williams chastised council members for the “political theft of Oak Park,” and – with no subtle implication about the future of council seats – she added, “You are not the only ones who will take something away.”

All who spoke Tuesday opposed the boundaries in one district area or another, but the majority specifically opposed the shift of the neighborhood that includes Med Center and Sacramento High School from District 5 into Councilman Kevin McCarty’s District 6.

“My mother told me never to call folks ‘stupid,’ “ said Oak Park resident Joe Debbs, “so I’ll just say you are ‘unwise’ to break up Oak Park.

“It’s not too late to fix your mistake,” he added.

The impact of the outpouring of public comment seemed to sink in with council members right before the council adjourned.

District 5 Councilman Jay Schenirer asked city staff to re-analyze the most recent map and bring it back to council for consideration at the Aug. 23 meeting – this time redrawing district lines to return the contested area surrounding the Med Center to District 5.

“We’ll see if this (map) changes anybody’s mind (on the council),” Schenirer said after the meeting.

Although redistricting was not an item on the meeting agenda, the opportunity for public comment is a regular part of every council meeting. Speakers are limited to two minutes to address council members, and council members do not usually respond from the dais to public comments.

Tuesday’s meeting was anything but “usual,” however.

As the council chamber filled with people and stacks of speaker requests were handed to the city clerk, the first to step up to the podium was County Supervisor and former Sacramento mayor Jimmy Yee.

Yee told council members that he was speaking to them for one reason only – to plead for the South Land Park neighborhood to be kept together.

“I know how hard this (redistricting) process is and, as a county supervisor, I’m going through it now,” Yee said. “But what you simply have to do is try.”

Yee encouraged council members to consider the history of South Land Park and try to keep the neighborhood together.

Councilman Rob Fong, who represents the South Land Park neighborhood where Yee lives, thanked Yee for addressing the council but said there might not be any solution to dividing that neighborhood.

Yee suggested drawing the district boundary line at Sutterville Road instead of at Fruitridge, where the latest map shows it.

“So, you don’t care what district it’s in,” Fong asked, “you just want all of South Land Park together?”

“I love having you as my councilman, Rob,” Yee responded, “but I’ll love Jay Schenirer, too, if he’s my new representative. I’m not here for politics – I’m here for my neighborhood. Don’t split South Land Park.”

Michael Boyd, president of Oak Park Neighborhood Association, referred council members to an email sent to Elmhurst residents from McCarty that asked for support of the newest map and called Oak Park a “treasure.”

“Of course you see (it) as a treasure,” Boyd said to McCarty. “One that belongs in District 5.

“It smacks of elitism that cannot be ignored,” Boyd said of the new map boundaries.

At the end of the meeting, after the chambers had emptied, Schenirer said he asked for the new map revision so there would “at least be something on the table” when the council returns next week and takes up redistricting as a discussion item on the agenda.

“If we’re really about neighborhoods and keeping neighborhoods together,” Schenirer said, “and there’s no detrimental effects or musical chairs with other districts around (the changes), then I would hope the council takes it into consideration.”

Schenirer’s map revision will be brought before the City Council at its next meeting Aug. 23. A vote for final approval of a redistricting map is expected before the Sept. 6 deadline for submission to the state.

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

Ladies Night Out IV at the Guild Theater

2011-08-09T05:31:03Z

Ladies Night Out IV was celebrated at the historic Guild Theater in Oak Park Saturday evening. Nationally renowned local poet and community leader Terry Moore brought a fresh lineup of local talent to the stage as a part of his summer series of events at the Guild Theater.

“I respond by inviting the artists that are most requested,” said Moore when describing how he determines which artists he asks to feature.

“It is also my goal to give local artists who are just starting out an opportunity to become better known and develop a following,” stated Moore as he reflected upon the eclectic mix of artists that have appeared over the course of the summer series.

Comedy was the theme for the evening’s events, starting with emcee Steph Sanders, local comic and actor. Judging by the response from the audience when he hit the stage and began to warm up the crowd, Sanders appears ready for his big break.

“I’ve got two pilots under consideration and I’m hoping that one of them gets picked up,” said Sanders after the show.

Before the curtains were opened and the show officially began, up and coming poet Aaron G. had his debut appearance at Ladies Night Out. He was followed by local poet and author Larue. Each graced the audience with two selections.

18 year old Aaron G. reminded the audience about those awkward times of being young and in love. He recited two of his poems, “As Beautiful As It Seems” and “My Beautiful Woman.”

Larue, who is the author of the book, “In Search of a Father’s Love,” focused on the triumphs, trials and tribulations of relationships with her poems, “I Know” and “You’re Like.”

When the curtains opened at the start of the show, Tony R. belted out a few verses of “Ladies Night” by Kool & the Gang with the help of Leon “Scrap” Gray of the band LSB (Love Somebody) on the keyboards. Tony R. and Terry Moore then introduced Sanders as the emcee.

Sanders appeared at ease on the stage as he spontaneously made humorous observations regarding varying topics including his slight stature, Viagra pills and a family in the audience whose baby began to cry rather loudly.

Sanders introduced gifted vocalist Yvette Gauff who hit all the right notes singing, “For The Love of You,” by the Isley Brothers as her selection.

Gauff was rewarded with spontaneous applause at several points in her rendition of the song “Open My Heart” by Yolanda Adams. Her touching performance followed some heartfelt comments she related to the audience about facing a life-threatening illness just as she began to achieve professional success in business.

The ladies in the audience responded to Gauff’s request for help with the chorus of Jill Scott’s “The Way” by singing and dancing in their seats. She finished her set with Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” which inspired an impromptu singing contest between several audience members who were later rewarded with tickets to an upcoming stage play featuring Morris Chestnut.

Standout vocalist and musician, Tone Malone, came to the stage and began his set by serenading the ladies in the crowd with an a cappella version of Stevie Wonder’s “Lately,” much to the delight of the ladies in the audience – until he stopped short and left them swooning for more.

Malone continued his teasing after he spoke about a failed relationship that was the inspiration for his original song, “I Won’t Hurt You,” which he also sung a cappella.

The stage hands then rolled out a piano whereupon Malone demonstrated why he is such a sought after performer.

Malone showed his chops on the piano while singing and playing, “Before I Let You Go” by Blackstreet and “Knockin’ Da Boots” by H-Town, He also created a song spontaneously while singing and playing jam session style, with the assistance of Leon Gray on the electric keyboards.

Several times during his set, Malone was met with spontaneous outbursts of applause and standing ovations when hitting high notes. He finished strong to an universal standing ovation after his interpretations of John Legend’s “Ordinary People and gospel standard “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” both sung a cappella.

Just before the intermission, Terry Moore left his seat in the V.I.P section in the front row and announced from the stage that Lynnis Woods-Mullins and Michael Mullins, owners of Simply Southern Catering, had generously donated their time and enough food to treat everybody who was interested to a healthy meal of turkey or vegetarian spaghetti with salad, garlic bread and iced tea.

During the intermission, Tony R. grabbed the microphone and went into the audience to sing “Happy Birthday” to one surprised young woman who was celebrating her birthday at Ladies Night Out.

“This is what Sacramento needs,” stated Shavonne Green during the intermission. “It is not just a positive environment; there is an opportunity here for networking and making business contacts.”

Sanders brought comic Daunte Burks to the stage to start the second half of the show. Burks got quite a few laughs out of the crowd when bringing up the difficulties of dating and relating. He also pointed out why a woman should always let a man know her parole status.

It became apparent that a funny bone runs in the Burks family tree when emcee Sanders introduced Daunte’s cousin. Dru Burks, his good friend and fellow comedian, as the featured performer for the second half of the show.

Burks’ spontaneous comedic style was accentuated by the fact that he spent time growing up in Oak Park and other neighborhoods around south Sacramento.

In the midst of proclaiming himself a success story after being one of the first graduates of Kevin Johnson’s St. Hope Academy, Burks poked fun at everyone and everything - from the vintage piano played to Leon Gray’s one-man band to Terry Moore’s shirt and vest outfit, which he swore was all one piece.

What really kept the crowd laughing was Burks’ obvious struggle to keep his comedy family-friendly by refraining from the use of curse words.

Burks told the crowd he was going through withdrawal symptoms in his effort to not let any prohibited language slip out.

As is the case with most any event presented by Moore, the evening would not have been complete without featuring poetry and inspirational words to feed the spirit.

Spoken word artist and vocalist Sarah Myles Spencer made a brief appearance and sang, “Fly Me to the Moon,” before she recited her signature piece, “Jew Rican (Love Child).”

Myles Spencer was followed by Claudia Epperson, who spoke from the heart to the female dominated crowd with two poems created from her life’s experiences.

Epperson’s first piece provided a bird’s eye view of a woman verbally abusing her man in public. The second piece, “How I Long,” touched on the theme of a woman’s unfulfilled desires.

Shar Caldwell Robinson, author of the book, “I Am Precious,” took the stage and threw down the gauntlet to an ex-boyfriend who is begging his way back into her life after draining her resources and her love but fails to offer marriage.

Aaron G. then came back to the stage and made a play for all of the young women within earshot with his fantasy love poem, “A Tall Bottle of Nesquik.”

In response to popular demand, event founder and host Terry Moore took the stage and recited a new poem entitled, “When You Look in the Mirror." Moore tells the ladies that he hopes they see what he sees, the real woman underneath the makeup, a perfect 10.

When Moore called for requests from the audience but couldn’t build a consensus, he elected to have some fun with his poem, “Way to Prove My Love.”

As the show neared its end, a gentleman known simply as “Marcus” took the stage to provide a few words of encouragement and inspiration to everyone in the crowd.

Marcus reminded the audience that domestic violence causes collateral damage to other members of the family besides the female victims.

Citing as proof his understandable but misguided retaliation against a perpetrator of domestic violence, Marcus told the crowd that the criminal justice system can be unforgiving to those who do not make a good decision when it comes to taking the law into their own hands as a means to stop the violence.

The final performer, poet Zenobia Prothro, recited a poignant message about broken families in her piece, “Fatherless Boy.

Prothro then finished off the show by morphing into her alter ego, Marilyn Black, as she performed her debut single, “Player Hater.” The track features a funky dance groove and original lyrics inspired by her experiences.

“It was an inspiring amalgamation of talent,” said Rhonda Kelly, who attended one of the previous shows at the Guild Theater. “Ladies Night Out provides a unique combination of spiritual uplifting and promoting unity in the community.”

Moore has two events planned to close out the summer series. Soul Night will be held at the Guild Theater on Aug. 27, and on Sept. 2, the final Ladies Night Out event for the summer is billed as a “red carpet extravaganza,” complete with celebrity VIP guests. The event will be hosted by Courtney Dempsey of Channel 31’s “Good Morning Sacramento” show.

Contact Terry Moore well in advance at (916) 208-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail.com to purchase tickets. Both events are sure to provide enjoyment and inspiration in a positive atmosphere.

Jazzy R & B Concert at the Guild Theater

2011-08-08T05:43:48Z

Terry Moore Presents brought a matinee show to the historic Guild Theater in Oak Park Saturday afternoon. The “Jazzy R&B Concert” was co-hosted by poet and event founder Terry Moore and popular certified life coach and Christian counselor Kerri Herndon.

Herndon’s grace and stage presence brought an added touch of sensitivity and empowerment to the audience members, many of whom had come to the show through their affiliation with the WEAVE crisis center.

“We are always willing to try new things that will encourage members of the community to come out and have a good time while supporting our local talent that is too often better known outside of Sacramento than in their home town,” Moore said.

The concert opened with singer Marilyn Black, who showcased her first single, “Playa Hater.” The track features a funky dance groove and original lyrics inspired by her life experiences.

Comedian Daunte Burks took the stage and got the crowd laughing with hilarious material ranging from dating a woman with bad breath to poking fun at the troubles of Atlanta pastor Eddie Long. Burks had the crowd in stitches when explaining the difference between women who are classified as “cougars” and those he described as “alley cats” and “saber-toothed tigers.”

The voice of poet and author Shar Caldwell Robinson filled the Guild Theater , even without a microphone, as she recited three poems that evoked heartrending and emotional responses from the listeners. “One Poem” challenged the audience to discover from within what they need to motivate themselves. Robinson chronicles how one poem became the starting point for her to escape an abusive relationship at a young age and tough times thereafter to become the published writer she is today.

Praise dancer Michaela Stewart demonstrated an array of elegant and polished moves during an expressive performance as the song “Still Say, Thank You” by Smokie Norful played in the background.

Just before a brief intermission, hostess Kerri Herndon took the time to express some words of encouragement to the audience while she passed out door prizes.

Moore took the microphone as the house lights came up and expressed his thanks to all the sponsors and supporters who helped make the matinee event a reality.

Moore announced that Lynnis Woods Mullins and Michael Mullins, owners of Simply Southern Catering, generously donated their time and enough food to treat all members of the audience to a healthy lunch of turkey or vegetarian spaghetti with salad, garlic bread and iced tea.

After the intermission, the Rich Brown Project featuring vocalist Yardley Griffin lived up to the title of “jazzy R&B.“

An instrumental version of the Beatles’ “Come Together” showcased Rich Brown on bass guitar, Damani Rhodes on keyboards and Lem McEwen on the drums, with Norman McDaniel of the band Ear Candy sitting in with the group playing lead guitar.

Yardley Griffin then took the stage, and the band did a rousing rendition of Cee Lo’s hit song “Forget You.” The band kept the crowd singing along with its version of Al Green’s “Still in Love” and brought the crowd to its feet clapping and praising with the song “We’re Blessed” by Fred Hammond as the final number.

Spoken word artist and vocalist Sarah Myles Spencer demonstrated why she has quickly become one of Sacramento’s most sought-after talents after relocating from Chico earlier this year. Spencer demonstrated perfect pitch when opening her set with the jazz standard “Fly Me to the Moon” before she recited her signature piece, “Jew Rican (Love Child).”

Spencer ended her time on stage by first singing the gospel standard “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” prior to reciting a very moving poem she wrote, “Haiti, My Love, My Darling.”

The final band to perform during the Jazzy R & B Concert was Ear Candy, featuring Norman McDaniel playing the Roland synthesized guitar. The musicians in the group included Lemont Kelsey on percussion, Ray Shamsid-Deen on drums and Karen Westbrook who performed double-duty on keyboard and vocals.

Ear Candy’s two featured vocalists, Sheryl Counter and Chandrea Thomas, each demonstrated unique singing talents that added strength and versatility to the band. Together they transitioned seamlessly between jazz standards such as “Autumn Leaves,” R&B hits such as “Golden” by Jill Scott and gospel favorites, including “Falling in Love with Jesus” by Jonathan Butler.

The band interspersed Herbie Hancock’s famous jazz hit “Chameleon” as a bridge between songs as they performed a medley of hit songs including “Mexicoco” by Wayman Tisdale and “Fragile” by Sting.

Oak Park resident Trina Whitney said she came out to the show for a couple of reasons.

“I love the venue, I love the idea that Terry Moore came up with for a matinee concert and I want to support local talent and the arts in Sacramento,” she said.

“I had an awesome time, and I’m glad I came,” said Jessie Love, who attended one of the previous Ladies Night Out events. “Oak Park needs this. Sacramento needs this. Please tell Terry to keep doing what he’s doing.”

Moore has two events planned to close out the summer series. “Soul Night” will be held at the Guild Theater on Aug. 27, and on Sept. 2, the final Ladies Night Out event for the summer is billed as a “red carpet extravaganza,” complete with celebrity VIP guests. It will be hosted by Courtney Dempsey of Channel 31’s “Good Morning Sacramento” show.

Contact Terry Moore at (916) 208-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail.com well in advance to purchase tickets, as both events are sure to provide enjoyment and inspiration in a positive atmosphere.

Free summer meals for kids in low-income communities

2011-08-06T06:11:55Z

During the summer months when subsidized school lunches and exercise opportunities are less accessible to kids in low-income neighborhoods, the federal government – through the U.S. Department of Agriculture – provides free healthy lunches, snacks and activities at various locations throughout Sacramento County.

The program is open to all children 18 and under. No paperwork or enrollment is required, and no income qualification must be met. Any child can simply come to one of the designated sites during food service times to get a free lunch or snack.

In the last two years, however, more than 80 percent (2 million) of California students who ate subsidized (free or reduced-cost) lunches during the school year were not eating those meals in the summer, City Councilman Jay Schenirer said.

Schenirer said he was contacted in April by Kate Karpilow – executive director for the California Center for Research on Women and Familes, who currently runs the California Summer Meal Program Coalition – to discuss the need to increase food program sites and sponsors throughout Sacramento neighborhoods.

“The challenge this year was there was not enough sites to deliver the food for kids,” Schenirer said. “Summer school money for school districts has been cut drastically. There are fewer summer school sites and fewer sites that were doing summer food programs.”

The Summer Meal Program Coalition, Karpilow said, is a statewide effort to work with with local community leaders to see what can be done to increase the number of sponsors and sites that provide subsidized summer meals to children in low-income neighborhoods.

Schenirer and the CSMPC selected the Oak Park neighborhood as their starting point in the effort. In this neighborhood, Schenirer said, a lot of people qualify for the program.

“I certainly understand the need,” he said. “It’s kind of a crime when there is food available for the young people who need it and we didn’t have the outlets to make sure they have access.”

Despite budget cuts right and left, Karpilow said, they pulled together and got word out to the residents of Oak Park about the services available as far as summer food programs in a way that hasn’t been done before.

Brochures and fliers were created that listed information about the summer food program, site locations, food service dates and times and ways to get involved.

While it was just a simple piece of paper, she said, they were sent out to organizations and people throughout the Oak Park community – including churches, libraries and even to Starbucks. She said that in the past, the outreach component of the program had fallen short.

Through their efforts they were able to get a couple additional outlets, including three churches in Oak Park, for this summer, Schenirer said.

“What we are on the road to do,” Karpilow said, “is raise awareness and follow up to ensure kids in the community have nutrition and activities so they can keep busy during the long summer months.”

The Shiloh Arms Apartment Complex and the Oak Park Community Center are two current summer food program sites in the Oak Park area.

The Shiloh Arms Apartment Complex summer food program is lead by Resident Service Coordinator James Alston from Elk Grove, who the children refer to simply as “Mr. James.”

Alston said he has been working at the site for the last 14 years and has been serving food there for the last eight.

“There was a need,” Alston said. “In the summer time in this community, if kids are hungry, then they can have lunch. The kids get the opportunity to know that at certain times they can get food and some nutrients. A lot of times parents are working or busy – people have different times when they can feed the kids.”

To begin serving food, Alston had to go to training to learn the rules and regulations for the program. This went over the requirements for putting up the food program banners and posters and learning the schedule and rules regarding who they can serve.

One requirement for summer food program sites is to put up a big banner outside that is visible to the public so kids in the neighborhood know food is available, Alston explained.

The number of kids who visit the food program site, Alston said, varies anywhere from 16 to 25. That number has gone down from last year’s average of 25 to 30 kids, which Alston attributed to them going to summer schools.

The kids typically range in ages between 6 and 13, though he serves anyone between the ages of 5 and 18. Children under 5 must be accompanied by an adult.

Many of the children that he serves live in the Shiloh Arms apartment complex and walk over on their own to get their lunches or snacks. About 80 percent of the children, he said, are regulars whom he sees often. The rest are kids from around the community.

Just about a mile and a half away from the Shiloh Arms Apartment Complex, the Oak Park Community Center also serves as a free summer food program site in addition to providing recreational activities for $10 per week.

DeDee Mullins-Cornelius, program supervisor at the community center since 1993, said the program has been going on since before she was there.

Known as “Kids Kamp,” the community center provides activities such as billiards, arts and crafts, movies, computers and various field trips.

As a free summer food site, the 60 to 70 registered children, as well as neighborhood kids and teens, are able to get their free lunch and snack during the designated serving times, noon to 1 p.m. for lunch and 3 - 3:30 p.m. for snacks.

The Kids Kamp and food program is led by four trained recreational aides and anywhere from one to five volunteers from around the neighborhood.

Shamea Robinson, 24, has been a recreational aide for two years and has received training to operate the food program site.

All the foods, Robinson said, are packaged foods with a shelf life. Cheese, cookies, apple sauce, peanut butter and jelly, beef jerky, tuna, juice and milk are some of the various items provided in the meals. The meals are USDA federally funded and are shipped every one or two weeks, Mullins-Cornelius said.

After the food is passed out, the kids eat together out on the grass. As part of the regulations, Robinson said, no one is allowed to take the food to eat elsewhere.

The local project within Sacramento communities is funded by a grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Account Clerk Candace Sinetos supervises and coordinates the program for the city. Anybody who wants to have the program at their location must apply with the city of Sacramento, she said.

To be approved, Sinetos said, the location’s neighborhood elementary school must have 50 percent or more low-income students.

Sites provide their own volunteers and staff, and upon the approval of the application, they each need to complete training on the rules and regulations of the program before food can be delivered to the site.

Most program sites are located at churches and apartment complexes as well as various community centers.

Sinetos said that there are currently about 30 sites participating in the summer food program. However, during July, there were 63 sites all over Sacramento County spanning as far as West Sacramento, Rancho Cordova and Antelope.

Sinetos estimated approximately 3,000 kids visit food program sites each day. Each site around the city of Sacramento sees anywhere from five to 150 kids depending on the site’s location and how big the need is in that neighborhood.

Some neighborhoods have greater need than others, Sinetos said. Particulary the Arden, South Sacramento and Elk Grove areas where there are not as many food program sites available. The greatest need, she said, is in the north Sacramento and Del Paso area – where most sites are currently located.

“It brings food to a lot of kids not in school,” Sinetos said. “And (the sites) put on recreation activities and give them something to do so they’re not home alone or don’t have anywhere to go.”

Children from the Oak Park Community Center shared their thoughts on the program:

Princeton Bush, 9, has been going to the Oak Park Community Center for two years. His favorite snacks there are cheese, crackers and tuna. He said he likes to play games like pool, go on the computer or go to the gym and play basketball.

Larry Junior Devont, 7, said he has been going to the camp all summer.

“(I’ve gone here) maybe 20 times,” Larry said. “We play at the park and in the game room. My grandma drops me off and I go play. We eat some juice, cookies and milk.” Larry’s favorites foods, he said, are vegetables like carrots and cucumbers, chicken, rice, strawberries and candy.

Aaliyah Brown, 11, has been going to the Oak Park Community Center for two weeks, and Carisa, 10, has gone to the camp for a year.

“I come here every day” Aaliyah said. “I like it a lot. I play with all my friends. We play sports like flag football. They feed us lunch and then a snack. The lunch is more of a meal – you get a whole lunch bag of food.”

“I like this place,” Carisa said. “I like it like my old school. The first time I went here I was shy, but I made a lot of friends.” Carisa said her favorite foods from the summer meal program are sunflower seeds and fruit such as peaches and pineapples.

Denise Harton Brazier, 10, has been going to the Oak Park Community Center program for three or four years.

“This camp is the best,” she said. “It’s the best camp I’ve ever been to. It’s a lot of fun. Lunch is really healthy – you usually get a cheese stick, four crackers, beef jerky, and some peanut butter and jelly on bread, and you always get small juices.”

The Summer Food program started June 20 and runs through Aug. 19. Participating sites may open for all three months or may choose to run for any span of time within the time frame depending on the site’s availability and the neighborhood’s needs.

For a list of 2011 Summer Meal Sites in Sacramento County click here
For more information about summer food programs click here

Proposed McDonald's draws criticism from some community members

2011-08-05T06:59:55Z

A review of the proposed McDonald’s site on Second Avenue and Stockton Boulevard by the Community Development Department for the city of Sacramento has found no evidence that the restaurant would significantly impact the environment.

However, some community members argue that the the environmental findings and the traffic study, reported in the Mitigated Negative Declarative released Aug. 1 does not tell the whole story about the health and traffic impact a McDonald’s would have on the Oak Park neighborhood.

“I understand that McDonald’s does provide healthy choices if you choose to go down that route. I don’t think we ought to tell people what they can and cannot eat,” said Sam Allen, co-chair of the Oak Park Neighborhood Land Use Committee. “It’s a personal choice, and so I am hands-off in that sense. But as far as the zoning and the land use, it isn’t compatible with an education health corridor.”

The site of the proposed McDonald’s is directly across the street from the Richard and Annette Cancer Survivor Park and the UC Davis Medical Center where a pediatric endocrinology clinic is located along with a fertility and dentistry clinic.

The area along Stockton Boulevard is also home to other fast food chain restaurants including Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Burger King and Subway. There are also local restaurants in the area include Boon Boon Cafe, Luigi’s, Loving Hut, Louie’s and Stockton Grill and Burgers.

McDonald’s has proposed a double drive-thru restaurant for Second Avenue and Stockton Boulevard site. According to the California Development Department, the plan includes a 3,897 square-foot restaurant with approximately 90 fixed seats, 30 parking stalls and approximately 11,500 square feet of landscaping.

The project calls for the construction of approximately 80 linear feet of 6 feet high masonry block wall to separate the commercial zone from the residential zone.

The hours of the proposed McDonald’s would run from 5 a.m. - 11 p.m. Monday - Thursday. On Fridays - Sundays, the drive-thru hours would be extended until 1 a.m.

The McDonald’s is also expected to employ 25-30 people, according to the Mitigated Negative Declarative.

“This is what might divide some of the community. It will provide jobs for our high school kids. That’s a big thing that we want in Oak Park,” Allen said.

Dr. Charlene Hauser started the Healthy Development for Oak Park neighborhood group and has been leading the campaign against the proposed McDonald’s on Second Avenue and Stockton Boulevard.

“You can also imagine as a homeowner in the neighborhood that you would be worried about the value of your house plummeting if the view from your living room is suddenly a drive-thru fast-food restaurant,” said Hauser ~~, who owns a home along Second Avenue.~~

“Drive-thru’s in general are not good in a neighborhood like Oak Park because it is an under-served, low-income, ethnically diverse area that is subject to disparities when it comes to health (access). Fast foods just exacerbate the situation for the population of Oak Park,” Hauser said.

The Oak Park Neighborhood Association voted recently to oppose the building of a McDonald’s based strictly on land use issues. Allen has been enlisted to draft the letter of opposition for the project, based on land use criteria. He said it should be released by the end of the week.

The Neighborhood Association and the Land Use Committee put the plan through their land use matrix as a way of evaluating all land use projects that go through Oak Park. A score of 1 is the lowest a project can receive and 4 is the highest score.

The project score card takes into consideration transit orientation, appropriate traffic levels, pedestrian access and amenities, bicycle infrastructure, energy efficiency, water efficiency, potential for providing local jobs and health food production.

For the complete list of the project score card criteria, click here.

“That way there’s no willy-nilly - ‘Oh I like this, and no I don’t like this.’ We wanted a very objective way of looking at projects that were going to be proposed in Oak Park. We put this proposed McDonald’s through this matrix, and it scored a 1.2 out of a possible 4,” Allen said.

Allen said the subject of a possible McDonald’s is a topic of extreme debate in the Oak Park community. The City Planning Commission will take up the issue in September in the City Council chambers downtown.

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

Spotlight Cakes offers cakes, Caribbean food

2011-08-04T00:54:21Z

A native of Trinidad and Tobago is bringing gourmet cakes and the taste of the Caribbean to Sacramento with the newly opened Spotlight Cakes on Stockton Boulevard.

Donna George, 54, learned the art of Caribbean cooking and cake baking at an early age from her family, and at 16, they moved to New York City, where she later began a career in nursing.

“I’ve always dreamed of opening my own restaurant and bakery,” she said Wednesday, adding that it opened July 21.

Her move to California from New York was prompted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“I witnessed the first plane fly into the first tower on my way to work,” she said. “I have seven kids, and one of them was in college near the towers. I had no idea what was going on, and it took me seven hours to get home to Brooklyn.”

After that, she said she couldn’t live in New York City anymore, and she packed the kids and her belongings and drove to Sacramento, where she had previously traveled visiting friends.

Working as a nurse for Sutter, she got to know the community around Stockton Boulevard and Oak Park, and when an injury a few months ago kept her from being able to work, she decided it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream.

The cakes she makes can be anything from a standard New York-style cheesecake with a spongecake base to elaborate cakes with fondant and designs painted on them.

Other cakes include red velvet, buttery chocolate, tiramisu, lemon and fancier ones such as a nine-layer cake – yellow cake with vanilla buttercream frosting – and the bakery’s White Chocolate Cherry Bliss: yellow or chocolate cake with white chocolate moose filling.

And for those looking to have their own royal wedding, George said she can make British wedding cake.

“It’s basically a moist fruitcake with rum,” she said.

“Those crazy cakes are kind of the craze right now, like you see on the Food Network,” George said. “Last week, we made a birthday cake shaped like a race car.”

Cakes range from $60 to several hundred, depending on how “crazy” the client wants to make it, she said, adding that she also does wedding cakes, and any combination of cake flavors and fillings can be cooked up by her staff.

Pies will be carried in the fall, but can be made to order right now.

Rounding out the dessert menu is a variety of cookies and cupcakes, which George said have been popular with customers.

Victor Paz is one of George’s customers, and for his 49th birthday on Tuesday, he said he had to order one of George’s cheesecakes for the occasion.

“It’s delicious,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of really good things here.”

A designer cake business needs a fitting name, and it came naturally to George.

“I love Broadway, so the idea of calling it Spotlight Cakes just seemed right,” she said.

While the cakes take center stage at the establishment, George said she is also looking to bring more authentic Caribbean fare to Sacramento by selling Caribbean food for lunch, and it’s already developing a following.

“We had one woman come in (for lunch) Thursday, and she came back Friday, and then she came again on Saturday,” George said, adding that the Caribbean food won her over.

The food includes jerk chicken and jerk pork, curry chicken, and flatbread wraps called roti.

“Caribbean food is really spicy, but we put the spicy on the side,” George said, adding that the spiciness is in the sauces, and serving it on the side is a good way to keep it from overpowering those who aren’t familiar with the dishes.

The sauces include flavors like mango, chutney, oregano, thyme and rosemary, George said.

“There’s lots of curry, too, since we have an East Indian influence in the Caribbean,” she added. “We want to include more than just Trinidad and Tobago, so we have Cuban sandwiches and other dishes, too.”

Spotlight Cakes Executive Chef Todd Kingsbury, 26, is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and lived in Barbados for a couple of years.

“Caribbean food gives you artistic freedom,” he said. “I’m a real creative kind of guy, and it’s always something different, depending on what you put into it and how you work with it.”

He said Caribbean food is very palatable, and most people who have tried it really enjoy it.

“We’re keeping it mostly authentic and putting a little bit of an Americanized twist on it,” he said.

The price of the roti wraps is about $7, and plates of jerk chicken with rice, beans and plantains can be had for $7.50. A smaller plate of the latter goes for $5, George said.

Caribbean food is not really expensive, and it’s healthy,” she said. “We don’t do a lot of fried stuff.”

Lauren Wakefield, George’s 21-year-old daughter, said she was surprised there weren’t many Caribbean places in Sacramento.

“We had them on every corner in Brooklyn,” Wakefield said. “I think it’s mostly because people here haven’t had it before. I don’t know how to explain the taste, but everyone who tastes it likes it.”

George’s mother, 83-year-old Mavis George, said she is proud of her daughter and excited for the business.

“I did some baking,” Mavis George said at the restaurant on Wednesday. “She learned a little from me and then did her own thing.”

Mavis George added that the Caribbean food in the restaurant reminds her of the food from her home in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Spotlight Cakes is open from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. for the after-church crowd on Sundays. It is located at 3751 Stockton Blvd.

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

Oak Park Farmers Market highlights

2011-08-01T06:21:16Z

Now in its second season, the Oak Park Farmers Market provides neighborhood residents with fresh produce, live music and a sense of community, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m at McClatchy Park.

The market was started by NeighborWorks Sacramento, an organization whose mission it is to strengthen communities and create opportunities for affordable housing.

NeighborWorks has made it possible for vendors at the market to accept EBT payments, and, thanks to funding from the Sacramento Hunger Coalition, EBT recipients receive an extra market dollar for every dollar they spend there.

The Sacramento Press staff paid the Oak Park Farmer’s Market a visit on Saturday and was not disappointed.

With around 10 vendors, it is smaller than some other markets around town. But with offerings like olive oil, freshly baked bread, obscure vegetables varieties and handmade popsicles, the Oak Park Farmer’s Market is proof that bigger isn’t always better.

The Upper Crust, a bakery based in Davis, had an abundance of unique and mouthwatering creations on display.

According to vendor Katy Gott, the eight-grain raisin walnut loaf is one of the bakery’s most popular products, but they also had sliced fermented french, whole wheat honey flax and rosemary-infused breads, along with fruit tarts and stacks of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

All of Upper Crust’s breads are baked fresh in the morning and sold the same day.

On a table next to Upper Crust’s was a battalion of corn and flour tortillas from Mi Abuelita Bonita, with flavors like garlic butter, jalapeno salsa and mild red chili.

Those who like a little cheese with their fresh-baked bread might want to stop off at Pedroza Dairy and Cheese, an Orland-based company owned by couple Jill and Tim Pedroza.

Manning the booth on Saturday were sisters-in-law Diana Pedroza and Mary Dawidczik, who helped customers decide between dairy delicacies like wheels of Blondie’s Best, a nutty, raw-milk cheese aged 60 days, and wedges of handmade cheeses imbued with ingredients like walnuts and truffle oil.

Sacramento-based organic and family-owned ML Farms had fragrant strawberries, okra and tomatoes by the pound and baskets of plump blackberries for sale.

At the Cherry Hill Farms booth, shoppers stopped by to pick up pepper plants, cucumbers and sumptuous, affordable baskets of flavor-packed cherry tomatoes.

Shoppers hoping to find fresh flowers and kind service needed to look no further than the Say Nhiayi Farm stand, which was stocked with vibrant sunflowers, multicolored zinnias, eggplants with shockingly violet skins, beets, gourds and a tub full of shiny Thai chilis.

Dave’s Pops, a rainbow-topped cart dedicated to handmade, dairy-free popsicles in flavors like mint chip, lemon-lime and mocha, provided shoppers with some much-appreciated refreshment as the morning cool turned into midday heat.

The cart is run by owner Dave Feldpausch, inventor of the patented Duble method, which involves double-freezing pops in order to give them a creamy quality without adding any fat.

Dave’s Pops cater to the lactose-intolerant crowd, but with classics like root beer, strawberry and coconut flake on the menu, they have become a crossover hit with dairy-lovers and vegans alike.

The Oak Park Farmers Market will be up and running through October 15.

Ladies Night Out III at the Guild Theater

2011-07-12T05:19:27Z

Ladies Night Out returned to the Historical Guild Theater in Oak Park Saturday Night with the third installment of the summer series. The show featured a mixture of styles of poetry and music. The show put together by Moore once again demonstrated his ability to mix well known performers with emerging local talent.

“With the support we have gotten from the community, it looks like the Ladies Night Out events are here to stay” said Poet Terry Moore, the founder, host, and driving force behind the concept.

The event was emceed by Petri Hawkins-Byrd, who is best known as the bailiff on the television show Judge Judy.

Hawkins-Byrd frequently showcased his humorous side between the various performers with spontaneous jokes and comments. On more than one occasion between performers, he broke out with a verse or two of various hits made famous by Stevie Wonder with Leon Gray of the band LSB (Love Somebody) matching him stride for stride on the keyboards.

Dancer Sonic Boom brought an array of crowd pleasing moves to the stage at Ladies Night Out to start the show off. His limber dance moves were choreographed to the songs “Day ‘n’ Night” and “Man on the Moon” by Kid Cudi. Sonic Boom delighted and pleased the ladies who were already seated when the show started promptly at 7 p.m.

Singer/writer/producer Aaron Young took the stage next and treated the audience to six selections of original music including the track “Lips” from his 2007 C.D. entitled “They Call Me A.Y.” Young’s smooth style exuded so much sex appeal that a number of ladies in the crowd were screaming for more. He ended his set with a gospel tune that revealed a spiritual side featuring the lyrics “Thank you Lord for giving me this day.”

Leah Albright-Byrd was the first poet onstage during the evening. She occasionally mixed singing a few verses with her thought provoking poetry. Albright-Byrd took on sensitive issues that women regularly face including religious fervor, interracial relationships, and the battle to extend forgiveness to oneself and others.

Poet BenOfficial the Great then filled up the Guild Theater with his presence without using a microphone. He challenged the audience’s level of awareness with his lyrical style of social conscious poetry. Audience members shouted encouragements and affirmations several times as the self-titled “Metaphorical Morpheus” traversed through universal themes such as media manipulation by television programming to rap music to the difference between a man being a father and a dad.

Moore took the stage to pass out door prizes to those audience members who bought V.I.P. tickets which included a plate that featured of barbecued chicken, a hot link, macaroni and cheese, and seasoned string beans catered by Derris Mosley, Owner of D’s Word of Mouth Catering.

V.I.P. audience member Jasmin Smith was taken by surprise when Moore brought vocalist Aaron Young back to the stage to sing “Happy Birthday” while her girlfriends and audience members shouted encouragement.

Smith stated that, “the evening was very motivating and very uplifting. Every woman in Sacramento deserves to come out with her friends or loved ones to experience the positive atmosphere of Ladies Night Out. Plus, the food was delicious!”

Just before the intermission, Poet Heather Christian floored the crowd with a combination of stunning beauty and challenging commentary. She let the audience members know they must take responsibility for their actions and not allow themselves to become victims of domestic violence or overindulgence in any form. Dressed in sleek form-fitting black, Christian pointed out several times that neither God nor the devil did it,

“No Boo Boo, you did that!” repeated Christian several times to howls of laughter by the audience.

Christian was animated, engaging, funny, and poignant with her distinctive style of poetry. She often incorporated verses from well known nursery rhymes to emphasize her points.

Headliner Garrett Perkins put on a virtuoso performance at Ladies Night Out after the intermission. The Berklee College of Music graduate showed the crowd why his sterling reputation in the Sacramento area on the alto saxophone is well deserved.

Perkins blew the audience away during his 30 minute set with original music including the song “Round and Round” and the title track from his latest album, “Sax and the City.”

Perkins came down from the stage and serenaded several ladies in the crowd during his rendition of “I Want to Know” By Joe. He also covered several well known popular tunes such as “Love TKO” by Teddy Pendergrass and "Ascention" by Maxwell. Perkins had the ladies on their feet and dancing as he ended his set with “Blame It” by Jamie Foxx.

Author, poet, and former Sacramento native Shar Robinson took time away from visiting with her new grandchild to grace the stage of the Guild Theater before heading back to Maryland for the upcoming release of her book “I am Precious, Diary of my Life from Sin to Salvation.”

Robinson shook up the men in the crowd by challenging them check their intentions with the women who love them enough to let them return when they come crawling back in her original poem entitled “What!”

Singer T.D. Trice came to the stage and amped up the audience with a rousing rendition of “Ladies Night” by Kool and the Gang. Trice showed his vocal versatility by adding short rap to the song “Same Old G” by Ginuwine. Trice really had the ladies laughing with the help of emcee Hawkins-Byrd with his cover of Tracy Morgan’s “Call Simone,” a parody response to “Call Tyrone” by Erykah Badu.

Poet Othello Curry took the stage as the final performer of the evening. He shared his views about pick up lines that don’t work. With his poem, “Make Love to Your Mind," Curry described what he would say to to a woman to declare his intentions during that first introduction. Curry evoked a heartfelt response from the ladies in the crowd with his follow up poem when he described how the title phrase, “I Gotcha,” means “I love you.”

When asked about her experience at Ladies Night Out, first time audience member Chanel Johnson said,

“I liked it so much I’m going to come back in August for my birthday and bringing my friends. The show was fun, enlightening, and full of laughter.”

Save the date of August 6, 2011, for the next Ladies Night Out extravaganza. Be sure to contact Terry Moore at (916) 208-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail.com well in advance to purchase your tickets as it is sure to be another enjoyable and inspiring event.

Disclosure: Othello Curry was an active participant in this week's Ladies Night Out III event. Othello recited poetry during the show.

Keeping community centers open without city funding

2011-07-06T01:49:43Z

When City Council members approved the 2011-12 budget in June, they said that the city’s community centers would not be closed – but the centers won’t receive any city funding to keep them open, either.

Now, a team of people at the city’s Neighborhood Services Department, along with the Department of Parks and Recreation, are trying to keep the 15 community centers in Sacramento open by partnering with nonprofit and community-based organizations.

Late last year, Neighborhood Services had already begun looking for ways to make the idea work when it sent out “requests for proposals” seeking groups interested in overseeing the centers and providing the financial backing needed to operate them.

But the responses the department received weren’t quite what staff had hoped for, said Vincene Jones, a director with Neighborhood Services.

Some of the responses involved a single organization taking over, while others were just not financially feasible, Jones said.

“We want an organization to take the lead, perhaps a (nonprofit),” Jones said, “but we also need other partners who will bring additional services to the centers. No one group can do it all for any center.”

Jones said the department has had to review its criteria and “be more specific” about what it is looking for in public-private partnerships for the centers.

“It’s not an easy process. There’s a lot of pieces necessary to make it work,” Jones said.

Jones said she and Sylvia Fort, parks and recreation program manager, and Dave Mitchell, parks and recreation operations manager, are reviewing the proposals received so far, and they will continue to look for “innovative” ways to save the community centers from closing.

“We want it to be a success,” Jones said, “not hurry into something that just falls flat later on down the road.”

Jones said the centers may end up with reduced hours or fewer open days each week, but the goal is to continue providing services as they have always been delivered at “the same or better” level.

Some of those services include after-school tutoring, computer training, classes and social opportunities for seniors and facilities for neighborhood gatherings.

According to Jones, the community centers in the greatest danger of being closed are George Sim, Hagginwood, Oak Park and Southside Park centers because of challenges in finding either enough support – or, in the case of George Sim center, finding properly skilled support.

George Sim is a difficult center to find community partners for, Jones said, because the center is has a lot of new equipment and systems in the facility that require specialized training.

“It’s not a center that we can send just anyone into and expect them to know how to do things,” Jones said.

So far, though, Jones said efforts to keep the centers open are progressing well, and the department has “good prospects” for volunteer involvement that will make continuing services more likely.

“We’ve found some good (partners), and everyone is hopeful,” Jones said.

In Oak Park, Pastor Jones and the Oak Park Methodist Church have come forward to help the center in that neighborhood remain open.

“(Pastor Jones) has strong ties to the community,” Jones said, “and he’s well-respected. (Oak Park Methodist Church) may not be a leading (support), but they really want to help, and they can do a lot for the center and the people there.”

No permanent agreements for operating the community centers have been made between any of the interested organizations and the city, Jones said, but “we’re all working together and we will see what can be done.”

Keith Hart, chief service officer for Mayor Kevin Johnson, said that when it comes to projects involving public and private collaboration, a volunteer effort is going to be essential.

“It’s not so much about money,” Hart said. “It’s about new ways of working together. (It’s about) private citizens (and) nonprofit organizations volunteering their time and energy and talent to help keep (community) centers going.”

With so many budget cuts and the shifting around of staff positions that came with it, Jones said she is uncertain “who will be where” until “the dust settles from all the changes.”

For Jones and volunteer coordinators working with the community centers, this means July will be a month to “reset” and take stock of what the city and the parks department have to work with before they really see what they will be able to do with the centers.

Hart said there is not a timeline in place for reorganizing the way the centers are operated, but without any collaboration with outside sources, a decision will eventually have to be made.

“If nothing happens soon, there will be a time when we have to say, ‘The doors are closed,’ ” Hart said. “But right now, the city is keeping as much open as they can.”

See a map of community center locations here.

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

Ladies Night Out II At The Guild Theater

2011-06-27T05:29:20Z

Ladies Night Out II was celebrated at the Historical Guild Theater in Oak Park Friday night. Award-winning poet and local community leader Terry Moore presented the second show of his summer series that featured a wide variety of local artists displaying their talent and abilities in poetry, fashion, music and dancing for an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

The event was co-hosted by singer Tony R. and local poet and singer La Rah, both of whom served double duty as featured artists and making sure the three-hour-plus show ran smoothly and without interruption.

The evening began with popular local dancer Sonic Boom, who thrilled the crowd with his unique combination of hip-hop and modern dance moves performed to a remix of the song “Moments of Love” by Art of Noise.

The Poet i took the stage next with three selections that featured her original piece “Woman,” a soul-searching poem about a woman in a failing relationship. She was followed by some insightful poetry recited by La Rah, who sent a strong message to young men to “Stay Out of the Pen.”

Local fashion designer Eshonna Trice ~~Faatui Toele~~ attended Ladies Night Out II with all new creations from her collection, Electrik. The dazzling outfits suitable for various occasions were gracefully presented by a dozen or so beautiful local fashion models.

Tony R. serenaded the crowd by coming off the stage and into the audience with thrilling renditions of Brian McKnight’s “Anytime” and Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbons in the Sky.”

During the first brief intermission, Moore took the stage to raffle off a round of door prizes to approximately 10 thrilled audience members, each whom enthusiastically claimed their prize.

After only just a few moments’ pause, Ladies Night Out II resumed with local Universal recording artist G.R., aka Ghetto Romeo, who took the stage and thrilled the crowd with two of his original songs, “Can I Be” and “Why Oh Why,” both from his album “G.R. – The Second Coming.”

One of the most unique performances of the night that was from American Sign Language interpreter Demesha Kennedy, founder of the Signs of Praise Ministry. Kennedy combined her incredible sign language skills and dancing to the song “Encourage Yourself,” recorded by Donald Lawrence and the Tri-City Singers.

From that point forward, Ladies Night Out II took entertainment to another level when exquisite singer Bajan took the stage and performed several selections. During one song, she was accompanied by Charles Andrews on acoustic guitar. Andrews also spent much of the evening providing live music for several other performers as a member of the house band, LSB (Love Somebody) with Leon Gray and Brian Randle.

Two of Sacramento’s young up and coming poets, Coon and TroubleSin, known collectively as the E Legal Tag Team, challenged the audience with their high-energy performance that filled up the theater without the use of microphones. Their thought-provoking back-and-forth style of poetry touched on themes of family, relationships and the difficulties Black men face trying to negotiate their way through our increasingly complex society.

The audience was in for a treat with the sultry vocal sounds and commanding stage presence of vocalist Yvette Gauff. With LSB providing the live music, she wowed the crowd with her versions of “All I Do” by Stevie Wonder and “Everlasting Love” by Rufus and Chaka Khan. For the finale, Gauff introduced singer Kaleo, who graced the stage and amazed the audience by his performance of his song “Superman.”

During the second brief intermission, many members of the crowd returned to their seats with plates full of barbecued tri-tip, cabbage and macaroni and cheese, provided by Derris Mosely, owner of D’s Word of Mouth Catering.

Khiry Malik Moore, emcee for the Mahogany Urban Poetry Series hosted by Queen Sheba Restaurant, recited two entertaining and amusing poems just before it was time for the headline act of the evening to take the stage.

Neo-soul artist Kevin Sandbloom came all the way from Los Angeles and surprised many members of the audience who had never seen or heard him perform. His unique combination of acoustic guitar work with smooth bluesy vocals had the audience enthralled. Showcasing his exceptional versatility with original music, Sandbloom also covered tunes by artists as varied as Michael Jackson, Sade and the Carpenters, all in a distinctive style that made each song his own. The 40-minute set included his rendition of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me.”

The evening ended when Moore took the stage, thanked the crowd with one of his original love poems, and called out the numbers from raffle tickets for a final round of prizes.

“The entire evening turned out just as I intended,” Moore said. “The Guild Theater is the venue where our local talent can let the community come out to see how much we have to offer from both developing and established artists as they work toward fulfilling their dreams.”

“Tonight’s show was uplifting, inspiring and full of love,” Sherri Bouris sai. “It rocked my soul.”

“You don’t have to go to the Bay Area,” Jean Hooks said. “You can stay in Sacramento and come out for a night of fun and friendship anytime there is a Ladies Night Out Show at the Guild Theater.”

The Ladies Night Out Summer Series will return to the Guild Theater on July 9. It promises to be another entertaining event of family-friendly fun. Contact Terry Moore at (916) 208-POET or fromtheheart1@hotmail.com well in advance to purchase tickets.

Grand Opening For New Salvation Army Education Facility in Oak Park

2011-06-23T00:14:06Z

After nine months of construction, The Salvation Army opened the doors to its new Child Development Center in Oak Park today.

The education facility is two stories high and nearly 14,000 sq ft, and it is the home for The Army’s day care and after-school programs.

“To see this come into reality is incredible,” said David Bentley, Salvation Army Sacramento County Coordinator. “We have a new education building that can make a real impact for many families in our area.”

The Child Development Center replaces an old 2,400 sq ft modular building that used to house the day care program for 24 years. A capital campaign was started in 2008 to raise the necessary funds for the construction of a new facility.

“It was not the best time for a capital campaign three years ago,” Bentley said. “But we needed to move forward because of the need in the community. We were very blessed that so many stepped up and assisted us with this project.”

In all, the construction cost $3 million.

The more spacious facility allows The Salvation Army the opportunity for expansion in both education programs. According to Salvation Army officials, the plans are to double the day care and after-school capacity.

“I’m really excited about the possibilities,” said Isa Losè, a mother of two children in the after-school program. “There’s just more room for the kids and more tools for them to learn.”

Since the start of the construction, the day care and after-school programs have been operating within The Salvation Army Community Center. The students will transition into the new building by the first week of July.

Disclosure: Syd Fong is the Public Relations Director at The Salvation Army Del Oro Division, Sacramento County Operations.

Summer concert series will revitalize McClatchy Park

2011-06-04T02:28:46Z

Sacramento’s outdoor summer concert scene is growing, as 40-year old Chris Pendarvis, owner of Naked Lounge and Orphan, is adding the Oak Park Concert Series in McClatchy Park.

It’s added to a lineup that includes Concerts in the Park at Cesar Chavez Plaza, Curtis Park’s Music in the Park at the end of June and Friday’s kickoff of Pops in the Park in McKinley Park.

The organizers of the free Oak Park Concert Series said they hope to revitalize one of Sacramento’s oldest neighborhoods and make use of the hidden treasures in McClatchy Park.

Throughout the summer months, beginning on June 18, Oak Park Productions and Naked Coffee will host performances on one Saturday every month through September from 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. The roster includes an eclectic musical taste of regional and Sacramento artists.

Pendarvis, who spends a lot of time in Oak Park, said he had the idea budding for awhile, and created the concert series on a whim after noticing how the park was being underutilized.

Pendarvis said the park itself is beautiful. He described the tall trees that cloak the park in natural shade that is much-needed in the hotter summer months. He said it has a fully equipped amphitheatre with a stage, plugs and a sound system that is rarely, if ever, used.

“I walk past this amazing stage, and in all my years of walking through McClatchy, I never noticed any consistent entertainment,” Pendarvis said. “It’s one of the oldest parks in Sacramento, and it’s built for music.”

The event will kick off with sets from The Snobs, a punk/rock band with a twist – a saxophone – and Electricpoetic Coffee featuring the duo Ross Hammond and NSAA, who combine Hammond’s jazz guitar with NSAA’s spoken word.

On July 9, ZuhG, a collective style funky-jazzy-jam band will perform, followed by Longshot Soundsystem, a reggae band that Pendarvis describes as “out of this world.”

On Aug. 6, Nagual, an ensemble featuring guitar, saxophone, drums, bass and vocals will perform music that transcends genres. Mad Planet, a male/female trip-hop duo from Los Angeles, will follow.

On Sept. 3, Musical Charis, a folk/rock “conglomerate” with unconventional instruments like a sitar and toy pianos will bring its lighthearted music style to the stage. Mondo Decco, a self-described “four-piece rock/glam/R&B group,” will follow. The Afterlife, a jazz band ranging from modern to swing, will close out the summer series.

“I think all the music is going to be really great. We just went out to find good music that we think that people will enjoy. There’s so many great musicians in the Sacramento area, so it’s not hard to find music of a high caliber,” Pendarvis said.
Pendarvis said he expects the ZuhG/Longshot Soundsystem show to be one of the most popular.

Bryan Nichols, 24-year-old guitarist and vocalist from ZuhG, said he is excited to be a part of the outdoor music series. He said playing music outside brings a whole different vibe, energy and sound.

“Music is a thing that brings people together in a positive way. Hopefully that’s what goes down in McClatchy Park,” Nichols said. “To have it in a community like that where they don’t usually have a big concert in the park, hopefully all the families and the kids come out and take advantage of it.”

Pendarvis said part of revitalizing the park is shedding the image the neighborhood has of being a dangerous place to live. He said he thinks that people have certain thoughts regarding the neighborhood that aren’t great, but “they are super off-base.”

“I think it’s important to get people to come to McClatchy and see how great it is. I think it opens minds,” Pendarvis said.

“I think to get people into the Oak Park area and actually check the neighborhood out is a good thing, and I think it’s revitalizing. This isn’t just a concert for Oak Park, this is a show for the urban area at a great venue, which just so happens to be in Oak Park,” he added.

Frank Loret de Mola, 26-year-old general manager of the downtown Naked Lounge recently moved to the Oak Park community. He said he was completely on board when his boss, Pendarvis, came to him with the idea.

He said he believes that the series in the park will create a sense of ceremony for the community that is important when you’re trying to bring people together and make a change.

“A lot has changed in Oak Park. There’s been a lot of money put into it, a lot of businesses have grown, a lot of new families are moving in,” Loret de Mola said. “I think the neighborhood is going to show up. They’re going to hear our music. They’re going to go outside, and they’re going to check it out.”

Loret de Mola and Naked Lounge workers will be volunteering for the event, directing foot traffic and helping out with the stage and making sure the event runs smoothly.

“I’m looking forward to seeing it all happen and watching our staff take charge, and of course seeing everyone getting together for what’s ultimately a free event,” he said.

Pendarvis said he isn’t doing the series as a marketing incentive for Naked Coffee. The event is sponsored by his company and is coming out of his own pocket because it was just something he wanted to do. All he needs now is for people to come out.

He said he doesn’t think it will be any different than other outdoor summer concerts. It will be family-friendly, music-oriented, and people can bring their own food and chairs and relax in the shade.

“This is just being done for fun,” Pendarvis said. “We don’t want donations. We aren’t recruiting anyone. We have two guys and a whole bunch of volunteers who are doing it. What’s unusual about it is that it hasn’t happened often, if ever, in McClatchy.”

Accommodations set for City budget meeting

2011-06-03T06:48:51Z

The City of Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation presented an oral report regarding their progress on community centers to the Parks and Recreation Commission.

During the report, Parks and Recreation Director Jim Combs provided an overview of the proceedings for next Tuesday’s Council Meeting. The highlight of the meeting will be the report back on the budgets of the city’s parks, police, and fire departments.

“We hear maybe 1000 to 1500 folks there attending this meeting just from the police department,” said Combs. “Then the fire department’s going to have a big crew. We know that the centers and all those communities; we’re going to have more people down there than we had last time. There were maybe 70 speakers.”

The city is taking steps to accommodate what is expected to be an enormous crowd. They are urging people to arrive between 5pm and 6pm; the meeting begins promptly at 6pm.

Each of the groups - parks, police, fire, golf (they are not part of parks), and general topics - will be given a number of passes allowing fair access to seating in the Council Chamber in accordance with required capacity limits.

According to Combs, the Council Chamber will be divided into three sections with police, fire, and parks receiving different color tickets. Each group will receive at total of 100 tickets; the first 100 people for each group gets a ticket.

Speaker slips will be available at all locations and will be submitted to the Mayor for Council’s consideration in managing public comment. Speakers called that are not present in Chambers will be notified and ushered to the podium.

Each group - parks, police, and fire - receives a block of 30 minutes for public comment.

Overflow areas will be provided with meeting audio/video in Historic City Hall, New City Hall Mezzanine, and Outside Plaza Area (Audio Only).

According to Combs, City Council may take stock in the time the public speaking session has concluded and determine whether they wish to go into deliberations on Tuesday night, or adjourn and reconvene on Thursday night for discussion by Council only without discussion from the public.

Combs also outlined actions taken over the past three weeks regarding the Oak Park, George Sim, and Hagginwood Community Centers. All three were slated for closure under the budget proposed to City Council in mid-May, which received backlash from the public.

“We’ve had meetings with organizers,” said Combs. “We’re looking to work with groups that have some capacity to offer staffing or dollars or can bring something to the table to help us organize and run community centers.”

Parks and Recreation held meetings at each of the three community centers.

“We’ve had really great turnouts,” said Combs. “We had twenty-some organizations that showed up for Oak Park. We had a second meeting and had even more organizations show up. So for the Oak Park community, there’s really a lot of outpouring.”

Combs indicated three to four have stepped forward to be the lead group for the Oak Park Community Center.

“We also had successful meetings at Sim Center,” said Combs. “There we have two partners we had obtained through the RFP process that had already committed to being over there. We’re finalizing our agreements with them, and then we have the two neighborhood associations and a couple of other groups that have come in and want to add to the mix.”

The largest meeting was at the Hagginwood Community Center, though Combs expressed disappointment.

“It was disappointing in the sense that most of the folks were seniors and folks that come there for the feeding program and the grandparents program,” said Combs. “They were residents there that didn’t want to see the center closed for their own personal use.”

“It wasn’t really attended by the organizations with capacity that we were hoping to see that were saying ‘we can step in and help you run this’. We did have several organizations there, but most of them were just passionate about ‘keep my center open.’”

Second meetings will be done with both the Sim Center and Hagginwood Community Center prior to the next City Council meeting.

Carwash: Another step to help kids

2011-05-28T18:53:09Z

Published: Saturday / May 28, 2011 / By: Henry Harry

In the heart of Oak Park, last Sunday, another step in the fight to help kids took place. Players and coaches for the “Pirates,” a team in the Oak Park Little League (OPLL), held a car wash to raise money. Now halfway through the season, Oak Park Little League president, Robert Allen, was on hand at the event supervising kids as they eagerly lathered, washed and rinsed customers’ cars.

As we talked, Allen displayed two personas: one beamed with pride in his kids and coaches; the other worried over the struggle to keep the league moving forward in tough financial times. With area residents earning less income than others, Allen explained what he and his board are up against. “We charge lower fees than other leagues because our parents need the break; and we don’t turn away kids who come up short on funds. That leaves me and my board coming out of pocket to cover some costs,” Allen said.

Yolanda Torres, a woman with a strong demeanor and warm smile, is the league’s Snack Bar Coordinator. Keeping a watchful eye on the kids, she shared that she has been with the league for three years. Her pride was evident as she talked about her son, Andrew, who is one of the coaches for the Pirates.

“I was born in Oak Park. People need to give back! That is what this is about. These kids need help and our league keeps them off the streets. Many of these kids come from broken homes - they are in need - and this helps,” Yolanda said.

President Allen detailed some of the financial challenges O.P.L.L. face: $1200 for the league’s parent organization; $100 - 150 per team that advances through the tournament process and other miscellaneous expenses.

Many businesses were solicited in the area, but only three, Fruitridge Printing (Stockton Blvd. @ 8TH Ave.), Metro PCS (M.L.K. @ 9TH Ave.) and Capitol Tarpaulin Co. (Stockton Blvd. @ 14TH Ave.), provided donations to the league. Allen’s labor union, SEIU, also donated to the league.

To help this worthy cause, make donations to:

Oak Park Little League
P.O. Box 5202
Sacramento, CA 95817

The next O.P.L.L. carwash/barbeque is scheduled for 11:00 pm on June 5TH at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. @ Broadway.

Law professor speaks out on ‘The New Jim Crow’

2011-05-27T05:19:39Z

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 read brief excerpts from her book, her presentation — which was made mostly without notes and delivered from the heart — mirrored the thesis of her newly published work. Namely, that the nation’s criminal justice system is designed to create a new caste system, akin to former Jim Crow laws, that is on its face colorblind but in reality disproportionately affects poor people and people of color, especially young black males.

Alexander postulates convincingly that felony convictions for relatively minor drug offenses are now used against so-called “ex-offenders” to label them as criminals. That label carries with it the stigma of a lifetime badge of shame and dishonor. The result is that there is now in existence a virtual explosion of the numbers in the burgeoning permanent underclass of mostly men of color who are excluded from most opportunities for education, employment, housing and public assistance that are required to even have a glimmer of hope to escape a revolving-door prison system.

Former Sacramento City Attorney Sam Jackson had the honor of introducing Alexander to the audience. Alexander’s message was met with an enthusiastic response from the crowd, which was sprinkled with grassroots organizers, religious leaders and a variety of well known community activists.

“Michelle Alexander’s book and speech here tonight has clearly and concisely articulated the genesis of the next human rights movement,” said Keith J. Staten, a local criminal defense attorney.

Alexander’s message was far more than what might be expected from an author conducting a typical book-signing tour. She contends that the current crisis in the criminal justice system was not the result of fortuitous events, but it was instead created from a calculated design and perpetuated from the highest levels of policy-making in this country, including both major political parties and the U.S. Supreme Court.

She articulated her reasons for researching and writing the book as the next logical step once she came to realize what was occurring in this county during her years working in the field of civil rights litigation and advocacy.

Alexander indicated that she was especially happy to be back in Northern California during the week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that California’s prison system was unconstitutionally overcrowded and its population must be reduced by some 37,000 prisoners.

She continued that the election of President Barack Obama proves that even if a nice guy is elected to lead the country, no one person can change a system that is fundamentally flawed.

Dr. Vaja Watson, who serves as the director of research and policy for equity for the Cress Center at the UC Davis School of Education couldn’t have agree more.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “Now that we have the facts in front of us, we need to shut the system down. We are living in a new slave state.”

Alexander currently holds a joint professorship at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Alexander earned a law degree from Stanford University and held a prestigious clerkship with former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. Her prior accomplishments include extensive experience in the field of civil rights advocacy and litigation, including a term of service as the director of the Racial Justice Project for the ACLU of Northern California.

“(Alexander’s book and tour) is a wake-up call for communities across the county to work to ensure that those coming home from prison will have a reasonable opportunity to heal and become productive members of society, especially in light of the current difficult economic times,” community activist Tim Boyd said.

The evening concluded with a brief but lively question-and-answer session whereby Alexander demonstrated her command of a wide range of subjects, from concerns about zero-tolerance policies practiced at local school districts to articulating how to begin implementing the call to action she communicated to the audience and that is described in detail in the final chapter of her book.

Judging by the number of individuals who lined up to have their newly purchased copy of the book signed, Alexander is much more than a newly minted successful author. She is a force to be reckoned with as legal scholar and an accomplished visionary who is an articulate and powerful voice for change.

New group to focus on gardening, health

2011-05-20T17:50:25Z

Local organizations focused on healthy communities are hosting an event in Oak Park on Saturday to educate the public about gardening and fresh food.

The new coalition, Grow Together Sacramento, will create a few small gardens and teach the public how to set up gardens at the event.

Paul Towers, state director of the environmental group Pesticide Watch, said the coalition will build gardens and focus on the question: “How do we get as much healthy food as possible into the hands and bellies of Sacramentans?”

The Pesticide Watch Education Fund is a partner in the coalition, along with City Councilman Jay Schenirer’s office, Sacramento environmental group Ubuntu Green, the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition and others.

Towers said Saturday’s event will be the first of many centered around building gardens.

Making healthy food more accessible to the public through gardening will be a key part of the coalition’s work, according to Towers and Schenirer.

“We find that Sacramento is a heart of some of the richest agricultural land in the country, if not world,” Towers said.

But many Sacramento residents don’t have access to healthy, fresh and local food, he said.

While Schenirer’s office is playing a role in the coalition, Schenirer said it will not be run by the city.

“We want ownership (of the gardening campaign) to be in the community,” Schenirer said. “Ownership doesn’t necessarily need to be the city or city bureaucracy.”

At Saturday’s event, residents can also talk to Bill Maynard, the city’s community gardening director, about the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. community garden.

There will be a lottery for people interested in plots at that garden, which will open in June at 3668 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Maynard said. Residents who would like to be in the lottery should contact Maynard at the event or by phone at 808-4943. The garden will have 38 plots.

A small number of plots have been reserved for people with disabilities, he said. Those plots will be higher than the other plots, and people won’t have to bend down, he said.

“They can stand up and garden,” Maynard said. Or, they can garden alongside their plot in a wheelchair, he said.

Gardening is a hot topic right now at City Hall. Ramping up the number of community gardens in the city is the subject of a proposed ordinance. It’s unclear when the City Council will consider the proposal – Schenirer said he did not know when the council would examine it.

If you go:

Where:

40 Acres Complex at 3434 Broadway

When:

10 a.m.: Garden training

11 a.m.: Remarks by speakers including Mayor Kevin Johnson and press conference

A second garden training will follow the press conference.

The event is free to the public.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

"Jane's Walk" Urban Planning Walks

2011-05-04T05:27:47Z

Sacramento Jane’s Walk 2011: Saturday, May 7 and Sunday, May 8

Jane’s Walk USA is a series of free neighborhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. Since its inception in 2007, Jane’s Walk has happened in cities across North America, and is growing internationally. Sacramento’s Jane’s Walk series incorporates elements of urban planning, neighborhood advocacy, urban history, and architectural history, to demonstrate how a neighborhood’s physical form promotes its walkability, sustainability and economic and social vitality. All tours are free of charge; show up at the starting point at the designated time in comfortable walking shoes. No RSVP is necessary.

In 2010, Sacramento's first Jane's Walk series took place on May 1 with four simultaneous tours. This year, five total tours are being held over two days; except for the Oak Park and Southside Park tours, the tours are held at different times, so people can attend more than one.

Sacramento Jane’s Walk Schedule

Saturday, May 7

Alkali Flat
10 AM – Noon
Tour Guide: Luis Sumpter, Sacramento Old City Association Board Member
Starting Point: Shine Coffee, 1400 E Street
SOCA and Alkali Flat Neighborhood Association board member Luis Sumpter will lead a tour of Sacramento’s oldest surviving residential neighborhood, Alkali Flat. This tour will visit local architectural landmarks, neighborhood businesses, adaptive reuse projects, and new mixed-use projects under construction.

Midtown
2 PM – 4 PM
Tour Guide: William Burg, Sacramento Old City Association Board Member
Starting Point: Mondo Bizarro, 1827 I Street
William Burg, historian and author of Sacramento’s Streetcars, will guide this tour of Midtown’s mixed-use business corridors and adjacent residential neighborhoods, from the days of Sutter through the streetcar era to the present day. The tour will focus on walkability, transit, mixed-use neighborhoods, and Midtown’s legacy as a regional epicenter of creativity and art.

Sunday, May 8

Southside Park
10 AM-Noon
Tour Guide: William Burg, Sacramento Old City Association Board Member
Starting Point: Callahan Bandstand, 7th and T Street, Southside Park
William Burg, historian and author of Sacramento’s Southside Park, will lead this tour, focusing on the neighborhood’s rich cultural diversity, transportation, landscape and urban design, neighborhood activism, and adaptation to changing neighborhood roles.

Central Oak Park Walking Tour
10 AM-Noon
Tour Guide: Tom Sumpter, Oak Park Neighborhood Association
Starting Point: Guild Theater, 2828 35th Street
Neighborhood activist Tom Sumpter will lead a tour of Oak Park’s historic business district along Broadway and nearby landmarks, designed by Sacramento State geography professor Robin Datel and using a tour brochure published by the Center for Sacramento History.

Downtown: From the Railroad Tracks to the Civic Center
2 PM – 4 PM
Tour Guide: Melisa Gaudreau, Sacramento Heritage Inc. Board Member
Starting Point: Sacramento City Hall, 915 I Street
Historic architect Melisa Gaudreau will lead a tour of downtown Sacramento, focusing on Sacramento Heritage Inc.’s new tour of the Civic Center area along H, I and J Street between the historic Southern Pacific passenger depot and City Hall.

About Jane’s Walks
Jane’s Walk USA honors the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning. Jane’s Walk USA helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community, instilling belonging and encouraging civic leadership.

All Jane’s Walk USA tours are given and taken for free. These walks are led by anyone who has an interest in the neighborhoods where they live, work or hang out. They are not always about architecture and heritage, and offer a more personal take on the local culture, the social history and the planning issues faced by the residents. Jane Jacobs believed strongly that local residents understood best how their neighborhood works, and what is needed to strengthen and improve them. Jane’s Walks are meant to be fun, engaged and participatory – everyone’s got a story and they’re usually keen to share it.

Thousands of people have taken part in a Jane’s Walk USA. Past walks have explored a wide range of urban landscapes, from social housing slated for redevelopment to areas with a rich architectural and cultural heritage, to teen hangouts and secret gardens. Walks are led by individuals and small groups. Some are focused around historical themes more than geographical areas, for instance, some strolls have been built around ideas like the history of the bicycle, gay and lesbian history, places of relevance to the homeless, the history of ‘skid row’, and urgent planning matters facing certain neighborhoods.

About the Sacramento Old City Association
The Sacramento Old City Association promotes actions that preserve and enhance a high quality of life for Central City residents, businesses, working people and visitors. The organization works to achieve balanced and harmonious relationships among residential, commercial and employment uses in the Central City. To achieve these goals the Sacramento Old City Association works to:

•Increase public awareness of the irreplaceable historic, architectural and cultural resources of the Central City
•Gather and disseminate information useful in the preservation of structures and neighborhoods of Sacramento.
•Advocate the policies and positions of the organization to the appropriate public agencies and private parties.
•Build and strengthen coalitions with other organizations working to achieve similar goals.
•Promote a quality urban environment through the encouragement of compatibly designed and constructed housing, commercial and office buildings.

For More Information about Jane's Walk or the Sacramento Old City Association:

http://www.sacoldcity.org
http://janeswalkusa.wordpress.com/

Disclosure: William Burg is a board member of the Sacramento Old City Association.

Ladies Night Out at the Guild Theater

2011-04-05T05:40:24Z

The Historical Guild Theater in Oak Park was alive with poetry,
fashions and music for Ladies Night Out this past Saturday night,
April 2, 2011. Award winning local poet and community leader Terry
Moore hosted the sold out event as a benefit for the Center for
Families and Fathers Sacramento.

The Emcee for the evening was Petri Hawkins-Byrd, is best known as the
bailiff on the television show Judge Judy. Hawkins-Byrd did a
wonderful job keeping the audience laughing and the show moving with
jokes, heart-felt commentary on the poetry and light-hearted
introductions for the wide variety of local talent recruited by Moore
for the occasion.

The ladies night theme of the evening started off with a short film
entitled Ms. Understood by Director/Writer/Producer Nicole Mattox.
Singer Lenny Williams, Jr. then set the tone for the event with a
gospel tune that was well received by the female dominated audience.
Thereafter, a fashion show organized by local designer Faatui Toele,
featured approximately a dozen confident models using the stage and
aisles as their runway.

Following the fashion show, poets Nikki Brock, Kelly Richardson, Ms.
Kottyn and Larah each took the microphone and graced the audience by
reading or reciting two works of original poetry. The featured poems
provided insight into the lives, loves and struggles faced by women
dealing with men, raising children and maintaining a sense of self in
an increasingly complex world.

Singers Qui510 and Tessa Evans were met with enthusiastic audience
approval as they amped up the crowd by belting out several tunes each.

After an intermission, door prizes were given away, donated by the
numerous event vendors and local businesses that supported the event.
The evening then proceeded with its program packed with high quality
entertainment. Another round of models in high fashion strutted across
the stage.

The standout poets of the evening were none other than Sacramento’s
Poet Laureate, Bob Stanley, and the event’s organizer, host Terry
Moore. Both gentlemen were backed up by some very outstanding live
music provided by local band LSB (Love Somebody). Stanley brought
along jazz guitarist Robert Nakashima, whose riffs and solos in
between verses of poetry demonstrated to the crowd his smooth style
developed through years of experience. Moore brought along singer
Kaleo, who really put his heart into one of Moore’s signature pieces,
"12 Things I’ll Do To Keep You.”

Thereafter, poets Taifa Jamari P.S. (Poetically Speaking) and the
E-Legal Tag Team each moved the crowd with their unique individual
styles of poetry. As the evening drew to a close, singers T.D. Trice
and Tony R. let the ladies know how much they were appreciated. After
a brief dance number by Sonic Boom, singer Bajan closed the evening
with a very moving original song accompanied by guitarist Charles
Andrews.

Those audience members who stayed through the nearly three and a half
hour event certainly got their money’s worth at $10.00 per ticket.

Audience member Mechelle V. stated, “Although I was thoroughly
entertained all evening, the poetry was the best.”

“The evening was good, very good!” said Bernadette Andrews from her
seat in the balcony.

Moore, the event’s founder and coordinator stated, “I was so pleased
to see a full house. The event turned out to be all I dreamed of and
more. I'm planning even greater things for the future for Ladies Night
at the Guild Theater. This is going to be a wonderful event for our
community.”

Because this event was so well received, as evidenced by the advance
ticket sales, Moore already reserved June 24, 2011 for the next Ladies
Night Out extravaganza.

Be sure to contact Terry Moore well in advance at (916) 208-POET or
fromtheheart1@hotmail.com to purchase your tickets. It is sure to be
another sold out event.

Oak Park residents envision something other than McDonald's for vacant lot

2011-03-28T05:35:26Z

How about a hardware store, garden shop, day care center, café, dog park, hair salon, yogurt shop or art supply business? These were some ideas vocalized during the community-visioning event Saturday where more than 50 people gathered at Grange Hall to share thoughts about potential uses for a vacant lot at 2nd Avenue and Stockton Boulevard in Oak Park.

A McDonald’s with a 24-hour drive-through is currently proposed for the one-acre site, which faces commercial and medical buildings on Stockton and a residential neighborhood on 2nd Avenue.

“The goal of this meeting is to hear neighborhood concerns about the proposed McDonald’s and develop a new vision about what could go on that property,” said facilitator JoEllen Arnold, who owns a home near the site. “We will then take these concerns and ideas to the City Planning Commission in a few months.”

The event was hosted by Healthy Development for Oak Park and included a presentation by Ron Vrilakas, an architect with 20 years experience in helping shape the urbanscape in Sacramento. Vrilakas recalled a similar situation about a decade ago when a Jack in the Box was planned for 19th and J Streets, and Midtown residents were successful at “holding back the fast food flood gate.” He noted that it didn’t take long for a new opportunity to come along and offer a pedestrian-oriented development with smaller shops that are more fitting in Midtown.

Vrilakas advised the group to focus on the city planning aspect of the proposed McDonald’s and warned against asking for something on the site that is not feasible. He advocated the idea of a mixed-use project.

“This is a strong case,” he said. “Nobody has the right to develop a drive-through. It’s an entitlement in which the applicant asks for a special permit.” He said the applicant is asking for a special privilege in order to make more money without any gain for the community.

Regarding land use, Vrilakas said the drive-through McDonalds is inappropriate in relationship to nearby single-family homes.
“It’s extremely cruel to put this next to homes,” he said. It’s fundamentally criminal.”

According to City Planning documents, the request is for a 3,897 square-foot restaurant with 30 parking stalls, 11,500 square-feet of landscaping and a side-by-side drive through.

During the meeting, residents expressed concerns about what the McDonald’s would bring to their neighborhood. Top worries included increased traffic, pedestrian and bike safety, air pollution from idling cars, noise, trash and increased crime from people coming into the neighborhood at all hours of the day and night.

Switching from the image of McDonald’s, the group then engaged in creating a vision of something better for Oak Park. Arnold encouraged residents to think of what they drive out of the neighborhood to attain. People responded with a wide-range of thoughts including a dry cleaners, bike shop or gym. Artist Frankie Hansbearry illustrated the ideas on a long sheet of paper during the brainstorming. Some ideas were more popular than others, but many responded positively to the concept of a mixed-use space.

While the visioning activity was well received, people were aware that the land is privately owned. The landowner was identified as John Saca, executive president of Saca Development. According to the company’s website, its commercial arm has more than $1 billion worth of transactions with companies such as Chevron, Target, Home Depot, Starbucks and Walgreens.

Charlene Hauser, MD, of Healthy Development for Oak Park, lives on 2nd Avenue and said the site of the proposed McDonald’s is right in the middle of her bike commute to work. Hauser said there is not yet a date for when the proposed project will go to the City Planning Commission and that a traffic study has to be conducted first.

“We were excited to see such a great turn out for this event,” she said. “We look forward to working with our elected officials for the best outcome.”

Visit hdop.webs.com for more information on Healthy Development for Oak Park.

Art In Sacramento, Where Do We Go From Here?

2011-03-27T22:57:17Z

Master Barber & Beauty Shop presents:
Art on Stockton Blvd. - Art Panel Discussion

"Art In Sacramento - Where do we go from here?"

This is your chance to share and discuss with some of Sacramento's lead art professionals and artists! Join Master Barber & Beauty Shop and panel participants, Dr. Allan Gordon, Lorrie Kempf, Patris Miller, Daphne Burgess and James Sweeney for an evening of lively discussion on "Art in Sacramento." Come with your thoughts, stories and questions as professionals in the art world tell their personal and professional views on the Sacramento art scene.

Keynote Speaker: Gerry GOS" Simpson - Artist, Photographer and Author

Moderator: Tim Foster - Editor, Midtown Monthly

Panelist:
Allan Gordon (PhD, Curator, Artist)
Lorrie Kempf (SMAC, Curator, Artist)
Patris Artist (Artist, Gallery Owner)
James Sweeney (Art Collector, SAAAC)
Daphne Burgess (Artist)

Coffee and Tea is provided by: Old Soul Co.
Refreshment will be Available
This is a FREE event

Schnirer holds neighborhood conversation

2011-03-18T01:00:56Z

Residents of District 5 phoned in for the monthly “Neighborhood Conversations” conference call Wednesday night to discuss their issues, concerns, and questions with City Councilman Jay Schenirer.

One of the first discussions of the call centered around the crime and vandalism issues Oak Park faces. One resident from the area was the main speaker for this topic, he asked whether it was getting worse or improving and what the neighbors could do about it.

Schenirer commented that crime has gone down throughout the city and that it was mainly gang rivalries between Oak Park gangs and those in the surrounding areas.

In relation to gangs, he said the city is using strategies to rehabilitate gang members, by “putting them in full-time jobs and other social programs.”

Schenirer also said the city is working on developing different intervention strategies, such as a pilot program called “hot spot policing.”

“The program consists of GPSing where many crimes are being committed,” he said. Patrol cars then station themselves near those hot spot regions, to help act as both a deterrence and offer a quicker reaction to the scene of the crime.

Another caller, Kitty Wilson, mainly addressed traffic concerns she experienced near 26th and 27th street where it intersects with Broadway.

“The whole of 26th needs to be looked at ,” Wilson said. Mainly, she noted, there are problems during the times of 4:30 to 7 p.m. when many travelers are leaving work, getting on and off the freeway at the interchange. She said she thought there needed to be more signals in that area.

Schenirer said, “We can ask the traffic division to go and check it out.”

Healthy eating and healthy development of Oak Park were also brought up on the call.

Chris Johnson, a member of the group Healthy Development of Oak Park, said a McDonald's is being planned to be constructed at the corner of Stockton Blvd. and 2nd Ave.

Johnson said his group is reluctant to support the idea of a fast food restaurant in their neighborhood.

Schenirer explained how the process will work and how the proposal must goes through a planning committee. He told the listeners he couldn't comment directly on the McDonald's issue but that he was “very supportive of healthy eating habits.”

“I would love to to see better and more community development and neighborhood supportive businesses,” he said.

Some other concerns had to do with water usage and city bureaucracy. At the end, most listeners said they liked Schenirer hosting community conversations. They said it seemed like a civil, honest and open way to communicate directly with the district’s residents.

“It's a little easier than knocking on doors,” Schenirer added.

“Neighborhood Conversations” occur every third Wednesday of the month, lasting from 7 - 7:30 p.m.

For those interested in a face-to-face conversation, City Councilman Jay Schenirer will be having community office hours on Wednesday March 30 at the Big Spoon which is located at 4001 Freeport Blvd. from 5 - 7 p.m.

Cementing the future

2011-03-12T11:33:12Z

Oak Park, Sacramento, CA | In tough economic times, Sacramento Food Bank pours the foundation to the next phase of their facility Thursday.

Cement trucks began arriving early Friday morning at 3308 3rd Ave., the expansion site of Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services. They were busy at work laying the foundation for the new expansion, one that the food bank's President, Blake Young is "ecstatic" about. Blake stated that he and the board of directors, through good stewardship of funds, waited seven years for this day.

Blake stood outside the fence at the site Friday morning and looked on as the cement was poured and a snazy laser guided machine and workers leveled the cement that would be the foundation of a legacy for a community.

This is what Young had to say: "This project, in particular, is years in the making. The board of directors and myself based this project on a community needs assessment. Through our strategic plan we put together, we found that education programs for children and adults, job skills training, and a really important parent education program, we felt that we were at capacity in our current center. So through this strategic plan we decided to take the next step, which would be to build out these four in particular programs, build this center which would allow us to serve close to triple the amount of people. For us it was really about helping the moms and dads, it was about helping people gain jobs through technology training, and it was about really helping kids realize high school and college through one on one training and technology programs.

"Our hope is that a lot of people will benefit from this. We've had a great response from the community, We feel that we are part of the community. And this was brought on because the community had a huge demand for our services.

"Our objective is to cement ourselves once again, we've been here 40 years, for the long term and as the economy and the community changes, we'll change along with it, and this gives us the opportunity to be here in perpetuity and continue to grow our programs.

"It will house an adult education center, a children's' education center, a senior education center, and an expansion of our Mother Baby Program. Adjacent to the building will be what we call the Food Bank Farm, which will be a five thousand square foot farm for the adults and children of the center. Phase two will be a remodel of the existing center. The farm, even though a small for a real farm, will produce food and vegetables that will go right into our food assistance program where we do mobile distributions.

"We are ecstatic. What it really is, it is a gift from the community to allow us and to give us what we need to be able to do this. But really it's about the community having confidence in us; delivering quality programs that aren't a reflection of government funding. The community really owns this; they're the ones that step up and donate to our programs. It's just a result of a lot of hard work.

"A real big shout out and thanks to the community for giving us the confidence and support to run and operate really effective and relevant

Check out additional photos>>

Sacramento Police Department starts Ceasefire program to decrease gang violence

2011-03-03T03:20:46Z

“Stop the violence now” is the message the Sacramento Police Department hopes to get across to the communities of Sacramento that are most impacted by gang violence through its “Ceasefire” program.

The program had its community kick-off event last July, but officially began in November. Captain Dan Schiele of the Sacramento Police Department said gang violence in Sacramento has always been an issue.

“From 2009-2010, there was a 37 percent increase in crimes involving gang members,” said Rhonda Jackson, project director of Ceasefire.

“There are over 4,600 gang members in Sacramento,” she said.

The Ceasefire program originated in Boston.

“Ceasefire has been chosen because the program model has the most potential for reducing gang violence,” Schiele said.

“Ceasefire is a partnership where we attempt to educate the gangs about the initiative, give them alternatives, and let them know the consequences of not stopping the violence,” Schiele said.

South Sacramento was the first area that Ceasefire targeted. Schiele is in charge of the officers in the area who are implementing the Ceasefire strategy.

The partnership includes the Sacramento Police Department, District Attorney’s Office, the Public Health Institute, and about a dozen churches in the city.

Ceasefire works with gang members, giving them resources to leave behind their violent lifestyles.

“SETA (Sacramento Employment and Training Agency) has a whole list of different agencies that can help provide services like substance abuse or mental health.They are also providing case managers for these individuals,” said police Lt. William Champion.

Champion is the project manager of Ceasefire and lieutenant in charge of the gang unit. He also organizes the leadership of the faith-based groups.

“You can’t just arrest away the problem. You have to provide alternatives to the gang lifestyle,” Schiele said.

He added that some of the faith-based groups try to intercept gang members and educate them on alternatives. For example, Genesis Church walked the Mack Road corridor looking for people in need of mentoring or life coaching because they are rated as high-risk young adults.

The Ceasefire strategy is designed for those who have been identified as “drivers of violence.” through the Sacramento Police Departments statistical data and crime reports.

Once the drivers of violence have been identified, the police contact their parole officers, and they are required to attend a meeting.

During this meeting, Ceasefire representatives inform these “drivers of violence” that they can either choose to work with their programs and end their violent lifestyles or, if they continue, then they will go back to jail. If they decide they would like help, they can utilize the free services like job training and counseling.

In addition to having the program in place, Champion encourages the community to take action.

“I hope the community sees the results,” he said, “and sees that they no longer need to be in fear, that this is a partnership, and without the community’s help, we cannot make this a successful venture.”

Jackson said it will take years before the program’s effects on crime can be measured.

“So far we’ve had 20 young people go through the program, and have reached 50 people,” Jackson said.

Schiele emphasized that the purpose of the program is to reduce violence and to stop the killing of young people.

“Young people in the 16-25 age group account for the highest percentage of violence,” Schiele said.

“Once we can get that dialogue across, and that dialogue heard, that the killings and shootings and violence needs to stop now, then we hope there’s a moment where we can actually have a conversation about how we can help them get out of your gang lifestyle,” he said.

Champion says the program still needs some modifications to become successful.

“There’s still a lot to do,” he said. “There’s still call-ins to have, community engagement to happen, new partners to bring on board.

“Hopefully we have success and we reduce violence, and these individuals get the help and services they need to make them successful, and we continue on,” he said. “We’re taking it one step at a time.”

Bicycle Chef to reopen as bike shop brewpub

2011-03-03T03:10:23Z

Bicycle Chef has temporarily closed until the business is transformed into Sacramento's first bike shop/microbrewery.

Owner Christopher Davis-Murai, a longtime cyclist and chef, is currently hunting for a space where he can open a hybrid business that combines a full-service bike shop with a microbrewery and restaurant.

The Land Park resident has been looking for a 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot building to lease or buy for several months. He put the entire contents of his East Sacramento shop into storage and closed the doors a month ago after being unable to find a space before the lease ran out at 3184 N St.

Belgium and France have several bike shop/brew pubs. Davis-Murai has wanted to open one in Sacramento since 2006, about a year after he first opened Bicycle Chef at 2409 J St. in Midtown.

"I wanted it to be a nice taste of Europe, but in Sacramento," he said.

He grew up in Elk Grove, where he started racing at 17. He got his first job working in restaurants shortly after. Graduating from high school in 1984, Davis-Murai spent the mid-1980s to early 1990s riding and racing in Sacramento.

He worked just about every job in the restaurant industry, from graveyard-shift dishwasher just out of high school to bus boy, waiter and cook. Working at restaurants at night allowed him to ride and train during the day.

Davis-Murai graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1994. He spent several years traveling. He raced or rode throughout the country and worked, often as a personal chef for clients such as the Cabot family of Boston at its 50,000-acre property in Colorado. He returned to Sacramento in 2001.

He opened Bicycle Shop in Midtown, then moved the shop to East Sacramento in December 2008. He spent most of 2010 working on a plan to buy the building at 32nd and N streets and open the bike shop/microbrewery there.

But there were challenges involving structural and permit issues with the building, which had been built in 1918. He and the property owner weren't able to agree on a price, Davis-Murai said.

He's now considering three buildings in Midtown and Oak Park while real estate brokers search for other property in the central city – ideally with a patio or courtyard. One candidate is an old, Spanish-style church complex at 24th and K streets owned by Thomas A. Roth.

While Davis-Murai searched for space in East Sacramento, the business won't work there because none of the available spaces offer enough parking. But he said he will keep it close to the central city.

"I want it to be easily accessible for people on bikes," he said.

Davis-Murai is determining which areas of town can handle the wastewater that would be produced by a microbrewery. He is also searching for one more investor in addition to the two he has recruited.

Plans call for a 400- to 500-square foot bike shop with room for a mechanic, a small inventory of customizable bike frames, bike clothes and accessories.

The microbrewery would take up about 30 percent of the space. The microbrews would be German-style lagers such as pilsners, India pale ales, imperial stouts and Belgian-style beer.

The gastropub would celebrate the slow-food movement. The small, flexible menu would focus on local and seasonal products bought from farmers and farmers markets and suggested pairings with beer and wine – something like The Monk's Kettle in San Francisco, said Davis-Murai, who will serve as the chef and chief mechanic.

He said he hopes to reopen Bicycle Chef this summer. In the meantime, he’s operating Bicycle Chef Catering.

Others in Sacramento's growing bike community said they were happy the shop's closure will be temporary.

"I'm glad to hear he's bringing it back to life," said Cassidy Castleman, co-owner of Practical Cycle in Old Sacramento. "The way the economy is these days, you've got to be creative to make it work."

Guild Theater to host Found Footage Fest

2011-03-02T06:45:23Z

Found Footage Fest, a screening featuring odd and obscure videos compiled by curators Nick Prueher and Joe Pickett, will be presenting its latest collection on Sunday at the Guild Theater in Oak Park.

The showing is a guided tour through a collection of 75 funny clips and segments with Prueher and Pickett explaining when and where they found each piece of footage, along with other commentary to put each set into context.

“Sometimes it’s a standalone clip, and sometimes it's a montage,” Prueher said. “Home videos, training videos, exercise videos, this is the stuff that wasn't mean to be shown to the public.”

Now in its seventh year, they are taking the show back on the road and presenting their new screening, called “Volume 5.”

“We started by showing them to friends,” Prueher said. That was back as early as 1991. By 2004, when a more elaborate collection was built, Prueher and Pickett thought they could do something more with it.

“We thought we could take this thing we do with our friends and put it in a movie theater,” Prueher said.

After curating an initial set of videos, they held the first showing in 2004, and in 2005 made a national tour using it. Since then, they have still been collecting off-the-wall videos and compiling new footage packages for each year of the tour.

This marks the fifth year Found Footage Fest has come to Sacramento and the third year it is being sponsored by Movies On A Big Screen.

Movies On A Big Screen is the brainchild of Sacramento Locals Robert McKeown and Deann Little, who became tired of independent features or films, such as Found Footage Fest, skipping Sacramento.

“We started it in 2006,” McKewon said. “We wanted to play movies that hit other metropolitan areas but didn't get to Sacramento.”

This led to the start of a weekly film series with “Cocaine Cowboys,” a documentary about the Miami drug trade.

When Prueher and Pickett approached McKeown through e-mail in 2008 about hosting Found Footage Fest, it seemed a perfect fit.

“They approached us, and we wanted to fill that gap,” McKeown said.

Preceding the headlining Found Footage Fest, there will be a 25-year anniversary showing of the cult-classic “Heavy Metal Parking Lot.”

“Heavy Metal Parking Lot” is a short documentary directed by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn that was filmed in a concert arena parking lot in Maryland before a 1986 Judas Priest concert. It was originally a video bootleg that acquired a cult following until finally, in 2006, it gained an official release.

This year’s fest will feature clips from self-hypnosis videos on how to be a better lover, how-to videos on ventriloquism, and a compilation of exercise clips, some of which feature Cher and the American Gladiators.

The videos shown are “cream of the crop,” Prueher said. “We save the best stuff for the live shows.”

Found Footage Fest begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are $10. The Guild theater is located at 2828 35th St.

Youth violence forum draws large crowd

2011-02-17T06:47:26Z

In the view of Sacramento community activist Kathy Jenkins, stronger parenting of youth is key to reducing gang violence. At a forum in Oak Park on youth and gang-related violence, Jenkins told a crowd of about 150 Sacramento residents, city staffers and police officers that assertive parents should influence the lives of young people.

“This is called parenting, this is not policing,” Jenkins said.

“If we could parent, and if we can raise,” she added, “and if we can encourage, and if we can take guns and give books, if we can give dolls instead of pimping ... If we could do these things, we could put (the police) out of work. I would rather see them writing parking tickets.”

Jenkins was one of many speakers at the forum, organized by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office. Johnson had planned to attend the Oak Park event, said his special assistant, R.E. Graswich. But he canceled in order to accept an invitation from the White House to spend time on Wednesday with President Barack Obama, according to Johnson’s press office.

Police Chief Rick Braziel, Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones and Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully were among others who made remarks at the forum. Residents also participated in the forum by brainstorming ways to halt youth violence in the Sacramento area.

Braziel explained the police department’s Operation Ceasefire program, in which officers meet with youth involved with violence, he said. “We bring them in and give them alternatives,” Braziel said.

The department and local support service programs provide services to the youth so they can stop a violent lifestyle, Braziel said. Other partners in the program include the U.S. Attorney’s office and the District Attorney’s office, he said.

Jones emphasized prevention of gang violence and said it was part of his gang strategy. “What’s been long overdue is the prevention side,” he said.

One of the attendees, Malcolm Stone, 63, told The Sacramento Press that he recently moved to south Sacramento from Riverside County. He said he had earlier thought that Sacramento was somewhat “sleepy.” He and his wife are “shocked about all the violent crime in the news” in Sacramento, he said.

Assistant City Manager Cassandra Jennings wrapped up the event, telling the attendees that city leaders plan to create an action plan to address youth violence. She said focus groups will be organized in March, and another community forum will be held in April. In June, the city hopes to have an outline of a strategy, she said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor Johnson speaks at Oak Park Neighborhood Association Meeting

2011-02-05T01:27:51Z

The Sacramento Food Bank was filled with about 50 people Thursday night as Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke at the Oak Park Neighborhood Association meeting.

Johnson spoke about the green economy, downtown development, the state of Sacramento’s schools, volunteering in the city and homelessness.

He emphasized the need for a strong and vibrant downtown and a growing green economy.

“You kill two birds with one stone,” he said. “No. 1, you improve the environment, and No. 2, you can create jobs.”

Johnson said he is a proponent for building the sports arena downtown.

“Our community deserves a world-class facility, and I’d like to see that downtown because it creates jobs, and all the other businesses benefit from 20,000 people coming to that place 50 or 100 times a year,” he said.

The city has hired a business recruiter to find businesses to fill up the empty spaces on K Street, he said. He added that the pedestrian malls around the country haven’t worked, so cars are coming back to K street in 2011.

He also brought up the problems with Sacramento’s schools, especially the reading levels.

“In terms of third graders in the city of Sacramento, only 39 percent are reading at grade level citywide,” Johnson said. “That should be alarming. That means 61 percent are not.”

He proposed a citywide initiative to get 70 percent of third graders reading at grade level. The proposal would involve a tutoring and mentoring program utilizing seniors and recent college graduates.

Johnson said the initiative could begin in March.

People are moving away from the city for their children's education to places like Roseville, El Dorado, Folsom or Elk Grove that have better schools, he said.

One community member voiced concerned about Sacramento High School.

“Is there a threat to Sac High?” she asked. “How do we fight this idea that because student population has dropped we close the school?”

Johnson explained that the school district had prevented Sacramento High from recruiting students from the Oak Park area.

“What the school district did for the last five years was they would not allow Sac High to recruit kids from the normal middle schools that would go to Sac High,” he said. “They would not even send information to the middle school families to say that this is an option that you have.”

“That just doesn’t make sense,” said Johnson.

He expressed confidence that the community would fight to keep the school open.

An Oak Park Neighborhood Association board member wondered how people in Oak Park could work with the city volunteering effort.

Johnson suggested she contact Keith Hart, chief service officer, who is coordinating the city’s volunteer effort.

He said he set a goal of 500,000 volunteering hours in 2009, and the city got 1.7 million. In 2010, his goal was 3 million, and the city got 3.1 million hours. This year, his goal remains 3 million, with the addition of raising the number of Sacramentans who volunteer from 24 to 35 percent.

The mayor’s top four issues for volunteers to get involved with are education, homelessness, environmental issues and emergency preparedness.

“What are we doing about the homeless?” one attendee asked.

Johnson responded that the city set a goal of building 3,000 permanent housing units over three years and built 1,500 of them last year.

“In the first year we’re 500 ahead of schedule,” he said.

He mentioned an effort by the faith community called Winter Sanctuary, where churches bring in up to 100 homeless, the effort has saved the city a couple hundred thousand dollars, he said.

Sacramento had the opportunity to get $1.6 million from the federal Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program but had to raise $400,000 to receive the funds.

The city raised matching funds with the help of area churches who asked their congregations to contribute at least one day’s worth of their rent.

After the mayor finished, the OPNA held an election for seven board positions. Only seven people were on the ballot. One community member, Cory Cliff, attempted to put himself on the ballot but was ineligible because he hadn’t attended three OPNA meetings in the last 12 months.

The new board members are: Bill Knowlton, Terre Johnson, Micheal Luna, Charles Mason, Rev. Ashiya Edeye, Julian Slee and Joany Titherington.

The next Oak Park Neighborhood Association meeting will be held on March 3 at the Sacramento Food Bank, 3333 Third Avenue.

Documentary shows civil rights-era history of Sacramento

2011-02-03T01:33:52Z

The civil rights movement of the 1960s is often viewed as centralized in the South, but blacks in Sacramento faced similar challenges, and a KVIE documentary tells those stories.

“It was just a really horrific time in Sacramento,” said Bryan Shadden, a producer at KVIE who worked on the film, “African Americans in California’s Heartland: The Civil Rights Era.”

The documentary first aired four years ago, but is being shown again Feb. 17 to coincide with Black History Month.

Shadden worked on a story about busing African-American students out of Oak Park after Stanford Junior High School burned in 1963.

Students were bused to almost all-white schools in an effort to integrate the races. Unfortunately, unintended consequences led to racial tensions, which contributed to shootings and other violence in the following years, according to the film.

“You can still see scars from decisions that were made a long time ago,” Shadden said, adding that even though the decisions were made with good intentions, they still sometimes led to strife.

He said one of the people he interviewed in the film, Kim Harrington, told him that trees were cut down in Oak Park in 1967 to give police officers better shooting lanes after they raided the Black Panther headquarters and a gun battle ensued.

Newspaper articles from the time show a trend of violence between “snipers” and officers in the area, with one June 16, 1969 article reporting more than 100 shots exchanged in one night.

A Sacramento Bee article from May 11, 1970 tells the story of the shooting of Officer Bernard Bennett, who was hit in the head by a sniper and later died.

In 1973, an African-American teenager from Del Paso Heights was accidentally shot and killed by police, and a citizen-led effort to improve relations between police and the community.

Other stories in the documentary shed light on housing discrimination, and even burial discrimination.

“A lot of funeral homes wouldn’t accept African Americans to bury,” said Marinda Johnson, who was also a producer on the documentary.

Vincent Thompson, an African-American embalmer, started the first African American funeral home, Thompson Funeral Home.

“He really became a voice for the African-American community,” Johnson said. “He helped start the Oak Park Community Council.”

Though the stories tend focus on struggle, not all are that way.

In a time of racial turmoil across the country Grant Union High School had an all-African-American men’s track team.

“This relay ended up winning the championship, and even though they had all these race issues going on around them, there were no racial tensions at this school,” Johnson said. “Everyone just thought of them as champions ... the achievement, the success was all they focused on at the school.”

Both Shadden and Johnson said the memory of the 1960s and 1970s tends to be lost today, and the documentary is a reminder of how far the city has come.

“There was a Time Magazine article in the early 2000s that said Sacramento is one of the most diverse cities, and that’s the short-term memory,” Shadden said.

“We almost kind of turn our eye to it in a sense,” Johnson said. “We hear about it and we think, ‘oh it couldn’t be that bad. It’s Sacramento ... It’s not as bad as the South, so it can’t be that bad.’ That’s the mentality.”

The documentary is paired with another, which explores the history of African Americans in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevadas from the Gold Rush through the 1950s, which will air at 7 p.m. Feb. 9. and at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 ~~9 p.m. Feb. 15~~.

The documentary on the civil rights era in Sacramento will air at 11:30 p.m. Feb. 17.

For more information about the documentary and more stories on the civil rights era in Sacramento, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Editorial note: The time of the encore has been corrected to Feb. 13 at 6 p.m.

You Don't Know...

2011-02-01T00:32:46Z

How do you remember your high school years? Some of us, myself included, would not go back even if our lives depended on it. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a group of current high school students. I walked away feeling a mixture of exhilaration and inspiration. Despite the gloomy headlines, I felt a glimmer of hope for our nation’s future.

The impetus for this little sit-down was a conversation I recently had with my seventeen year-old son and his girlfriend Ebony. I had been fishing for good ideas for an article. In response to my question they both immediately replied, “You need to come to Sac High.” When I asked why, Ebony responded “Because they’re always writing articles about our school, but no one comes and talks to us, the students, to see what we think and feel.” Since my son is a man of few words, Ebony continued to elaborate why she felt so strongly about this issue. By the end of this conversation they had me convinced, this was a great idea.
So after a few confused attempts on my part, I sat down with Ebony and a few of her classmates on an overcast Friday afternoon.

All of them seniors, each came to attend Sac High for a number of different reasons. Chris, 18, chose Sac High, after he moved here from Oakland, because he wanted to attend a school that was strong in academics and had a competitive basketball team. Jaylyn, 18, attends Sac High because it’s her home school and her family has always attended. Canoe, 18, who moved here from Wisconsin after her sophomore year, liked the idea that Sac High was identified as a College Prep High School. Janelle, 17, chose Sac High on her own because she wasn’t convinced that her home high school would give her a great education. Her mother had reservations over concerns for Janelle’s safety, but was convinced after attending an Open House at Sac High. Ebony, 18, came to attend Sac High because her older brother, who graduated two years ahead of her, earned a 0.5 GPA his freshman year at their home school. Their father, who graduated from Sac High in 1982, decided to transfer his son to his alma mater where he was able to maintain a GPA of 3.0. After that Ebony’s dad decided that Ebony and her younger brother would attend Sac High as well.

Before I had even asked a question Jaylyn, Janelle and Ebony were sharing vivid memories of attending Sacramento Unified School Board Meetings their freshman year in support of Sac High. They are still struck by comments made by some of the opponents of Sac High becoming a Charter School.

“Going to the board meetings were really emotional because people were saying things like, ‘All the kids that go to Sac High are bad kids and they’re never going to be anything,’” Janelle recalled.

Ebony jumped in to share, “Some of the people were blatantly racist, they called us niggers and spics,” she went on, “but what made us look good is we didn’t get outraged, we didn’t scream, we just sat there and listened professionally.”

“We came in charter buses filled with students dressed in purple,” Jaylyn shared, “…and we had former students that were successful come to share…there was nothing they [opponents] could object to.”

When I ask how much they understand about the controversy surrounding Sacramento Charter High School Jaylyn, begins “They feel that we pick only the highest students…but it’s not really like that, the application is to get you ready for what you’re going to be doing later on during college…they don’t say ‘You’re denied.’ they accept everyone.”

“To add on to that,” Janelle chimes in, “They felt that our campus was too large for so few students, they felt we didn’t deserve all of this land to ourselves…they wanted to trade our campus with West Campus.” Ebony piped in, “They have even less students than we do.”
Chris shared, “At one point they wanted to split our campus with another high school.” Currently Sac High shares the campus with a middle school and an adult school.
An issue that came up repeatedly is the stereotypes that Sac High is up against.

“They say it’s ghetto, it’s in Oak Park, but I thought that too until I went here,” says Ebony.

Jaylyn went on, “I grew up in Oak Park schools (practically) my whole life…They think it’s as bad as Compton back in the day. To be honest I feel safe…everybody knows each other here…they’re like ‘Oh you go to Sac High? Do you know my little cousin or my daughter?’” she wrapped up with, “You don’t know until you come here.”

Janelle summarized it this way, “The students who come to Sac High, want to come to Sac High, and they want to become something, and the teachers who come to Sac High, want to come to Sac High and they want us to become somebody, and they help us become somebody.” She elaborated, “When I came here I was a decent student. Since coming to Sac High I’ve applied to Harvard and Stanford…I found out I got a full-ride today. I ran around the whole school to the teachers, because they share the joy with you. If I was in other schools I wouldn’t have ran around to teachers and even students (yelling the news).”
“When I came here I wasn’t a superb student,” Jaylyn intoned, “unlike her, I was average. So when I received my first scholarship to Menlo University, I told Ms. Stark and she screamed for joy and grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me around the school. Because when I came here I was a bad student or a delinquent… So basically she saw a creation that she made.”

Chris shares, “At other schools I hear them say how they have to do it all by themselves. At Sac High it’s mandatory to get help. A lot of people say how stressful it is to apply for college…Lot’s of times me and my friends sat down and looked through the papers together and we just work through it together.”

Both Jaylyn and Janelle participate in the Link Crew, an organization that many campuses have adopted. The Link Crew connects successful upper classmen with incoming freshmen to be mentored.

“We help them understand that Sac High is going to push you, and we’re going to push you even further,” Janelle says.”

Jaylyn shares “Two upper classmen are assigned eleven freshmen…When they come with the excuses we can say, ‘I already know, I’ve been there, done that. I just said that three years ago.’”

“We went to a convention and we got to talk with Link Crews from other campuses, and I realized how much our Link Crew does. We go to their advisory class every Tuesday, we check their grades, we give them advice,” Janelle continues, “Sometimes I feel like I’m being mean, but I know it’s not me being mean, it’s me caring.”
“Other schools shared that they only see their freshmen passing in the halls or at random,” offers Jaylyn, “Even though, they have an entire class period devoted to Link Crew. I had a freshman that was ready to give up, so we developed a system where if her GPA drops below 3.0 she owes me candy, if it’s above I owe her. We’re able to develop those personal relationships.”

“One thing that I noticed is that Link Crew gets it in their heads that freshman year does count,” Ebony goes on, “When you’re doing that cumulative GPA your senior year you’re not saying, ‘Oh no, I shouldn’t have messed up freshman year.’”

Canoe was not as forthcoming as the other students and had to be encouraged to speak up. When I asked how she would describe her relationship with her teachers she said, “Oh they’re very helpful. For example, when I went to Mr. Slakey for help on an essay even though he had a stack of essays in front of him, he stopped and helped me with my essay.”

One refrain I heard repeated is that everyone at Sac High is a family. Even if you’ve never had a teacher’s class you can still approach them and ask for help.

Janelle volunteers, “It’s not just the faculty, it’s the St. Hope staff. They’re always on campus, they know us by name, they ask about our grades.”

One of the Sac High experiences that had a huge impact on Janelle is a Back to School Night she attended with her mother. Her teacher, Mr. Ross, said ‘Janelle’s a great student, but she doesn’t try.’ She went on, “I thought, ‘How can I have an A if I don’t try?’ I didn’t understand what he meant until this year. I was failing Calculus, so I had to try. The teachers here, I don’t want to say they’re tough on you but they’re honest. That will always stay in my head. Mr. Ross has personally touched my life by saying that.”
“A lot of people talk about the long hours at Sac High,” Chris says, “It passes quickly though, everyone that’s gone on to college says the long classes prepared them…some of their lectures are shorter than our classes. We take so many notes at Sac High, AP class or not…they’re going to base the test off of those notes, so if you don’t study it’s going to make you study.”

Jaylyn and Chris shared that as students, they’ve learned to hold each other accountable, “We literally have all of our classes together, so we’ll text each other to remind us to complete all of our homework.” Jaylyn goes on, “Ebony taught me to start out strong to give myself a good foundation.”

“Sac High definitely emphasizes accountability,” Janelle says. She begins to say “Own it, Fix it, Learn from it,” and the others enthusiastically join in. “They definitely make you accountable for your stuff, but they will help you.”
Chris shared that he found himself using one of the study skills he’d learned in school on his SAT and ACT. “I knew I didn’t have to do it but I found myself trying to justify my answers. I was surprised at my scores, that actually worked.”

A lesson that stands out for some of them is that Mr. Ross, a chemistry teacher, has the periodic table taped to his floor. He had them stand on the table as elements, when they became a different element they had to explain why. They shared, “The teachers here mix things up [teaching styles] so everyone has the opportunity to learn differently.”
Chris remembers, “I told my chemistry teacher that all sciences are not my thing, and that when I go home I play basketball to relieve stress. She told me to leave my flashcards on the baseline and every time I shot a basket run to the baseline and read a flashcard… surprisingly it worked. I passed honors Chemistry.”

These young people had shared so enthusiastically throughout this interview that by the time I asked “What do you wish people knew about Sac High?” I knew I would get an earful.

Right away Janelle says, “I wish people would come to Sac high for a week and experience it with an open mind.” They go on to address the school uniform issue. All of them came to like wearing uniforms for the convenience. “A month into your freshman year you realize the only thing you have to worry about is, ‘Did I wash on the weekend?’”

“I wish that people knew that people here not only want to better themselves,” Janelle enthuses, “they want to better those around them. We go to do our community service hours and our teachers show up to do it with us.”
Once prompted, Canoe shares, “I noticed that when students leave, they end up coming back,” she laughs.
“I probably would have been successful at other schools, but Sac High pushed me beyond my limits,” concludes Janelle.

Jaylyn pipes in, “My advisor Mr. Sullivan knows I want to be a lawyer, so when I have an opinion he debates me to make me justify my opinion. He says I need to start preparing now.”

My final question was what they would change about Sac High. Jaylyn acknowledges that the only thing that she would change would probably be that students be allowed to accessorize their uniforms more. The others agree that Sac High has been so responsive to students needs over the years that they can’t think of anything major that needs to be changed. “They don’t hold our hands but they definitely guide us. They make sure we’re doing it for ourselves.”

When I direct the question toward Canoe she opens up that, “To be honest when I first came here I wished that there was more diversity here,” she goes on, “Now, I blend in. I realize I have at least one thing in common with every other person.”

That prompts a discussion of how accepting the Sac High community is of all types of people. So I bring up the topic of bullying. What follows is one of the most touching parts of the interview for me. Janelle volunteers, “I’ll just bring it up. I like girls. In the news there’s been stories about people committing suicide when they go off to college, because they’re bullied because they’re gay…at Sac High you don’t get bullied, you don’t lose friends over it, it’s like, it is what it is, it’s okay, that’s who you are…Freshman year I was scared to be who I was …because I still had a young mind, I thought there was something wrong with me…[here] they definitely teach you to embrace yourself and embrace others.”

On the topic of bullying as a whole they agree that there’s very little, because the students tend to address it themselves, putting pressure on the bully to knock it off. “Students have character here to stick up for people.” When I asked how they felt about how the staff responded to bullying Jaylyn replied, “Because we handle it, it doesn’t [usually] even get to them. When we can’t handle it they [the staff] will set a[those involved] down and address it.”
As I concluded the interview my younger son, who will be an entering freshman this fall at Sac High spoke up to ask, “How do you guys think the Quick Look-up every week helps you?” He was referring to the weekly grade report that students have to have signed every Tuesday. Everyone agreed that the accountability this brought helped them stay focused. But more than that they shared how the Quick Look-up has inspired friendly competitions within the school that have made learning fun. “They add a little friendly competition to it,” Chris says, “So whichever class has the best grades or haven’t been sent to the office for the previous month, the next month, every Friday they get to wear jeans.”

Ebony laughs, “The Seniors win a lot.”

Janelle adds seriously, “They definitely teach us that in order to be successful you have to enjoy what you’re doing.”
“I get excited for Tuesdays,” Jaylyn enthuses, “not only do I get to see if I made progress, but afterward I get to meet with my freshmen to see how they’re doing.”

As we’re concluding the interview, their conversations turn to the after school activities they might have missed or need to get to. I left feeling as if I didn’t have the time to thank them properly for stopping for a moment to open their hearts to me in this way. Walking away, my head is reeling and I’m feeling just the tiniest bit overwhelmed. I feel the burden to make sure their voices are heard.

As adults we each have our own positions for our own reasons. That’s fine, but we can’t lose sight of the fact that a teen has a finite amount of time to experience high school. It’s easy to feel like we have years or generations to fix our societal issues. The reality is for our children, their foundations are being built right now, they won’t get a do-over. I can’t tell you what to take away from this article, I just ask that you sincerely hear their voices, and you respond with the respect and actions that they deserve.

Marchers to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

2011-01-08T01:06:55Z

The first organized group in Sacramento to march in Martin Luther King Jr.’s honor did so in January, 1981. At 9 a.m. Jan. 17, 30 years later, more than 10,000 are expected to gather at Grant High School, Sacramento City College and Oak Park Community Center to march for civil rights and social justice in the MLK365 March.

“This march in a real sense is a way of dramatizing the needs of our generation, coming up with a whole set of values that meet the needs of people today,” said event spokesman Sam Starks. “We will march until we bring into existence those things.”

The march is a celebration of King’s work and the work of all who participated in the civil rights movement, but it is also a call to action for the current generation – those too young to have lived through the turbulent decades from the 1950s through the 1970s.

“We’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go,” Starks said.

“It’s not just an issue of whether people of color can buy houses or sit at lunch counters,” he said. “Have we reached a place where we can say America is truly a country of equity, justice and fairness? No. This is about making America a greater place than it already is.”

The marches will conclude at the Sacramento Convention Center around 10 a.m. for the celebration.

That celebration will include educational displays, music, food, speeches by local politicians and a multicultural talent show.

Starks said the goal of the MLK365 organization is to keep working on social justice issues all year long, focusing on the differences in various races’ experiences.

One of the group’s focuses is neighborhoods

“We need to look at the communities where predominantly people of color live,” he said. “Those communities don’t have true integration. They have check-cashing and liquor stores instead of parks and banks.”

One of the organization’s major focuses is on youth, and Amy Perdigone, a counselor at Highlands High School in North Highlands, has been volunteering with the organization for about five years, when she was a counselor at Encina High School.

“I try to be promoting things like peace, justice and social justice,” she said. “A lot of King’s legacy is very applicable even today. We try to make it more modern.”

Perdigone said today’s youths are more in tune to entertainment, so music and video are incorporated into the educational parts of the celebration following the march.

“It appeals to them because of the entertainment and education (section of the convention center celebration) playing videos that show marches from ’65, when teens and youths started (the civil rights movement),” Perdigone said. “They have a strong reaction to that. They connect the past with the present, and they see that people their age were doing these things.”

Participation in the march is free of charge, but Starks said there is a cost.

“You have to get up early, and you have to march, and you have to go back and tell all your friends and share King’s message,” he said. The two marches come from the north and south areas of Sacramento, and each is expected to take about an hour.

For more information on the march, exact meeting times and routes, visit the MLK365 website.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Photos of last year’s event courtesy MLK365.

Oak Park Residents Debate Benefits and Problems Of Proposed McDonald's

2011-01-08T00:19:26Z

The monthly Oak Park Neighborhood Association Meeting for January was
packed with more than 50 citizens ready to debate the merits of a
proposed McDonald's Restaurant to be built in their neighborhood.

The meeting, which was moderated by Paul Towers, vice president of the
OPNA, also had in attendance Kim Garrett, a representative for
McDonald's, and Patrick Diffley, a member of the McDonald's construction
team. Garrett and Diffley were stocked with data promoting potential
benefits to the surrounding area should the proposed McDonald's be
constructed. Some of those benefits included:

* The development of a lot that has been vacant for years
* The addition of approximately 128 jobs to the area
* Over $2,000,000 annually spent on wages and benefits on this
restaurant alone
* The use of recycled and energy-efficient materials in
construction

Leading the debate for the opposition was Charlene Hauser and Joellen
Arnold, both of whom are local residents. They were quick to point out
that a "quick service" restaurant would do little to add to the sense of
community that they are trying to nurture in Oak Park. They argued that
the 24-hour "double drive-thru" would disturb nearby residents and
create a danger to pedestrians and cyclists. Another topic of debate was
the low nutritional value of the food that McDonald's serves.

After only a few minutes, a noticeable change in the demeanor of the
room was apparent as more and more local residents expressed their heavy
reservations to the construction of the McDonalds. In an exercise of
moderation, Towers asked the residents to write down their concerns and
comments on index cards so they could be collected and read aloud to be
debated.

The residents' comments were read aloud by Joany Titheringtion and
LaTisha Anderson of OPNA. Concerns and comments from the attendees
included:

* Would McDonald's be willing to forgo the installation of the
drive-thru?
* Would McDonald's be willing to substitute some of the
less-nutritional items on its menu for healthier ones?
* Would the existing trees on the property be destroyed?
* Who would be responsible for the increased litter that some
foresee being a result of the new restaurant?
* Would McDonald's be willing to erect a mixed-use style building?

Garrett and Diffley did their best to appease the attendees' questions,
however audible groans and laughter was the response to most of their
answers. At one point, in a somewhat ironic observation, a local
resident pointed out that a childhood obesity clinic was located just
across the street from the proposed restaurant site.
Still other residents lamented that Oak Park is a "food desert," lacking
adequate access to healthy food for all, and that a new McDonald's would
be a continuing move in the wrong direction.

As the evening drew to a close, both sides were invited to continue the
dialogue at the end of the meeting. It seemed, however, that the two
respective sides had already made up their minds, with the consensus of
the residents being against a new McDonald's, and the promoters of the
restaurant ready to move ahead with logistical planning and formalities
toward reaching their end goals.

At that point, Hauser produced a petition, asking Oak Park residents to
sign their names stating their opposition to the proposed construction.
Still others pleaded with their fellow citizens to stay engaged and
informed so their voices can be heard before the City Council and their
representatives.

Photos Attached:
1.) CGI Concept of proposed McDonald's
2.) Aerial view of proposed McDonald's site (marked in red), location of
Ronald McDonald House (marked in yellow)
3.) Architect rendering of proposed McDonalds' (Street Elevation)
4.) Architect plans of proposed McDonalds and parking lot (Overhead
Elevation)
5.) Attendees follow "New McDonald's" Debate

Environmental group works with neighborhoods

2010-12-23T01:42:33Z

Wooden boxes of chard, kale and collard greens on Charles Mason’s front yard in Oak Park are likely to be installed at dozens of spots in Sacramento next year and into 2012.

Mason, the founder of environmental nonprofit group Ubuntu Green, is organizing a project to place up to 60 small gardens in an area that includes the neighborhoods of Oak Park, Tahoe Park, Lemon Hill and Fruitridge Manor.

The home gardens project, funded by the California Endowment, is one of three programs Ubuntu Green will focus on in 2011. Ubuntu Green will work next year on a land-use environmental project with eight neighborhoods as well as host an annual event in September on environmentally friendly living.

The group, which Mason founded in January 2009, is working with several organizations on the land-use program, including WALKSacramento, the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and the Youth Development Network.

“Ubuntu” is a term traced to Africa’s Bantu languages that refers to a “humanist philosophy emphasizing community, sharing and generosity,” according to the environmental group’s website.

Mason sat down with The Sacramento Press in Oak Park on Wednesday to discuss the group’s upcoming work.

SP: What is the purpose of Ubuntu Green?

CM: “Green” for us is ... removing environmental health and justice problems within our communities, improving our access to transit and improving our access to healthy foods, among other things. But (it also means) changing how land-use decisions are made in our communities so they are done in a way that promotes health, and that indirectly and directly, has no impact, or less of an impact, on the environment. We took the land-use approach to greening an urban environment.

(In a low-income community), you’ve got a much larger percentage of people who are transit-walk-bike dependent. These people have no access to resources, or limited access to resources, unless they have access to transit – especially if you’re talking about seniors and very low-income people. So, if you increase transit access in those communities, you promote the use of the transit. You (also) give them better access to all the different services and amenities they need day to day.

The Sacramento Press pointed at two wooden boxes filled with plants on Mason’s front yard.

SP: What is going on here?

CM: Under our current grant with the California Endowment, and we’re working in partnership with Soil Born Farms, we have been funded to do 60 of these home gardens in the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities area.

SP: What are these plants?

CM: These two rows are different types of chard … These are different types of cabbage. Over here, we have mustards – very spicy. And these are collard greens, and about two different varieties of kale.

SP: What are a few of the group’s goals for 2011?

CM: We’ve got tons. One is obviously to get the (installation of the garden boxes) out of the way. We’ve got to get that program up and out. We’re doing our Green Oak Park and South Sacramento (event).

And then we’ll (continue) with our healthy land-use engagement project. So, that’s our major project where we’re engaging local residents around how to address land-use issues in their communities. We’re working with eight neighborhoods in the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities area.

SP: Is it an environmental focus?

CM: We’re going to be asking them to look at transportation issues in the sense of – look at your sidewalks. Look at your ability to walk and bike and drive around this community. Talk about your access to transit. Talk about where you go to get your food. Is it healthy? Is there a community garden nearby?

Read more about the healthy land-use engagement project here.

Learn more about the home gardens project here.

Photo of Charles Mason and his box gardens by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Schenirer to focus on neighborhoods

2010-12-18T01:56:16Z

New Sacramento City Councilman Jay Schenirer said he wants to improve Sacramento’s neighborhoods. He’s approaching neighborhood groups because he believes local activism is essential for change.

Schenirer, who represents 19 neighborhoods including Oak Park, Curtis Park and Brentwood, hosted a driving tour for The Sacramento Press on a rainy Friday.

Neighborhood involvement was a topic that came up frequently as he talked about the troubles, successes and quirks of District 5.

“People have been here a long time,” he said, as he drove around the Hollywood Park neighborhood. “They take a lot of pride. They have a good neighborhood association.”

As Schenirer drove through South Oak Park, it was apparent that public safety concerns were connected with the neighborhood. Homes were surrounded by chain link fences. Two tough-looking dogs guarded a house in the front yard of one home.

Schenirer pointed out large industrial locks on chain fences that blocked visitors from entering homes. “You can’t get to a house here,” he said, commenting on the locks.

“This, right here, for the district (is) the greatest need,” he said. “There’s no neighborhood leadership. There’s nothing going on here that’s positive.”

Schenirer said he wants the Oak Park Neighborhood Association to expand its efforts southward. “I think the Oak Park Neighborhood Association is doing some great things. If you go to one of their meetings – 50, 60, 70 people show up – it’s great. It’s mostly North Oak Park people.”

He also said he wants to work with Habitat for Humanity on housing needs in his district.

Oak Park’s neighbor, Curtis Park, has an entirely different atmosphere. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson lives in the well-kept neighborhood, a few doors away from California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. Curtis Park is also home to Schenirer, KFBK 1530 radio host Kitty O’Neal and Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.

“An incredibly political neighborhood,” Schenirer said, referring to Curtis Park. “They go to war over tot-lots and street closures.”

Schenirer also drove through the tiny neighborhood of Fuller Town, which borders the east side of Sacramento Executive Airport. The neighborhood, which has only two streets, has a quirky feature – Schenirer pointed out airport hangars that are attached to homes. Some of the neighbors are pilots who own planes, Schenirer said. They can take to the sky from their backyards.

Schenirer said he plans to hold a meeting with neighborhood associations in his district on Jan. 27 in Oak Park. At the meeting, he intends to talk to the neighborhood groups about what they need from his City Council office. He said he views neighborhood pride in the context of public safety.

“It’s all about getting people to take pride in their neighborhoods,” he said.

“At the end of the day, we’re not going to be able to put a whole lot more cops on the street for a long time. We just don’t have the money. When you think about public safety, you have to think about neighborhoods really taking ownership,” he said.

View a map of District 5 here.

Photos of Schenirer by David Watts Barton, editor in chief of The Sacramento Press.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Schenirer, Fong explain district goals

2010-11-30T02:05:29Z

Incoming Sacramento City Councilmen Jay Schenirer and Darrell Fong both said in interviews on Monday that they want to address concerns in the specific neighborhoods they will represent. They also said they are mindful of the city’s expected budget shortfall.

Fong and Schenirer will be officially sworn into their new posts on Tuesday night.

Schenirer pointed out that he will represent 19 neighborhoods as the councilman for District 5, including Oak Park, West Tahoe Park and Curtis Park.

“I think the neighborhoods in my district have a significant amount of need,” Schenirer said.

To respond to the neighborhoods’ needs, he said he wants to spend the next three to six months working with each of them to set goals.

Schenirer also said he wants to work on the issues he campaigned on, such as the city’s role in job creation and as a provider of youth services. As a city councilman, he said he wants to ensure “our young people have safe places to be when they’re not in school.”

Meanwhile, Fong said he will will examine the issue of flood insurance costs in the Valley Hi neighborhood. Residents there are claiming that their insurance costs are too high, he said.

In addition to Valley Hi, Fong also represents the Pocket/Greenhaven area.

Another district-specific matter Fong wants to tackle is a vacant Nugget Market grocery store at the Riverside Plaza Shopping Center in the Pocket neighborhood. He said he wants to meet with the owners of the shopping center and discuss the vacancy.

Both Fong and Schenirer also said they were focused on the city’s financial woes.

“The budget is a priority for me,” Fong said. Delivery of city services will be an issue because of the city’s budget situation, he added.

“Obviously, the city’s budget is going to be a big issue,” Schenirer said.

City Finance Director Leyne Milstein said there would be a shortfall in the 2011/2012 budget. She declined to provide a ballpark figure, saying that city staff is still working on the budget numbers.

The Sacramento Press plans to interview new District 1 City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby and recently re-elected City Councilman Steve Cohn later this week about their plans for the Central City.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Old Soul meets Rockabilly

2010-10-30T09:39:30Z

Sacramento (Oak Park), CA | What do you get when mix great coffee, food and Rockabilly? Tess & Hip Trash at Old Soul 40 Acres.

It was nearly standing room only, or dancing room only, when you entered Old Soul at 40 Acres Friday night. Now the new coffee house for the new international terminal at Sacramento International Airport, Old Soul hosted "Tess & Hip Trash" Friday night as customers and fans took in the Rockabilly tunes, fine coffee and great eats.

It wasn't long after the first set of music started that toes were tapp'en, heads were bobb'en and feet were danc'en to the tunes and elegant voice of Tessie Marie.

Per the band's web site, "Tessie Marie met her bandmates in prison.... no they weren't doing time, they were playing music for the inmates as part of a blues society project to educate juvenille offenders, real "Jailhouse Rock". Part of this gig was a songwriting contest that had bandleader/guitarist Paris Clayton write and record songs using the young inmates lyrics. One of those songs "Life", is on the new CD. When the group recorded this song Paris was so impressed with Tess's killer vocals that he asked her to record some other songs he had written. And the rest, as they say, is history.

"Blues, Soul, and Roots Rock influenced original tunes and heartfelt covers, all done in a smart, unique, and sometimes humorous style Tess is backed by a group of veteran pros who have played with a long list of legendary artists. Produced and recorded by Paris Clayton,with bassist Allie Marcel,and "Ratatat Pat" Balcom on Drums."

The quartet ended with a rousing second set but the full house at Old Soul begged for more. Tess and company kicked in with an encore set that raised the roof and had most of the attendees on their feet.

Old Soul at 40 Acres regularly hosts local bands on Friday evenings. Be sure to follow their Twitter (@OldSoulCo) to keep informed.

Photos: MaverickPhotography.us | Ed Fogle

CLICK HERE TO SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT AT SacMav.com>>

Experience Old Soul 40Acres with our new interactive SacMav360 JUMP INTO OLD SOUL>>

Sacramento Food Bank Breaks New Ground

2010-10-16T01:54:57Z

On Thursday, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services (SFBFS) broke new ground on its 22,000-square-foot space, which will be home to a new education center, urban farm and children’s recreational area.

The building is expected to be completed in Fall 2011.

“(It’s) all about compassion, kindness for people. That's it,” said Father Dan Madigan, Founder of SFBFS.

The education center will include expanded adult education, a computer clubhouse, youth academy, “PlayCare” and mother-baby programs. It will be a resource for the unemployed and dislocated workers in the community to receive job skills training and computer education.

The urban farm will be 5,000 square feet.

“(It’s) less about production, more about teaching,” said Blake Young, president of SFBFS. The urban farm will not only provide fresh produce, but it will also teach children and adults about the value of healthy living.

With help from the urban farm, SFBFS will expand its food assistance mobile distribution efforts. The goal is to provide food access and health and nutrition education to larger, underserved populations in the Oak Park and South Sacramento neighborhoods.

“We’ll take food to the community – mobile is a big deal,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson.

The project will cost $3.5 million. The funding comes from a loan through the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento and federal and county grants. The SFBFS will not use any donor funds to pay for the building, however, SFBFS will rely on the continued donations to operate all if its programs.

“Volunteerism is the spirit that drives this country,” said Congresswoman Doris Matsui.

Young said that 85 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to feeding the families and that it costs 27 cents for one meal. SFBFS feeds 17,000 - 20,000 people per month.

“The only criteria is that they stand in line,” Young said.

Bobby Poe is a client of SFBFS. He said he owned his own furniture-moving business for nine years and that he lost it when the economy took a turn.

“I was going in like it was my job,” Poe said. SFBFS helped him with a resume and computer courses, and staff helped him prepare for interviews. He now works for PepsiCo Inc. part-time as a merchandiser and for TLC Medical Transport.

Marina Alba is another client at SFBFS.

“I am the only person in my family to learn and study English,” she said. She added that it’s her dream to become a nurse and that she will be applying for college in January.

“Nothing comes close to the excitement I am feeling today, because we are all doing God’s work,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that the new education center is going to be named after Father Madigan.

History of Oak Park told through new walking tour brochure

2010-10-13T16:55:14Z

On Thursday, October 21st, the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) and California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) will unveil a new self-guided walking tour of Central Oak Park. The brochure highlights the community’s architectural and historical significance. The evening will include an address by the brochure’s author, Dr. Robin Datel, a professor in CSUS’ Geography Department. The lecture will be held at the historic Guild Theater in Oak Park (2828 35th Street at Broadway); doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The 32-page walking tour brochure includes historic photographs of nearly forty selected locations with interpretation of their change over time. The tour highlights the development of an early suburb with its own Main Street (“smart growth” long before the label existed); racial transitions; the civil rights movement; cycles of investment and disinvestment; nurturing of the arts; redevelopment; and neighborhood activism. These themes are embodied in such buildings and places as the 40 Acres Building, the Guild Theater, the Citizens’ and US Banks, the old Post Office/Observer Building, Joyland/McClatchy Park, the Women’s Civic Improvement Club, and more.

Dr. Datel’s lecture, “Local Places Tell Big Stories: A Walking Tour of Sacramento’s Central Oak Park,” will address how she acquired the walking tour content, the key themes of the tour, and details of the individual tour sites. The lecture will be supplemented by photographs documenting the tour sites and Oak Park history. Finally, the address will report on current projects to produce other walking tours in Sacramento, as well as to develop a driving tour of Sacramento places with significance to (mostly 20th-century) African-American history.

The brochures will be available at locations throughout the Central Oak Park area after October 21st and at the CSH website, www.centerforsacramentohistory.org. For copies of the brochure or to serve as a public distribution site, call (916) 808-7072.

Dr. Datel is an Associate Professor and Geography Department Chair at CSUS. With the help of her urban geography students and Oak Park residents, she developed the walking tour. Dr. Datel’s published research has largely been on historic preservation in American and European cities and the social geography of Sacramento, particularly aspects of ethnicity and immigration. She teaches an Urban Geography lecture/discussion course and an Urban Geography field course.

This project was made possible by financial support from CSH, CSUS, and the Sacramento County Historical Society.

CSH’s mission is to foster, stimulate, and promote the study and appreciation of Sacramento’s regional history. Since 1953, it has served the community by acquiring, preserving, exhibiting, and providing access to the documentary and material culture of the region. CSH is administered by the City of Sacramento and is jointly funded by the City and County of Sacramento.

Groundbreaking for Salvation Army Education Building in Oak Park

2010-09-22T20:33:08Z

The Salvation Army of Sacramento County hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new child development center in the Oak Park area on September 21. The new facility, located on the corner of Alhambra Blvd. and Broadway, will be two stories high and nearly 14,000 sq ft, which is nearly six times larger than the old education building. The child development center will be the home for The Salvation Army’s day care and after-school programs.

“It’s a long time coming,” said Major Tedd Lowcock, Salvation Army Sacramento Corps officer. “We had been operating in an older building for years. So to have something new in which you don’t have to worry about and to have the extra space here is pretty amazing.”

The new facility will replace an old 2,400 sq ft modular building that used to house the day care program for the last 24 years. The Salvation Army relocated the program from downtown Sacramento to the current Oak Park site in 1986.

For the last three years, The Salvation Army has worked diligently on a capital campaign to raise funds for various projects, including the child development center.

“This day is about as close as a dream come true,” said John Frisch, Salvation Army advisory board member and chairman of the capital campaign. “After all the work, all the giving by so many people, all of hours planning and soliciting, to see it finally happening is almost a spiritual experience.”

Frisch said the capital campaign has raised more than $5 million, which is more than enough to start construction.

Currently, the day care and after-school programs are being operated within The Salvation Army community center.

“There is a lot we can do with the new building,” Lowcock said. “If all goes well, we may be able to add more kids in our programs down the road.”

The construction is scheduled to last for at least the next six months.

“When this building opens,” Frisch said, “it’s going to make me happy. The kids are so adorable and so innocent, and we hope we can make a positive impact on their future.”

Syd Fong is the public relations director for The Salvation Army-Sacramento. To learn more about The Salvation Army, log onto www.salarmysacto.org

Community Conversations in Oak Park

2010-09-18T00:02:59Z

Participants in Thursday’s Community Conversations discussion expressed that a community’s success rests on the shoulders of its citizens.

About nine people gathered around a table at Old Soul at 40 Acres to engage in a civic discussion centered around the question; “What should government do for you?”

Facilitator Brian Fischer prefaced the meeting’s purpose by saying, “the most important thing is to listen and learn from each other.”

Community Conversations organizers are hoping to create an open forum where citizens of all stripes can engage one another in a thoughtful discussion that would help improve the quality of life in Sacramento communities.

Thursday’s meeting was Community Conversations third discussion, and is accomplished as a partnership of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Capital Public Radio and The Sacramento Bee.

Among the nine in attendance were small business owners, teachers, community activists and a government official.

With a group made up of people diverse in age, experience and background ready to share their insight, Fischer posed the question, “How has the role of government changed in your lifetime?”

Stacey Willet, a 10-year-resident of Oak Park, said she has seen cuts in funding for education, which have caused a greater divide between the haves and the have-nots. With music and art programs being some of the first to go, students in poorly funded districts are offered a less-holistic educational experience.

It was education that Terre Johnson, who ran for City Council this spring, said played a vital role in the success of his entrepreneurial endeavors. In speaking of barriers to success Johnson said, “The bar is set high to do business, and it’s not available to the uneducated.”

Sacramento State geography professor Robin Datel stated that improving the quality of education would be more feasible if resources were restored to the public sector.

Oak Park resident and neighborhood association member Tom Sumpter suggested that a worldwide reorientation of the standard of living is taking place.

While education remained a topic of discussion for a good portion of the meeting, District 1 Supervisor Phil Serna made clear his beliefs on the role of government.

“(Government) should maintain and enhance people’s quality of life and help those who can’t help themselves,” Serna said.

However, Oak Park resident Aisha McCullough said that she feels not all people are represented by government officials, saying that representation isn’t always “of the people.”

As people challenged the reasoning behind some government funded programs and wondered why they weren’t allocated elsewhere, a common theme surfaced within the group: Citizens need to engage the issues.

Fischer recalled the origins of western society’s structure, stemming in large part from patterns in Greek and Roman government. The government was much like a household where everyone within it had a responsibility to the community.

Today, however, “there is a disconnect between citizenry and government,” Fischer said.

This problem of disconnect became a source of discussion as the group sought ways to bridge the gap.

Professor Datel suggested that a year of mandatory community service be required for students newly graduated from high school.

McCullough said more people should volunteer in programs like AmeriCorps.

Sumpter proposed that a mentoring program be started between high school and grade school students.

“Ingrain community service into the young person’s psyche,” Sumpter said.

McCullough followed that idea by stating that people ages 25-40 need to participate.

“It’s not just about me, it’s about the community,” McCullough said.

Acting as a lone representative for the governmental side of things, Serna challenged those at the table by saying, “When you hold the government accountable, do it with full engagement.”

Serna expressed that people need to change their mentality towards government.

“Government is not them, it’s us,” Serna said.

The group agreed that community service is vital at all levels, and it is the citizen who sets the pace for what does or does not happen in their community.

“Community needs to set the example of what it means to be healthy and prosperous,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, it was decided that a community’s success depends largely on the engagement of its citizens.

Community Conversations will continue to provide a venue for engagement every other month. Fischer said he hopes enough momentum will be created that the conversation will take place monthly. In the meantime, a calendar of future meetings can be viewed at the Community Conversations’ website, and you can also stay up to speed with them on Facebook.

Housing and Redevelopment Agency partnership renovates foreclosed home with NSP funds

2010-07-08T21:31:43Z

The first foreclosed home purchased by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency is under renovation and will soon be for sale and occupancy at an affordable price under a partnership program that SHRA developed using the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The home is located at 3525 34th Street in Oak Park.

SHRA has partnered with NeighborWorks Homeownership Sacramento as a volume builder under the Property Recycling Program. The PRP works with governmental, non-profit and for-profit partners to provide access to properties and funding to remove the blight of foreclosures through redevelopment activities, acquisition and rental of affordable housing, and acquisition and rehabilitation of single family homes for sale throughout Sacramento. The PRP is complimentary to the other programs funded under the NSP, all of which seek to reduce the impacts of foreclosures.

“This partnership program is a huge a win-win effort for Sacramento’s neighborhoods ravaged by foreclosure, vacant properties and parcels, and investors who have no connection to the community,” said SHRA Executive Director La Shelle Dozier. “We’re working with organizations whose mission mirrors our own which is to invest in areas where the market alone cannot ensure change and to provide affordable housing opportunities that help hard-working, deserving families realize the American dream.”

SHRA officials say that over the next year, the Agency will be collaborating with NeighborWorks Sacramento to renovate and resell approximately 30 homes like this first home which the Agency purchased from Wells Fargo through the National Stabilization Community Trust. The NCST is designed to facilitate the transfer of foreclosed and abandoned properties
from financial institutions nationwide to local governments to promote productive property reuse and neighborhood stability.

“Under the NCST, Wells Fargo also provided an investment of $750,000 to NeighborWorks which leveraged other funds to buy the property,” said Chris Pahule, Assistant Director of Housing and Community Development. “With this partnership strategy, modest income families will have great opportunities to buy quality, energy efficient homes.”

SHRA is administering $3 million in NSP funds allocated to the PRP. To date, 59 properties have been acquired and six are under construction. The Agency estimates the program will address 100 properties over the next five years.

District 1: New vote tallies still don't reveal winner

2010-06-12T03:01:42Z

The waiting game for the District 1 City Council race continues.

The Sacramento County elections office released new vote tallies Friday afternoon, and has counted about 35,000 of the roughly 86,000 that remained after Election Day. However, the new ballots still don’t definitively show whether Natomas activist Angelique Ashby has won the District 1 seat, or if she will compete in a runoff in November with incumbent City Councilman Ray Tretheway.

The county elections staff still needs to count more than 51,000 ballots. Voters cast ballots for many state and local candidates Tuesday, so it’s unknown how many of the 51,000 ballots include votes for the City Council races.

With 5,405 votes, Ashby now has 51.49 percent of the vote. Tretheway is at 41.29 percent, with 4,335 votes.

Ashby gained 1,095 more votes in the last few days of counting, while Tretheway garnered an additional 822. The total votes that have been counted in District 1 are 10,498. A candidate needs 50 percent of the vote plus one to win a City Council race.

“It looks like we’ve increased our lead, which is good news,” Ashby campaign manager Jesus Arredondo said Friday afternoon. But the Ashby campaign is not declaring that she won the race.

“In deference to a 10-year councilman, we want to make sure it’s official,” Arredondo said. Tretheway was not immediately available Friday afternoon. North and South Natomas and downtown’s Alkali Flat are part of District 1.

Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno said the updated tallies show that runoffs are still likely in Districts 5 and 7. The new vote tallies showed that District 7 candidate Ryan Chin — taking 38 percent of the vote — has retained his small lead over Darrell Fong, who has 32 percent. The Pocket/Greenhaven and Valley Hi neighborhoods are in District 7.

In the District 5 race, Jay Schenirer now has 47 percent of the vote, while Patrick Kennedy has 34 percent. District 5 includes Oak Park and Curtis Park.

Photo of Tretheway by Suzanne Hurt. Photo of Ashby campaign materials by Maxwell McKee.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Runoff predicted for District 5

2010-06-09T18:05:06Z

There will likely be a runoff between two District 5 candidates with backgrounds in the education field, according to Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno.

With all precincts counted, education policy consultant Jay Schenirer was narrowly ahead of local school board member and attorney Patrick Kennedy. Schenirer had 47 percent of the vote to Kennedy’s 34 percent.

Schenirer, with 2,267 votes, doesn’t have a majority of the votes that were cast, Mizuno said. Kennedy’s vote count is 1,654.

District 5 includes the neighborhoods of Oak Park and Curtis Park.

The election results have not yet been certified, Brad Buyse, the county’s campaign services manager said.

More than 20,000 vote-by-mail ballots came in Tuesday, he said, adding that they were still in envelopes early Wednesday morning.

It’s unclear at this point if the any of those ballots will impact the race in District 5.

Photo of Schenirer's sign by Jonathan Mendick.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

War Heroes and Gold Medalist Rally Behind P.E.E.C.E Keepers

2010-06-08T08:21:37Z

War Heroes and Gold Medalist Rally Behind P.E.E.C.E Keepers

Attendees at P.E.E.C.E. Keepers most recent event had a virtual reality encounter with the history channel, thanks to George Porter one of the original Tuskegee Airman, who came with a few members of his crew from the local Sacramento Tuskegee Airmen Chapter, along with some rare artifacts of the Tuskegee Airmen’s’ history.

“This event was personal to me, I wanted to bring together all of the people who are invested in the program. The parents who invested time into putting their children into the program, the counselors that are interested in working in the program and the people in the community who are interested in donating to the program, so that they could meet each other and see who we are and what we’re doing.” Said Algrie Monique Bridges, founder and director of P.E.E.C.E. Keepers.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and former WNBA superstar Ruthie Bolton, gave an inspirational talk about perseverance.

Bridges consolidated the celebration with another special occasion, which was her graduation from National University’s, Psychology Master Degree program.

“The purpose of this event was to bring awareness to family health, not just physical health, but mental health as well. “ Added Bridges.

P.E.E.C.E. (Positive Energy Engaging Communities Everywhere) Keepers is a catalyst for change dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and wellness. The organization’s mission is to restore balance, promote peace and inspire ethical growth in communities of crisis and social systems breakdown. The goal is to help people empower themselves; championing others to grow professionally, emotionally, and spiritually and encourage others’ inherent goodness.

To view the photo album of this event and to obtain more information or to make a donation to P.E.E.C.E. Keepers please go to the website@

www.peecekeepers.org

By Rayford Johnson/Npaphoto.Com

Dance Company brings Broadway to Oak Park

2010-06-03T09:27:43Z

The 34th Street Dance company put on another high energy performance last Saturday at the Guild Theater. The theme was Fiat Lux, which is Latin for "let there be light. The show wrapped up with a tribute of dance routines to the late Michael Jackson, along with a heart felt and tearful ceremony to the seniors graduating from the company.

“Our mission is to use dance as a tool to build community and develop each dancer as a creative thinker, dance technician, and a leader” said Sheila Coleman, the founder and director of the company. The company trains in modern, hip-hop, and contemporary movement forms and for seven years, has shared its passion for dance with audiences all over California. The Sacramento-high based company is proudly led by Coleman , assistant director, Janay Hood, and dance coach and 34th SDC alumna, Rachel Hylton.

To view the photo gallery of the performance Click Here (photos by Ray Johnson/Npaphoto.com)

For more information on the 34th Street Dance Company, please visit Sheila Coleman's Facebook page

By Ray Johnson/Npaphoto.com

Why I May Quit the Democratic Party

2010-05-27T23:47:25Z

This is not an easy piece for me to write as I have long been active in democratic and gay politics and am loathe to criticize my heritage; my affiliation with the Democratic Party started with my grandparents and parents.

In the 90s, I was privileged to serve on the board and as chair of the River City Democratic Club (RCDC) which was the precursor to Stonewall. RCDC worked on a grass roots level to help elect officials who were supportive of LGBT issues as we didn’t have many opportunities to support LGBT candidates. Fortunately that has changed.

Also, RCDC recognized our natural alliance with other minorities and formed relationships with many groups to fight for equality and representation. We built an inclusive organization that gave voice to a variety of minority issues.

This brings us to today’s Stonewall Democratic Club. According to their Web site (sacstonewall.org/about/), Stonewall “… will help elect qualified, openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to public office, as well as Democratic Party candidates that support equal rights for the LGBT community.” The site also states that Stonewall will work “To achieve diversity in our membership and our governing bodies”.

Two issues rear up at this point:

1. Why didn’t Stonewall help an openly gay man in his bid for City Council?
2. Why didn’t Stonewall invite the only minority candidates in the City Council District 5 to their endorsement process?

Let’s deal with issue number one: Stonewall member Terre Johnson, an openly gay male living with his partner for nearly 20 years in Oak Park, is the candidate in question. He was an early-announced candidate for the seat being vacated by Lauren Hammond and has broad support with Oak Park residents and organizations and with members of the business community in a large part of District 5. He may or may not be the best candidate, but he is most certainly qualified. Yet he does not have the support of the Stonewall Democratic Club. Not their endorsement, their money or their volunteer support. Why?

The word is that he has not been an activist in either the gay movement or the Democratic Party. That’s interesting. Here is a man who has lived nearly 20 years in Sacramento’s most diverse community as an openly gay man in a committed relationship. He rusn a business and is the executive director of two local business associations concurrently. That sounds pretty active to me. I guess it just isn’t the kind of life-style that the party leaders care about. Still, I cannot see how he is not “qualified” for a City Council seat.

Three past presidents of Stonewall sent letters (with the affiliation to Stonewall clearly stated) urging members to vote for another qualified, but not gay, candidate. Mind you, this was before the candidates had the opportunity to debate in front to the membership. Imagine, receiving a letter from the three past presidents; wouldn’t your vote be influenced?

This is where agenda politics insidiously enters the fray. Had the letter writers interviewed Terre and found him unqualified, fine. Had they ever asked all of the candidates to demonstrate how they would be the best choice for District 5, I wouldn’t suspect agendas. But, that didn’t occur and this leads us to the second issue.

There are two candidates running for the seat who were not invited to the Stonewall endorsement forum meeting; one is a black man and one is Latina. I’ve been told that they simply did not qualify for the meeting as they didn’t raise enough money to be considered serious contenders. While that rule might make sense in some cases, it clearly does not here. There were only five candidates! In this race, it managed to minimize the voice of a candidate who is gay and to exclude the voices of two people of color who should most clearly have been heard. How do we ever move away from the status quo if you have to be a player to be given a fair chance?

Although my focus has been local, this is not only about Stonewall; it is about the way my Democratic Party operates on many levels. After all, President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg endorsed a candidate in this race before the filing was even closed. His agenda may simply be friendship, but certainly it was not to ask “who is best for District 5?”.

No, this is about a dangerous fractionalization of America and the end result is a weakened democracy. For democracy to work, many factors must be in alignment. Among those factors, citizens must ask who is best for their community, city, state or country. It is not enough to ask, “who is best for me or my personal agenda?”. I am not suggesting we ignore our needs but simply that we place them on the balance beam of the commons. What or who is best for all?

My Democratic Party fought for giving a chance to minority candidates, not shutting them out. It stood for opening the processes to allow for diversity and inclusion. Unless I can find that party soon, I don’t see how I can remain a registered Democrat. The words of the party are no longer enough; I need to see fewer agendas and more progressive ideas.

My ancestors would roll over in their ashes if they somehow knew that I might become a “declined-to-state” or an independent. My fervent hope is that I’ll be convinced that my analysis is wrong and I can stay with the party that has always received my support and vote.

live streaming video of the first Oak Park Farmers' Market

2010-05-15T00:56:56Z

The Sacramento Press will be live streaming video at the launch of the first Oak Park Farmers' Market Saturday, May 15.

This new farmers' market will continue throughout the summer every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 34th and Broadway across from Old Soul Coffeehouse .

Join us for the ribbon cutting ceremony and live music as well as all the wonderful fresh produce of the season.

The residents of the Oak Park community have been working for years to bring a farmers' market to this, at times, troubled neighborhood.

The Oak Park Farmers' Market is a project of NeighborWorks Sacramento, in partnership with community residents, community garden advocates, backyard growers, and fresh produce sellers.
Together they have loosely formed the Oak Park Food Collaborative.

In addition to providing the Oak Park Community with weekly local access to fresh fruit and vegetables, the group intends to make Oak Park the sustainable food center of the Sacramento Region.

Free live streaming by Ustream

'Celebrate Oak Park' Entertains Families

2010-05-10T01:57:03Z

The fourth annual Celebrate Oak Park community event entertained many families Saturday.

The event, which took place at McClatchy Park during the afternoon, drew hundreds of people with live music, food and a kids area that had inflatable obstacle courses and a rock-climbing wall.

Event organizer Joany Titherington said the event started as a home improvement fair eight years ago before transforming into something that promoted community involvement while shining light on Oak Park's unique legacy.

"This event celebrates the vibrant history we've had here," Titherington said. She added that when Oak Park was established in 1887, it becamse Sacramento's first suburb. Since then, it has become the most diversely integrated community in America, according to Titherington.

Titherington added that while the celebration drew a crowd of hundreds a few years ago, last year's event had more than 3,000 people show up throughout the day.

This year's celebration also gave the community a reason to come, with live music from local bands including Fo Shang, The Nuance and The Solicitors setting the festive mood. Families danced together to the music, and children walked around smiling with balloons floating from their wrists.

It was an enjoyable afternoon for the community of Oak Park, and one that Titherington said she hopes to build on, saying that next year's event will be bigger and better.

For the diverse community of Oak Park, it will be an event to look forward to.

More coverage of the event, including video interviews with the bands, can be found here.

The 4th annual Celebrate Oak Park is today

2010-05-08T17:29:43Z

Free video chat by Ustream

Join us for the 4th Annual Celebrate Oak Park Party in the Park Saturday, May 8, 2010.

The Sacramento Press will be live streaming video of ' The Party in the Park' today from 12 pm to 5 pm at McClatchy Park, 35th Street and 5th Avenue.

Celebrate Oak Park brings residents from all neighborhoods together to celebrate the diversity and beauty of the Sacramento's oldest suburb .

This wonderful family friendly event includes performances by local musicians, great food, and information about various organizations and agencies geared to enhancing our community.

Kids will love the UC Davis Med Center Passport Play area featuring a Rock Climbing Wall, Velcro Wall, Bounce Houses and Crocker Art Activities.

Celebrate Oak Park is a free event.

Music Schedule for the Day:
· 12noon Opening Ceremonies
· 12:30pm Tribe of Levi - Conscious Hip Hop
· 1:00pm Flat Busted - Blues Rock
· 2:00pm Fo’ Shang - Jazz Funk
· 3:00pm The Nuance - Lite Alternative Rock - Covers & Originals
· 4:00pm The Solicitors - Rock - Covers
· 4:40pm Project - Conscious Hip Hop
· 5:00pm Closing

Live Streaming video of community events this summer

2010-04-29T00:48:09Z

The Sacramento Press is excited to be using live, streaming video as a new media tool. We hope that by streaming the events we go to live, it will enhance the connection we have with our current readership, engage the community at these events and encourage new readership not just in downtown and Midtown, but all neighborhoods in the Sacramento area.

Our first live streaming video experiment at the de Vere's Irish Pub's St. Patrick's Day block party was a big hit with The Sacramento Press' readers.

St. Patrick's Day allowed us to realize that live video really helps us to showcase the great events happening in our neighborhoods and entice Sacramentans to get out and explore our community and become more involved with where we live.

Visitors to The Sacramento Press will be able to read an article about an event happening in our community, click on an embedded link in the body of the article and watch the excitement as it happens.

When we live-stream video of events in Sacramento this summer, we plan to bring our readers live footage of all the entertainment as well as interviews with performers, participants, sponsors and involved organizations. We hope to get valuable feedback from our readers on our event coverage as well as opinions on how well The Sacramento Press serves the people of Sacramento.

Join The Sacramento Press via live steaming video or in person at Celebrate California at the Sacramento Zoo Saturday and The Jewish Heritage Festival Sunday on Capitol Mall

Additional events in May:...

Concert in the Park summer series every Friday starting May 7 at Cesar Chavez Park

Celebrate Oak Park, Saturday, May 8 at McClatchy Park

Second Saturday Art Walk at Zocalo, May 8 at 18th and Capitol

Oak Park Farmer's Market Saturday May 15 at 35th and Broadway

Walk-'N' Rock for local children's charities May 30

Events for June, July and August will be announced later on the site.

City Council candidate concerned about youth violence

2010-04-26T19:19:07Z

Sacramento City Council candidate and law enforcement officer Henry Harry is troubled by youth violence in Sacramento.

Harry, an Oak Park resident and a 13-year Sacramento County deputy sheriff, said youth violence is one of the key reasons he’s running for Lauren Hammond’s District 5 City Council seat.

There are ways to prevent youth violence, Harry said, but too many young people are dying in Sacramento. “And it breaks my heart to see it,” he said.

The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election.

Harry, 44, is one of five candidates running for the District 5 seat. Hammond, the sitting councilwoman, is competing in a race for Assemblyman Dave Jones’ seat.

Neighborhoods in the district include Oak Park, Curtis Park, Tahoe Park West and Colonial Heights.

Violence involving black and Latino youth in Sacramento should be a priority for the city, Harry said.

“I am not ashamed to say there needs to be an agenda to address that in those communities,” Harry said. “So, if you want to call it a black agenda, if you want to call it a Hispanic agenda, I make no apologies for it.
But I think it’s just a city agenda to deal with those issues.”

He said he has lived in the city of Sacramento for two years and in the South Sacramento area for five years.

A founding member of the Sacramento Oak Park Foundation, Harry has worked with youth in Oak Park for the past several years.

“I started to see that you can do so much with a badge and a gun, but you can do so much more with helping these kids,” he said.

It’s possible to confront problems and violence affecting youth with little funding, he said. “A lot of the issues with these young folks can be addressed without money if you can inspire the mentors to get involved.”

Harry further said at-risk youth could be helped by city police if the department starts a program focused on youth mentoring.

Another area of his campaign focuses on eduction. Harry acknowledged that council members do not have jurisdiction over the Sacramento City Unified School District board. Still, he said he could speak out on education issues as a City Council member.

“Imagine your City Council person being a pit bull for education and coming with a two-prong attack,” he said.

He explained that his first focus or “prong” for education would be to make school board members more accountable to the citizens. In his second focus, he would work to inspire parents and children on education issues.

The education system in Sacramento has failures, Harry said.

He also wants to see public officials answer more questions from the public. The city government could be more accountable if public officials, such as the police chief and the interim city manager, would regularly answer questions from citizens on the record, he said.

Harry earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Union Institute & University in Sacramento.

Harry has raised significantly less money than some of his opponents. Campaign filings from March show that Harry has gathered $808.

Patrick Kennedy leads all five candidates in fundraising — he has taken in $109, 684. Jay Schenirer’s funds amounted to $82,712 in March. Terrence Johnson has raised $9,430. Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno said Leticia Hilbert has raised less than $1,000.

District 1:
Information about candidate Angelique Ashby’s campaign can be read here.
Read about candidate Efren Guttierrez’ campaign here.

District 3:
Candidate candidate Shawn Eldredge’s goals are explained here.
Learn about candidate Chris Little’s plans are outlined here.
Candidate Jeff Rainforth is profiled here.

District 5:
A story on candidate Terrence Johnson’s campaign can be read here.
Learn about candidate Patrick Kennedy’s plans here.
Candidate Jay Schenirer’s goals are explored here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Business and labor groups back District 5 City Council candidate

2010-04-18T19:16:10Z

Lawyer Patrick Kennedy described himself as a rare City Council candidate because local business and labor groups are backing his campaign. Kennedy is endorsed by the Sacramento Central Labor Council and the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

“Both (organizations) have worked with me,” Kennedy said. “They see that I’m fair.”

The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election.

Kennedy, 42, is running against four candidates for District 5, the seat held by Lauren Hammond. She is running for Assemblyman Dave Jones' seat.

Oak Park, Curtis Park, Colonial Heights and Tahoe Park West are among the neighborhoods in District 5.

Kennedy, a fourth-generation Sacramentan, lives in Hollywood Park.

Kennedy has received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from plumbers and pipefitters unions in the state. In response to a question about those contributions, Kennedy noted that as a lawyer who represents management and labor, he has "the trust of organizations throughout the state.”

If elected to the City Council, he said he wants to focus funding on police, fire and youth programs.

“During these budget times, we’ve got to look at core missions, core values and core goals of what the city and local government is,” Kennedy said. Public safety is one of the city’s core missions, he said.

Youth programs are another priority for Kennedy. He said that youth programs are necessary to improve public safety. “We have to continue to find ways that we can do a better job of partnering with our school district,” he said.

Kennedy said he wants to boost the profile and potential of major boulevards in District 5. He said he wants neighborhoods adjacent to boulevards such as Broadway and Franklin — to work with the businesspeople to promote the thoroughfares. If neighbors and businesspeople work together to invigorate the boulevards, the neighborhoods and cooridors will flourish, Kennedy said.

"You can't just look at boulevards and neighborhoods (separately)," Kennedy said. "The two of them feed off each other and their success is interdependent."

Kennedy is on the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Trustees and was on the city Planning Commission for 11 years. He has a bachelor’s degree in government from California State University, Sacramento, and a law degree from Lincoln Law School of Sacramento.

Kennedy has raised the most money in the District 5 race, $109,684, according to campaign records filed in March. Jay Schenirer has $82,712 in campaign funds, Terrence Johnson $9,430.

Leticia Hilbert has raised less than $1,000, said Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno.

Henry Harry has raised $808.

District 1:
A story on candidate Angelique Ashby can be read here.
Learn about candidate Efren Guttierrez here.

District 3:
Read an article on candidate Shawn Eldredge here.
Candidate Chris Little’s plans are outlined here.

District 5:
Candidate Terrence Johnson’s campaign is explained here.
Read about candidate Jay Schenirer’s goals here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Suburban Cowboy

2010-04-13T17:34:05Z

For the last week, I've been living the life of Riley. Jess' aunt and uncle took her little cousins on vacation to Hawaii. We've been housesitting their place in Land Park. Riley lives in a three-bedroom house in the suburbs, he's got a cat and a dog. And this week, so do I.

I thought I'd share with you some of the people and places that I've experienced during my week as a Sacramento suburbanite. A Suburban Cowboy, if you will. While I'm not ready to trade in my 'Vette for a minivan a la Steve Sanders, BH 90210, Episode 7, Season 10 (a part of me died that day. Also, no one's gonna mistake my 1990 Honda Accord for a Corvette with plates that read I8A-4RE), I found that Land Park has a lot to offer a (quasi) young man about town such as myself.

Saturday morning I had some friends in town, and we went to Tower Cafe for breakfast. This probably isn't a groundbreaking revelation for you locals, but the meal was fantastic. A house french toast with fruit compote and whipped cream that is the best in the state, and a crab cake benedict with avocado and Bearnaise sauce, instead of the usual Hollandaise, that was a revelation. I'l put it this way. Jess and I came back the next day and ordered ... the crab cake benny and house french toast. I never, ever do that (unless it's at a taco truck).

Saturday night (and Monday and Wednesday) we went to Big Spoon Yogurt. At the risk of hyperbole, it is the single greatest place on Earth. It is just stupid how many toppings they have for their yogurts, which also come in many flavors. And the best part about it is that the yogurt is low fat, or even fat free! Granted, I got cheesecake, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, hot fudge and about eight candy bars on mine, but that's not the point. Yogurt is good for you! Just ask Jamie Lee Curtis.

On Sunday, after our second-straight breakfast at Tower, we rode our bikes to the farmers market under Highway 80 at 8th and W. Very impressive produce selection. I highly recommend checking it out despite the less than aesthetically pleasing locale. The venue just screams for strategically located trash can fires. When we arrived, we realized that we only had 6 bucks on us, but that was more than enough to procure some fantastically thin asparagus, a couple of Meyer lemons and a large sweet potato. For dinner we had a wasabi-pesto crusted salmon with teriyaki stir-fried cashew asparagus. It was great. The sweet potato ended up being fed to the dog, but she enjoyed it immensely.

Monday I went to the DMV in Oak Park. Now I know it's cliched to whine about trips to the DMV. Everybody has to do it, and everyone gets a little taste of what hell may be like. Suck it up, rub some dirt on it, whatever. But my story has a twist. Monday was my third trip to the DMV in the last week, all for the same thing. The first time I threw in the towel before making it through even the second level of front doors. The next time, I left for lunch at Jarritos on Broadway. It was my most disappointing meal in Sacramento; I still think about it *shudders*. When I got back to the DMV, I still was 120 people away. So I went back to Jess' aunt and uncle's house to get schooled on our housesitting duties. When we returned, they had just called B215. I was B213. What is it the kids are saying these days, FML?

Which leads us to Tuesday, our third trip to the DMV. Once you park at the Oak Park DMV, don't even think about leaving till you've handled your business. You may end up parking a half mile away. I made that mistake the first time around.

Got our numbers and walked down to the Boom Boom Cafe, without a doubt the best restaurant within walking distance of the DMV. Outstanding Asian fusion at a very reasonable price. I got the Korean pork bul go gi, Jess got a Thai curry eggplant, and we both were exceedingly pleased with our choices.

Don't worry, we got back to the DMV well before my number was called. We got back, suntanned a bit by the car, signed some petitions. Then I decided it was time to head back in. So I locked the car. With the keys on the center console. I locked my keys ... in the car ... at the DMV. So next time you're at the DMV and cursing your luck or lack thereof, consider this. At least you didn't lock your %^*&#@& keys in the &#*@%#@ car! On the bright side, AAA got there a good 20 minutes before my number was called.

Tuesday night, we tried Oscar's Very Mexican Food, whose name is oxymoronic. If it were so "Very Mexican", wouldn't it be "Mucho Mexicano"? A decent Americanized taqueria (Very Americanized. It has a "California" burrito with french fries in it), its saving grace is the salsa verde, which is reminiscent of the one at La Taqueria in the Mission. Unfortunately, the resemblances end there.

Wednesday was our big night out. We got all gussied up (I wore a shirt with a collar on it! And considered shaving!) and walked up the street to Taylor's Kitchen. A little American bistro attached to a gourmet market, Taylor's Kitchen somehow manages to be both elegant and homey. Jess and I, as we often do, eschewed the entrees in favor of a larger selection of small plates. We started off with steamed clams with chorizo and a lovely Dungeness crab salad. It took all my considerable restraint not to lick the bowl the clams came in. The crab salad was lovely as well, though I'd have preferred it been served with fresh avocado rather than the avocado panna cotta it was paired with. John Paul, our waiter, then brought over a pot of macaroni and cheese, gratis. They had forgotten the bacon, thus the freebie, but it still was outrageously rich and tasty. We finished with the mushroom gnocchi in a Parmesan cream sauce, and this time, they remembered the bacon. A wonderful end to a wonderful meal. We took our desert at Big Spoon.

Thursday was our final day of suburban bliss, and I finished it off with gusto. Chloe, the family dog, is 14 years old, a cancer survivor, and suffers from severe arthritis. The family recently had enlisted the services of Karen Krstich, DVM. Karen makes house calls, and she put Chloe on some new meds and a new diet. I would have gladly eaten everything that I fed the dog while housesitting. In fact, I did eat a bowl of the last meal I cooked for her: a chicken, yam, carrot, zucchini, celery stew. It was yummy. Pretty standard vet stuff, right? Well, Karen also practices the ancient Chinese art of acupuncture. Doggy acupuncture. And so, I spent 20 minutes Thursday morning assisting in that most suburban of activities, a doggy acupuncture and electrotherapy session. Much as I once scoffed at yoga, there was a time where this whole procedure would have led me to offer up a dismissive wanking motion. But I can say unequivocally that Chloe is markedly improved from just two weeks ago. Her energy is up, she walks less gingerly and seems much happier. Doubt the healing powers of pet acupuncture at your peril.

It was an eventful week in the suburbs. I laughed, I ate, I helped a woman stick pins in a dog and then run electricity through said pins.

I'm ready to get back to Midtown.

Former school board member competes for City Council seat

2010-04-08T05:12:43Z

Jay Schenirer’s City Council campaign has brought him face-to-face with Sacramento’s unemployed population.

Joblessness in District 5, which includes Oak Park and Colonial Heights, is “horrific,” Schenirer said.

The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election.

Schenirer (sha-NEER-ur), 53, is competing against four other candidates for Councilwoman Lauren Hammond’s seat. Hammond is running for Assemblyman Dave Jones' seat against Kevin McCarty, her colleague on the City Council. Roger Dickinson, a Sacramento County Supervisor, is also running for the seat.

Schenirer is an education policy consultant who has lived in Sacramento since 1981. He has made his home in Curtis Park for 20 of his 29 years in the city. The Curtis Park and Tahoe Park West neighborhoods are located in District 5.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, San Diego. Schenirer also holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the University of Texas, Austin.

Big names in the philanthropy world, such as The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, are some of Schenirer’s clients.

Schenirer’s experience also includes the eight years he served as a local school board member. From 1996 to 2004, he was a member of the Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Trustees. During four of the eight years, he was the board’s president.

He also worked in former Governor Gray Davis’ administration. From 2001 to 2003, he held the position of Assistant Secretary for Development and Planning at the Education Secretary’s office.

If elected, he said he wants to address unemployment in the district by creating working groups of small-business professionals. Schenirer said he would ask businesspeople how the city is helping or hindering their success. He said he would also approach small-business professionals for ideas on how to bring more small business to the city.

“I think as a council person, you have to be the No. 1 salesperson for your district,” he said.

Another of his goals on the City Council would be to focus on youth programs. He said he wants to see more “safe places” for young people to go after school and on weekends. Schenirer also said the city could connect young people with community-oriented activities and help them gain employment opportunities.

"And I think there's just huge potential for what the city could be doing to support young people's success," he said.

Relations between neighborhood leaders and city government are also on Schenirer’s agenda. “We are a city that’s really built on a rich history of neighborhood engagement at City Hall.”

He said he would work with neighborhood groups on a structured level through meetings, and informally. Schenirer said he wants to be a councilman who would be available on his cell phone to talk to neighbors.

Schenirer said he wants to create relationships with neighbors and listen to neighborhood concerns to "ensure that the people who are impacted most by the policies we make have a voice in those policies."

Recent campaign fund records show that Schenirer has raised $82,712. He is second in fundraising to Patrick Kennedy, who has raised $109,684. Terrence Johnson has raised $9,430. Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno said candidate Leticia Hilbert has raised less than $1,000. Henry Harry has $808 in his campaign.

District 1:
A story on District 1 candidate Angelique Ashby can be read here.
Learn about District 1 candidate Efren Guttierrez here.

District 3:
Read an article on District 3 candidate Shawn Eldredge here.
District 3 candidate Chris Little’s plans are outlined here.

District 5:
Candidate Terrence Johnson’s campaign is explained here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Oak Park business leader runs for District 5 seat

2010-04-03T03:18:37Z

Terrence Johnson said he wants Oak Park and surrounding South Sacramento neighborhoods to have more clout in City Council decision-making.

“I felt as though the (District 5) neighborhoods didn’t have a voice,” he said.

Johnson, 58, is one of five candidates competing for the seat held by Councilwoman Lauren Hammond. In addition to Oak Park, District 5 includes the neighborhoods of Curtis Park, Colonial Heights and Tahoe Park West.

The Sacramento Press is interviewing City Council candidates in advance of the June 8 election.

Johnson is a 20-year Sacramento resident and the executive director of the Oak Park Business Association and the Stockton Boulevard Partnership. He is chairman of the Redevelopment Advisory Committee of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Johnson is also a window installation contractor.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from California State University, Sacramento, in 1975.

Jobs and the economy are the most pressing issues in District 5, he said.

Johnson acknowledged the city’s budget gap — about $40 million — but said the district still needs to bring ideas for projects to the City Council. That way, when the city distributes funds, those projects can be considered.

He noted the city is focusing on some projects outside District 5, such as the planned downtown arena and entertainment center.

Johnson said he would continue to push for economic development in the district even if he does not win the City Council seat. The district has few job openings and has suffered because of the subprime mortgage foreclosure crisis, he added.

“The secondary mortgage market was like a bomb in the South Area,” Johnson said, adding that training for green jobs would help neighborhoods.

He has raised $9,430 for his campaign. Of District 5 candidates, Patrick Kennedy has raised the most money, $109, 684.

Jay Schenirer’s campaign has $82, 712, Henry Harry has $808 and Leticia Hilbert has raised less than $1,000, according to Assistant City Clerk Stephanie Mizuno.

An article about District 1 candidate Angelique Ashby can be found here. Information about District 1 candidate Efren Guttierrez's campaign is here. District 3 candidate Chris Little is profiled here. Read about District 1 candidate Shawn Eldredge here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

District 5 Candidates Meet Residents in Open Forum

2010-04-02T08:37:27Z

District 5 City Council candidates came face to face with community members at the Oak Park Neighborhood Association's monthly meeting Thursday.
Four of the five candidates met with residents at the Sacramento Food Bank to discuss their political plans in an open forum. Approximately 40 people attended to ask questions and gain more insight on their potential representatives.
Candidates running are Terrence Johnson, Leticia Hilbert, Patrick Kennedy, Jay Schenirer and Henry Harry. Hilbert was absent from the meeting.
Chairs formed a half-circle and faced the seated candidates. Questions were collected from the audience and presented by members of the neighborhood association's board of directors.
Attendees asked questions regarding candidates' approaches to projected housing and development plans, reconciling the negative stigma toward Oak Park, whether the candidates intend on being receptive to the community and other topics.

The candidates were asked to address key areas they would like to improve in Oak Park.

"I would like to see the Broadway corridor and the partners of the Housing and Redevelopment Agency move forward in the queue for development," Johnson said. "I think that even though it's a tough time, by the time those things come to completion we will have a better economy. We will have a viable, competitive, economic corridor that will bring people in. It will be a destination. Get it going, get it done, make it happen. I know there are things that slow it down, I'm the chair of the Redevelopment Advisory Committee, so I know some of the things that go on. I think we need to put pressure on them to perform to the expectation level of the community."

Schenirer spoke on the topic of housing as well.

"A lot of wonderful things are happening in the neighborhood," Schenirer said, "but we have far too many vacant lots, far too many properties in disrepair. We have an opportunity now where there are banks who will need to give out loans. Credit will loosen up over the next year or 18 months, and I think we need to get a cohort of residents here in Oak Park who are ready to purchase homes when that happens. This is the opportunity and the time to do it. It's about thinking ahead of the curve and not being reactive later on when money starts to become available."

Concerns for District 5 youth arose frequently during the forum.

"I think the issue around youth is paramount, and I've been working on it for 17 years now," Schenirer said. "I helped write a framework for the city for our former mayor. First is safe places for young people to be when they're out of school. Second is getting kids involved in the community. Third is getting kids jobs, internships, skills and funding that their families need. I think we really need to focus very deeply on what young people are doing in the neighborhood so we can prevent them from getting into trouble early on, save ourselves money from the back end of this and create a better community."

Oak Park Neighborhood Association President Michael Boyd asked, "I've been in this community for more than 40 years, and the issues haven't changed much. We're not talking about overnight success, we're just talking about more success. What are you going to do specifically for Oak Park to alleviate some of the problems you've noticed?"

Harry responded: "I've worked with the Oak Park Foundation, we've mentored kids, we've been on the ground with them, we've hosted forums trying to get them in the right direction and we're out on the streets running with them. I think as a City Council member you have to come back, you run with these kids, you inspire them. You want to know what I'm going to do in the future? I'm going to use the power of City Council to mentor them. I'm going to use the voice of City Council to help the school board work better with education. Look at what I've done in the past, and you'll see what I'm going to do in the future."

Kennedy spoke on his concern for a better image of the community.

"I want to go back to the stigma of a negative Oak Park," Kennedy said. "When I was president of the neighborhood association out here, it was one of the things that drove me crazy. We know that what bleeds leads when it comes to the media. They love to report negativity. What we need to do is turn that around by being cheerleaders among other things. We need to straighten the media out. That's what I would do when I was neighborhood association president. When that would happen, I wouldn't let it go, I would call not only the reporter, but the editorial staff. And soon we started to see it happening less and less. We need to focus on those things that are positive. We don't have that leadership right now that's doing that. And being the cheerleader is something we need, and I look forward to doing that."

The association board members recognized and related to most of the crowd, adding jokes and familiarity when possible. The candidates mingled after the debate finished with a crowd that seemed to appreciate the open forum.

"It was very informative," Ciana Yniguez said. "The only candidate I'm familiar with is Terrence Johnson because we both live in the community. It was really good to hear the other candidates. I don't have very much information on them, so I made sure I was going to be here tonight to hear them speak."

"The debate went really well," Oak Park resident Gene Bennett said. "The candidates spoke to the people without speaking down to, or over, anyone. I felt they were all very sincere and respectful. I enjoyed the format. Rather than having them give a platform speech or point-by-point explanation of what they would do, I liked the question-and-answer format. It didn't help me choose a candidate because I felt that any one of them would represent Oak Park very well."

Primary elections will take place on June 8.
More information on the candidates can be found here.

Photo captions:

1) Sacramento Food Bank exterior

2) Community members gather in the District 5 open forum

3) Free information related to Terrence Johnson available by the front door

4) Free information related to Henry Harry and Jay Schenirer available by the front door

5) Meeting attendees listen to the candidates

6) Candidates (L to R) Patrick Kennedy, Henry Harry, Jay Schenirer, Terrence Johnson

7) Candidates (L to R) Henry Harry, Jay Schenirer, Terrence Johnson

8) Candidate Patrick Kennedy

9) Candidate Jay Schenirer

10) Community members listen to the candidates

11) Community members listen to the candidates

Old Soul Co. sign goes up

2010-02-13T05:23:28Z

After the sign's installation was halted Thursday, it was permitted to go up Friday afternoon.
OakPark, Sacramento, CA
Friday, February 12, 2010

The sign installation crew was literally about to drill the mounting holes for the new Old Soul Co. sign in Oak Park Thursday morning when a call came in from the city to halt the installation. Due to the building being historical, there was an issue of placement and electrical connections. (see previous article)

Just a little more than twenty four hours later, the installation was approved and the sign was installed around 3 P.M. Friday afternoon, exactly in the spot intended and electrical hooked up to light the sign just as planned.

Old Soul's Grand Opening Reception will take place Saturday evening from 6-10PM.

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Signs of Soul in Oak Park halted

2010-02-11T21:30:00Z

The City of Sacramento halted efforts to mount Old Soul Co. sign Thursday morning.
Oak Park, Sacramento, CA
February 11, 2010

Excited patrons of the new Old Soul Co. location in Oak Park were eager to see the iconic glistening new sign ready to go up Thursday morning and so was the crew. That eagerness was squelched when a call came to the Alpha Signs' crew, from the city, to halt.

The building at 35th and Broadway is a historical building and though the old Starbucks sign was in the same location, the city won't allow the sign installers to drill new holes in the historic bricks nor is the sign allowed to have any exposed electrical cable. Furthermore, the city wants the sign above the horizontal band of bricks which puts the sign at the level of the 2nd floor apartments rather than the store level where the previous Starbucks sign was located.

Patrons are upset at the "unnecessary hoop jumping" the city is imposing. They pointed out that the well crafted and beautiful sign is a welcome sight over the boarded up building across the street at 3501 Broadway and other "eyesores" in the area. Alpha Signs did the much larger and elaborate sign installation at Guild Theater next door without issue a few years ago. A spokesman for Alpha Signs is hopeful that things will be ironed out shortly and is optimistic that they will be able to install the sign sometime next week.

South Oak Park home explodes

2010-02-07T13:19:47Z

An unoccupied South Oak Park home explodes Sunday morning and the cause is under investigation.

An unoccupied home in the South Oak Park area exploded early Sunday morning. Debris from the home blew all the way out to the street. The home was a total loss and while the cause is under investigation, natural gas has not been ruled out. Per Sac City Fire, the home was a total loss and no one was injured.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SCENE VIDEO

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Old Soul Co. Opens New Location in Oak Park

2010-02-05T01:35:05Z

Old Soul Co opened their third Sacramento location Thursday morning in Oak Park.

An old familiar spot has a new face in Oak Park and the community is well pleased. Starbucks shut down its 35th and Broadway location last year, much to the disapointment of many. The location was a community hub where many gathered daily to socialize, conduct business or just relax with a good book and a cup of coffee. Despite many letters from patrons voicing their conerns to Starbucks corporate office of the closure, the doors were finally closed in September of 2009.

Knowing the community cenergy the coffee house brought regular goers better known there as "The Usual Suspects" were confident something good would come of it…the prime location couldn't sit quiet for long.

Thursday morning, with no fanfare, advertisement or forewarning, Old Soul Co opened their doors for business. Location manager Tim Jordan stated they were suprsingly very busy this morning, "you would have thought it was our official grand opening".

While all the furniture is not moved in yet, what furniture and décor that is there shows the location is going to be a wonderful and comfortable spot for "The Usual Suspects" and those who patron the new friend in Oak Park. College students were already enjoying the coffee and space as they cracked their books open to study. One stated, "I've been walking by here every day waiting for them to open".

Owner of "Underground Books", Mayor Kevin Johnson's Mother (known to locals as Mother Rose), said "Thank God this coffee house is open. It's what this community needs."

Not only does Old Soul roast and brew their own smooth coffee, they have a breakfast and sandwich menu as well.

The official open house will be the evening of this month's 2nd Saturday, February 13th from 6 to 9:30 P.M. The management is planning a wonderful event, and even obtaining a special event permit for the evening.

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Oak Park wraps up holiday cheer

2009-12-05T03:37:21Z

About 60 community members gathered at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services last night to make the holidays a little bit brighter for Oak Park's children.

The Oak Park Neighborhood Association has collected 300 toys for its Oak Park Toy Give-Away, which began Nov. 22 and will continue until Dec. 18.

"Imagine knowing that you may not receive a gift...Kids everywhere look forward to the thrill of opening gifts and we want to make sure that kids in Oak Park get to experience the excitement," said board member Michael Boyd, "Even more importantly, we want them to know they live in a community that cares about them; a community that values them, and a community that will help them."

Members of the association, Sacramento police officers, and various community members attended the potluck and toy gift-wrapping party. Attendees were encouraged to bring wrapping paper, gifts or food.

Association board members circulated throughout the three-hour event, passing out wrapping paper and Scotch tape as volunteers ate, mingled and wrapped.

The goal of the association is to distribute 1,200 toys Dec. 19 from noon to 3 p.m. The food bank is also the drop-off point, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m. on Wednesdays.

If toys are wrapped, donors are asked to indicate whether they're for a boy or girl and the age range. On the day of the toy distribution, gifts will be divided into piles according to age group and given to children on a first-come first-serve basis.

"The [toy drive] is important because it's about residents in the community taking care of those that live in that community. It's not about toys, it's about coming together and supporting each other. That's what makes us strong and keeps us strong," said board member and community activist LaTisha Lawson.

In addition to their own efforts, the group has received some help gathering toys.

Sacramento's University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law organized an Angel Drive that brought in 100 toys.

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services is at 3333 Third Ave. in Oak Park.

For more information about the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, visit its website or email opna@inmycommunity.com.

5TH Annual Holiday Toy Drive— Oak Park Neighborhood Association’s Gift Wrapping & Pot Luck

2009-12-02T21:22:39Z

In preparation for the Toy Give-Away by the Oak Park Neighborhood Association (OPNA), the community is invited to the Gift Wrapping and Pot Luck dinner on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009 from 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services at 3333 3rd Avenue.

All are invited to join the festivities, bring some food, maybe a gift and or wrapping and get into the season of sharing. Or just show up and eat some food, meet some new friends, and help with the wrapping.

OPNA is collecting and will distribute gifts to Oak Park children for the 5th year.

Each year, hundreds of children receive gifts and this year the number is likely to be even greater than previous years. The goal is to receive and distribute 1,200 gifts to grateful children.

DROP OFF TOYS FOR KID IN OAK PARK

Community groups, businesses, organizations and individuals are invited to drop off gifts at Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services warehouse located at 3333 Third Ave, Sacramento 95817 (on the corner of 33rd Street and 3rd Avenue in Oak Park).

Gift donations of new toys are requested between Nov. 22 and Dec.18th
Drop off hours are 8 am – 4:30 pm, Monday – Friday, and until 7pm on Wednesdays
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services — (916) 456-1980
If wrapped, please note if gift is for a boy/girl/either and age range
Gift distribution will take place Dec. 19th from 12 pm – 3 pm

Learn more about Oak Park Neighborhood Association -- www.oakparkna.org

Email us at opna@InMyCommunity.com

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, a local non-profit organization serving families and individuals in need since 1976, offers nine diverse programs at two facilities in Sacramento. A staff of 35 employees and several thousand volunteers accomplish SFBFS’ mission of assisting those in need by alleviating their immediate pain and problems and by moving them toward self-sufficiency and financial independence. Additional SFBFS information is available online at www.sacramentofoodbank.org

DIY's House Crashers Invade Locals Loft

2009-12-02T01:15:24Z

The DIY Network will feature one of Sacramento's very own on the Wednesday, December 3rd episode of House Crashers. Eli Bob, a bartender and native Sacramentan is the owner of a loft at the 4th Avenue Lofts development in Oak Park which was recently the focus of a "crash". Eli's loft was inundated with droves of contractors, production crew, friends and host Josh Temple back in October for three days during the remodel.

The upcoming episode entitled, "Rock N Roll Loft Lounge" the shows website describes the crash as follows: A single young bartender transforms his plain loft into a place to mix up drinks, fun and edgy style. With a stone covered wall, mounted stainless fireplace, diamond plate dining room table and leather flooring, the living area becomes a hip hangout for entertaining.

House Crashers is ambush renovation at its best. Host and contractor Josh Temple stalks a big-box home improvement store looking for unsuspecting weekend warriors, then follows them home with a large crew of experts in tow. Watch as stunned homeowners who journeyed into the store to fix a simple leaky faucet end up winning the remodeling lottery with dramatic, eye-popping room transformations.

Tune in at the following times (Check local listings for times and channels):

December 02, 2009 - 10:00 PM e/p

December 02, 2009 - 1:00 AM e/p

December 16, 2009 - 10:30 PM e/p

December 16, 2009 - 1:30 AM e/p

Sacramento Building Healthy Communities

2009-12-01T20:19:49Z

On November 21, 2009, the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities collaborative hosted two events in Oak Park and South Sacramento, designed to educate communities on the 10-year Building Healthy Communities (BHC) process. Earlier this year, the California Endowment awarded funding to 14 communities over ten years as part of their Building Healthy Communities program. This effort was designed to infuse at least $10 million into each community to bring about systemic change. The efforts are to be driven by four goals:

• Health systems are family-centered and prioritize prevention.
• Schools anchor communities, promote healthy behaviors and are a gateway for resources and services.
• Human services systems are family-centered, prioritize prevention and promote opportunities for children, young adults and their families.
• Improved physical, social and economic environments in local communities.

South Sacramento was chosen by the Endowment as one of the target communities. The area includes all of Oak Park, Fruitridge Manor, Elder Creek, and parts of Curtis Park, Tahoe Park and both incorporated and unincorporated areas of South Sacramento.

Since March 2009, the collaborative has been working to put together the 10 year strategic plan for the area. Initial outreach has targeted 5,000 residents through community events, talking circles and surveys to gauge the communities’ views about their neighborhoods. Other activities have included several working groups that are focused on Infrastructure and Assets, Health Access and Youth Development..

In an industry where foundations often change funding focus every 5 years or so, the Endowment’s 10 year commitment marks an opportunity for communities to pull together long-term comprehensive planning and corresponding actions that can improve public environmental quality and health, as well as, the built environment and healthy food access to traditionally underserved communities.

This process provides a unique opportunity for this highly diverse and vibrant area that has been plagued by crime, obesity, foreclosures and disinvestment for decades. It allows the target communities to leverage the Endowment’s resources to attract additional private and public sector funding and technical assistance. In addition, the BHC initiative will help to increase civic pride and build bridges across ethnic, cultural and economic divides that have been historically difficult to create and sustain.

However, the greatest opportunity of this process will be achieved by deep and meaningful involvement of the residents, local business owners and community-based organizations themselves. As this process moves forward, outreach and resources need to continue to have significant and long term impact on these groups that ensures public safety, generates jobs, minimizes displacement, increases access to public transportation, makes streets safer for walking and biking, improves energy efficiency and rehabilitates and creates affordable housing that is of high quality.

Finally, my 5 year old son Miles attended the November 21st gathering in Oak Park with me and told the all adult working group that he wanted safer parks. Many comments had been made to that point, but none discussed the safety of our parks. Many of us take for granted the fact that our children lack safe areas in the community for recreation that they can access at all times. We must foster these activities and make them safe, clean, accessible and with many eyes on the parks and streets to ensure security.

In the end, it is all about our children. As we lay the building blocks for the future we must ensure that what we build today creates a path toward a greater quality of life for the next generation.

This selection originally appeared on the Ubuntu Green blog. http://blog.ubuntugreen.org/

Old Soul at 40 Acres To Host Thanksgiving Food Drive

2009-11-26T00:17:11Z

Old Soul Co. is hosting the "Soul of the Soul" Food Donation Drive on Thanksgiving Day at it's newest location in Oak Park. The local coffee company is slated to open its doors to the neighborhood in early 2010 with it's third retail location. Old Soul will replace the now closed Starbuck's that once anchored the 40 Acres Art Gallery complex when it was remodeled back in 2003.

According to the company's website, One of the guiding principles of Old Soul from the beginning has always been "to be better tomorrow than we are today"; in our minds, this principle includes everything from our own individual self improvement to our overall product improvement. We recognize how these principles have shaped both ourselves and our business and have made them both successful; along those lines, we have started a community outreach program called 'The Soul of the Soul".

With Soul of the Soul we will be planning monthly volunteer projects within our communtiy in which any Old Soul employee, customer or client can participate. All projects will be based as locally as possible in order to maximize our influence on our immediate community. Old Soul will try to provide transportation and arrange carpools whenever feasible.

All are invited, FREE T-shirts, coffee, pastries & yummy food from Rick Mahan of The Waterboy!

When: Thursday, November 26, 2009 - Thanksgiving Day
Where: Old Soul at 40 Acres in Oak Park, Broadway @ 35th Street
When: 12:00 - 3:00 PM
What: "Soul of the Soul" Food Donation Drive

Sister's United, Inc., Recently Opens The "House of Esther".

2009-11-10T19:46:32Z

Sister’s United, Inc., Recently Opens The “House of Esther.”

Sister’s United, Inc., a local non-profit corporation recently held their grand opening for the “House of Esther” on Friday, October 2, 2009. Many of the attendees marveled at the beauty of the home located at 3334 4th Avenue, in the heart of Oak Park.
The House of Esther is the first of many from Sister’s United, Inc., opening in the Sacramento Community, and is more than Board & Care Housing; this home offers upscale living and beautiful décor. Those entering this home participate in a unique Empowerment Program purposefully designed to transform lives, and build strong affective leaders.
The unique program focuses on holistic health and nutrition, eco-friendly living, imparting curriculums, intense skills training, mentorship, and community involvement. The 12-month program serves to empower women ages 18+.
Beverly Swanson, CEO/Founder of Sister’s United Inc., is a motivational coach, credentialed instructor in Adult Education, Veteran, Retired Parole Agent California Department of Corrections, and a divinely inspired woman of God. While revitalization is ever-present, in the community, it is the vision of Beverly Swanson and Sister’s United, Inc., to be ever-present in revitalizing valuable lives in the community.

See Beverly on Sacramento & Company, KXTV-10 on Monday, November 16, 2009 at 9 a.m.
Sister’s United, Inc.
www.sistersunitedinc.info

Built Environment/Green Space Presentation

2009-11-09T22:16:27Z

Built Environment/Green Space Presentation

November 10, 2009
5:30pm-7:30pm

Sacramento Food Bank
3333 3rd Avenue, Sacramento, CA

AGENDA

Moderator: Charles L. Mason, Jr., Ubuntu Green

Confirmed Panelists:

Anya Lawler, Consultant, California State Assembly Committee on Housing

Graham Brownstein, ECOS

Davida Douglas, Alchemist CDC

Brandon Kitagawa, Regional Asthma Management and Prevention, Statewide Coordinator of Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA)

Constance Slider, Coalition on Regional Equity

Invited Panelists:

Paul Zykofsky, Director of Land Use and Transportation, Local Government Commission

Randy Rosalex, Green Sacramento Builders

Darnell Robinson, Clearinghouse CDFI

• Overview of Built Environment and Green Space

• Built Environment and Green Space and the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities target area

• Connectivity to other priority areas (Food Access, Multi-Modal Transportation Network, Access to Doctors, Economic Well-Being)

• What types of systems and policy changes are needed?

Cinco de Alchemist: A Celebration of Transformation

2009-11-06T22:37:03Z

Sacramento’s Alchemist Community Development Corporation hosted a party and fundraiser to mark its fifth anniversary Thursday evening, and veggies never seemed so cool.

At “Cinco de Alchemist,” about 150 guests enjoyed delightful offerings from local restaurants Mulvaney’s B&L, The Waterboy, Taylor’s Market, Magpie Caterers, Mikuni and more. Live music by Caribbean Jazz and Musical Charis complemented the celebratory mood.

Alchemist CDC was founded in 2004 by Wendy Carter, Lisa Nelson and Chris Aguirre to promote equitable community development in Sacramento. The nonprofit group believes that the overall health of the region depends on the health of urban centers, and they are currently focused on serving the Alkali Flats and Mansion Flats neighborhoods of downtown Sacramento.

In 2007, Alchemist CDC and the Sacramento Mutual Housing Association began the city’s first urban farm stand at J. Neely Johnson Park in Alkali Flats. In 2009, they began a farm stand at McClatchy Park in the Oak Park neighborhood. The farm stands operate from May through October.

Urban farm stands bring improved access to fresh, seasonal, locally grown vegetables and fruit to people and communities who can benefit most from it. An urban farm stand is different from a farmers’ market. Whereas farmers’ markets involve many different producers selling their produce in a large area, farm stands involve a single vendor who resells produce they have purchased from various local farmers. The farm stand is smaller and less complex than a farmers’ market and requires less coordination and fewer people to operate.

Alchemist CDC also operates an internship program for youth ages 14 to 18. According to their website, the “program focuses on providing the interns with knowledge of the benefits of fresh produce to overall health and disease prevention, as well as the differences in conventional and organic produce.”

Land Park resident Fiona Castleberry interned with Alchemist from May through October in 2009, and she attended the Cinco de Alchemist party. Castleberry worked as a volunteer at the new farm stand in McClatchy Park, and she said it was especially interesting to see how a new farm stand was set up.

“I was a bit skeptical before I started,” she said. “I really wasn’t sure there would be a lot of interest there in a farm stand, but it turned out to be a great success, and I learned a lot.”

Cinco de Alchemist was held at the newly renovated Beatnik Studios. Alchemist board president Wendy Carter said they looked at several spaces in Sacramento, but knew right away that Beatnik was just right. Beatnik did seem the perfect match for the event with its simple, elegant decor and wide-open spaces with room for guests to stand and talk or just lounge on the couches.

Carter and other Alchemist board members were pleased with the success of the event. Many of the guests stayed for hours chatting with old friends and new acquaintances, enjoying wine and beer from local producers.

“Alchemist is very appreciative of the support that everybody has shown us,” executive director Davida Douglas said in an e-mail. “The event exceeded our expectations and we are thankful to everyone that made it out to the event, and to the donors and supporters.”

Yet, there was a bit of uncertainty in Carter’s outlook about the future of Alchemist.

“We are in an in-between phase where it’s getting more difficult to raise the funds necessary to continue and expand our efforts in the community,” she said. Carter cited the economy as a huge strain on the funds available through grants and on the ability of the individual donor to give.

Carter said she has high hopes for the future of Alchemist and for better food access in her community.

“One of the things I have talked about is possibly operating the farm stands year round,” she said. “The farm stands have the best produce available in my opinion, and I miss it when it isn’t there.”

Board Secretary Jessica Pearson also has big dreams for the future of the community and its access to fresh, healthy food. She sees a future where the urban farm stands have become self-sustaining, integral parts of their respective neighborhoods and can be operated solely by the people who live there.

According to Alchemist’s website, alchemy is the medieval science that sought to transform base metals into gold. The Alchemist Community Development Corporation, true to its name, is seeking to guide the transformation and growth of the Sacramento community by putting the tools to do so in the hands of the people who need them most. If the outpouring of love, community and dedication present at Cinco de Alchemist is any indication, the future is golden for this organization and the communities it serves.