Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "sacramento bee"

Locke Property Dispute (part 3)

2011-11-01T08:38:57Z

Read "Locke property dispute (part 1)" here.

This is my reply to the long response of another of my neighbors in Locke to "Locke property dispute (part 2)"

RLM: It was with great interest that I read this.
Esch: Glad to have your interest, Ronnie.

RLM: I have never publicly spoken on this matter, neither verbally nor in print--not even anonymously.
Esch: According to my friend Jacquie and her friend, who visited me a couple weeks ago, you had quite a lot to say to them about it.

RLM: However, I must dispute some of the claims made. Firstly: There are two separate issues here 1" the manner in which the building at 1265 Levee was acquired by Ms. Esch and 2) the zoning of this property.
Esch: Go for it.

RLM: Before a property in Locke may be sold, it must be presented to the Locke Management Association (LMA) governing board. The LMA has the right of first refusal--they may match any offer being considered for a property in Locke and purchase it. The board has 30 days in which to make its decision. Ms. Esch is aware of this--she and I have spoken of it prior to this, though not in this context; furthermore, I believe she has been present at least one meeting when a property has been presented well prior this. RLM: “The board has 30 days in which to make its decision. “
Esch: Wrong, Ronnie. 25 days, not 29 30. Open your CC&R’s to page 8, section 2.8 and read it. The LMA board was four days late by their own rules, plain and simple.

RLM: “This building was not presented to the LMA as being for sale, nor was it presented as having an offer made.”
Esch: True, it was not put up for sale. I made an offer to the seller. She accepted it. I opened escrow through Placer Title Company, who then sent e-mail notification of my bona fide offer to LMA’s Executive Director, Shirley Roberts on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at 4:08 PM (two and a half hours before the start of the LMA monthly meeting). Roberts replied to Placer Title’s e-mail 35 minutes later at 4:43 PM. Roberts and LMA Chairman Clarence Chu had the responsibility to publicly release the news of my escrow to the board and to the public during the communications portion of that meeting. They instead chose to keep the information secret. This was the first in a long series of Ralph M. Brown Act violations the LMA made, just on this property issue, alone.

RLM: “Instead, they were notified by the title company asking if there was an impediment; they were told there was--escrow had not yet closed. “
Esch: Not quite. The title company did not ask if there was an impediment. The seller’s attorney received an email on March 9, 2011 from Chairman Chu, stating that the LMA board had voted to exercise ROFR. From February 8 to March 9 is 29 days. LMA was 4 days late by their own rules. Plain and simple. With or without a petition with 12 signatures on it, not 16, taken illegally by a board member with clear conflict of interest and no public notification, the LMA board was still late.

RLM: Apparently Ms. Esch feels she is above the rules; they were not followed.
Esch: The word “buyer” is not mentioned anywhere in the LMA’s CC&R’s or in its Bylaws. The seller followed the rules. Placer Title Company followed the rules. We all waited out LMA’s 25 day ROFR period. The only entity that feels it’s above the rules is the LMA board, itself.

RLM: As for the zoning issue: Laura Ulewicz owned that home before she died. It was one of her goals to see that the zoning on her home, and of Levee Street east of Main, receive residential zoning. She had the support of everyone that lived on our street. She was successful--the zoning on our street was changed to residential. We celebrated this together.
Esch: Ronnie, sorry to break this to you, but you’re also within zone 5, the commercial/residential zone of Locke. Open up your county SPA Special Planning Area packet to the zoning map of Locke on page 14. If you can’t find your copy, here’s an online link to it: http://www.msa2.saccounty.net/planning/Documents/Zoning-Code/TitleV%20504-400%20Locke.pdf

RLM: Laura was my best friend. She was a poet (yes, a published one) and a passionate gardener. Her home, her yard, reflected her love of things growing. The entrance to our street was cool, green and shady, enlivened by flowers; our privacy was enhanced by her plantings of tall service berry shrubs, which also fed the birds. One could find many flowers and ferns growing in the understory of her plantings. In her last years, Laura often expressed the fear that all she worked for, the trees, shrubs, and flowers that she planted and nurtured, her living legacy, would be chopped down, as if she never existed. And now they are. Our street is no longer cooled and protected from prying eyes by Laura's legacy. Ms. Esch has cut them down.
Esch: Laura was my friend, too, Ronnie. I am doing my best to care take her property with respect, though I’ll never be the accomplished gardener she was. I weeded many of the shrubs that have become overgrown since Laura’s passing in 2007. That really annoyed the rats and ferule cats that were having ongoing parties in them. I did have two of the twenty-some trees cut down, I cannot lie. I invite any readers of this to stop by when I’m there and pick from Laura’s thriving fig, pomegranate, cherry, loquat, plum, peach, lime and ginkgo trees on the property, some of which I prune to hopefully yield a better crop next season.

RLM: One can walk or drive by and look in the windows.
Esch: No one can drive by. Levee Road is blocked by a permanently parked car, and in front of a different house, there are a bunch of assorted possessions, spilling onto the road (in addition to about a dozen or so cats). The windows on the two houses you’re referring to are opaque or covered in tin foil and have been for years.

RLM: The house across from her now receives the searing rays of the searing summer sun.
Esch: The house across the street from me is south of mine. Even on the summer solstice, his trees cast a shadow on mine, not the other way around.

RLM: The ambient temperature on our street has risen a few degrees during the warm weather.
Esch: The ambient temperature on Levee Road hasn’t risen a fraction of a mercurial inch. See the above photo I took this week of my property while standing on Levee Road.

RLM: I have seen tourists standing on the porch of the home directly across from her, their faces pressed up to the glass of the windows, trying to peer into this man's home.
Esch: I doubt that. He keeps tin foil taped to his window.

RLM: I have had tourists try to enter my own home, further down the street.
Esch: Yes, you’ve told me this story four or five times since 2006, Ronnie.

RLM: Ms. Esch has opened a store here, disregarding the fact that it is not zoned for it. She makes the claim based upon 'businesses' that have not existed for far longer than she claims--Laura came here in the 1960s; there were no businesses on this street then, nor were there thereafter.
Esch: Here we go again. Open up your SPA docs to the zoning map on page 14.

RLM: Is there prejudice in Locke? I have no doubt--we are all human, and where there are humans, it will exist. Is racial prejudice being directed against Martha Esch to wrest her building (note I don't say home, it isn't her home) from her? Nope. We just want her to go by the rules.
Esch: Okay.

RLM: BTW, I am not Chinese, I was both a CAC member who voted on and for the zoning issue/change to residential that the Sac. Board of Supervisors passed,
Esch: Page 14. SPA.

RLM: ...as well voting against the right of first refusal.
Esch: So, let’s see...you voted against ROFR and now you want LMA to apply it...right?

RLM: I was a founding board member of the LMA. I have not been a board member for several years now. I am trying to keep this honest.
Esch: I was going to reply to this, too,...but I’d better not.

Disclosure: They either love me or they hate me in Locke, anymore. Middle ground has disappeared.

Locke Property Dispute (part 2) in the ongoing battle.

2011-10-28T00:52:32Z

Continued from "Locke property dispute (part 1)"

There was a second response – a very lengthy one - to my first article from an anonymous person posting under the name, “Locked.” I suspect “Locked” is one of my neighbors and a board member of LMA Locke Management Association, the public agency which has filed a lawsuit against me to take my property. Locked’s writing style is recognizable, accusatory, with no factual basis. Original article (part 1) is found here: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/56717/Locke_property_dispute_part_1 I’ll take Locked’s questions and comments one by one...

Locked: Who's throwing stones?
Esch: LMA board threw the first stones at me when they sent me a threatening letter from their newly-hired lawyer demanding my property title and telling me I had four days to hand it over. When I did not cave, (did they really think I’d just roll over and hand them my property title?), they threw a second handful by retaliating with a lawsuit to try to seize my property. I threw some stones back at them when I filed a HUD complaint, regarding the discriminatory statement made in a March 26, 2011 letter, signed by Clarence Chu, that preference for property purchases in Locke belongs to “…400 Chinese Descendants and Ancestors of Locke...” Mr. Chu told the HUD Investigator that he didn’t read the letter before signing it and someone else wrote the letter for him. More stones back at me from LMA came in May 2011 when I was served with a second court filing. This time for an August 2011 Superior Court hearing requesting Superior Court to place a restraining order on me. Why? Because I trimmed my trees, weeded the lawn, painted the pink siding on my house brown, removed an illegal propane tank, cut down a hazardous post and opened my properly licensed business. Note: At the same time I was doing these things, the Chairman of LMA had work crews erecting two giant statues in front of the School House Museum, with none of the required building permits or Locke Preservation Committee reviews. The day before LMA’s August restraining order hearing, the judge threw their suit out, based on their frivolous complaints and scolded the LMA board for not following their own CC&R rules.

Locked: You know that there was no racism involved.
Esch: LMA’s lawsuit filing to take my property references at length the history of the racial discrimination in Locke, California, and the injustice of the California Alien Land Law of 1913 in which foreigners were not allowed to purchase land but could lease it for three years. I can only assume that LMA’s lawyer is referencing this antiquated, unfair law as LMA’s justification to take my property from me. Some have termed what LMA is doing to me as reverse discrimination, since I happen to be of a race other than their stated preferred national origin. Reverse discrimination is still discrimination. You say no racism exists in Locke. Racism does not outwardly exist in Locke, but on LMA paperwork, letters, court filings, and signage, sadly, it does indeed exist. It especially exists in the direct and indirect assertions made by LMA as to their justification to take away my property deed. More to the point, favoritism runs rampant in Locke, LMA board members have not been told to obtain legal business licenses for their businesses, and they have been allowed to make major changes to their buildings and land without permits or historic preservation reviews. Also, all of the past and present seated board members who own Locke property have been given waivers to ROFR by their fellow board members, directly opposing the procedures of their own CC&R’s.

Locked: You lost the case. These are facts not stones.
Esch: I have not lost the case. The HUD investigation is open for another two years. A second HUD investigation, resulting from a discrimination complaint made by another Locke resident is presently being filed against the LMA Board.
The LMA Superior Court hearing to take away my property is scheduled for December 22, 2011 in Sacramento’s Superior Court.

Locked: I understand that you want to keep your house but what exactly do you hope to gain by spreading the false rumors that Locke is a racist town?
Esch: Locke is not a racist town, but racism (the California Alien Land Law of 1913) was at its root and founding and persists into today in an inverted way. The statement made by LMA that preference to purchase property in Locke should be given to a single national origin is certainly racist, by definition. The signs in the Boarding House Museum claim that Locke was built for and by one single national origin. Another sign says “Locke is almost exclusively populated until very recently by” a single national origin. Contrary to those claims, the 1930 US Census and earlier records in the county’s archives, Locke is and has always been a global community since its origins in 1907 when the rail yards and the cannery employed hundreds of immigrants from all around the world, not just one single origin of people. It would be refreshing to see LMA and LF Locke Foundation give credit to the other 23 nationalities that lived in Locke as well on its signage, monuments, museums, literature, website and at Locke’s street celebrations. The failure to take notice of the many nationalities that participated in Locke’s life is yet another form of racism and is perverted history.

Locked: This only harms this community. It insults the people who started this town because they could not own land in the first place because of the Alien Exclusion Act. I did not see that in your brief history of the town. Gee, I would consider that the most important part of the history and why the whole town even exists.
Esch: You’re mistaken, it is not the Alien Exclusion Act of 1920 and the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 that did that, it is the California Alien Land Law of 1913, as I mentioned, above. Instead of repeating what you’ve been told, why not explore these matters in depth, yourself, and become familiar with the actual and true facts? The people who founded this town were from many nations, not just one. I hope LMA and LF soon finally acknowledge every culture’s contributions to Locke and the Delta. One reason the town even exists is due to the contributions of many cultures.

Locked: What effect do you think it will have on tourism and your future business?
Esch: It’s time to tell the true story of Locke, originally named Lockeport. If LMA would tell the accurate history of our town, it would bring more visitors from around the world. The fabricated claims written in the 1970’s in order to gain grants and funding for buildings that needed to be stabilized and electrified and for the installation of an operational sewage system in the town served their purpose for the time. (But, what about fire protection? The incomplete exterior sprinkler system that was installed on fewer than half of the buildings with taxpayers’ monies in 2003 cannot be tested, there are broken fire hydrants, exposed dangerous wiring on some of the buildings, there is only one fire alarm in town and it is disconnected, there are no posted evacuation plans for visitors or residents, and it is questionable whether most of the fifty buildings even have an operational smoke detector or fire extinguisher.)

Locked: You want to change a residential home into a commercial one which has been residential for at least 30 years. Your closest neighbor’s home is eight feet from what will be your new commercial business’ front door.
Esch: The building I purchased is within the commercial/residential zone of Locke, as are my neighbors’ homes on Levee Road and Main Street. I invite you to look at the zoning and planning map for Locke, as I have. The county would not have issued me a business license if I were not in a properly zoned area. The house to which you refer is more like forty feet away (not eight) from my front door - was King’s Radio & TV Shop back in the 1950’s. If my neighbor chooses to live in it, but not run a business from it, that is his prerogative, just as I have the right to run my licensed business from mine, in a properly zoned area.

Locked: How would you feel if someone opened a business in front of your home after you have lived on a quiet residential street for 25 years?
Esch: If any of my neighbors had a problem with the commercial/residential zoning of Locke in 2005, they could have raised their objections at the SHRA and CAC meetings that were held in the Schoolhouse Museum. My next door neighbor told me he is considering opening a business, too. I hope he does.

Locked: Over half of the LMA board is made up of your neighbors and people who might become your fellow merchants.
Esch: Four of the thirteen LMA board members reside in Locke. Two other board members own Locke properties, including the Chairman of LMA who chooses not to live in Locke. He owns seven of the sixteen buildings on Main Street, including three unstaffed museums. If other board members wish to join me and become fellow merchants, that would be great – we need more merchants to staff the closed-up stores. However, those currently operating businesses and museums without business licenses need to do apply and obtain them just as the rest of us are required to have licenses.

Locked: These are people you are calling racists Martha, your neighbors.
Esch: Racists, no. People who play favorites, yes. People who act as a clique, yes. Elitists who practice cronyism, yes. The LMA board is on a fast path of self-destruction, and if it hopes to retain its position, it had better clean up its behavior and start using proper and fair procedures.

Locked: What will you gain by doing this? You will only alienate your neighbors and you have.
Esch: The LMA board has treated their public audience, renters and residents of Locke with disrespect for several years, disdainfully calling the residential and business renters “Invitees” and telling us we have no rights in the matters of our own town, no voting power, and no voices that will be considered on issues that concern us. LMA board has the hypocritical voice of the 1913 California Alien Land Law speaking. We hope to soon cause change in these matters. Most of my Locke neighbors are supportive and feel the LMA has been unreasonable in its actions against me and other residents. As for my neighbors, two of them hurl obscenities at the tourists who walk past their doors. A third neighbor, who is on the board, reached five feet over my fence with a chainsaw on a stick and trimmed the trunks of my tree last month without asking me. I don’t care if I alienate those three. My other neighbors defend my position.

Locked: What tourists will come to see the racist town?
Esch: The same tourists and more – and Locke is not a racist town, it is also not an “almost exclusively Chinese” town.

Locked: You are myopically focused on your one goal and are disregarding where your stones are and will be falling. You are the one throwing stones.
Esch: Myopically focused? You bet. You’d be myopically focused, too, if a public agency filed a lawsuit against you to take your legal property away and harassed you and your friends at their public monthly meetings.

Locked: You fail to mention in your article the public petition presented to the LMA asking them to vote to exercise the RFR.
Esch: Oh, yes, let’s talk about that. Curiously, and quite illegally, in late February 2011, one of the LMA board members, accompanied by a multiple property owner in Locke, went door-to-door with a petition for the LMA to buy the property for which I was already in legal escrow. Thirteen (13) people of the sixty (60) residents signed the illegally-administered petition.

Locked: The e-mails sent by owners also.
Esch: Yes, at the March 8, 2011 LMA meeting, LMA board member, Deborah Mendel stated that she had received several e-mails from friends and neighbors during the 25 day ROFR period, wishing to buy the property for which I was already in legal escrow. Mendel’s confidential e-mails are part of a series of serious Ralph M. Brown Act violations by LMA board that apparently occurred on the issue of my property purchase.

Locked: Over half the property owners in Locke requested that the LMA exercise the RFR.
Esch: There are fifty (50) properties in Locke. Thirteen (13) signatures on an illegally-administered petition are about one-fourth, not over half. Perhaps you are counting thirteen as the majority of property owners in Locke, due to the odd voting power structure on matters of homeowners of Locke. In 2004 when the LMA was formed, Locke was parceled by the SHRA Sacramento Housing Redevelopment Agency and property owners (including many long-time squatters) were given property deeds - most for the first time according to Sacramento County records. Sixteen of the fifty-some buildings had no interested buyers, were not publicly listed, and were purchased by three people who, along with all the other new parcel owners, did not have to go through ROFR Right of First Refusal and its 25 day waiting period. These three individuals control the majority of the voting power in Locke today with one vote granted per one parcel. Since LMA is a public agency, it must abide by Federal and State laws and it is questionable whether one vote per parcel, not one vote per person, is even constitutional. Additionally, the LMA board has allowed the ROFR 25-day period to be waived early of passed with no actions taken for all of their fellow board members who have purchased Locke property since 2005 when they were formed. Cronyism, plain and simple.

Locked: The people of this community joined together and spoke out.
Esch: And many more in this community and other communities are speaking back.

Locked: We are not racists. Most of the people are the same race as you. It was a dirty card to play, false and you continue to promote this cause in the press. It only hurts us all.
Esch: Based on the LMA’s written statement that a single national origin must be “notified due to their own preference to purchase the Locke property,” racism is hurting me, as I do not fit LMA’s preferred nationality, and am now saddled with fighting their lawsuit against me. I agree with you on one thing, though, the LMA’s pursuit of this vindictive and ultimately fruitless lawsuit only hurts us all.

Continue to "Locke property dispute (part 3)"

Disclosure: If Locked replies a third time, I will not respond again unless he or she reveals their true identity in their public reply posting. The same goes for any other anonymous posters. Thank you to everyone for your support and interest. ~ Martha Esch

Composting, cover crops, and red worms

2011-10-11T01:20:16Z

Saturday morning was warm enough to draw more than 38 people to Martin Luther King Junior Community Garden for seminars and discussions on composting, cover crops, vermicomposting and the benefits of ladybug larvae.

More than a dozen people attended the first of two composting seminars, led by Bill Maynard, master gardener and director of community gardens for the city.

Sacramento waste reduction coordinator Doug Houston opened the 8 a.m. event by speaking about waste reduction and the cost of green waste. Houston told the group that Sacramento pays for green waste disposal. Bins cost residents less money each month, and they are environmentally friendly because green waste is kept out of the storm drains, he said.

“Food waste in the garbage means organics go into the landfill,” he said. “The organics create methane which becomes greenhouse gas. Yard waste is a valuable resource.” He then confessed that he keeps a composting bin in his office.

Each attendee received a kitchen composting bin, a container of parsley to plant, a composting booklet, seeds and a discount coupon for a composting bin at Home Depot.

Houston introduced Bill Maynard, who told the group there will be 11 community gardens in Sacramento by the end of the month. Each plot could generate $400 worth of food per year.

“Fall is my favorite time of year,” he said. “Free carbon falls from the sky,” referring to leaves.

He led the first of two lectures on composting and discussed the differences between hot and cold composting, saying that hot will happen faster but takes more effort, and cold takes about nine months and will happen whether we want it to or not. Both require carbon and nitrogen layers.

Carbon should be both the top and bottom layer and consists of leaves, twigs, newspaper using soy-based ink like Sacramento News & Review or The Sacramento Bee, hair and cotton dryer lint, Maynard explained.

Nitrogen layers should be living or still green, like lettuce and spinach, but not Bermuda grass or diseased plants.

“Look under leaves for aphid eggs,” Maynard said. “The eggs are laid in the fall and hatch in spring. Most of the year aphids are all female and are born pregnant.”

Plant materials were circulated for attendees to examine for evidence of disease or eggs.

A short question-and-answer session followed with questions about whether the heat would kill Bermuda grass and seeds.

“If the compost pile gets to 133 degrees for several days, the heat may kill the seeds,” Maynard said. “The temperature can rise to 160 or 180 degrees, but it’s best to let the Bermuda grass dry out and use as part of the carbon layer.”

Maynard warned against using weed seeds or morning glories due to flower overproduction, or too many coffee grounds, because of the acidity. He added, though, that rhododendrons and azaleas prefer more acidity.

When asked how moist to keep the pile, Maynard said “like a wrung-out sponge,” adding that the pile can be in the sun or the shade, but that worms prefer cool, and the pile should be protected from rain.

Maynard suggested using compost at the root zone of plants or to place around the plants, and said of the odor that “it should smell like a nice, earthy scent.” A stinky pile needs more nitrogen.

“Always end with a layer of carbon, to act as a cap to prevent flies from laying eggs in the pile and deter rodents,” he reminded the group before leading them to the cover crop demonstration.

Cover Crops

Maynard called cover crops green manure that “enrich the soil.” He said the crops should be cut down by Feb. 15, and by March 15, “the average last frost date,” gardeners may plant at their own risk, reminding attendees that frost does not mark its calendar.

Fava beans, bell beans, field mustard and winter wheat are good winter cover crops. Buckwheat is good for summer. Maynard demonstrated the planting of both fava beans (in rows) and mustard (scattered).

Maynard also mentioned that he is working with the Sacramento Food Bank (3rd Avenue and 33rd Street) and will manage the garden education center. Monthly gardening classes will begin in 2012.

Vermicomposting

The group moved to hear about the benefits of composting with worms and how to build and maintain a worm farm. Worm Fancy’s Michelle Himed, a self-described “compulsive recycler” and Kate Waldo, a “vermaholic,” led the discussion on vermicomposting.

Himed opened by speaking about the history of Worm Fancy and their goal “to educate, build worm bins, and get into classrooms.” They want to reach the youngest generation, the kindergartners, and teach them what happens when they throw a banana peel into a worm bin.

Waldo described the difference between the bins for the classroom, which are single unit bins, and manufactured, multi-layered bins that can be kept in a house or office. Plans for building a classroom unit were available. A plastic bin, water or soda bottle plastic top and some black shade screen were the primary materials used.

Worms require bedding, which can be almost any type of paper. It cannot be the glossy pages from many magazines. They approved the pages from Edible, which was available at the event, as bedding material.

“Worms eat paper as fast as they eat kitchen products,” Waldo said. “They eat the microbes on top of the food.”

Worms cannot be fed everything, though.

“No dairy, no meat and no oil,” she said. “Worms breathe through their skin, and being coated in oil will kill them.

“It’s best to begin with a pound of worms, which is between 800 and 1,000,” she continued. “They are voracious eaters and can eat up to one half of their body weight each day. One pound of worms will eat about three pounds of food each week.”

Attendees were warned not to overfeed or to permit the bins to “get too hot or too smelly.”

“Worms are prolific,” she said. “One adult worm can have up to three cocoons per week and can have between one and 20 worms per cocoon.”

If people were concerned about overcrowding, Himed reassured “the population will regulate itself.”

Waldo reached into the school bin and pulled out a handful of paper. She discussed the types of paper products to use, adding that layering should be used like in composting. Several worms tried to burrow into the paper.

“Worms need to be trained to burrow down, so when first adding works to the bin, it’s best to begin by exposing them to about an hour of light so that they learn to stay down,” Himed said.

The bin’s temperature should be cool, and the bin should be kept in deep shade or inside the house. Mini swamp coolers made from frozen water bottles can help keep bins cool during temperatures above 90 degrees. Worms should also not be too cold, so sometimes miniature holiday lights might be used.

Harvesting should occur every three months and will produce five to six gallons of casings, which equates to nearly one cubic foot. This is enough to start planting in spring. Some casings sold in the store are dry and do not offer the same benefit.

Ladybug larvae

Several people remained to speak about worms, while Maynard led another group to the pumpkin plants and discussed the benefits of ladybugs in the garden.

“Many times, gardeners will kill the ladybug larvae because they think it’s a bad bug,” Maynard said. “In fact, it’s a good bug that eats a lot of aphids before it changes into a ladybug.”

Yes to composting and community gardening

Most attendees were seeking out composting information for their home gardens. Several people said they enjoyed the seminar and discussions very much and had gained a lot of information. Some people had not yet begun their gardens; others had just started; others had been gardening for a long time.

Heather and Joseph Cromartie said they would probably use both traditional composting and vermicomposting at some point in their home gardens, where they are growing greens, carrots, bell beans and tomatoes.

On this visit, one community gardener harvested Swiss chard, saying the rain helped a great deal before she attended the day’s second composting seminar.

Maynard reminded attendees that there are still several plots available. The next plot sale at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Garden is Oct. 18.

Child safety improves as CPS takes fewer kids

2011-09-07T12:42:28Z

After years of holding the dubious distinction of tearing apart families at one of the highest rates in California, Sacramento County finally has brought its rate of child removal in line with the state average, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday.

But the Bee left out some good news: The two key measures of safety used by the federal government show that, as entries into foster care declined, child safety improved.

Apparently even with budget cuts, setting clear standards and doing a better job of weeding out false reports and trivial cases has given workers more time to focus on finding children in real danger.

One would think the fact that Sacramento County used to be the child removal capital of California was unknown to the Bee before Monday – since that’s the first time I saw it reported in that newspaper. In fact, reporter Margie Lundstrom was aware of this, but I have never seen it in any of her stories. Lundstrom has been Sacramento media’s biggest cheerleader for the county’s previous, failed take-the-child-and-run approach to child welfare.

In contrast, Brad Branan, who reported Monday’s story, apparently takes the refreshing position that readers are entitled to all sides of a story.

Of course, some Sacramento Press readers have known about the county’s dubious distinction for more than a year – it was the subject of a series of stories I wrote for the Press in 2010.

Those stories also outlined the enormous harm done to children when they are torn needlessly from everyone they know and love and consigned to foster care, and they discussed the significant risk of abuse in foster care itself.

Now, at last, the Bee acknowledges that, as Monday’s story put it:

Even those charged with advocating for abused and neglected children accused the agency of overreaching. "They were removing too many children," said Bob Wilson of Sacramento Child Advocates, which provided legal representation for children in Juvenile Dependency Court for almost 20 years, before losing its contract in July.

The Bee notes that the number of children torn from their homes declined from 2,391 in 2008 to 1,005 in 2010, according to county data. Unfortunately, data from a comprehensive database maintained by the University of California, Berkeley show that the rate of removal is increasing again, but not to its previous level.

That same database tracks the two key measures used by the federal government to assess child safety, the percentage of maltreated children who are maltreated again within six months and the percentage of children sent home from foster care who are removed again within 12 months.

During the same time period that entries into care declined, both of these measures improved.

Now, instead of being the child removal capital of California, Sacramento’s rate of removal is about average for the state’s larger counties, when entries into care are compared with the number of impoverished children in each county. Full details are in NCCPR’s updated California Rate-of-Removal Index available here: http://www.nccpr.org/reports/2009californiaror.pdf

But Sacramento can do better still.

Orange County does almost as well as Sacramento on one safety indicator, and significantly better on the other. But Orange County removes children at a rate more than 20 percent lower than Sacramento.

The Bee story notes concerns by Wilson and others that, as a result of budget cuts, the county may be overlooking children in real danger. And it cites a report from the CPS Oversight Committee which found lapses in investigations of cases that ended in tragedy.

But sadly, both problems existed even before the budget cuts – when Sacramento was squandering money on tearing apart all those families needlessly. The data suggest that these problems remain serious and real, but they occur less often now.

Another concern is the elimination of a key prevention program, the family maintenance unit. That program provided voluntary help to families before problems reached the point where CPS intervention was needed. Eliminating that program may indeed set the stage for future tragedies.

But there is a way to revive it without adding to the total budget of the agency. The agency can free up a lot of money by ending the barbaric practice of parking children at that very expensive relic of 19th Century child welfare, the Children’s Receiving Home. I discussed the problems with using the home in this story last year.

CPS actually faces a bigger challenge than money: maintaining its smart, sensible new approach in the face of the next horror story. You can bet that those wedded to the disgraced take-the-child-and-run approach are just waiting for the next tragedy so they can scapegoat the reforms – and hope everybody forgets that the same tragedies occurred when the county was tearing apart far more families. And you can bet Margie Lundstrom will be glad to oblige them with a front-page story parroting their views and ignoring all dissent.

By now, however, perhaps the leadership in county government and the people of Sacramento County know better than to be fooled again.

Former journalist Richard Wexler is Executive Director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, based in Alexandria Va. The full NCCPR California Rate of Removal Index and comprehensive recommendations for reforming child welfare in California and nationwide are available at www.nccpr.org

Retiree benefits data released to the Bee

2011-06-17T02:23:39Z

The agency that manages retirement benefits for Sacramento County employees provided in-depth information about retirees’ finances to The Sacramento Bee earlier this week after a lengthy court battle.

The Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System released information about retirees on June 13, Richard Stensrud, the chief executive officer of SCERS said Wednesday.

Joyce Terhaar, executive editor of the Bee, confirmed in an interview Thursday that the newspaper received retiree information from SCERS after suing for it in 2010.“In general, it should have been available from the beginning,” Terhaar said, referring to the data SCERS submitted.

The Bee, which joined with the First Amendment Coalition in a lawsuit against SCERS in 2010, is currently working on stories about the retirees’ information, Terhaar said. She added that she did not know the dates the stories will be published.

The Bee stories may report information that includes the names of retirees and beneficiaries who are collecting benefits, their retirement dates, the names of the departments or agencies for which they worked, their jobs at the time of retirement and how long they were in the retirement system, according to a June 9 letter Stensrud sent to SCERS members.

Retirement allowances, cost of living payments and current retirement payments could also be included in the stories, he wrote.

A June 10 Bee editorial said that the taxpayers should not be blocked from learning the information. “That money comes not just from county employees and retirees, but taxpayers, too. Taxpayers have a right to know what they are paying for,” according to the editorial.

James Diepenbrock, the president of SCERS’ board of directors, said the board did not want to release the information because doing so would make SCERS vulnerable to lawsuits by its members.

Diepenbrock said SCERS must adhere to County Employees Retirement Law of 1937. “That act specifically states that we are to maintain the confidentiality of members’ records,” he said. “As a fiduciary, the board and I felt we can’t release this data because of the way the law reads.”

Terhaar said the courts disagreed with the board’s interpretation of the law.

Stensrud also acknowledged the courts’ views in his letter to retirees.

“Unfortunately, however, both the trial court and the Court of Appeals concluded that the disclosure principles of the (California Public Records Act) outweigh the confidentiality provisions of the 1937 Act,” he wrote.

The Sacramento Bee and First Amendment Coalition won both of their legal fights with SCERS. The Third District Court of Appeals decided May 11 that names of SCERS’ retirees and beneficiaries and their payment information should be publicly released, according to a statement on the SCERS website.

The prior court battle played out in Sacramento County Superior Court, which determined in July 2010 that the data about retirees and beneficiaries should be released under the state’s Public Records Act.

“SCERS does not agree with the conclusion reached by the courts, and continues to believe that ‘naming names’ adds minimal value to the oversight of public employee benefits,” Stensrud wrote in his letter.

“SCERS also continues to be concerned that in this digital age the release of such detailed information could be used by people with questionable motives to prey upon vulnerable retirees and beneficiaries,” he wrote.

SCERS charged the Bee $560 for the records it delivered on Monday, Stensrud said. The charge was to cover the costs of SCERS’ staff time to create a new report out of various databases and for conducting manual research for an element of the data that was not in an existing database, he said.

The Public Records Act states that a public agency can charge fees for “direct costs of duplication” of data.

The information can now be obtained by anyone who wants to make a Public Records Act request. Stensrud said he was unsure of what the charge would be to give out the same information that was provided to the Bee.

Read Stensrud’s June 9 letter to SCERS members here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Art Happens 2011

2011-06-07T19:22:59Z

The 2011 Art Happens, hosted by the Sacramento Artists Council, took place June 4 in Midtown. The venue was held inside the Sacramento Art Complex on 2110 K Street.

This was a benefit event to support art in Sacramento. Sutter Middle School and Nevada Union High School students exhibited works of art by their students. Artwork created by the students also helped their school art programs as ~~one~~ 100 percent of sales was given to the respective school’s art program.

The event was sponsored by Sacramento News and Review, Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Press and others. A day full of art, music, food, wine tasting and great music contributed to the festivities.

The Sacramento Art Complex was full of guests and they were able to partake in activities at the main gallery where artwork by Nevada Union High School students was exhibited and available for purchase. A stage for performers was also set up here as was a prize table for raffle winners to select prizes. A merchandise table was also set up for musical guests to sell their CDs and other items. The Sacramento Press had also set up a prize wheel and give-away area and provided streamed live media coverage of stage performances.

The back patio had activities for kids and face painting by Christine Conklin and friends. Artwork by Kristen Hoard was being shown and sold. Coconut Al’s Catering cooked some delicious food in the back patio as well. Out in the sculptural Garden, Steve Cook’s artwork was available for viewing and purchase.

Susan Rabinovitz, at one point took the microphone to say, “Once again thank you so much for supporting Art Happens and the students and local artists. Thank you also for watching all of the great bands that have been playing and really hanging out with us today. It’s been awesome.” she then announced some winners from the raffle. In between acts she came up and announced raffle winners who were then able to pick a prize from a table that held all the prizes and winners had to be present.

The event is set up to raise money for art related scholarships and grants. Art Happens assists artists and musicians to exhibit and sell their product. Sponsor support creates most of the generated funds that go toward grants, scholarships and school artwork exhibits.

The event began at 11 in the morning and Julianna Zachariou, a 2010 Jammies winner and a Sacramento Artists Council scholarship 2010 winner, was scheduled to perform. When I arrived at the gallery Parie Wood, 2011 Jammies 3rd place and Judge’s Award Winner as well as Adam Lewis had already performed. I arrived when Alyssa Cox and the Flatland band were already on stage.

When I first arrived Alyssa Cox and her group had already started their set. I walked in and heard the sweet vocals and melody of “Less Than Comforting”. This was the first time I’ve heard them play and their melody was quite captivating.

I walked around the main gallery and looked at the art hanging on the walls created by Nevada Union High School students.

I met with Mark Rabinovitz, Vice President, Sacramento Artists Council and he filled me in on the art being exhibited. The Nevada Union High School of Grass Valley artwork was in exhibit at the Main Gallery and the Sutter Middle School gallery was set up towards the back.

Sutter Middle School’s art instructor Miss O’Neill said the art on exhibit was from the 7th and 8th grade classes and art club. “I’m their art teacher Miss O’Neill, the assignment was that it had to be something colorful, anything they chose had to have a rough draft and for their second coat they had to use all mix colors. They couldn’t use anything straight out of the bottle. That was the only criteria.” she said when asked to say something about their art.

Her enthusiasm was great to witness and her passion for the arts came through as she discussed her student’s work.

O’Neill is the only art teacher at Sutter Middle School. As friends and family members came to see the artwork she was able to direct them straight to where that particular student’s art was. All had a number to help identify each art piece and she seemed to know where each piece of art was situated.

In the back patio Coconut Al’s Catering was serving some delicious dishes. I tried their Pinchos which was skewered chicken with a very tasty Caribbean pineapple sauce. This catering service is available for private parties, corporate events, cocktail receptions and festivals. For more information on their services you can contact Coconut Al’s at 916-549-9517.

Other Coconut Al’s recipes offered were Steakbites, Chilean Empanadas, Spinach and Queso Blanco Empanadas, Tomato/cucumber/cilantro salads, Dan’s Potato Salads, Arroz con Pollo and guava based ribs along with other delicious dishes.

Alex Perez can provide further information on the items mentioned as well as other available dishes. Perez said they had been in business for about a year and a half and concentrate primarily on Latin cuisine. He lived in Puerto Rico for a while and had the chance to taste many of their best dishes. He’s also been to the Dominican Republic, Chile, Peru and was able to draw from dishes he’s been able to enjoy.

The food I tasted was delicious with spices that were quite tasty and not very spicy. Alex indicated that he’s been busy doing some graduation parties and other functions that have kept him busy.

The covered back patio was also used for children’s activities. Music from the front gallery was heard back there as well. As I returned to the front Alyssa Cox and the Flatland Band were finishing up their set.

Alyssa is a singer and songwriter whose vocals are quite pleasing. Her original songs and melodies are well accompanied by her backup vocals and band. I only caught a couple of their songs and wished I had gotten there earlier to catch more of their performance.

As I walked through the gallery I met resident artist Gary Garley who introduced me to Steve Cook (another resident artist). We talked about their current and future projects and each, as always, had something in the works.

Deborah Edward, from Mayor Kevin Johnson’s office came to the stage to say a few words. Edward is involved with the "For Arts’ Sake" initiative in Sacramento and indicated that the work being done at the event was a great example of things that should be going on around Sacramento to promote the arts.

Edward noted that she’s seen the growth of art in Sacramento and was happy to be at the Art Happens event noting the fine work the Sacramento Artists Council has been doing. “What I see when I walk around here today is artists who are established and artists who are new. We all know that art in the schools are really hard to come by today. A lot of schools in the area are not providing or are cutting back on art.” she said and again complemented the Sacramento Artists Council on their work.

After her speech Edward and I talked about the event and indicated Mayor Johnson has had a very busy schedule lately but wanted to show his support and Edward was glad to be at the function. She noted Johnson had participated in the Pride parade earlier in the day. I had also attended the parade but did not get a chance to see the Mayor. The parade and Pride event took place under a cloudy and at times rainy day.

Jaxx the 2011 Jammies winner soon took the stage to start their performance. After a quick sound check they dove into “The Unknown Return”. The talented young band from El Dorado Hills then played “March of the Elephants” a Jaxx composition.

After “Waterfall” they played Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” showcasing their guitar playing skills. From time to time one of the kids’ dads would go up to help with sound and stage as Jaxx played and enjoyed putting on a great performance. “Vagabond” an original composition came next and that song worked well with each player complementing each other and is one of their smoother and softer harmonic pieces.

“Debbie’s Rejoice” another of their original songs played to a receptive audience. The song started somewhat slow and increased in tempo to end with an energetic note. Another original composition followed as they played “Prisoner 13”. Their last scheduled song was “Tongues” another song showcasing their instrumental abilities.

As they were about to leave the stage they were told they could play some more and proceeded to play “Hey Joe”. They ended their performance by playing Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. After their last song they graciously thanked everyone for the opportunity to perform.

Susan Rabinovitz, Founder and Executive Director, Sacramento Artists Council came to the microphone and thanked Jaxx for their performance and announced other raffle winners and then introduced Fishlips.

Fishlips opened with a cover song by the Rolling Stones “Miss You”. “Crossroads” was another cover performed by Fishlips. They moved from one song to the next and in between encouraged visitors to take a look at the art and purchase something for a good cause.

I enjoyed their interpretation of Led Zeppelin’s “What Is and Should Never Be” as well as the Jimi Hendrix tune “The Wind Cries Mary”. Actually their whole repertoire was quite excellent.

After a couple of more songs that I did not recognize they played The Doors “Roadhouse Blues” and then took a break. During the break more winners were announced.

An appropriate song was performed by Fishlips after their break as they launched into Bill Withers’ “Ain't No Sunshine”. My favorite cover of the night was their rendition of ZZ Top’s “La Grange”. Fishlips ended their set with their rendition of “Feeling Alright”.

Elaine Hunter was a member of last year’s winning Jammies band (One Eyed Rhyno) and was at the event to perform. As was the case with other performers and young artists she was supported by the presence of her parents and friends.

“Hello everyone I’m so happy to be here, my real name is Elaine Hunter, my stage name is Elaine Kate but what I really want to go by is Buttons del Rio.” she said and continued “I will be accompanied by Matt Swartzendruber but I would rather refer to him as Bobo (I did not get the last name).” She renamed the band since James Hunter is in London. Elaine, Matt and her brother James make up One Eyed Rhyno.

Elaine initially went on stage alone and began her performance starting off with an excellent interpretation of “Love Song” by Sara Bareilles. She followed with Anna Nalick’s “Breathe (2AM)”.

This is the first time I’ve really been able to enjoy Elaine’s vocals and is the first time that I can remember not seeing her playing the drums. As part of One Eyed Rhyno she keeps rhythm for the band and it was such a delight seeing her perform and show her vocal range. Her personality and radiance makes the audience feel at ease and helps her voice draw the audience to her musical talent.

Elaine sang an original song she wrote “Some Day” and then followed with an interpretation of a Regina Spektor tune. Soon after she followed with a Corinne Bailey song “Like a Star” both which were very well done. Matt Swartzendruber sitting by her side on some songs switched back and forth between two guitars he had on stage.

In between songs Elaine noted she had walked around the gallery and liked the work and said her mom was an artist. Elaine went on to talk about a great painting her mom, Mary, had made of a cow. The audience enjoyed her description of the cow painting.

One of the first songs I ever heard Elaine sing was “Sea Of Love” by Phil Phillips, she still does a great interpretation of this classic and I was glad she sang it at this event. Matt accompanied Elaine for this last song and she mentioned that Matt was going off to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston after graduating from high school.

Currently there’s a “Sing Like Lady Gaga Competition” where the winner has a chance to meet Lady Gaga, have a sit-down with a representative from Lady Gaga’s record label and receive an autographed synthesizer. Elaine said she has entered the competition and if you log on to www.singlikeladygaga.com under the End Sacramento 107.9 tag you can help her win when you vote for her video. You can vote as many times as you want. Elaine then proceeded to play “Speechless” by Lady Gaga.

The final act was Musical Charis. I’ve seen them play several times and have yet to see the same line up twice. I’m not sure if I was around when they played their first song but I was able to enjoy “Changed” which can be found on their Electra City Church Bells EP.

Blake Abbey spoke to the audience about supporting local music and artists and helping by purchasing art. Abbey indicated they had played a show in San Francisco the previous night and Jessie Brune drove back after the show. She didn’t mind since it was, I believe she said, doughnut day and they stopped to get some coffee and a doughnut before coming back home.

Abbey introduced the next song “Big Ball” followed by “Eye Candy”. “Thank you guys for listening to us this next song is called “The Life” Abbey said introducing another song. Jessie called out “Buy art!” and Abbey emphasized that as well.

Musical Charis talked amongst themselves as to which song they should play next. I guess this type of interaction is what separates them from other bands that may have a set list and perform only the songs on the list. Musical Charis seems to improvise what songs they play. With revolving band members on stage I guess that can happen but at the same time this gives Musical Charis the charm that brings in new followers especially when they involve the audience to participate.

The song decided upon was a song written by June Carter and Merle Kilgore and recorded by Johnny Cash in ’63. That year it was number one on the Country Charts and number 17 on the pop charts. They introduced “Ring of Fire” saying, “This one was written by Johnny Cash’s wife, June.” There’s actually a great story behind the song, its meaning, about who wrote it and why.

Somewhere in the middle of the song someone forgot the lyrics and they stopped for a couple of seconds and continued to perform the song until they finished. They are so much fun to watch them play and interact with each other.

Musical Charis always has a couple of tambourines around so that audience members can join in the fun. They asked if anybody wanted to play and someone onstage pointed out Byron Tobin who usually plays the congas but was not around to join the band when they started. He took up a tambourine and joined his pals on stage for “Jezebel”.

“Tell Me”, another sweet harmony followed and then they took a break giving Shawn King and Bradley Abbey, two members from the Musical Charis School of Music a chance to take the stage and perform. They had played at the Hot Lunch Concert Series with Musical Charis on Thursday and seemed more confident as they performed a couple of songs.

Musical Charis took the stage one more time to finish off the musical entertainment for the day. By this time it almost seemed more like an intimate house party. “Anatomy” preceded a short improvisation of “Hey Jude”. They pointed out Adrian Bourgeois who was in the audience and invited him to come up on stage. Musical Charis ended the evening playing “Forward”. Musical Charis is scheduled to perform at Harlow’s on June 16.

Thus ended the 2011 Art Happens event with a cozy musical ending to a great day of art, food, wine, beer and musical entertainment. Community support allowed the two schools to raise $1000 to save their art programs. A successful event ending to a delightful day of community partnership.

Panelists offer tips for writing reviews at Sac Press workshop

2011-05-13T23:09:22Z

“The most important part of review writing is to tell a story,” said Nick Miller, associate editor at Sacramento News & Review and panelist at Wednesday evening’s review writing workshop, hosted by The Sacramento Press.

You should make your reader feel as though they were at the event by including specific details about what you saw, he added.

Along with Miller, the workshop’s other two panelists, Rachel Leibrock of Sacramento News & Review and Carla Meyer of The Sacramento Bee, spoke from personal experience about how to effectively write a review of music, food or film. The panel also fielded questions from the 20-person audience in regards to writing style, etiquette and editing.

The speakers began by discussing some review essentials. All three stressed the importance of “doing your homework” on the subject of your review before attending an event. Familiarizing yourself with a band’s songs and reading previous reviews for a band are both helpful ways to get familiar with artists before seeing them live, but those shouldn’t bias your opinion one way or the other, Meyer said.

Leibrock said taking notes on a performance as it happens is the best way to remember the important details. And taking notes on how the audience reacted to something is just as important as the show itself, she said.

Meyer added that it’s a good idea to interview other members of the audience to get a better understanding of the quality of the performance.

Miller said to remember that “you’re a reporter, even though you’re a critic,” so it’s good to incorporate some investigative work in your review. For example, if you’re reviewing a restaurant, it may be interesting to include an interview with the head chef, Miller said.

When it comes to writing a negative review, all three panelists agreed that it is crucial to consider the effect your review will have on the subject of your criticism. Meyer said she never takes “cheap shots,” especially when she is reviewing local artists who are more susceptible to the damage of a bad review than a nationally recognized act.

Miller added that when you are writing about a restaurant, though it may be fun to do a snarky review, you are dealing with someone’s business and livelihood, and it is important to be aware of that responsibility as a writer.

Negative review or not, Meyer said to “have confidence in your opinion,” because it is your job to “represent the reader in an articulate manner.”

Miller’s suggestion for creating an engaging review was simple: stay curious.

“Go to something you don’t understand or you’re not familiar with. Take risks whether you’re reviewing food, music or performance,” he said.

Meyer and Leibrock discussed deadlines in review writing and the stress of having to write a review by 6 a.m. the morning after a late-night concert.

The best thing to do when faced with a harsh deadline, Meyer said, is to just “power through it.”

An audience member asked about whether a writer should use “I” when writing a review, and Meyer responded that she finds the use of “I” amateurish and therefore avoids it.

“If you’re on Facebook, say ‘I.’ If you’re doing professional review writing, don’t use it,” she said.

As an alternative to “I,” you can use “one” or “we,” Leibrock said.

Another of the workshop’s attendees asked where to draw the line between losing yourself in the experience of a performance and reporting on it.

Leibrock responded that you can enjoy yourself at a performance and still be objective. She personally likes to dance and cheer for an artist but keeps a sharp eye out in case “anything goes awry.”

For state worker and student Amabelle Ocampo, 28, the best advice she heard at the workshop was that when trying to understand a performance, sometimes it’s “more about the audience’s impression than it is about the band.”

Rusty Kleine, aspiring photojournalist and workshop attendee, said his favorite element of the evening’s talk was the panelists’ use of personal anecdotes to illuminate the elements of review writing.

“It was informative because they shared actual personal experiences rather than reading from a book,” Kleine said.

The Sacramento Press will have a workshop titled, “Sac Press Tools and Tricks,” May 26 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Co-founder Geoff Samek will go over lesser-known or unknown features of the website as well as web technologies that are useful for navigating the current media world. To RSVP for that workshop, email workshops@sacramentopress.com.

Table Talk Sacramento brings together local food community

2011-04-15T05:46:50Z

The Sacramento Bee and The Sacramento Press teamed up Wednesday night to host Table Talk Sacramento inside the Sacramento Bee building at 2100 Q St. The two-panel discussion addressed the need for a variety of local food writers and various trends being seen within the food and dining communiy.

The first panel focused on the state of Sacramento food writing. Moderated by Chris Macias, the Bee's food and wine writer since 2008, the discussion featured local blogger Catherine Enfield of Munchie Musings, Niesha Lofing of The Sacramento Bee and Micah Rousey a member of the Yelp Elite Squad for his bulk of restaraunt reviews on Yelp.

“The purpose of this is to get people into a room, get people talking,” Macias said in his opening comments.

He then opened the panel discussion with a question about the purpose of food writing and what types of stories the food panelists find the most valuable.

“What I enjoy most about food writing are the stories that draw you in, that tell a fantastic tale that you can relate to,” Lofing responded.

The panel went on to address the need in the community for food writers, reviewers and bloggers. Macias made the point that everyone has to eat and that focus has to be put on different audiences and demographics.

“I would like to think I'm writing from an average, everyday person’s perspective,” Enfield said about her blog. She added that bloggers should use their blogs to promote local community involvement, like the SactoMoFo Festival on April 30.

SactoMoFo, which stands for Sacramento Mobile Food Festival, is being organized by Enfield and others to promote reasonable city ordinances for food trucks.

The panel closed with a discussion of coming trends. Lofing noted how sustainability, far from being just a trend, is becoming more practical and there are more people eating within a local radius.

“My impression is that Sacramento has always been a farm to table sort of town,” Macias added.

The second panel focused on food and dining trends. It featured Ella Dining Room and Bar Executive Chef Kelly McCown, Preferred Meats, Inc. corporate chef John Paul Khoury, Corti Bros. Market store director Rick Mindermann and was moderated by Allen Pierleoni, a senior writer at the Bee.

Mindermann addressed the issue of trends in the market being cyclical.

Khoury said that the trend is definitely toward more sustainable food and dining but also that the industry continues to change and expand toward more relationship-based production and consumption. By this, he meant creating a connection with the farmer and the animal.

“The change I see is that I bring something into Sacramento now that wouldn't have sold 10 years ago,” he said. One example he gave was humanely grown and sustainable beef.

This change, he said, more specifically is creating a link from farmer to distributor to restaurant. As distributor, he works directly with the farmer and can then pass on the origin of the product to the restaurant. It creates a trust, he said, and that trust helps create a new experience where people might venture out and try different foods.

McCown said he has noticed a large trend in the market with cocktails. He has noticed a swing toward unique, hand-crafted drinks. Just like food, he said, they are created with a full chef-like experience of presentation.

Most of the panel participants largely discussed the complex network it takes for food, and more specifically meats, to get to the restaurant.

But trust, they all agreed, has to be maintained.

There was a wide variety of attendees. Some operated local blogs on food, recipes and dining, while others were just interested in the topic.

Sacramento locals Abby Fox and Heather Kirkpatrick came to the panel together. They came because they read local food blogs and have also attended other food festivals and events.

“The whole scene is just fascinating from a consumer’s point of view,” Kirkpatrick said.

Fox said she lived near an Almond Orchard in Modesto at one point in her life, and this developed an understanding and interest in agriculture.

“More and more, it’s important to me to know where my food is coming from,” she said.

Also in attendance was Kimberly Morales, author of local food blog Poor Girl Eats Well. She said she came because she likes to see what other members of the local food community are talking about.

Morales said she likes to support those who provide insight into what bloggers have to offer the local community.

“I liked the diversity of panelists they chose,” she added.

Morales added that the second panel’s discussion of trust and quality were very similar to her own delivery of recipes and the relationship she hopes to have with her readership.

After all of the talk about food, attendees were treated to a seafood and chorizo paella from Source Global Tapas, which was prepared and cooked on site.

The Bee, Sac Press present 'Table Talk Sacramento' April 13

2011-03-23T19:01:04Z

Do you love talking about food? Do you flip to the food section of the newspaper before even reading the front page? Is a trip to the grocery store an excursion? For all you foodies, bloggers and lovers of Sacramento’s restaurants and food: The Sacramento Bee and The Sacramento Press have teamed up to bring you “Table Talk Sacramento: The region’s food community comes together for an evening of lively discussion.”

There will be two panels addressing different topics, including “What Sacramentans Eat” and the quality of local food writing.

Chris Macias will moderate the food writing panel. Macias has served as the Bee’s food and wine writer since 2008. The panelists include:

Niesha Lofing, who writes food and family stories for the Bee as well as a parenting column, Mom.me.
Catherine Enfield, a state worker by day and a local food blogger by night – or whenever she can sneak away to a computer. She is also a food truck advocate and co-organizer of the SactoMoFo mobile food festival scheduled for April 30.
Micah Rousey, who eats out at least five times per week and shares his experience on Yelp. He has contributed dozens of restaurant reviews and been named a member of the “Yelp Elite Squad.”

Allen Pierleoni will moderate the second panel, “What Sacramentans Eat,” which will cover local food trends. This panel consists of:

Rick Mindermann, an internationally known grocer and wine merchant and store director of Corti Bros. Market. He has 34 years in the food and wine business and acts as a personal assistant to Darrell Corti, who has been called “the man who knows the most about food and wine in the world.”
John Paul Khoury, the corporate chef for Preferred Meats, Inc., a premium meat company in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a focus on sustainable husbandry and smaller farm operations. He is also certified as a chef de cuisine with the American Culinary Federation.
Kelly McCown, the executive chef at Ella restaurant and a 1990 graduate of the California Culinary Academy. He was worked in the kitchens of Martini House, Flying Fish, Fleur de Lys, Hayes Street Grill and others, and he has been named “a rising star” and “top young chef” by several magazines, including Bon Appetit and Japanese GQ.

“Table Talk” will be at The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., at 6 p.m. April 13. Source Global Tapas will provide light snacks.

The event will be live-tweeted by @sacramentopress using the hashtag #SacTableTalk.

The event is free, but registration is required. If you do not register, you will not be allowed to enter. Registration is limited to 160. To sign up for “Table Talk,” click here.

Come join the conversation as we discuss Sacramento’s rich food and restaurant culture.

Access Sacramento Celebrates 25 years.

2011-03-13T22:17:09Z

Access Sacramento opened its doors and studios to the public to mark its 25th year of offering community media for Sacramento County.

For 25 years, nonprofit organization Access Sacramento has been “making a difference, one voice at a time,” through its commitment to covering local entertainment, high school sports and cultural events. Saturday’s event will showcase what local media has to offer the community and how attendees can play a major role in community reporting.

I was 'the media covering the media' as I roamed around snapping photos for a couple of hours. Here are some shots:

Many special guests including Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, City Councilman Steve Cohn, Supervisor Phil Serna, and Chris Flores representing Congresswoman Doris Matsui dropped by.

Folks had the chance to meet local media organizations like The Sacramento Bee, KCRA, News 10, FOX 40 and others.

The Media Lab showcased the public launch of the new web site AccessLocal.tv with content from our five "Neighborhood News Bureau" partner organizations.The television studio hosted performing groups to demonstrate studio television productions skills.

Students from Luther Burbank High School in above photo: Vanessa Pagan, Jasmine Owens, Mo Lee and Sebastian Nand promoted March12-18 as a Week of Peace, a collaboration among students from Sacramento area schools, churches, Youth Organizations, After School Programs, City Park and Recreation, and all workplaces.

Access Sacramento is putting together a network of news bureaus in the South Sacramento area. The goal is to get youth to report for their communities, producing news stories about South Sacramento. The effort is based around a website that access Sacramento has set up called accesslocal.tv.

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

Access Sacramento's 25th Anniversary Celebration March 12

2011-03-10T23:17:04Z

News is no longer designed for idle consumption: It is becoming more and more interactive as bloggers, community journalists, Twitter users and witnesses equipped with smart phones make their mark in distributing news. Access Sacramento will be hosting its 25th anniversary celebration Saturday and invites you to be seen and heard by telling your stories through digital media.

The event also kicks off “Sunshine Week” (March 13 - 19), a national effort promoting the freedom of information and open government. To help celebrate Sunshine Week, Congresswoman Doris Matsui and city, county and state agency representatives will be in attendance.

Access Sacramento is having an open house from noon - 4 p.m., where you’ll have the chance to learn how to make your own TV or radio program, write stories about your neighborhood and meet local media organizations like The Sacramento Bee, KCRA, News 10, The Sacramento Press and others.

Participants can get a taste of streaming radio programs live on the Internet, posing as an anchor in the television studio, recording musical performances and using the new Neighborhood News Bureaus’ website, accesslocal.tv.

Bring your best Ron Burgundy or inner DJ voice while you try out the Access Sacramento equipment and facilities.

Nonprofit organizations are also welcome to attend, as demonstrations will be given on how to create public service announcements using the green studio.

The Sacramento Press will have a booth at the event, encouraging citizen journalism and answering questions about the site and how we operate.

Whether you’re looking to learn more about community journalism, or have been wanting to create your own TV or radio program, or you’d like to meet some of the local news organizations, Access Sacramento is the place to be Saturday, from noon - 4 p.m.

The Coloma Community Center is located at 4623 T St.

For more information, visit www.accesssacramento.org.

VIBE hosts Cake Craze Contest for local cake decorating artists and bakeries

2011-03-10T05:10:08Z

Saturday, VIBE organization will be organizing and hosting a cake-decorating contest where local bakeries will showcase their designs in Midtown for the Second Saturday Art Walk.

Cake Craze is a fundraiser and all proceeds will benefit the VIBE Foundation and the new teen center that is being built.

VIBE is a youth organization which was founded in 2007 and officially became a nonprofit organization about a year ago.

“The VIBE Youth Board was brainstorming ideas and came up with the Cake Craze contest,” said VIBE spokeswoman Mylesha Ramey.

Julia Hildago, chairwoman of VIBE, said this is the first time we’ve done an event like this and we’re very excited.

The youth organization is made up of a group of teens, including Hildago, who seek to emphasize youth leadership throughout the Sacramento community.

Several local bakeries and cake artists will be participating in the Cake Craze contest.

Participants include New Roma Bakery, Posh Couture Cakes, Crazy Cake Company, Olivia’s Custom Cakes, the Nugget Market on Florin, Cake Castle Bakery, That’s a Cake, and freelance cake artists Stacy Smith, Sierra Rizing and Rosalie Sarron.

The youth board will be judging the contest.

All contestants will be judged in four visual categories: best in presentation, most creative, most outrageous, and best depiction of theme.

“There are no guidelines or requirements,” Ramey said. “Each bakery must come up with their own cake and it has to relate to the theme Generation Y.”

The winner will be featured in The Sacramento Bee with a photo of the winning cake, said Christina Demoss, executive director of VIBE.

In addition to being promoted through the Bee, the winner and the other contestants will be promoting their businesses at the actual event.

“I plan to hand out some business cards and hopefully get more business,” said Rosalie Sarron a contestant of Cake Craze. Sarron is a freelance cake decorator who lives in Natomas.

“We’ll probably end up having at least 1,000 people coming to the event,” Demoss said.

VIBE leaders said they would like for all contestants to be creative and diverse in the presentation of their cake art.

“I am really excited about the theme because I am a part of Generation Y, and I love designing cakes, so I this will be a really good first experience,” Sarron, 25, said.

Hildago explained that all proceeds will be going to the VIBE Foundation and that the organization is currently in the process of opening a teen lounge in Midtown.

The Cake Craze contest will be from 4:30 – 9:00 p.m. at 1725 K St. In addition to the cake art contest, there will be vendors such as Starbucks and Vic’s Ice Cream.

All participants will be bringing their decorated cakes between 3:45 -4:30 p.m.

The cakes are only being used for decorating, not eating, but there will be live entertainment.

“For the entertainment, we have John King. He’s from San Francisco, and he plays the drums off of like trash cans and pans. It’s really interesting and very cool,” Hildago said.

Demoss encouraged anyone who is interested in attending this event to come and support the local bakeries and youth of Sacramento.

For more information, visit the VIBE Foundation website. www.thevibefoundation.org

Bee announces 32 job cuts

2011-02-01T01:24:20Z

The Sacramento Bee announced Monday it will be cutting back 32 positions, nine of which are in the newsroom.

“It is the price of doing business in this region at this time,” said Pam Dinsmore, community affairs director for the Bee.

“The hope is that this is a voluntary separation agreement,” she added. “There are two reporter jobs that are being eliminated. Outside of two reporters, there are seven others in the newsroom that can opt to take a severance package. Most of those are in the production of the newspaper.”

Monday’s announcement marks the fourth job reduction at the Bee since March 9, 2009, amounting to a total of 214 jobs. Not taking into account this week’s cutback announcement, the Bee currently employs 786 people.

According to the Bee, in addition to the cuts, two full-time positions will be scaled back to part-time.

“We’re still the largest newsroom in Northern California outside of San Francisco,” Dinsmore said. “You cut back on outer areas and try to keep local news and Capitol news thriving.

“As in all media, we are looking forward to brighter times ahead,” she said.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

2011 New Year's resolutions

2011-01-06T00:02:55Z

Sacramento starts 2011 with a new governor and many projects in the works. With the new year comes the opportunity for a fresh start, and many make New Year's resolutions to avoid past mistakes or better themselves in some way. We asked Sacramentans to share their resolutions with us. If you have one you'd like to share, add it to the comment thread below.

Janet Whalen Zeller, founder and co-director of Soil Born Farms:

"To remember, moment by moment, that the life I want to live is the life I am creating now. To create positive change in our community by participating in the creation of a local food system that makes healthy food accessible to all."

Gerald Celestine, (pictured right) neighborhood activist, Fremont Park

“Always put your best foot forward,” he said. “And even if you fail, you’ve done your best. May we all do better for 2011.”

Gina Knepp, 311 division manager

“I work too much,” she said. Knepp currently has more than 400 vacation hours on the books. But she’s already working on her resolution: Knepp said she will be on vacation in Brazil next week.

Tom Negrete, managing editor, Online at The Sacramento Bee

“I’ve learned that I can’t keep my resolutions, so I’ve stopped making them.”

Bob Graswich, special assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson:

"Live within budget. Bike to work. Focus on greater good, not selfish pursuits. What I've found in the last year and a half since I entered the political world is people don't necessarily do things for the greater good.... if I can lead by example, I will make sure that everything I do – that we do here in this office – is not self-motivated or selfish, but is done with an eye on helping the largest amount of people or people that don't have a voice."

Bill Camp, executive secretary of the Sacramento Central Labor Council

“My New Year’s resolution is to actually learn how to count calories,” he said. “I just don’t seem to know how to do it.”

Tyreke Evans, Kings guard

“To get healthy and keep improving as a team. Get some wins.”

Elyssa Lee, president/co-editor-in-chief of Sactown magazine

“I wish I had something more exciting to say, like "run a marathon," but I'm not that physically ambitious. How about "eat fewer French fries"? Which, if you knew me and my love for spuds (my nephews don't call me Aunt Potato for nothing), you'd know that's the most ambitious resolution I could possibly make.”

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership:

"We have a history, unfortunately, in Sacramento of, every year, coming up with a new list of shiny objects ... and then by February forgetting what they are. If nothing else, this year is a year we need to maintain a focus on our goals. From a downtown perspective, we need to not get so distracted but to focus on the synergy being developed in three spots (the 1000 block of K Street, the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street and Old Sacramento). We need to not take things halfway down the field and then switch tracks."

DeMarcus Cousins, Kings center

“I have life resolutions. I’m always trying to improve everything in my life, not just in the new year.”

Photos of Bob Graswich and Bill Camp by Kathleen Haley

Photos of Gerald Celestine, Gina Knepp, Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins by Brandon Darnell.

Photo of Michael Ault provided by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

Dave Eggers speaks at The Crest Theatre

2010-10-22T04:48:10Z

Once the introductory applause had quieted down in The Crest Theatre, Dave Eggers settled into his chair and asked his audience of literary fans and admirers the score of the Giants/Phillies game. He said he wouldn’t be able to relax until he knew.

With similar candidness and humor, Eggers opened up about his latest nonfiction book “Zeitoun,” which documents the life and wrongful imprisonment of a Muslim-American man, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Sharing the stage with Eggers was Sacramento State’s Joseph Palermo, an associate professor of history. Together they discussed what it was like to have a relative wrongfully incarcerated, the militaristic government response to humanitarian needs since 9/11, and the research involved in telling the story of the Zeitoun family, which involved travel to Spain, Syria and New Orleans.

Nearly 25 percent of the audience had read Eggers’ latest book because of their participation in the “One Book Sacramento” program, which is sponsoring more than 40 “Zeitoun-themed” events in the Sacramento area this year.

In an impromptu hand-raising poll, the rest of the audience said they were there to hear Eggers speak because they simply loved his books.

While interviewing Zeitoun and his family, Eggers admitted that the process went really slow because it first required trust and openness comparable to a sort of familial bond.

“I used to think I could write a book in a year,” Eggers said, but in writing “Zeitoun,” it took three.

In gathering Zeitoun’s story, Eggers rode along with him as he supervised various job sites being managed by his construction company in New Orleans. It was on these rounds that Eggers said most of the crucial information would come out, learning things about Zeitoun’s imprisonment experience that he had not even shared with his wife.

“When they knew their story was going to be told right, they opened up,” Eggers said.

After Katrina hit, Zeitoun’s wife, Kathy, and their children fled to Baton Rouge, La., while Zeitoun stayed behind to help victims of the storm in any way he could. With a canoe as his main transport, Zeitoun paddled through the devastated city in search of people stranded or isolated by the high flood waters. While assisting others, he was captured by the National Guard under suspicion of looting and/or terrorist activity and sent to a temporary prison compound called Camp Greyhound.

Zeitoun’s wife began to fear the worst for her husband as his daily phone calls ceased. In reference to this point of the story, Eggers said he wanted readers to “feel the anxiety and dread that Kathy felt.”

“I wanted everyone to go through it with her,” he said.

Eggers said he spent more time talking with Kathy than he had anticipated because he often found himself waiting for Zeitoun to come home late from work. Much of Eggers’ own understanding of Islam came through hearing the story of Kathy’s conversion.

“She defied popular stereotypes about Muslim women,” Eggers said.

Although the focus of his book is on the humble character Zeitoun and the perseverance of his family, Eggers said the great act of heroism in the book is when a Christian missionary agrees to make a phone call from prison to Zeitoun’s wife. In the chaos that was Katrina, prisoners were deprived of their rights, even that of a phone call.

“When the system is broken, it takes an individual stepping up to make a positive difference,” Eggers said.

In his research, Eggers found that 1,200 prisoners passed through Camp Greyhound after Katrina with no adequate record-keeping implemented. In speaking with law enforcement and city leaders, many expressed the idea that Katrina didn’t break the system, but exposed it.

With a humanitarian gesture characteristic of the life and work of Eggers, all proceeds from “Zeitoun” are distributed between 13 different nonprofits working within New Orleans.

In regards to the Zeitoun family, Eggers referred to them as an “all-American family,” given the fact that they work hard, remain dedicated to family, and have a strong commitment to their faith.

Zeitoun’s construction business has since rebuilt 200 homes throughout New Orleans.

During a question-and-answer time following the lecture, an audience member asked Eggers how his own faith and spirituality had been informed by his working so closely with a great man of faith like Zeitoun.

“Boy, oh boy,” he responded.

Eggers said he had told someone before the lecture that he wouldn’t be answering any questions relating to spirituality and faith, but in this moment he had been put on the spot.

“My own sense of faith and spirituality is, I hope, irrelevant,” Eggers said. “I admire people of strong beliefs and fortitude.”

Ultimately, Eggers said he just wants to be a storyteller. And when it came to writing “Zeitoun,” he said he had to put on his “journalist hat.”

“It’s not the most fun kind of writing to do, but the result is what you’re after,” Eggers said.

He said he spent countless hours in a shed in his backyard working on the book.

With a smile, he warned aspiring writers of the great burden that will accompany their literary endeavors, “You aren’t going to enjoy yourself,” he said, but nevertheless sardonically urged them to “go forth, and write!”

Dave Eggers’ free lecture was brought to The Crest Theatre by The Sacramento Bee, California Lectures, and the Sacramento Public Library.

Brown and Whitman clash at UC Davis debate

2010-09-29T16:37:11Z

Anyone looking for a clean kill in tonight’s gubernatorial debate between Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman probably walked away a little disappointed. If you were hoping for another Jan Brewer moment in which a candidate seems to simply and completely lose it on camera, again, disappointment reigns. But if you were looking for a reasonably thoughtful discussion of many of the real issues facing California, there was much to appreciate in the debate staged at the Mondavi Center at University of California, Davis.

Three local journalists – Amy Chance of the Sacramento Bee, Marianne Russ of Capital Public Radio and Kevin Riggs of KCRA Channel 3 – led the candidates through ten questions ranging from the broken California budget process to water policy and the death penalty.

Job creation, pension reform, immigration policy and higher education funding also had moments in the spotlight.

Whitman worked hard to stick to her talking points, sometimes to her detriment while Brown was clearly the more comfortable and relaxed candidate, joking with the crowd about his age and his legendary thriftiness.

When Whitman did attempt a little humor, saying that putting Jerry Brown in charge of negotiating pension reforms with labor unions was like putting Dracula in charge of the blood bank, it seemed forced and rehearsed.

Most Californians will not make up their minds based on who had the best one-liners. The overarching issues for most across the Golden State are jobs and the broken budget process.

Whitman’s responses here were focused and clear – get Californians back to work through a combination of targeted tax cuts, cutting business regulation and stronger economic development policies. Whitman hammered away at the state of the business environment in California, holding up Texas as a model for making the state more “business friendly.”

For Brown, those policies look more like a tax giveaway to the richest Californians, likely only to balloon an already enormous deficit and put further strain on state obligations to the most vulnerable.

Those looking for new or creative positions from the candidates were likely disappointed as well. That’s not surprising, however, because with a campaign in a virtual dead heat and this one of only two scheduled debates for the candidates, these appearances are about playing defense, not making a big gaffe, and giving your supporters a plausible explanation for why you won the debate.

The spinmeisters must have been pleased, because there was much that each candidate could say in defense of his and her claims to have won the debate.

For Whitman supporters, the story would be that she was the more focused and on-point advocate, repeatedly hanging the public employee unions and Brown’s own political legacy around his neck.

For the Brown supporters, the story would concentrate on how programmed Whitman seemed, in contrast to the affable Brown, ripping Whitman for her inexperience and her tax policies, leaving him as the only candidate likely to lead Californians out of the wilderness.

In the end, there was much to admire about this debate – a sufficient contrasting of positions and philosophies to help voters see the differences between the candidates, enough laugh lines to keep things interesting and a confirmation that maybe the choices we face in the ballot box are not as dreadful as we might have feared.

A second debate scheduled for October 12 will be moderated by Tom Brokaw. Stay tuned!

This and That around the Debate

–As a former debate coach, I would encourage Whitman to relax a bit more and show us she can work away from a script. I would put an arm around Brown and tell him not to let his humor and willingness to be a little goofy get in the way of pursuing his responses to Whitman’s pointed and legitimate questions.

–Congratulations to the panelists and the moderator, KCRA’s Gulstan Dart, who never, even once, made this debate about them. Let’s hope that Tom Brokaw can resist the same temptation.

–Best crowd moment: a tall, good looking young man wearing an “I Love Linda Ronstadt” T-shirt … even better, he explained that he had bought it on eBay.

–Who won the debate? If it was about exceeding expectations, I give Whitman a slight edge here. She was clearly prepared, kept focused and displayed a mastery of issues that may have surprised some. If it was about likability, it’s Brown by a wide margin. It’s hard not to like a guy who is at ease with his own image. Those who came to the debate with an image of the old Governor Moonbeam, however, may have thought his self-effacing goofiness was a little too much.

–Surprising statements: Brown talking about a 15-18 percent “reset” in state agency spending. Whitman saying that she supports raising the retirement age for state workers from 55 to 65 and the end of defined benefit pensions for new state workers.

–Old and lame: Whitman attempting to play the Rose Bird card in an answer to speeding up death penalty proceedings. Brown saying that Whitman is just taking a page out of the Bush playbook.

–Still troubling: Whitman spends so much time and energy demonizing state workers and public employee unions. These are the people who patrol our streets, fight our fires, take out the trash and care for the disabled in their homes. Are these people really the reason the state of California is in such a terrible mess?

–Still troubling: While Whitman has no record of leadership in public service, Brown’s record can be a liability as much as it can be a strength.

Prof. Burnett teaches classes in freedom of speech, argumentation and debate, journalism in times of war and peace, and political communication.

Photo Credit: Ron Nabity, Nabity Photos. More photos of the debate available here.

Photos #1 & 2: Republican candidate Meg Whitman addresses the media after the Gubernatorial Debate on Tuesday evening at the Mondavi Center. Whitman briefly answered three questions before leaving.

Photo #3: Democratic candidate Jerry Brown walks with the media after the Gubernatorial Debate on Tuesday evening at the Mondavi Center. Brown appeared outside briefly before returning to the inside of the building.

Photo #4: Gubernatorial Debate ticketholders lined up early to enter the Mondavi Center at UCD on Tuesday afternoon.

Photo #5: Debbie Mazzanti, left, from Vacaville engages in a shouting match with Meg Whitman supporters outside the Mondavi Center prior to Tuesday's Gubernatorial Debate.

Photos #6 & 7: Supporters for Brown and Whitman engaged in chanting wars and sign-waving outside the Mondavi Center.

Things to Do In Sacramento: Arts, Lectures and Theatre

2010-09-11T04:59:13Z

Art Events:

As if you could miss it, it is Second Saturday. Here is information on the art side of Second Saturday. Free

The fourth annual Curtis Fest is being held in its’ namesake William Curtis Park Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. This year will feature 60 local artists, musicians, and cuisine, along with activities for children and adults. More information from Sacramento365.com. Free

Lectures:

California Lectures kicks off its’ 2010-2011 season with a very timely interview with David Plouffe. From California Lectures press release:

California Lectures presents An Evening with David Plouffe on September 13, 2010, at 7:30 PM at the Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento. David Plouffe will be in conversation with Dan Morain, discussing his book, The Audacity to Win, his work as political campaign manager for Barack Obama, and his effort to reach first-time voters in the 2010 midterm election.

David Plouffe was the chief architect of the groundbreaking campaign that put Barack Obama in the White House. Plouffe's grassroots approach and innovative use of technology helped guide Obama to a monumental victory in the 2008 presidential race. Plouffe's book, The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama’s Historic Victory, recounts the story of Obama’s run for the White House, reveals details of this historic campaign, and shows how the campaign revolutionized politics. In his November 4th acceptance speech, President Obama referred to Plouffe as an “unsung hero…who built…the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.” Plouffe has served as a leading political consultant playing a key role in elections nationwide. He is the key strategist behind Organizing for America’s first-time-voter campaign.

Dan Morain is senior editor and columnist for The Sacramento Bee. He has covered the California Supreme Court when Rose Bird was chief justice, the Legislature when Willie Brown was speaker, and the Governor’s Office during Gray Davis’ tenure. He spent 27 years at the Los Angeles Times and was part of the team that covered the 2008 presidential campaign. He joined The Bee’s editorial board in January 2010.

AN EVENING WITH DAVID PLOUFFEIn conversation with Dan Morain
September 13 | 7:30 PM
Lecture Preview at 6:30 PM, a biographical discussion presented by Sacramento State Associate Professor of English, Susan Fanetti.

Doors open at 6:15 PM. Books available for purchase and book signing after the event. For program information call (916) 737-1300.
Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street, Sacramento

$30 and $15 w/ Student ID Tickets Tickets.com or (800) 225-2277 Or in person at the Crest Theatre Box Office, 1013 K Street. Monday-Thursday 4:30-8:00 PM / Friday-Sunday 12:30-8:00 PM.

Theater:
Last chance to see B Street Theatre Mainstage production of “Old Love” A well acted Norm Foster Comedy. Kelsey Simpson’s SacPress review
5 and 9 pm Saturday and last show 2:00 pm Sunday
Tickets $18-30 B Street Theatre 2711 B Street Sacramento(916)443-5300

Just opened B Street Theatre 2010-2011 B3 Series “Neat” a fantastic play by Charlyane Woodard with a great performance by Sacramento native Danielle Mone Truitt. Bill Burgua’s SacPress review. Extended through October 10th. (Don’t put off seeing it. You will be sad if you miss it and you may want to see it again. Ticket information above.

Community Theatre:

Runnaway Stage Productions has a children’s show, Snow White. Opening Saturday noon and continues 2:00 pm Saturday and September 18th and 25th at noon and 2:00 pm. Tickets $5.00 24th Street Theatre 2791 24th Street, Sacramento (916)207-1226

Runnaway Stage Productions is also continuing its’ adult musical production “Rent.” This is the first regional theater production in the Sacramento area of this very popular contemporary musical from the always reliable Runnaway Stage Productions.
Friday and Saturday 8:00pm Sunday 2:00 pm through September 26th. $15-20 Tickets

Ending this weekend The Fair Oaks Theatre Festival’s “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” playing through Sept. 12. Barry Wisdom’s SacPress review
It will be presented by the Fair Oaks Theatre Festival at Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre 7991California Ave., Fair Oaks.
7:30 p.m Friday, Saturday and Sunday (last show) More info and Tickets $8-$15.
(916) 966-3683

Lambda Players continues the adult comedy "Poughkeepsi Porn Co,." A longtime gay porn production company needs some new tricks. Bill Burgua's SacPress review. Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8:00 pm through September 25th. Nudity Tickets $10 21st and L Street Theatre 1127 21st Street, Sacramento

Former Sac Bee Writer Heads Ethics Workshop

2010-08-20T02:41:12Z

About 30 local writers, journalists, students and public relations professionals met at The Sacramento Press office Wednesday evening to attend a media ethics workshop headed by assistant professor of journalism at California State University, Sacramento, Molly Dugan.

Dugan hooked her audience by posing hypothetical questions like “If I see a public official strangling a baby, can I write about it?” The answer is yes, but it’s best to seek legal counsel before targeting someone with the means to hire a good attorney.

Dugan warned journalists against using anonymous sources whenever possible, encouraged them to keep notes and documents as long as possible for personal protection, and to use common sense and check facts before writing. Truth, she said, is the best protection against a libel lawsuit.

After going over the history of ethics in the media, Dugan took questions from participants and opened discussion on ethical problems that arise while gathering information or taking photographs for use in the media. The workshop participants were eager to get practical advice from Dugan, who is also a former Sacramento Bee staff writer.

In attendance was a retired construction contractor and author Richard Lingensjo, who said he’s not a journalist, but wanted to get some insight from a professional writer now that he’s retired and has more time to focus on writing.

Lingensjo said he started attending Sacramento Press workshops about two months ago.

“Everyone here has been really nice and helpful,” he said. “And that’s why I’ve continued to come.”

Idol Contestant Drewis Soulfully Seduces Crawdad's Crowd

2010-08-13T22:29:53Z

On Thursday August 12, Dane Drewis performed at Crawdad's on the River located at 1375 Garden Highway in Sacramento. Set on a floating stage that connects to a floating venue, the scene at Crawdad's is unique. River wakes cause the place to rock and roll. Boaters out on the river can pull up and dock alongside the floating venue and join in the festivities.

On this night, Drewis and his band were excited. Both Dane and his younger sister Janel are competing in the upcoming American Idol preliminaries being held first in Sacramento at Arden Fair Mall from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday August 17, and followed quickly by a round at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Thursday August 19.

The Sacramento Bee had a documentary team working to capture a much more complete story about what a day in the life of Dane Drewis is like. That Bee article, courtesy of writer Sam McMannis and photographer Autumn Cruz, is scheduled for publication on Wednesday August 18. What is certain is that whatever the day is like, when Drewis takes the stage, everything else fades away.

Drewis' soulful style resonates through both his vocals and his six string mastery. From "Sublime" to "Pink Floyd," Drewis showcased his incredible dynamic range playing hits from various genres. His band's original tracks brought the crowd out of their seats immediately. As with every performance, Drewis inspires a frenzy of dancing and smiling that prove his crowd-pleasing prowess.

If you haven't seen Dane Drewis perform, he and his band will be performing courtesy of SBL Entertainment on Saturday October 16 at Harlow's located at 2708 J Street in Sacramento. Quinn Hedges is scheduled to open. The show is scheduled to begin at 9:30pm, and there is a $10 cover. For more information, check the artists' websites, the SBL Entertainment Facebook page, the Harlow's website, or call 916-441-4693.

We've got a winner!

2010-08-05T19:03:10Z

The lucky winner of our Deal Ticket Sweepstakes is Lauren Edvalson!!!!!!

A little bit about the winner:

Lauren currently holds a position within The Sacramento Bee’s advertising department, where she specializes in developing multimedia advertising campaigns to drive sales and awareness for her clients in the arts and entertainment industry. Lauren also serves as vice president of corporate support for the AMASV (American Marketing Association, Sacramento Valley Chapter) fostering relationships with marketing executives in the Sacramento region. When Lauren is not working, she manages her own business as a stylist for the Stella & Dot jewelry.

Congratulations Lauren! By spreading the word about Deal Ticket, Lauren has won the ultimate local prize package:

-Brand-new Apple iPad with 3G
-Four greens fees for Ancil Hoffman Golf Course
-Family pass for four to The Sacramento Zoo
-$20 off to Red Lotus
-$100 towards A. Jaffe jewelry from Roger's Jewelry
-Sacramento Kings basketball signed by Jon Brockman
-Sacramento Kings limited edition poster

Because she put forth a valiant effort in spreading the word about Deal Ticket and accumulated an astounding 111 points, we’ve also named a runner-up in the Sweepstakes. Congratulations to Gina Beltran! Gina will be receiving a $50 gift card to her favorite local retailer and a $50 gift card to her favorite local restaurant.

If you haven't signed up yet to receive Daily Deal e-mails, all you have to do is go to the Deal Ticket home page and sign up by giving us your e-mail address.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Deal Ticket Sweepstakes!

Photo is of Lauren Edvalson

Teacher Raises Afoot? Optimistic on School Chief's Hiring Practices !

2010-08-05T17:50:10Z

We teachers have all been sacrificing lately for the good of students and the financial solvency of Sacramento City Unified School District. I have an SCUSD-tested plan, however, to help us improve our financial and working condition, especially in light of the SCTA-generated concessions to our District. Here’s what we do.

Apply to the SCUSD school board to use the title, “Chief”, in front of our employee classification. For example, I would take over the moniker, Chief 6th Grade G.A.T.E. Teacher of Phoebe Hearst (it’s better to use capital letters…more credibility). You can immediately see how much more grandeur it gives a lowly teacher. But there are a host of reasons why we all should use the title, Chief:

*It improves student discipline. We all understand the importance of students deferring to classroom authority. Quiet kids make for productive kids.

*Classroom learning is enhanced. Studies show that totally compliant children make marked gains on standardized tests, the only true reliable test of student achievement.

*Teacher appearance necessarily will approach some higher standard. Let’s face it, a Chief Anything can’t come to school to improve learning for students in, say, jeans and sneakers!?! I’m a proponent of the bowtie, for example. You all must have lots of ideas on how we can dress ourselves more properly. Let’s do mandatory in-service on how to enrich a school community by what Chief teachers wear. If only we could enlist some administrative help with teacher wardrobes.

*Parent-teacher conferences will go more smoothly and there will be more of them as well. No parent is going to dare skip the chance to talk to a “Chief” Teacher, and those pesky questions about student progress will be a thing of the past.

But this is the best news. We’ll all get huge raises. I don’t know how the Superintendent does it, but it’ll happen. He’s so confident that he replaced the Chief Financial Officer of SCUSD with a Chief Communications Officer. The financial predicament we face must not be all that bad, I guess! Maybe we’ll all just talk our way through the mess. I’m all for it anyway; it’s way easier than doing math and stuff.

So that’s one chief at $100,000 plus per year. His Chief of Staff? Again up into the six figures. The new proposed Chief of Family and Parent Engagement is expected to cost a bundle. We don’t exactly know how much the new Chief of Accountability will make, but the District spent $52,000 for a North Carolina outfit (none available in our state, I guess) to study accountability for us, so you know it’s going to cost a lot to hire someone to oversee how students, and eventually teachers are doing. Gotta be in the $100,000 plus range, though. All totaled SCUSD boasts seven new chiefs and counting. Heck, Mr. Raymond is spending thousands of dollars just to move secretaries, I hear. So any of you certificated people out there that know some secretaries, let them know about what we can do for them, too. Let’s spread the wealth!

So my plan then, placing a capital Chief in front of our lowly titles, will automatically generate an average salary increase of $42,000 per year, roughly a $1 for every student we serve--- if you look at finances the way our District does. And don’t worry about the school board; they’ve approved every Chief thrown at them. Besides, the Sacramento Bee hasn’t questioned the impropriety of any of our Chief’s Chiefs. It’s all on the up and up. You see, friends, we’re golden; we can’t lose.

So let’s start applying then. The District is apparently long on dollars, longer on Chiefs. The only thing we may be in short supply of is common sense. But we can solve that with a new position…..Chief of Better Judgment. Of course, we’ll have to run that by the SCUSD Communications Department for fiscal soundness.

Erik Knudson
Applying for Chief Random Article Writer status as the Need Arises

“The Art of the Game” struts World Cup-inspired fashion, art

2010-07-12T04:44:01Z

Although cheering fans with painted faces, yellow cards or buzzing vuvuzelas were nowhere in sight Saturday night at the Hot Italian restaurant, a little piece of World Cup soccer was in Sacramento.

The eatery hosted its second half of the 2010 FIFA World Cup “The Art of the Game” celebration with a fashion contest. Ten local designers randomly chose countries participating in the World Cup and were challenged to design an original piece based on them.

Local judges Leigh Grogan, Sacramento Bee’s fashion editor; stylist Health Hamilton; and fashion blogger Jen Wade and votes via Facebook and Twitter decided the winner.Lindsey Bee and her outfit inspired by Spain took first place, foreshadowing the World Cup win on Sunday, when Spain beat the Netherlands 1-0 in overtime.

Argentina came in second with a design by Mila Anatichuk and Anastasoa Clemons’ France-inspired outfit took third. Judging was based on the spirit of the game, craftsmanship, originality and creativity, said Hot Italian co-owner Andrea Lepore.

In addition to the runway models, members of the Sacramento Ballet and the Washington Ballet modeled Dolce and Gabbana and Calvin Klein World Cup men’s underwear. Midfielder Clemente Fonseca of the Sacramento Gold also showed off some fancy footwork during the show.

The first half of “The Art of the Game” displayed 15 pieces of FIFA-licensed World Cup artwork June 11 through July 11— the only ones in the United States.

The collection is part of 160 original pieces from international artists from 32 countries. Hot Italian had art on display from South Africa, the United States and Italy.

Lepore said the art has been well received.

“People come in to watch the games; it’s sort of an added bonus,” she said. “It was a perfect tie-in for us.”

Soccer fan Anabel Gil, originally from Mexico, was pleasantly surprised by the art.

“I really enjoyed sitting here and looking at it,” she said. “I am not a big fanatic, but I can feel the spirit.”

Although many have asked if the art is for sale, it is not and will be shipped back to Africa. The winning three fashion designs however, will be displayed in the restaurant’s windows.

Although she admits she is “more than a little sad” that Italy did not advance further in the World Cup, Lepore was happy to see two teams make it to the finals who have never won the title before.

“That’s what makes the World Cup so special — that anyone can win it,” Lepore said.

Fashion photo courtesy of Juan Ayora, jfayora.com

Sacramento CPS says bias against birth mother may have contributed to foster child’s abuse

2010-06-25T19:08:12Z

Bias against the birth mother of Amariana Crenshaw led Sacramento County Child Protective Services workers to “discount” her concerns that Amariana was being abused in her foster home, according to an internal review released by CPS Thursday.

Amariana was taken from her parents, only to die under mysterious circumstances in a foster home with a long history of serious problems.

That is the lead that should have begun the Sacramento Bee’s story today about the release of CPS’ internal investigation into Amariana’s death.

But that would contradict the birth parent-bashing “master narrative” that has dominated child welfare coverage in the Bee (as is discussed in this previous post). So not only is this not the lead, this information does not appear in the Bee’s story at all.

Nor is there a link to the full report on the Bee website. So I requested the report from Sacramento County CPS, which promptly provided it. Since the Bee failed to do it, I’ve now posted the report on the NCCPR website.

According to Finding #5:

Evident in this review was the belief that all reports of alleged maltreatment [of Amariana while in foster care] emanated from the mother and were driven not by her concern for her children, but by her anger at Ms. Dossman [the foster mother].
• Numerous allegations appear to have been discounted based upon a bias in favor of the foster parent and against the credibility of the reporting party.
• This bias also contributed to unresolved discrepancies in findings among oversight agencies which were further exacerbated by a lack of inter-agency communication.

Since the bias within the agency is so similar to the bias in the Bee newsroom, Finding #5 never made it into the Bee’s story. So give CPS credit for this much: Unlike the Bee, at least in this one case, CPS acknowledged the bias.

But CPS failed to acknowledge that the bias permeates Sacramento County child welfare. And that may explain why none of the “Action Items” in the report addresses this problem. Instead, the solutions tend to be bureaucratic, involving more forms to fill out, more boxes to check off on each form and more “consultation” and “coordination.”

The paperwork is not meaningless. The solutions do, in fact, make sense – and if they could be implemented successfully they would help a little around the edges.

But in the real world of Sacramento County child welfare, they will increase the workload for frontline staff who already lack the time to do their jobs. And that, of course, is because Sacramento County, the child removal capital of California, overloads its workers with false allegations, trivial cases and children who never needed to be taken away in the first place. This also tempts workers to overcrowd foster homes and lower standards for foster parents.

That is the elephant in the room, and CPS' review of Amariana's death pretends it isn’t there. There are no recommendations to deal with the problem of wrongful removal, which drives everything else.

So what will cause the next tragedy? Quite possibly some overwhelmed caseworker who didn’t do everything she was supposed to do – because she was too busy complying with one of the new procedures put in place in response to this tragedy.

Local Journalists Lead "Paying for Content" Panel

2010-06-24T06:36:16Z

The Sacramento Press and The Sacramento Bee co-sponsored a panel discussion titled "Paying for Content" on June 22.

The third floor of The Bee housed 37 people who gathered to listen to panelists discuss paywalls, online revenue and the relationship between consumer and organization.

Independent journalist JT Long moderated.

The panelists were Tim Foster, editor of Midtown Monthly; Michael Sanford, KVIE's vice president for content creation; Geoff Samek, co-founder of The Sacramento Press; Tom Negrete, Bee managing editor for the online edition and production; Ron Trujillo, editor of The Sacramento Business Journal; and Mike O'Brien, co-publisher and owner of Sacramento Magazines Corporation.

The panel started with panelists introductions. Each discussed their website and explained how it makes money.

Foster said Midtown Monthly receives revenue from advertising. Sanford said KVIE relies on membership contributions. The Sacramento Press has four forms of revenue, according to Samek: display advertising, social media consulting, events and sponsorship, and digital advertising website Sacramento Local Online Ad Network (SLOAN). The Bee's website accounts for 15 percent of its revenue, Negrete said, mostly through display advertising.

Trujillo showed where advertising is placed on the Journal's website.

"Where we make our money in the newsroom is exclusive subscriber content," he said.

O'Brien said his magazine has 25,000 monthly subscribers and sells about 7,500 copies at newsstands monthly. The corporation publishes both Sacramento Magazine and Our Wedding Magazine.

"We'll extend our core niche in our print product onto the Web," O'Brien said.

Long asked the panel to attempt to predict how their sources of revenue will change in the future.

"We've gone from analog dollars to digital dimes," O'Brien said. "The big change that we see is the tablets and mobile applications. With the iPhone application, people are paying for content and I know that'll be a key issue for all of us. (Sacramento Magazine) will have our mobile application soon."

Users are in control now and have more choices than ever, Negrete said.

"Also, everybody can be a publisher now," he said. "Our marketing research department is a department with few people, and that should probably grow because that information is going to become crucial."

The topic moved into content when Long asked if the panel used freelance or staff writers, and how subjective the stories are.

"We are almost 100 percent freelanced," Foster said. "And I do worry someone is going to come to me and they're going to want to write about something that is not completely subjective objective. As far as the advertising driving the content, I have to rely on my own ethical rules, and so far I think we've done pretty good about that."

Samek said transparency helps balance bias in articles for his website.

"Citizen journalism is at the core of what we do," Samek said "For us, we see it as a mix of us and the community of Sacramento as the region's storytellers. Now when it comes to objectivity, it's a tricky thing. It's something we can't have in the same way. You'll see transparency as a crucial thing in the future."

KVIE stories and programs are submitted by producers, Sanford said.

"(Our programs) met our editorial standards and were objective," he said.

Audience members then asked questions and offered suggestions.

Questions were directed toward the entire panel and occasionally a specific person.

"How does the legacy of (SacPress) play into how aggressively you go out to new types of revenue?" Cody Kitaura of Sacramento asked. "Are you concerned about SacPress being a consulting business rather than a place they go for news?"

"It comes down to what can we do well, and we try to do that," Samek said. "I don't think that takes away from the SacPress and the branding of it. Why wouldn't we just start a business that's social media consulting? It loops back around to the fact that we became good at consulting because we ran a newsroom."

Sue Wilson of Amador County asked the panelists for their opinions on content sharing.

"I'm wondering what kind of interest there is in terms of someone producing for various local papers and for you guys on multiple platforms," she said. "Is there that interest or do you want that kind of cross pollination among your newsrooms?"

"There's many city magazines in California," O'Brien said. "And all of us, generalizing, have done a story on escaping to Carmel. Why is it that we don't collaborate with others?

“Two answers: one is that we want our own spin. We want to deliver the sensibilities of Sacramento whatever that may be. And second is these publications tend to be entrepreneurial and want to do it their own way."

Trujillo asked how the shared content revenue could be divided.

"I think that cooperation is crucial, and the fact that Sacramento Press is here at The Sacramento Bee — instead this is a step in the right direction," Samek said. "Even if you wanted to compete, local media is facing so much pressure.

“The pie is shrinking. Cooperation is very crucial in this environment. Everybody knows what they do best and overlap isn't that bad."

The discussion ended with discussing whether or not the publications intended on using a paywall.

Trujillo said The Business Journal has a hybrid of a paywall. The Journal's website has free online content, but printed content is viewable only by subscribers. Non-subscribers must wait four weeks to read printed content on the website.

Other panelists said no.

We need the traffic and that just would not work, O'Brien said.

“KVIE is focused on being the premiere storyteller about our region,” Sanford said in an e-mail Wednesday. “It’s important to us that we share this content with as wide an audience as possible – not just on television, but through our websites and social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

“Making our content available to everyone in our community regardless of their ability to pay is central to our mission and we have no plans to charge for online content.”

"I don't think a paywall is the answer for us right now," Negrete said.

The discussion was recorded by Access Sacramento. The air date has yet to be determined.

Photos:

1) The Sacramento Bee hosted the panel on the third floor of its headquarters.

2) Panelists (L to R) Foster, Sanford and Samek.

3) Panelists (L to R) Negrete, Trujillo and O'Brien.

4) Panelists (L to R) Negrete and Trujillo.

Photos by Colleen Belcher.

Agnus-Dei Farrant is an intern for The Sacramento Press.

Living Library presents Peter Schrag

2010-06-22T04:24:42Z

Since the inception of the Arizona immigration bill, a great debate has taken place in California over immigration reform. In mid-June, the City Council even voted to take action against the bill by boycotting Arizona businesses.

Sunday evening, author, journalist and former Sacramento Bee editor Peter Schrag took part in this debate as part of Midtown Monthly and Time Tested Book’s Living Library series.

Schrag shared what he learned while writing his newly released book, Not Fit for our Society: Immigration and Nativism in America, with an audience of over 50 attendees, both young and old. Schrag began by talking about some of the propositions that have come into California in the past, including Prop. 187, “which was designed to deny illegal immigrants all public goods, including public school,” Schrag said.

But Schrag said the kind of debates taking place now and in 1994 for Prop. 187 are not new.

“I became increasingly aware that many of the things that were said, particularly in the arguments about Proposition 187, were things that have been said in our history for the past 300 years, going back to the colonial days,” he said.

Taking the audience throughout history through his narrative, Schrag showed how arguments today are mere echoes of the past. He started his historical journey with Henry Cabot Lodge, a senator and congressman who argued for stricter immigration restrictions in the 1890s through 1900s.

“Lodge, along with many other Americans, feared that the immigrants would begin rising,” he said. “Unlike the good old Anglo-Saxon stock, there was fear that they would attract inferior breeds.”

Many southeastern European groups, like the Italians, the Slavs and the Greeks, were discouraged from reproducing. While Teddy Roosevelt didn’t believe in the sterilization of these groups, according to Schrag, he still took part in the discussion, urging white Anglo-Saxon women to have more children.

Schrag said that during this era, eugenics became big.

“It was accompanied by a great deal of scientific ‘research’ proving that these new immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe were feeble-minded, more prone to disease, more prone to crime, that their kids couldn’t learn in school,” Schrag said. “A whole range of things that I’m sure is not new to you.”

This list continued with things that sound eerily similar to arguments heard today.

“They crowded the cities, they dragged on public roads, public services, they took the jobs from the Americans, they reduced wages. They sounded a bit like Steve Poizner,” he joked.

Schrag continued his history lesson with Congress’ Asian Exclusion Act, passed in 1917.

“This was a line that was drawn on the map of the globe, and people outside that line were basically not entitled to come in and be naturalized,” he said. “And there were a lot of arguments about who belonged on which side of the line.”

Questions were being asked about whether the Pakistanis, Arabs and Turks were one of us, Schrag said.

During the arguments about who was fit to become an American, Schrag noted that the Mexicans were free to come to the United States, but the restrictions on visa and immigration fees made it difficult for them to immigrate.

Schrag said the immigration laws essentially aided the existing immigrants.

“It provided, among other things, a chance for all these new immigrants, these formally non-white immigrants, to assimilate," he said.

The definitions of who was fit to become an American changed over the years, allowing for the immigration laws to be changed in 1965, Schrag said.

“This is something that has a long history,” he said. “And through this old history, immigration and immigration restriction have been woven around each other like a double helix. We want them and we don’t want them.”

Returning to present circumstances, Schrag talked about the new laws in Arizona.

“What’s happened is two ways of immigrants collided, essentially: one from the north — white, Midwestern, mostly older, but not totally older — colliding with younger Latinos coming in from the south and being shocked by this phenomenon,” Schrag said. “I think we (California) have been through this.”

On a national level, Schrag said immigration laws would be difficult to enact because of the common issues of transportation, health, drugs, crime and environment. He countered the idea of these laws with an idea promoted by Robert Pastor, a former vice president of international affairs at the American University in Washington.

Pastor's plan involves the creation of a North American community between the United States, Canada and Mexico to help solve our common problems. Schrag noted that this would be a good solution to think about for the long run, and in the meantime, we should focus on the smaller issues, like legalization of Mexican children raised in the States.

Answering a question from someone in the audience about whether or not the major parties in the United States are conflicted about immigration, Schrag said we all are.

“Americans are conflicted. We are all conflicted,” Schrag said. “Throughout history, we change our minds. We’re much more likely not to want immigrants when there’s a depression or when there are people unemployed, but when there’s a labor shortage, we want them.”

Schrag finished his talk with a quote from fellow author Richard Reeves, who is currently working on a new book about the Japanese internment camps.

“What pushes America forward, not only economically, but politically, is not the old Anglo-Saxon Protestant values of the founders, but the almost blind faith of illegal immigrants,’” Reeves had written to Schrag. “’We’re not only a nation of immigrants, we’re a nation made by immigrants.”

Sacramento: Child removal capital of California

2010-06-15T13:11:12Z

Sacramento is now California’s capital in more ways than one.Data released today by the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform show that Sacramento County is the child removal capital of California.

Among the state’s larger counties, Sacramento County takes away proportionately more children than any other, when the number of children taken away is compared to the number of impoverished children in each county. Sacramento takes children at a rate nearly double the average for these counties.

NCCPR released its latest California Rate of Removal Index Monday. It’s available on our website here.

The Index shows that in recent years, much of California has made remarkable progress in reducing the trauma of needless foster care and making children safer. But that hasn’t happened in Sacramento. And while progress is threatened everywhere by budget cuts, in Sacramento County, progress also is threatened by the take-the-child-and-run mentality that makes all children less safe.

(NCCPR’s ranking of counties factors in child poverty because we believe it is the fairest way to compare county performance. But when entries are compared to total child population, Sacramento County still performs atrociously, with the second worst rate of removal, only slightly better than Imperial County).

HOW FAMILY PRESERVATION MAKES CHILDREN SAFER

Given the kinds of child welfare stories that have made headlines in Sacramento for the past few years, some may be tempted to applaud the county’s status as number one in child removal. After all, “gut instinct” says that if we just take more and more children from their parents, those children will be safer.

But the best way to fix a child welfare system often is to listen to gut instinct – and do the opposite. That’s because tearing apart families unnecessarily doesn’t just do enormous harm to the children needlessly taken. It also steals time and resources from finding children in real danger – and that almost always is the real reason for the tragedies that make headlines in Sacramento County.

Many counties that take proportionately fewer children do better than Sacramento on the two key measures of child safety used by the federal government to evaluate child welfare systems.

That’s because, contrary to the common stereotype, most parents who lose their children to foster care are neither brutally abusive nor hopelessly addicted. Far more common are cases in which a family’s poverty is confused with child ‘neglect.’

Several studies have found that 30 percent of America’s foster children could be home right now if their parents just had decent housing. And single parents, desperate to keep their low-wage jobs when the sitter doesn’t show, may have to choose between staying home and getting fired, or going to work and having their children taken on ‘lack of supervision’ charges. Other cases fall between the extremes, the parents neither all victim nor all villain.

Sacramento County children are victims of a “take-the-child-and-run” mentality that has been part of the culture of Child Protective Services for at least 14 years. And every time there is an attempt to bring needless removal under control, scapegoating of family preservation by The Sacramento Bee, in the wake of a high-profile tragedy, starts another “foster-care panic” – a sharp, sudden increase in child removals, fueled by caseworkers terrified of landing on the front page if they leave a child in his own home and something goes wrong.

One sign of such panic can be found in a report released Thursday by the Sacramento County Grand Jury. According to that report, of all the children torn from their families by Child Protective Services, about a third are sent home again within 30 days. That’s plenty of time to do great harm to a child’s psyche. But if a child can be sent back home in a month, odds are that child never needed to be taken away in the first place.

THE MOST DANGEROUS PHRASE IN CHILD WELFARE

Attacks on family preservation typically are justified with the false claim that only adults suffer when children are taken needlessly and agencies have to “err on the side of the child.”

In fact, there probably is no phrase in the child welfare lexicon that has done more harm to children than “err on the side of the child.”
When a child is thrown needlessly into foster care, he loses not only mom and dad but often brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, friends and classmates. For a young enough child it can be an experience akin to a kidnapping. A major study of foster care “alumni” found they had twice the rate of post-traumatic stress disorder of Gulf War veterans and only 20 percent could be said to be ‘doing well.’ How can throwing children into a system which churns out walking wounded four times out of five be “erring on the side of the child”?

Two more studies, of more than 15,000 typical cases, found that even maltreated children left in their own homes with little or no help fared better, on average, than comparably-maltreated children placed in foster care.

All the harm of foster care can occur even when the foster home is a good one. The majority are. But the rate of abuse in foster care is far higher than generally realized and far higher than revealed by official statistics, which involve agencies investigating themselves. That same alumni study found that one-third of foster children said they’d been abused by a foster parent or another adult in a foster home.

Switching to orphanages won’t help -- the record of institutions is even worse.

Furthermore, the more a foster care system is overwhelmed with children who don’t need to be there, the less safe it becomes, as agencies are tempted to overcrowd foster homes and lower standards for foster parents. That probably goes a long way to explaining the tragic case of Amariana Crenshaw, who died under mysterious circumstances in a foster home with a long history of serious problems.
If a child is taken from a perfectly safe home only to be beaten, raped or killed in foster care, how is that “erring on the side of the child”?

None of this means no child ever should be taken from her or his parents. Rather, it means that foster care is an extremely toxic intervention that must be used sparingly and in small doses. But for more than a decade, Sacramento County has been prescribing mega-doses of foster care.

CPS: ONLY DAMNED IF THEY DON’T

Sacramento County child protective services might well respond by claiming to be “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.”
Don’t believe it. In 34 years of following child welfare, I have never seen a caseworker fired, demoted, suspended, reprimanded or so much as slapped on the wrist for taking away too many children. All of these things have happened to workers who left even one child in her or his own home and had something go wrong.

When it comes to taking away children, caseworkers are not damned if they do and damned if they don’t – they’re only damned if they don’t.

And that’s one reason why Sacramento is the child removal capital of California.

Residents to discuss city budget at "Community Conversations"

2010-06-11T03:30:38Z

"Community Conversations" will return July 13 to coffee houses all over Sacramento. The conversations are put on by the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Capital Public Radio and The Sacramento Bee with the goal of bringing neighborhood residents together for civil discussion, learning each other's different perspectives on local issues.

Community Conversations began last month offering residents the chance to speak with fellow neighbors in coffee houses in areas such as Natomas, North Sacramento, Midtown, Land Park, Oak Park, College/Glen, Pocket Area and South Sacramento. Each location has one facilitator who keeps the dialogue flowing all while ensuring the house rules are followed and gives an outline of potential topics for discussion.

"It's a great civic model," said Ruth Blank, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. "It's not anonymous or online, it's not political. (Participants are) open-minded. They come to hear others' thinking."

The Sacramento Community Conversations follow the model of the University of the Streets Cafe in Montreal, Blank said. She added the motivation is to get people engaged with one another.

"The conversations are about creating civil discourse, to counter the trend of interactions online," said Joe Barr, director of news and information for Capital Public Radio.

Currently there are no plans for how often the Community Conversations will occur. However, Barr said the pilot conversation was well received judging by the amount of positive feedback.

Dustin Littrell, who attended the May 11 conversation at Temple Coffee in Oak Park, said he was "shocked at the number of people from the community."

"It was a great success of bringing a diverse group together," Littrell said. "It's a cool way to get a pulse of where people are, in different financial situations, directly affected (by the same issues). There were perspectives I've never thought of."

The May 11 conversations touched on education, transportation, the economy, local business, employment and local communities. Participants from the first event were invited to partake in an online survey to develop the July 13 topic, which is scheduled to discuss the city's budget cuts.

While Littrell and Barr both thought the first Community Conversation was successful, they also hope there will be a more diverse voice the next time around.

"The goal is to see if we could get people out to the coffee shops," Barr said. "To see how various communities feel about the same particular topic."

Littrell suggested holding the next event in a larger space, with seating in a circle to bring participants face to face with one another, and a longer run time. Currently the format is scheduled to run for one hour, though the May 11 conversations lasted around two.

All Community Conversations begin at 7 p.m. To read recaps from the May 11 conversations or to find locations for the July 13 event, visit the Sacramento Region Community Foundation website.

Images courtesy of Ruth Blank, Sacramento Region Community Foundation

John Waters Entertains a Full House of His Fans

2010-05-28T03:59:16Z

This is what I wrote at the end of my last California Lectures review: “John Waters, the famous — or infamous — filmmaker, provocateur, art photographer, writer and all around great conversationalist, will be interviewed by The Sacramento Bee’s arts writer and classical music critic.” Waters proved to be all that and more.

He played to full house of his fans and admirers at the Crest Theatre Wednesday night.

The interview was part of Waters’ book tour for his new book, “Role Models”. Waters’ role models are a quite eclectic bunch, as one would imagine. They range from Johnny Mathis to Leslie Van Houten. Some are well know, some not so well known, and some are infamous.

He started out speaking about his favorite fashion designer, Rei Kawakubo. Not surprisingly, Waters enjoys wearing the Japanese designer's outlandish clothing for their shock value. He entertained the audience with tales of wearing the clothes to tough bars in Baltimore.

Waters spoke at length how the life and works of playwright Tennessee Williams saved his life more than once. Through Williams and his characters, Waters came to know that it was OK to imagine a world filled with persons outside the standard boundaries of society. This was especially true of Waters’ world, growing up in a very conservative Catholic family in suburban Baltimore in the 1950s. Surprising, though, was how very supportive his family was of even his most outlandish ideas. His father financed many of his early movies.

Van Houten is another of his role models Waters spoke about at length. He makes no excuses for her role in the Manson family murders. According to Waters, she doesn't make any excuses either. He feels after 40 years in prison and her rehabilitation she should be paroled.

Sacramento Bee’s arts writer and classical music critic Edward Ortiz spoke very little. A short question would send Waters off chatting at length. None of it was boring in the least. "Conversationalist" truly describes Waters.

During the question-and-answer segment, many attendees shared with Waters how much they admire him and how much he had influenced their lives, and Waters seemed truly appreciative.

The show will be broadcast on Capitol Public Radio in the future. Heaven knows how the engineers are going to clean it up to meet broadcast standards. For anyone who would like to know more about who and what influenced John Waters' life, pick up a copy of “Role Models.” You will be entertained!

Cafe Community Conversation

2010-05-13T05:42:59Z

What will it take to propel our region beyond the present slump into a thriving vibrant future?

That was the question asked to the community on Tuesday. The Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Capitol Public Radio and The Sacramento Bee have joined forces to organize civil discussions at local coffee houses. A total of eight coffee houses facilitated the conversations Tuesday. Locations were determined by City Council district.

I attended the discussion at the Old Soul Coffee house in Oak Park. Each discussion had a mediator representing the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. To begin, the mediator set the ground rules, making sure all participants understood this event must remain friendly. Oak Park's discussion was mediated by Brian Fischer, Oak Park resident and President at Playpen Hub. It was explained that every person has a different viewpoint, and participants had to respect other's positions. This doesn't mean it's prohibited to disagree, just to proceed tastefully.

The discussion started off by going around in a circle, briefly describing background and home location. Most people were from Oak Park. One couple had purchased a house in the area one month ago, whereas an older gentleman had lived down the street from Old Soul for the last 60 years. There were three men running for the District 5 City Council seat in the crowd along with representatives from California State University, Sacramento, McGeorge School of Law, The Sacramento Bee and a group of architects.

Before getting the discussion underway, Fischer churned attendees' thoughts by presenting facts and model topics that might act as a rubric. "Sacramento has long been considered a government town," Fischer explained. "3 out of 10 jobs in Sacramento are governmental." Fischer proceeded to give figures of unemployment rates, house foreclosures, and so on. "1 out of every 98 home in Sacramento is in foreclosure," Fischer said. "That's more than 1%."

The conversation began and kept reverting back to a few focal topics: Community, education, green jobs, volunteering, public transit, funding and keeping things local.

Although contributors were split between consolidating our strengths to reinforce a stronger core of community and forward mobility aimed at new technology and greener ideas, both acknowledged a need of unity for any decision. As long as we first fix the problems occurring next door, a presence of community will surface. With the loss of so many jobs, a surprising number of individuals in attendance have begun to volunteer for shelters, along with other parts of the community. However, reverting to a simpler ideology, where you move into a friend's or relative's house because of bill troubles or gain an interest in returning to school or becoming an entrepreneur because of a lost job, doesn't fill holes in the economy. There will still be an abandoned house and a lost trade.

This Community Conversation series, if for no other reason, was meant to reveal people care about the problem. Through a collection of knowledge and experiences, maybe 35 people talking over a cup of joe can fill one hole in our local economy: multiply that by eight to represent the other discussions going in the surrounding area, and it's called "progress," a word seldom heard lately.

Tuesday was a trial run of the program. The Sacramento Region Community Foundation will be assessing the success of the event and making a schedule of upcoming conversations. More information can be found here.

Dan Walters’ Deficits

2010-05-03T13:29:41Z

Pondering the state’s cash crunch, Bee columnist Dan Walters writes: “In fact, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's current budget is based on a wishful assumption that the feds will give the state an extra $7 billion – highly unlikely since the federal budget is in even worse shape than California's” http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/02/v-print/2720568/dan-walters-state-fiscal-plan.html

The last part of this sentence is doubly wrong. The federal budget deficit was higher as a percent of gross domestic product in 1946 than it was in 2009. And the federal government can legally run budget deficits. The constitution of California requires a balanced budget.

Mr. Walters is entitled to his own opinion, not his own facts

California Lectures - Scott Simon “Covering War and Peace, Sports and Celebs”

2010-04-28T03:42:52Z

National Public Radio "Weekend Edition Saturday" host Scott Simon presented “Covering War and Peace, Sports and Celebs” at the Crest Theatre Monday evening.
This was the premier of a new lecture by Simon. The presentation was part of the California Lectures 2009-2010 season. It was a nearly full house of Simon's adoring fans.
He began by acknowledging and praising Capitol Public Radio. When Simon started in public radio in Chicago, there was only one national program from NPR, “All Things Considered.” He joked that when someone called WBEZ to ask what time “All Things Considered” was on, the station would reply, “What time would you like to listen to it?” He spoke to what a valuable resource NPR is today. He also joked about NPR listener demographics, citing the example that 26 percent of listeners own a Volvo.
Simon is very funny. He is like a standup comedian for the literary crowd. Besides being the host of “Weekend Edition Saturday", Simon has been a war correspondent for NPR and is a sports fanatic. He has also published four books, two of which are novels. He has a fifth book on the subject of adoption being published this summer.
He talked about the time he spent working as a foreign war correspondent covering wars in areas such as Afghanistan, Kosovo and Ethiopia. Kosovo is the setting of his 2005 novel, “Pretty Birds.” He also used his interest in sports in the novel. The main character in “Pretty Birds” is a female basketball player. His war stories were a mixture of the sad, poignant and funny.
“Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan” (2000), and “Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball” (2002) followed his interest in sports. He praised Robinson for being both a great athlete and a great sportsman. He spoke sadly about the current state of affairs in sports. He is most troubled about sports figures’ lack of respect for women and their sense of entitlement. He stated that he felt that sports figures are uniquely looked up to by children and bear responsibility to set a good example.
Speaking on journalism, Simon said, “There is room in the world for the pamphleteer, just not in journalism.” Real journalism challenges the listener or reader to look outside preconceived notions.
The subject currently closest to his heart is adoption. He and his wife have adopted two girls from China. The oldest turned 7 this weekend. His new book, which will be published in August, is titled “Baby We Were Meant for Each Other, In Praise of Adoption.” The book talks about what joy adoption has brought to him and his wife. While speaking about this, Simon paused, began to cry and had to compose himself.
The whole evening was warm, funny and was filled with a wonderful sense of humanity. Scott Simon stated that he did not know when he would be back in Sacramento. I do know that Monday night's audience would be thrilled to have him back.
Next up for California Lectures is: John Waters, in conversation with Edward Ortiz.
John Waters, the famous – or infamous – filmmaker, provocateur, art photographer, writer and all around great conversationalist, will be interviewed by The Sacramento Bee’s arts writer and classical music critic.
The event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. May 26 at the Crest Theatre. Tickets can be bought at Tickets.com, by phone at (800) 225-2277 (service fee applies) or in person at the Crest Theatre Box Office 4:30-8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 12:30-8 p.m. Friday-Sunday.

Bee probes local government pensions, forgets role of health-care system

2010-04-11T18:35:23Z

A front-page story in The Sacramento Bee today provides impressive data on the economics and politics involving California’s system of local government pensions, focusing on payments and liabilities: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/04/11/2670020/pension-promises-threaten-california.html.
However, the reporters’ analyses of the data failed to include a driving force of rising pension costs. I mean, of course, our broken health-care system in the U.S. How broke is it?
“Despite spending more than twice as much as the rest of the industrialized nations ($8,160 per capita), the United States performs poorly in comparison on major health indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and immunization rates. Moreover, the other advanced nations provide comprehensive coverage to their entire populations, while the U.S. leaves 46.3 million completely uninsured and millions more inadequately covered.” More at: http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single-payer-resources
How can this inefficiency of U.S health-care delivery be? Consider two factors.
One factor is the government’s granting of patent monopolies for prescription medications to pharmaceutical companies. This policy increases the prices of drugs far above the actual cost to produce them, and effectively eliminates market competition for big pharmaceutical firms. More at: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/promoting_good_ideas_on_drugs.htm
A second factor is the multiple-private insurance firms that finance medical care by siphoning premium dollars away from consumers and providers and to CEOs and shareholders. This is the business model that commercial insurers use to spend fewer premium dollars than collected on patients and the doctors who treat them. More at:
serviceshttp://www.californiaprogressreport.com/site/?q=print/7646

Center to Host Exhibition and Lecture on Sacramento Communist Trial

2009-11-13T16:51:43Z

Sacramento, CA – On Friday, December 4, 2009, the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) will unveil a new photographic exhibition, Red Menace! The Sacramento Conspiracy Trial of 1935. The exhibition documents Communist farm labor organizers on trial in Sacramento for attempting to “overthrow the government.” The evening will include an address about the trial by Dr. Kathryn Olmstead, a professor in the History Department at the University of California, Davis. The exhibition reception with light refreshments begins at 6:00 p.m., while the lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. at CSH (551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd, Sacramento). Tickets are $10.00 a person and must be purchased in advance at CSH or by calling (916) 264-7072.

The evening event will also include three behind the scenes tours of the CSH vault or storage area. The storage area is normally closed to the public, however CSH staff will give a guided tour to event ticket holders on a first-come-first served basis. Those wishing to take the tour should indicate this when purchasing tickets.

In 1935, in the midst of the Great Depression, seventeen farm labor organizers appeared in a Sacramento courtroom accused of Criminal Syndicalism – the attempt to overthrow the government by violent means. Red Menace! The Sacramento Conspiracy Trial of 1935 depicts the proceedings through Sacramento Bee images, original police arrest photographs, courtroom documents, and Communist literature. The trial captivated Americans from Sacramento to Washington D.C. as it exposed a perceived threat to the American way of life.

Dr. Olmstead is an expert on 20th century U.S. cultural and political history and the author of, Real Enemies: Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy, World War I to 9/11 by Oxford University Press. She has written two previous books on secrecy in the U.S. government. Her lecture that evening is entitled, “Blood and Sunshine: Farm workers, Unions, and the Great Sacramento Conspiracy Trial of 1935.” Dr. Olmstead will sign copies of her book, Real Enemies, which will be available for purchase that evening.

For more information please visit www.centerforsacramentohistory.org, or call (916) 264-7072.

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 enabling 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.

Homeless Looking Man offers a $100,000 Reward

2009-11-01T05:11:32Z

There are two things about the man in the picture that you would not believe unless I revealed them to you in this article. First of all, the man in the picture is not homeless. He is my brother Frank Nordby who has attended a couple of the Sacramento Press' workshops with me. It is hard to imagine just by looking at his appearance that this man is not only training to qualify for the Boston Marathon but he is also offering a $100,000 reward in his race for justice.

Frank has been running as long as I can remember. In fact I remember him running after me as a child whenever I would pull some 'little brother" gag on him. Frank was able to palm a basketball in high school and was actually very good at shooting hoops as well as all the other sports he was involved in. Out of the nine children in our family Frank was the most athletic of us all.

Over the years he learned that running was very therapeutic for him and he always makes sure that he gets his daily dose of therapy in the many miles he runs every day. He is in good health and with his long hair and beard he has been called "Forrest Gump" on many occasions by passerby’s who catch him on his trek through the highways and byways of Northern CA and the Sacramento area.

Franks endurance has also helped him in his eighteen year chase and quest for justice in one of the biggest crimes in Sacramento's history. Since the advent of the internet, more and more people have heard about this crime because there are currently two websites that publicly reveal it. It’s a crime that involves those who are part of the who's who in business, judges in the courts, in the news media and in the religious community. This article will begin the unveiling of people who have somehow and someway become involved in this crime, generally through the subtle influence of money that has snagged them in this incredible web of deception that has killed their credibility.

I have decided it is time for Sacramento to begin reading a story that has probably been the most media suppressed story of all time. There is a term that rightly defines what have been the actions of the news media and it is called a “conspiracy of silence.” Which is defined by Merriam-Webster as:
a secret agreement to keep silent about an occurrence, situation, or subject
especially in order to promote or protect selfish interests
This is not to be confused with a conspiracy theory whereby people are made out to be crazy without sufficient proof or evidence to their claims. On the contrary, this story is backed by historical accounts, court documents, tax records, divorce records, the written word as well as the spoken word. Two of the most persuasive elements to this story are the preponderance of the evidence and the silence that has permeated from within those who know the story is true.

Now with The Sacramento Press, this conspiracy of silence will be broken and the story will be told against the will of the wealthiest family in town. This story will create a stir because it shakes the powers that be and will be contrary to everything most people have been told by the news media for the last thirty-six years.

This story may never get the attention that it should get and rightfully deserves. Locally, all the news reporting companies have gone to great lengths to help cover up this crime and why shouldn't they? Isn't it only a crime against one man? No! This crime is also against the public who put their trust in the news media to tell the truth at any cost. Who expect unbiased reporting of the news that neither censors nor silences. This is one story where the news media has actually become a major part of the story. We hope that the Sacramento Bee does not have any influence on the Sacramento Press concerning this story.

Because this story has been in the making for thirty-six years, it is impossible to write one article about all of the people, places and events that went into making this an incredible story. It would be too lengthy as one article for the Sacramento Press, so I must divide it up into two or three easily read portions.

Many of the high profile news stories and the day-by-day courtroom proceedings in the last twenty five years have been influenced by money and fame and the power that follows them. This story is no different except for the fact that the people that this story is about are also major advertisers in the newspapers and magazines and on the television and radio. This is why none of the news media in Sacramento can afford to tell you this true story, and when you read the following email from a local reporter in the Sacramento area, you will understand why you are reading this story in this venue instead of the front page of the Sacramento Bee or making the headlines on the evening news.

“Hello Mr. Nordby,
No, I have never heard this story - what a horrid story it is. However, very sadly, I am not surprised. There are people who will do absolutely anything to gain wealth, and/or hang on to wealth (power). Crushing another person seems to be nothing but collateral damage for them.
I am interested in your story. My columns are not just rhetoric - I write what I believe. As you have already discovered, the threat of Raley's financial resources is huge. While I cannot and will not jeopardize (her company), I am interested in finding the proper venue for your story.
That could take some time and research. It is a compelling story but as I previously said, most people in Sacramento have too much to lose given the size, scope and far-reaching tentacles of the Raley's family. I still think it needs to be a book and not done by a newspaper - a newspaper would and/or could lose all of their advertisers. A newspaper …..could be shut down in one day by Raley's.”
Katy G.

If you have never seen the movie "Flash of Genius", we highly recommend that you do. This is the movie about the man who invented the intermittent windshield wiper for the automobile. His idea was stolen by the Ford Motor Company and then he had to spend more than 12 years of his life to convince people and a jury that he was the inventor of this incredible idea.
Flash of Genius is similar to the Charles Nordby Story!
The difference is, Charles Nordby ended up dying trying to convince everyone that he was the man that saved Tom Raley's company from bankruptcy in 1973. Raley's had the big attorney's and everyone they needed in their pockets to make sure that he did not get his day in court, nor that his story ever got any news media attention.

Now that you know that this is a story about Raley’s, Joyce Raley Teel and the news media, I am sure you are beginning to put the pieces together and will want to know why Frank Nordby is hungry for justice and more about the $100,000 he is offering as a reward to anyone who can disprove the story he is seeking justice for. Part two of this story will be made available shortly on the Sacramento Press.

"Those with little or no money cannot afford justice,
and those with money can avoid justice."
Jack Nordby

AAJA Photo Showcase Fundraiser

2009-09-30T04:24:14Z

The Asian American Journalist Association held it's third annual Photo Showcase and Silent Auction at the 20th Street Art Gallery on Tuesday.

The auction benefited student scholarships, journalism training and mentorship programs, according to Chelsea Phua, events coordinator for the AAJA.

"We raised $24,000 last year from sponsorships and auctioning photos," Phua said. "We are hoping to match or exceed that amount."

The photographs were donated by The Sacramento Bee and The Associated Press. Photos exhibited included president Barack Obama on inauguration day and moving images from the Laura Ling and Euna Lee rally at the capitol earlier this year.

"We want to have lots of fun and raise enough money for the programs," Phua said. "We are depending on the generosity of donors and sponsors."

Associated Press photographer Paul Sakuma donated four photos to the auction.

"It's great to know that I can make a difference as a photographer for the next generation of journalists," he said. Sakuma has been donating photos to the cause for 10 years.

"We wanted to get photos that represent whats been going on for the past year hence the inauguration and Lisa Ling and of course animals, everyone loves animals," said AAJA president Judy Lin.

They also had a raffle for a 1988 photo of Michael Jackson that attorney Ernest Chen won.

The AAJA provides scholarships to high school and college students going into all types of media. $3,000 was awarded to two local students in 2008 and a total of $126,750 was awarded across the nation.

"As a founding member our goal was to bring together the Asian journalists but we ended up getting life long friends out of it," said News10 anchor Sharon Ito. "And its great to see students come full circle from the beginning to a career."

AAJA also provides workshops to help further students careers in journalism.

"I've been a board member since 1995 and I started as a student at UC Davis and AAJA really helped me get my foot in the door," said Pamela Wu, former KCRA news anchor. "They really believe in everyone and want to help aspiring journalists."

According to Phua, workshops and scholarships aren't restricted to Asian Americans, they are for all aspiring journalists.

"We have professional journalist come and look at students resumes and clip books and give them advice on what to do next," Phua said.

To apply for scholarships and receive notifications about upcoming workshops and fundraisers visit the AAJA Sacramento Web site.

Sacramento's liberal ranking

2009-05-19T02:38:43Z

Today's online edition of The Sacramento Bee featured an interesting story by Phillip Reese, the paper's stat master, who has been putting together a terrific series of interactive maps and charts using data from various state and local databases.

Today's was a listing (and slide show) of the most liberal and the most conservative cities in the state, based on data from the Secretary of State's office.

According to the charts, the most liberal city (that is, the city with the highest percentage of registered Democrats) in the state was -- no surprise -- Berkeley (only 4.5 percent Republican). The most conservative (highest percentage of registered Republicans) was tiny Canyon Lake, a gated city of 6,207 registered voters in Riverside County (only 21.1 percent Democrats). Greens, Libertarians and independents weren't included.

But after I got through both lists, looking all the time for my hometown, I discovered that Sacramento wasn't on the list! My curiosity piqued, I went straight to the source for information: Reese himself.

Here's what he told me, via email:

"Sacramento is the 88th (of 481) most liberal city in the state. About 20.3 percent of Sacramento residents are Republicans. The only local city with a lower percentage of Republicans is Davis."

Indeed, Davis is on the list, at No. 43, with only 16 percent Republicans.

Still, you might wonder: How did Sacramento rate only 88th most liberal when it is 79.7 percent Democrat? That's a high percentage. The answer is that all cities with a population of 5,000 or more were included, so there are a lot of smaller towns with higher percentages than Sacramento (think: Santa Cruz, even tiny San Pablo in Contra Costa County).

A farewell to comrades

2009-03-29T23:20:44Z

Some 50 or so people gathered Friday night at Bee reporter Ed Fletcher's East Sac home to say farewell to a couple dozen of the reporters, graphic designers, photographers and editors who were let go during The Bee's most recent staff cuts, this time through layoffs. For most, Friday was their last day.

So you will not see the names of many wonderful reporters and photographers in the paper from here on out, and there will be little notice in The Bee's pages themselves. Melissa Nix, Chris Bowman, Florence Low, Brian Baer, Robert Faturechi, Walt Yost, Marty McNeal, Jennifer Morita, Bob Walter, Quwan Spears, Scottt Howard-Cooper, Sandy Louey, Ramon Coronado, Charles Waltmire, Brian Ching, Rachel Leibrock and Rachael Bogert...all gone.

But there are names you never, or rarely, saw in the paper, of people who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that stories read well or business ran smoothly: Yvonne McKinney, DeWitt Russell, Kim Rutledge, Chad Jones, Randy Allen, Scott Lorenzo, Shahryar Ahmad, Brian Daly, Terry Dvorak, Debbie Meredith and George Costenbader.

And then there was Marco.

Marco Smolich was - I don't even know what his title was, but he was indispensible. Marco knew stuff. Lots of different stuff. If your computer was malfunctioning, he knew what to do, or who to call. If you needed help with your HOME computer, he knew what to do. If some editor was driving you crazy, he could explain why. But more than that, the guy was - is, he is not dead, after all - funny as hell. And his wit came in part from the fact that he knew more about what was going on in the newsroom - and saw it for the bittersweet human comedy it was - than most or any of the reporters he was tasked with assisting.

As someone pointed out Friday evening, Marco was the guy who gave newcomers the tour of the building and explained how things REALLY worked. He had a great sense of humor, knew who you could trust and who you couldn't, and was the best source for news inside Sacramento's "most-trusted" news source.

It's hard to imagine him not there. Imagining The Bee without Marco Smolich is...well, it's like not having The Bee itself. But then, that's the big story, isn't it?

More than that, Marco, like George Costenbader, Bob Walter, Walt Yost, Debbie Meredith and many others, was at The Bee most of his career, or at least seemed to be. They literally spent their lives at the paper, and when the paper couldn't pay them anymore, that was that. And that is one of the subtext's of the events of the last few years at the paper: long careers with established employers are going the way of the newpaper itself. That's painful to many, this cultural sea change, and it was a subject of much conversation Friday night.

Marco wasn't at Ed's party, which was a shame. It was a great party, of course - the esprit de corps of Bee reporters is legendary - but it was also a sad occasion, as people spoke about their work at The Bee, and what the future might hold. And they worried quietly about each other.

Those conversations were, of course, off the record, and will remain so. But I could not let the occasion pass without one more mention of the passion for journalism of the people who until Friday helped create it in this town. That passion will survive, whether or not they find another newspaper job. Whether The Bee will survive their loss is an open question. They're cutting into muscle now. But let the record show that the people who made the paper cared about it right up until the end.

As I was leaving the party well after midnight, a night shift partying on into the early morning hours, huddled against the cold but unwilling to part ways, I saw a pile of front page mock-ups honoring a number of the editorial employees who had worked their last shift Friday afternoon. I shot the above photos of those mock-ups and now post them (with apologies to whoever made them, please comment for credit) with the idea that these people, like the hundreds who preceded them out the door, deserve more honor than was given them at The Bee.

We will miss them, even those of us who never knew them. Good luck to each and every one.

The Sacramento Bee's crisis of relevance

2009-03-10T01:49:00Z

The Sunday, March 1, edition of the Sacramento Bee, included an article written by publisher Cheryl Dell entitled "It's not a lack of readers, it's a lack of advertising." The gist of the article was that despite the Bee's growing readership, advertising revenue has fallen, forcing the paper to reevaluate its business model. While it's never a bad idea to revisit policies when times get tough, I don't think Dell's column went far enough to acknowledge one of the biggest albatrosses hanging around the Bee's neck : the McClatchy Company.

I'm not trying to demonize McClatchy. The problem is that as a profit-seeking business, McClatchy has institutionally different goals and definitions of success than do its subordinate parts, including the Bee. McClatchy is a profit-seeking corporate entity, but the Bee is a member of our cherished free press, an institution enshrined in the Constitution and fundamental to our civil society. And though the Bee should be a civil servant in the best sense of the term, its expensive investigative reporting is going to create natural conflicts with McClatchy's profit motivation, beyond corporate editorial pressures.

For starters, consider that many papers nationwide, McClatchy-owned or not, are profitable in and of themselves but were required to make drastic cuts because their corporate owners incurred too much debt too quickly to maintain their business expansions. While the Bee may not itself be profitable, it is hard to believe that the paper has been so hammered by the recession that it had no choice but to eliminate half its staff and cut valuable inches from the printed edition. Not when its parent company, McClatchy, has watched its stock price drop from $74.50 in 2005 to $0.41 today. Sacramento's primary news source is suffering because McClatchy can no longer make the payments on its purhase of Knight-Ridder.

Consider also that though it is a sound business decision to save money by adopting corporation-wide platforms and standards, it undermines the ability of a newspaper to acknowledge and embrace its city’s character. Instead of a newspaper tailored to the unique interests and values of Sacramento, we readers are treated to mostly the same diluted content as other McClatchy readers. This is especially evident with McClatchy's web properties. Given an amazing and infinitely malleable digital distribution medium, Sacbee.com is a bland pixel-for-pixel rehash of McClatchy’s Charlotte Observer. Blank out locations and names, and you could not tell California from North Carolina.

Another sound business decision is to drop expensive original reporting in favor of cheaper, already-ubiquitous feeds. These days, there are more ways to receive an AP news feed than there are AP stories, and the same is true of nationally syndicated columns. Unfortunately, the Bee does neither itself nor its readership any favors by reprinting what is already widely available and eliminating what it alone can provide: local news, local opinions, a broad and diverse forum for community discourse, and public scrutiny of local powers.

A strong Bee would measure itself in its relevance to Sacramento, not its contribution to McClatchy’s share price. This means cutting back on wire and syndication reprints in favor of a renewed focus on local stories and local issues. This means celebrating life in Sacramento. This means redesigning the paper to reflect Sacramento’s unique character. This means prioritizing investigative pieces. Where advertising is concerned, this means pushing advertising quality over quantity and providing more column inches than ads.

As we've seen, good journalism can be severely undermined by the pressures of profits. If a for-profit business model is failing the Bee (and by extension, Sacramento), perhaps the paper should be excised from its corporate parent and given new life under a business model that would let it get back to journalism. That's something Cheryl Dell ought to consider.

New layoffs at The Bee: Who?

2009-03-09T22:49:48Z

Just one work day after union members voted to accept wage cuts and layoffs to postpone even more cuts, The Sacramento Bee started laying off some 128 employees in editorial and other departments Monday morning.

Among the names of those getting pink slips today were pop music writer Rachel Leibrock and sports writer Martin McNeal, as well as general assignment reporters Ramon Coronado, Melissa Nix, Walt Yost, sports writer Scott Howard-Cooper, and photographers Brian Baer and Florence Low. And for virtually the first time since the paper started shedding positions nearly three years ago, there were editors among the casualties.

Also leaving are IT wunderkind and newsroom gadfly Marco Smolich, and longtime newsroom aide George Costenbader.

Coming after the departures of some 65 newsroom employees over the last year through buyouts and attrition, the layoffs further weaken The Bee's news-gathering operation, bringing the editorial staff down to 190.

A number of positions are also being eliminated in advertising and the classified call center, as well as a graphic artist, an ad assistant and three people in the IT department. Other jobs in the packaging center are also being eliminated.

Early waves of departures have come over the last three years, after buy-out packages were offered to a range of names such as Bob Sylva, R.E. Graswich, Janet Fullwood and other name writers. The cuts have accelerated in the past year: The Bee's Dale Kasler reported today that the paper has cut 301 jobs since last June, about a quarter of its staff. But unlike earlier rounds, this one featured little to soften the blow.

There could have been even more layoffs, if the Guild members hadn't voted to accept the company's latest conditions: 3 to 6 percent salary cuts, and a week's unpaid furlough, and freezes in pension contributions and 401k matching contributions. Accepting those conditions allowed management to keep 19 other employees on, at least for now.

According to today's Bee, the news department is losing 29 union and non-union workers, or nearly 13 percent. That brings the total of newsroom jobs shed over the last year to about a quarter of the original 250 employees. Parent company McClatchy is laying off 1600 employees, or 15 percent of its work force.

There's no guarantee that this will be the end. With McClatchy's stock under fifty cents a share today (down from a high of $77), the future of the company looks bleak.

It could have been worse. The Rocky Mountain News recently stopped publishing entirely, and both the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the San Francisco Chronicle are apparently weeks or even days away from doing the same.

Ed Fletcher, a Bee reporter and shop steward for the Newspaper Guild's unit at the paper, said in an email that he didn't want to release the names of those being laid off yet, out of respect for their feelings.

But because they are, many of them, public figures whose departure is a loss to Sacramento, their names should be mentioned. So here, pieced together from different sources, is a list of the names of people said to be laid off today at The Sacramento Bee. If you heard other, or different, names, please comment below. Note that these are only half of the people being let go today.

Melissa Nix

Martin McNeal

Quwan Spears

Brian Baer

Florence Low

Rachel Leibrock

Terry Dvorak

Walt Yost

George Costenbader

Yvonne McKinney

Robert Faturechi

Scott Howard-Cooper

Rachael Bogert

Marco Smolich

Debbie Meredith

Chad Jones

Jennifer Morita

Ramon Coronado

More layoffs at The Sacramento Bee

2009-03-07T03:34:37Z

Another 34 employees of The Sacramento Bee will lose their jobs in an uncoming round of layoffs, after a vote today by the newspaper's union, the Newspaper Guild.

The question put to the guild's members asked if they would be willing to take pay cuts of either three or six percent, depending on salary. It also forced employees to accept one unpaid week off per year. Two-thirds of the guild's voting members voted to accept the company's plan, after company management made it clear that an additional 19 guild-covered positions would be lost if there was a "no" vote.

The 34 positions already targeted were not going to be saved no matter what the outcome of the vote.

According to the Associated Press, The Bee eliminated 86 positions last summer as part of a 10 percent cut affecting all McClatchy papers. Another 87 employees took buyouts in September, among them 23 editorial employees.

The guild represents about 270 of the paper's 1120 employees. As recently as 1999, the paper had more than 2000 employees.

Guild members at two other papers owned by McClatchy, the Modesto and Fresno Bees, will vote on a similar pay-cut package next week.

"Grim" layoff news at The Sacramento Bee

2009-02-12T23:53:48Z

The bloodletting at the Sacramento Bee is about to get much worse.

According to an email sent out to Newspaper Guild members at the paper, a meeting this morning that was supposed to wrap up current bargaining got very ugly, very quickly.

After the meeting, Guild representative Wendy Mejia posted the following email (written by reporter Jim Wasserman) to Guild members, printed below in its entirety:

Sacramento Bee employees should expect a serious wave of layoffs in early March, as well as other cost-cutting measures now being considered, including wage cuts and mandatory furloughs as McClatchy Newspapers’ financial crisis worsens, company representatives told the Guild’s bargaining committee in a 90-minute session Thursday.

The company said all options are being considered, but that layoffs would occur in quantities to trigger a federal WARN Act notification by The Sacramento Bee – required when a company does mass layoffs. (More information on WARN: www.doleta.gov/programs/factsht/warn.htm)

“We need to reduce very quickly,” said The Bee’s Human Resources Director, Linda Brooks. “I don’t want to lead anyone astray. That number is going to be big.”

She provided no specific numbers, no financial target, no dollar figure. Brooks said in an on-the-record bargaining session that the company is still working on all manner of ways to cut costs, from fewer pages to fewer employees.

Mandatory furloughs are being considered possibly for the second quarter of 2009. And wage cuts being considered run from the publisher on down, the company said.

“The newspaper industry is in a depression and this company is part of it,” said company attorney Bob Ford. He said all of McClatchy’s newspapers are making similar plans to cut costs as the firm’s revenue picture deteriorates faster than projected even weeks ago. He said the layoffs would be on a scale exceeding anything before seen at the Sacramento operation.

The company said nothing is likely to happen before Friday, Feb. 27. The company and the Guild, which represents 268 of The Bee’s 1,126 full- and part-time staffers, have scheduled a session at which The Bee will formally propose cost-cutting measures. Our bargaining committee was told in no uncertain terms that our rejection of any or all of those measures – such as potential wage cuts or furloughs – would lead only to more layoffs.

Company representatives said layoffs under the WARN Act provisions will come with the following provisions:
- 60 days of continued employment following the layoff notification. Medical coverage continues.
- Accumulation of severance pay, two weeks per year of service to a maximum of 40 weeks.
- Accrued vacation continues during the 60-day period. Medical benefits would continue for three additional months after layoff under COBRA, and possibly longer, said Brooks.
- The company will also bring in EAP counselors and financial advisers to help laid-off staffers plan a strategy. It will also offer people use of company computers to apply to the Employment Development Department. Others will be brought in to help people through the process of applying for state jobs.

Brooks said criteria to determine layoffs consists of three things, and that preliminary planning has already been done. Criteria include skills, performance and tenure. In the case of a tie breaker, tenure wins.

Prized newsroom skills, said Brooks, include expertise in investigative reporting, databases, mapping tools and freedom of information requests.

McClatchy Newspapers had previously announced that it intends to trim $100 million to $110 million in costs soon. Former VP for News, Howard Weaver, said just weeks ago that all the chain’s newspapers are making money. But the company is carrying approximately $2 billion in debt from its 2006 acquisition of the Knight Ridder chain and earnings are falling.

Bee Guild President Ed Fletcher was told that the company will consider offering voluntary buyouts if it gets names very soon of volunteers. Bob Ford offered no guarantees on that front, but acknowledged that it could be helpful in reducing the numbers of layoffs.

“We don’t need a feel for it,” he said. “We need names.”

Brooks said that people who ask for buyouts will not be targeted for layoffs, having indicated their interest.

Fletcher, and bargaining committee members Cindy Taylor of advertising, and Walt Yost and Jim Wasserman of editorial, asked numerous questions to pin down more details. Guild representatives Linda Frediani and Wendy Mejia also participated. We were told that each 1 percent wage cut among bargaining unit members would save approximately $140,000 to $160,000 – approximately three jobs.

The paper is also exploring ways to use fewer print pages – each fewer page printed daily saving about $52,000 a year. We asked about voluntary furloughs and expressed the willingness of our members to take them. Those are in the mix, we were told. It takes approximately 52 people taking one week off per year to save one job.

In short, this session was grim. It has come to this after a long, gradually-building slump in the housing sector and larger economy.

This session was scheduled to discuss the continuing question of a pension freeze. That fell to the sidelines. We were once again told very bluntly that the company believes it has the legal power to freeze pensions and that any expenses it has to pay if the Guild challenges it on the question will result in more layoffs. That freeze is scheduled to take effect March 31, but remains on the bargaining table.

To summarize, it appears, unfortunately, that a business many of us love, a newspaper that many of us have spent years climbing toward, is caught up very badly in America's economic crisis. We are being told to prepare for an extraordinary and painful journey in coming weeks. The company has promised to send us details as they have them. We promise to do the same.

Wendy Mejia, Local Representative
California Media Workers Guild

Inside out-sourcing

2009-01-08T22:49:40Z

It’s one thing to read in the local paper about the outsourcing of jobs abroad, to India, to the Philippines, and it’s quite another thing to have it happen to you. And if you happen to work for the local paper, well...

The Sacramento Bee, under enormous fiscal pressure, is finding some unique ways to cut costs, from offering buy-outs to a hefty percentage of the people who write and edit the paper, to outsourcing the work of the people who design advertising, and currently, to the people who have, for decades, kept track of where the money goes.

The money is going to India. That’s the big story. It doesn’t seem right, but it adds up for The Bee’s parent company, McClatchy, which is desperate to avoid sinking out of sight altogether as its stock price plummets and circulation drops at its newspapers. The logic of the market is brutal.

But the little story is sadder, and more interesting, and it’s happening right here in midtown Sacramento, just blocks from where I write. Right now, a handful of eager young Indians from the city of Jaipur are getting the chance of a lifetime: They are spending their days at 21st and Q Streets, learning how to do the jobs of people who live in Sacramento, people who, come March 1 or thereabouts, will join the ranks of the local unemployed.

I spoke with Lanny Shay, a Bee employee for the last 18 years, who is currently doing the appalling task of training the people who will soon take his job back to India.

We could discuss the rightness or wrongness of this, but Shay himself says he understands the financial logic. And we could talk about the money that McClatchy is saving, and thereby, perhaps, saving our hometown newspaper. We could talk about the money that Shay and his soon-to-be-former co-workers will NOT be spending at the Tower Theatre and the Co-op and the Pine Cove and Cafe Bernardo and perhaps even on things advertised in The Bee’s shrinking classifieds.

Instead, we’ll just let Shay - who says he has a masters degree in finance from Stanford - talk for a bit about what he is seeing, and feeling, as he presides over his own obsolescence.

Basically, you have to train the person who’s taking your job. So if you do everything that’s asked of you, work long hours, do overtime, the best you can hope for is...you lose your job. My manager is trying to keep that in mind, but I think they lose sight of that. It’s weird.

I work in finance, accounting. On Sept. 14, they called six of us in and explained that the jobs were being outsourced to India. Our jobs are going to Jaipur. They’re jobs as finance clerk, accounting clerk, credit clerk, it’s a smattering of positions. All six people whose jobs are going do different things.

First, in mid-November, we had a number of people come to do discovery, to lay out the mapping of the jobs, what the jobs are, what they entail, how they’re done. Then, in December, the people who are going to be doing the jobs, or will be training the people in India who will be doing the jobs, came for 3-5 weeks. There were four the first time, and four or five of them the second time.

They’re all very young - the average age is, I’d say, 23. The project manager I have less interaction with, she’s early 30s, but the others are young. They actually are pretty rural. I don’t know what level of education they have, but none of them has a car or can drive, most of them live at home with their families, and at least one had the equivalent of a CPA. I’m guessing that some might have college degrees, but I don’t know.

They speak great English. Their written English is kinda stilted, but it’s far better than my Hindi will ever be. All they do is work. They’re staying in a Residence Inn or something somewhere outside of midtown, and every morning they show up at The Bee, then work with us the whole day, then they stay until 7 or 8 at night, after we’ve left, and then they cab back to the hotel. And I have the distinct impression that they work until they go to sleep. This group has been here for five weeks, and one or two weekends they may have gotten out to SF or Tahoe, but mostly, they work. I don’t know how much they’ll make for doing our jobs in India.

It’s frustrating, there are communication issues. They’re exceedingly polite, and totally avoid conflict, which is a cultural thing. There are times when you have to push them, and often, you have to stop and say, “Repeat what I just told you.” Because they’ll act as though they understand, even if they don’t. But they’re really nice kids, and work really hard.

At some point, there’s going to be some sort of anger about it, but at this point, we’re still working. I’m certainly not mad at the kids from India, this is probably the best chance they’ve had for a job, and it’s not their fault that it’s taking my job away. And realistically, it’s not my bosses’ fault either, I think my boss feels terrible about it. One of the people who is being replaced has been there more than 40 years. I’ve been there 18. Someone else has been there 26.

So, who do you get angry at? I haven’t really figured that out yet. It’s bad that it has to happen during the worst economy in 60 years, but it’s just one of those things. It’s just the way America works now. The people who make bad decisions that effect hundreds or thousands of lives pay no price at all for making those decisions. For all the talk of the “culture of responsibility,” we’re at the point where you can do everything right and potentially lose everything. And you can make disastrous decisions and retire with a $30 million golden parachute.

There have been times in the past when I thought I could work somewhere else and get paid more, but I like living and working downtown, and The Bee’s been here for 150 years. I figured that if I got to work every day and did a good job, I’d retire comfortably. Now we’re at the point where, is anyone’s job safe? I don’t know this for a fact, but if this outsourcing is successful, other things at The Bee that can be outsourced, will be outsourced.

They’ve outsourced circulation customer service, they’ve outsourced the classified phone bank, and now us. Which is funny, because the thing we had that craigslist didn’t have was really good customer service. So what did we do to compete with craigslist? We gave away customer service! To me, that doesn’t make a whole lotta sense.

Supposedly, March 1 will be the date we turn everything over. The people go back to India, they ramp up and start doing more and more of the work, and then I’m checking it to make sure it’s alright from my side, and then I’m out of a job. In a really horrible economy. But I can collect unemployment, I have skills, and they’re giving us severance packages. But I never thought I’d have to look for work.

And the sad part is, I believe in newspapers. I believe that there’s a good reason why freedom of the press is in the First Amendment and the right to bear arms is in the Second. I believe in media telling the truth to power. And watching the industry sink is really sad. As much as I love Huffington Post and Real Clear Politics, I take with a grain of salt everything I read on the web. I don’t see how websites can compete with real newspapers doing real journalism. Maybe it’s the permanency of ink: It’s real. If you put it on your blog and it’s wrong, you delete it and it’s like it was never said. I don’t know if the effort to get it right is there in electronic media the way it is, or was, in print media.

But I guess we’ll see.

Breaking the Buck at The Bee

2008-12-24T19:58:08Z

As Chuck D. of Public Enemy once asked rhetorically, "How low can you go?"

The stock of the McClatchy Company, parent of The Sacramento Bee (where McClatchy has its corporate offices, at 21st and Q), "broke the buck" for the first time Monday, and continued to slide Tuesday. The stock finished at 75 cents a share on the NYSE Tuesday, after dipping as low as 66 cents a share.

This, for a stock that was valued at $70.90 just four years ago this week. Stunning.

So, as Chuck asked: How low can it go? Presumably, it has to stop somewhere short of ZERO, but really: Who expected it ever to go this low? From $70.90 to 75 cents in four years? That’s a 99 percent drop, using my rough math. Imagine anything else losing that much value. Anything.

Granted, even mighty Starbucks has dropped 50 percent in just the last year. And we know all about other American giants, from banks to automobile manufacturers, teetering desperately. But still, even in these dire times, when newspaper companies are going bankrupt and everyone else is feeling the pinch, a 99 percent drop - again, in four short years - seems almost unimaginable. I mean, again, HOW LOW can you go? Can it go to zero?

I called Gary Pruitt, who as CEO of McClatchy is taking most of the heat on this - besides the people who are losing their jobs, of course - and he referred me to treasurer Elaine Lintecum, whose answering machine says she’s out until after Christmas.

And really, who needs a Christmas break more than the people who are watching this train wreck from the inside?

And besides, what are they going to say? Reassuring words have been plentiful all the way along a stock slide that looks like a black diamond at Squaw Valley. But the slide continues.

Dale Kasler, the Bee’s reporter on McClatchy matters, has had to fend off blog-posting cranks who think that The Bee is losing readers because of its “liberal bias.” But the story is much bigger than that, and much less easy to summarize.

In the meantime, just how this is all going to play out is anyone's guess, but at least one knowledgeable media wag here in town expects McClatchy to follow the Tribune Company into bankruptcy in the new year. That's just a guess, but based on a $70 to 75 cent drop in stock price, it doesn't seem like a bad call.

On the other hand, The Bee is STILL a good newspaper, particularly in its news pages, and while we are looking to scoop The Bee when we can – see Sonny Mayugba’s piece on the all-star local recording of “Happy Xmas,” which just posted - we have no desire to see The Bee go away. We are daily readers.

And so this is Xmas, and I for one am hoping for a big rebound in 2009 for The Bee, the housing market, the retail sector and everyone’s spirits.
And I’m especially excited about the possibilities for SacramentoPress.com, which faces the new year as something new, exciting and, above all, growing, with a whole new media world before us. Come join us, become a community contributor, and help create the next generation of Sacramento media!