Q. I want to sue this guy who sold me a bill of goods, but he has disappeared off the face of the planet and I can’t find him anywhere. I thought I read somewhere that I could just put a notice in the newspaper and that would be ok. How do I do that? A. When filing a lawsuit, you are required to serve the other party with your summons and complaint, to notify them of the lawsuit. If the other party cannot be located, you will have to ask the court for permission to publish the summons in the newspaper. Publication of Summons, as set forth in California's Code of Civil Procedure section 415.50, is considered a method of last resort. The court can only approve your request for an Order for

Q- I am involved in a court case and need to serve legal documents and the only address I have for the other person is a mailbox at a UPS store and someone told me that I can’t serve a P.O. Box, is that true? Joseph A- The answer depends on what type of P.O. Box you are trying to serve. If it is an actual post office box that is offered by the federal government, through the United States Post Office, then it cannot be served. However, according to the California Business & Professions Code § 17538.5, you can serve a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA) which is commonly referred to as a “post office box” even though legally it is not. CMRAs offer private mailboxes, and these are techn

Everyone has had encounters with either really great or really awful service no matter where they live, and the people of Sacramento are no exception. The Sacramento Press hit the streets recently and asked people where they had received the best or worst service in the area. Quoc Nguyen, 27, a store manager living in downtown Sacramento, gave examples of two places he'd received the worst and best service. “The best service I've had was at a coffee shop called Chocolate Fish, because they are very knowledgeable about their products and I like the 'Great White',” Nguyen said. “I'm Vietnamese, so I can say this: I receive the worst service at Vietnamese restaurants. I don't usually tip

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

The best caregiver for an elderly person is a friend, said Priya Bansal, owner of Sacramento’s Seniors Helping Seniors, which employs seniors to help their peers with activities they can no longer do alone. “Seniors are the most-neglected people with needs,” Bansal, 33, said. “It’s a satisfying feeling knowing you can help and make a difference in someone’s life.” Seniors Helping Seniors is a national organization founded in 1998 with more than 120 locations in the United States, and Bansal opened the Sacramento franchise in late 2009. “Since then, we’ve helped 60-65 families,” she said. “We have 35-40 caregivers who all go through background checks with the California Department of Jus

In a tiny, 12-by-10 room cluttered with microphones, headphones, soundboards and telephones, a message will soon escape from the confines of the small studio suite and spread throughout Sacramento and its surrounding regions. A message that, according to its messenger, transcends its own transmission. Robert Briggs, 43, a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in midtown Sacramento, burns the candle at both ends with one end in mind: that the kingdom of God be furthered in the souls of men and women unfettered. On this particular December, Wednesday morning, Briggs prepares to record a pair of 24-minute messages from the book of Romans that will subsequently air two consecutive Friday aftern

It's always interesting to see people's reactions to their coveted restaurants, and there are few things I speak to others about lately (politics aside) that get such strong and adverse reactions. One example is Sacramento's newest bistro, The Press, in the Panhandle on 19th Street and Capitol Avenue. On two occasions I had a chance to go and patronize this restaurant, and I can see why the reactions are so varied – the experience is far from consistent. Here's an account of my two experiences, and you be the judge on which was closer to your take. First Experience: I walked in at 4 p.m. during the Second Saturday Art Walk, and it was still early enough that there was no one in the

Participants in Thursday’s Community Conversations discussion expressed that a community’s success rests on the shoulders of its citizens. About nine people gathered around a table at Old Soul at 40 Acres to engage in a civic discussion centered around the question; “What should government do for you?” Facilitator Brian Fischer prefaced the meeting’s purpose by saying, “the most important thing is to listen and learn from each other.” Community Conversations organizers are hoping to create an open forum where citizens of all stripes can engage one another in a thoughtful discussion that would help improve the quality of life in Sacramento communities. Thursday’s meeting was Community C

 On Tuesday, June 29th at 6  PM, Metalworx Body & Paint will be transformed from a body shop to an event center along Auburn Blvd.! Get Networking Now!, the most comprehensive business to business networking association (on and offline) connecting businesses at the local level, brings together Sacramento's blue collar, service industry and white collar business owners in one location for a business mixer unlike any other! "Two years ago I used to spend over $4,000.00 per month on advertising....now I only network....everyday!"....Jeff Wagner Sr., Wagner Plumbing Come see why the Get Networking Now!'s Blue Collar & Hard Hats Mixers are truly, the most unique business mixer you will ever

SACRAMENTO – More than 10,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their friends will descend on parks throughout the Sacramento region Saturday, May 8, to perform necessary work from clean-up and general maintenance to painting, planting trees and even construction jobs. Under the banner of Mormon Helping Hands, an international program of the Church that has provided manpower in distressed communities and organized relief efforts after natural disasters, the volunteers have chosen parks in their own communities to perform work in state, regional and city parks that have been hit hard by the recent downturn in the economy. The Sacramento effort is part of a stat

The Freemasons of Eureka Lodge No 16 of Auburn attended St Philomene Catholic School in Sacramento on Parents Day and provided FREE Kids ID thumbprinting and photo identification for all the children. The lodge also donated free stuffed animal toys for the appreciative students, while parents received an identification sheet that includes space to record child's height, weight, eye, hair color and space for a DNA sample. This sheet will be extremely valuable to authorities if a child ever becomes missing or abducted. The California Mason's Kids ID Program gives parents the peace of mind that they are prepared for the unthinkable. Each year approximately 725,000 children are reported missi

Disabled Veterans Win Battle in “Good Faith” Fight to Save Taxpayers Money Disabled veteran companies and taxpayers are both winners in recent changes promoted by California’s wounded warriors. The non-profit California Disabled Veterans Business Alliance has fought the Good Faith Effort (GFE) provision in State contracting as a useless diversion actually keeping business away from Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE). Now, the State has acted on the recommendations of the Alliance in coordination with DGS and other state agencies and has passed legislation to eliminate the GFE effective 28 July 2009. By promoting equality with the State of California’s Small Business preference

Knives chopped, pans tossed and orders were shouted — it was an Iron Chef of sorts in the quaint kitchen of the Shady Lady. But instead of competing, a conglomeration of chefs came together to feed those who knew and loved Adam Gregory Rains, who passed away on April 17, 2009. Rains was the victim of a car accident that left three people dead in St. Helena around 1 a.m. Friday morning. His culinary career in Sacramento included working at Kru Restaurant, helping to open Tuli Bistro, and catering with Mulvaney's B&L. Rains had also begun attending the Culinary Institute of America this year. One of Rains's coworkers from Kru said of him, "It didn’t matter how intense it got, he always ma

In my previous article, I introduced the annual Martin Luther King, Jr, Day of Service. This year, people all over the country took part in more than 12,000 service projects that were organized locally by your friends and neighbors. As for my part, I spent the day the way I'd like to spend any holiday: outside in nature. Only this time I did it with a trash bag in hand. I joined a great group of people and cleaned up the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area wetlands. You know, that area next to the causeway that’s flooded with water and teeming with migratory birds during the winter months. I often see the birds from the freeway, but was unaware of how accessible the area is to visitors. All you hav