In order to provide the community with greater and quicker access to public records the City of Sacramento has launched a new online record library. (http://records.cityofsacramento.org). There are over 100,000 records currently in the online library with more being added every week. Currently searchers can look up meeting minutes, resolutions, and ordinances passed by the City Council 1921-present. Also available are City Council staff reports dating back to 1990 and budget records back to the 1921. New record series are currently being prepared for transfer to the online library for review. The City Clerk is excited as this will provide unprecednted access to citizens, visitors, and rese

Q. Is it possible to obtain an individual's booking photo using the booking number at a County jail? Thank you, Rebecca A. There are several reasons a person might want to see booking photos (also known as “mug shots”). They are a popular part of news stories on crime, especially when celebrities or particularly newsworthy crimes are involved. In some cases, a person may want a photo to help them identify a person who may wish them harm, but whose appearance may have changed. Academic or other studies may be another potential use for booking photos. Although a few police or sheriff’s departments routinely release booking photos, and some even post them online, in many cases they are re

Marty DeAnda started a vinyl record store by accident with a little help from Louis Armstrong. Medium Rare Records is in the offices of the Dig Music label, which DeAnda co-founded. The label represents local artists such as Jackie Greene, Chris Webster and Sal Valentino. The business is located in The Urban Hive at 1931 H St. and was pretty typical of a recording label office, with couches and music-themed décor, before becoming a retail store. The office, visible from the sidewalk, featured a mannequin of Louis Armstrong in the window, staring out at 20th Street, and passers-by routinely came in to ask about it. “I’d have 30 people coming by each day,” DeAnda said. “I figured I might

In an era dominated by MP3 players and downloaded music, two music lovers are confident other fans are hungry for the real thing: vinyl, and lots of it. Dal Basi, a longtime Tower Records music buyer, and his partner, Nich Lujan, are banking on the importance of being able to touch your music collection. They are opening an independent vinyl specialty store, Phono Select Records, in Midtown in early September. "Digital music is so soulless," said Basi, 42. "Fast food is kind of like an MP3. You're getting what you need for the moment, but it's not something special." Basi and Lujan both use digital audio players. But the most devoted music fans are into the entire "organic" experience:

The Sacramento Mountain Lions are about to receive a large dose of credibility and star power.  According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the UFL's Sacramento franchise is in the process of finalizing a contract with former NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper.  The erstwhile QB, who played in eight games last season for the Detroit Lions, will try to prove that he has still got something in the tank after spending the past five years as an NFL journeyman. A three-time Pro Bowler and one-time Madden NFL cover boy with the Minnesota Vikings, the 6-foot 4-inch, 260-pound quarterback put up huge numbers in 2004, throwing for 39 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards. He set a record for most combined yarda

Looking to dance to the beat of a different drummer? Sacramento's DJ Rock Bottom strives to enable you to do just that. The first and third Friday of every month, Rock Bottom spins a dance party called "Hot Pants" at Level Up Lounge. Whether it's Prince, Black Star or remixes of old-school Motown, Rock Bottom said his goal is to "challenge people to push the envelope, get outside of their box and let go musically." Rock Bottom, born John Word, grew up in Gary, Ind., about 25 miles from downtown Chicago. He recalls as a child listening religiously to Common Sense (now Common), perhaps Chicago's most innovative emcee. He also emulated a cousin's musical taste by listening to Afrika Bambaat

The second annual In the Flow jazz festival brought music and art fans out to Broadway's hub with more than 30 bands, poetry readings and live painting. For $20, ticket holders were given wristbands that allowed entrance into all of the weekend's shows, which spanned five different venues along Broadway. For those who weren't wearing wristbands, several free performances were hosted at Records, Java Lounge and Records. The back-to-back schedules at the venues allowed for a constant stream of activity, and if ticket holders didn’t like one performance, they could walk down the street to the next one. The goal of the festival was to "showcase all of the different kinds of jazz you'll find

Take a million-dollar inventory of LPs, CDs and DVDs, arrange them on several 80-foot-long tables and place them into a 10,000 square foot room for three days. This is the recipe for Capital Public Radio's (CPR) annual Used Record and CD Sale. It will commence on Friday night with a "Preview Party" from 6 - 9 p.m. For a $20 cover charge, people can get a jump start on the musical feast while enjoying live music, food and wine. On Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., the public can dig in for free and search through the leftovers. It all takes place in suite 172 of the "Howe 'bout Arden" shopping center at 2100 Arden Way. All-in-all there will be approximately 45,000 vinyl records

Every year, Davis radio station KDVS holds a record swap where local record labels, record collectors and record stores can trade thousands of records. It's likely that a few CDs, T-shirts and turntables will turn up as well. This year's event will be held Saturday in Luigi's Fun Garden, and music nerds, casual shoppers and passersby can get in for $3. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. people will be able to visit booths of more than a dozen vendors, including punk-rock labels Gearhead and Prank Records. KDVS, Midtown Monthly and the 'Zine Symposium held July 11 will also have tables, according to event co-coordinator Heather Klinger. Also a DJ at KDVS, she's been coordinating the event with Tim Mat

Sacramento's record stores are world class. On Saturday, April 18, several record stores in the grid proved it during International Record Store Day, a celebration of real, physical record stores -- as opposed to online behemoths or corporations who sell music. Over 500 record stores across the country participated in the second annual celebration held on the third Saturday of every April. "Some of the best records stores in the entire country are in Sacramento," Hip Hop artist and record collector Lyrics Born said in a previous Sacramento Press article. "I think the record store is vastly under appreciated," said former 30-year Tower Records employee Mike Farrace outside of R5 records

On April 18, 2009, R5 Records will be having a huge record swap for the internationally celebrated Record Store Day! Record Store Day is a day where hundreds of independently owned record stores celebrate the art of music. When R5 Records had their celebration last year, over 1,000 people showed up to see tons of local bands play and to get their hands on some awesome music paraphernalia. This year we will once again have a huge lineup of local bands and DJs that are going to be playing great music all day long. Inside the store EVERYTHING is going to be on sale and you'll have a chance to find some awesome stuff in in the Rock n' Roll garage sale we're having. There's also going to be rec

I understand that shortly after the writing of this piece,  the Tower Record Store sign located at the closed chains Watt and El Camino store location will be coming down.  While I do not know how long the sign has been there, the store apparently opened in 1960.  The sign will be donated to local officials as a vital piece of history, eventially to be part of the Sacramento History Museum in Old Town Sac.  Alas this reminder triggers yet another sentimental trip down the infamous "Memory Lane".  While I have no pictures to share, maybe some reading this do.  I do know Tower Records over the years was the recipient of many of my hard earned dollars, dollars that these days most often go t

The Astro and the Elroy are quickly becoming one of Sacramento's coolest hangouts. The two newly renovated buildings, which were converted from motels, are collectively known as the RetroLodge. Originally meant to house 50 work/live studios, RetroLodge's amenities include bathrooms, conference rooms with kitchenettes, and shared courtyards. The style is meant to evoke 1950's and 1960's Palm Springs, but the most important feature the property boasts are its 50 parking spaces for lease, a rare find in midtown. One of the first tenants in the Jetsons-named Elroy building was Dig Music - the label of notable Sacramento musician Jackie Greene, perhaps the most successful Sacramento musical p

As a child born in the eighties, I didn’t have time for much of a love affair with the vinyl record. A few years laid out on our brown shag carpet listening to the soft whir and tick of the record needle – gone in a flash with the appearance of the compact disc player. With its built-in lasers and shiny discs that occupied less space on cramped apartment shelves, the new device easily charmed our family. The records were quickly scuttled away in pine boxes to the dank recesses of our storage space. There was no looking back. Now almost three decades later, armed with an iPod, a BlackBerry and a lovely home network of Macintosh computers, I find myself happily rediscovering vinyl. And I’m