Two bills were on bikers’ minds Monday as they rallied at the Capitol. Hundreds of California motorcyclists, drivers and passengers, showed up for the yearly motorcycle rally sponsored by the American Brotherhood Aimed Towards Education (ABATE) Monday morning. They gathered on the Capitol building’s south-side in support of two bills that would change the state’s helmet law and throw out the motorcycle-only checkpoints. Legislators were scheduled to vote Monday afternoon after rally.  For results, CLICK HERE>>>

Early Sunday morning, over 4,000 runners from around the world participated in the California International Marathon, a 26.2-mile race from Folsom to downtown Sacramento. As the runners scaled the greater Sacramento area into the afternoon, hundreds of supporters lined the route carrying signs of support and yelling words of encouragement. Meadow Bailey, a 34-year-old homemaker from Rancho Cordova, was one of the many who came out to show their support. She said that although this was her first time coming, she had an enjoyable experience. “Everybody is cheering, and there’s a great sense of unity,” she said. Starting near Folsom Lake, participants headed east down Oak Avenue. Passing t

FatMan Cigars, located just six blocks from the Capitol, is the product of one man's two-decade infatuation with the cigar. Joey Madrid, 40, owner and operator of FatMan Cigars, said he discovered cigars as a navy electrician in 1990, and dreamed of opening a cigar shop since 1995. At the time, he was told he was too young to be taken seriously in the business. FatMan Cigars marks its first year in business on Tuesday. Unlike many cigar shops, it is one of the only places in Sacramento where you can purchase your cigar and smoke it inside. The standalone building, with separate ventilation systems for each floor, gives patrons the freedom to light up inside, a luxury for California smoke

An array of designs submitted as part of the Catalyst Capitol Mall Design Competition in an effort to spark a “big idea” for future enhancement of the corridor from Tower Bridge to 10th Street were reviewed by a jury Oct. 7, and winners will be announced Nov. 9. While the winner can’t yet be revealed, Kris Barkley, competition adviser to the city on behalf of the American Institute of Architects, described some key assets of the winning proposal. “The first-place winner, I think, is really, really focused on what I think the people of Sacramento are feeling will work there,” he said. “It’s a tree-centered development that improves the urban canopy we have in Sacramento and brings it more

Protesters took to Cesar Chavez Plaza Thursday to fight what they say is the richest 1 percent of Americans controlling 50 percent of the country’s wealth – and they plan to “occupy” Sacramento for at least a week. “I’m out here to fight for the people so we can get power back from the corporations,” said Neph Garcia, a diesel mechanic from Woodland. “The 1 percent is making the decisions, and the 99 percent suffers from those,” he added. “We have to be free from corporate decisions. The politicians are pretty much their puppets.” About 300 protesters with Occupy Sacramento assembled at Cesar Chavez Plaza downtown on Thursday morning before setting off on a march around the Capitol, cha

Hundreds of people gathered at our state’s capitol Thursday night to celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day. Voices rang proud and flags swayed high, as both the American and the Mexican national anthems were sung in tribute to the mixture of these heritages. Americans of all cultural backgrounds stood in solidarity, reveling in the significance of this day, when, 201 years ago, Mexico waged war against Spanish rule and tyranny. Still for many, the festivities were more than just remembering what happened two centuries ago, or eating too much of the amazing food provided by Sacramento’s mobile food trucks. Instead, they represented the struggle of Mexican Americans here in the United States

More than 70 design entries have been submitted for the Capitol Mall design competition to redo the section of the street west of the Capitol building, and organizers said Thursday that they expect to get up to a total of between 150 and 200 over the next couple of weeks. The competition’s goal is to draw interest from international designers, architects and urban planners as well as from locals, with the winner taking home a $20,000 prize. “We’ve been really pleased with the turnout,” said Kristopher Barkley of the American Institute of Architects Central Valley Chapter, which is advising the city on the competition. He added that the 70 entries have come from all six inhabited contine

On September 15th, at the Capitol, 12 awesome food trucks are getting together to help celebrate Mexican Independence Day! I know what you are thinking, isn't Cinco de Mayo supposed to be for that? Oh contrare! September 16th is the actual day. If you went to the last SactoMofo food truck festival at Fremont park back in April, then you know just how crazy popular this has become in Sacramento. It was packed from the moment it opened until the time it closed! The organizers weren't expecting such a huge crowd, and unfortunately most trucks weren't prepared to handled that many people. Wait lines were horrendously long, and a lot of people stood in line for hours just to hear that the food

For weeks, a sign saying “so close you can almost taste it” hung in the window of the storefront vacated by Le Petit Paris last year, and on Tuesday, Sacramentans got their chance to go in and sample authentic Italian gelato in Midtown when Devine Gelateria & Cafe opened. “The opening went really well,” owner Elizabeth McCleary said Wednesday morning as she prepared to make gelato and sorbetto from scratch for the upcoming day. Originally planning to close at 8 p.m. on the opening day, there was a line of people as late as 7:45 p.m., and McCleary said she might adjust her hours to stay open another hour if the trend continues. Flavors include roasted almond, pistachio, dulce de leche, b

Please join us on Wednesday evening, August 24th beginning at 5:45pm for this month’s 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD). “Complete Streets” is the inspiring story of the planning, re-design and transfiguration of West Sacramento’s main street area: West Capitol Avenue. The project completely transformed a portion of old highway US 40 with a wide variety of improvements including new, widened sidewalks, re-structured roads, contiguous bicycle lanes, pocket plazas, landscape plantings and iconic bus shelters which celebrate the City’s unique identity. The re-development of this area has served to foster community spirit by addressing the needs of West Sacramento’s residents and employee

Before guests could hit the dance floor and mingle with friends at a non-profit organization’s 10th Anniversary celebration, local community leaders gave a “Celebrity Show” posing to be celebrities of the last decade to say a few words. The emcee introduced the first celebrity – Hillary Clinton. Walking and gracefully waving to “Stand by Your Man” by Tammy Wynette from the back of the ballroom to the podium is Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg’s (D-Sacramento) District Director Susan McKee. Guests stood up from their seats to take videos and photos while others clapped and laughed. “I told the President that C.C. Yin has always been my man and all of you know I stand by my man,

What did the pioneers do for fun in the 1840s? Visitors at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park were able to see firsthand on Saturday a few of the things pioneers did for fun and what life was like for families during that time. Sutter’s Fort hosted a “Hands on History” event called “Spring Has Sprung!” a hands on event that focused on toys from the 1840s. Spring Has Sprung! is dedicated to fun and games. Demonstrations of barrel-hoop races, the game of Graces, tug-o’-war, jump rope, marbles and parlor games took place throughout the day. Children in pioneer wear showed visitors the many games. Pioneer games gave people a chance to get together, helped children develop and build lasting

Some of the world’s top bicyclists will be racing into Sacramento Monday to finish the second stage of the sixth annual Amgen Tour of California at the Capitol. Racers will enter Sacramento from the northern city limits on Sorrento Road to Main Avenue, then head to Highway 160, where they will then enter the central city on 12th Street, according to Department of Transportation spokeswoman Linda Tucker. For the race route and road closures, click the interactive map below. View Amgen Tour of California Route in a larger map “You’ve got the opportunity to watch some of the best athletes in the world ply their trade,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, which owns the race. “

I regularly walk my dog in Capitol park and enjoy the sights and sounds in the area.  Most times it is pretty low key with a few lawmakers and tourists wandering around and the occasional exhiled spouse reading on a park bench. Today though was pretty interesting.  I was curious about this whole Cindy Sheehan thing and wanted to see if she was having any impact. The teachers tried to take the spotlight but honestly they fell short. CTA met in Gallegos Square and on the steps of the Cathedral.  They had a decent sized group but apparently they weren't quite as organized as I would expect from teachers. As I approached they were praying.  Sorry, I did not know you all were praying since I

Rare artifacts will be unveiled this month in a new exhibit documenting the culture and contributions of California's first people at the California Museum in Sacramento. A huge stuffed condor from the Smithsonian, Modoc chief Captain Jack's buckskin jacket and a cape and arrowhead that belonged to Ishi, reputedly the last Native American to live a primitive life in California, will be showcased in "California Indians: Making A Difference," which opens March 31. "We have some objects that have never been on exhibit before," said curator P. Christiaan Klieger, an anthropologist affiliated with the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. "It's not your typical sort of basket exhib

Rainy weather wasn’t going to stop the thousands of students who marched to the Capitol to fight for higher education Monday morning. California’s budget crisis has students from the UC, CSU, and Community Colleges concerned about their future. Governor Brown’s proposed budget increases community college tuition by 38.5% and cuts $400 million from the California Community College (CCC) system. This proposed budget is one of the reasons the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), an organization run completely by elected student members, puts this annual ‘March in March’ event on. “It’s a fundamental right that every Californian should have access to an affordable and

What looks like someone landing on top of the Capitol building is a State arborist doing maintenance on a large tree on the west side of the Capitol this morning. He had just finished thinning out some branches about 75 ft up. His partner held the end of his rope as he rappelled to the ground. SacPress Photo | Kati Garner

Sacramento’s State Capitol West Steps was the gathering spot for over two thousand supporters of the striking collective bargaining Wisconsin workers. A “We Are One” solidarity candlelight vigil brought more supporters to the capitol than was expected. As tens of thousands of people continue their protest in Wisconsin they begin their second week of demonstrations. In Sacramento and other cities in California supporters plan to show their solidarity with Wisconsin collective bargaining state workers. Chants of “You take on one of us, you take on all of us! We are one!” and others rang out at various times throughout the vigil. Solidarity was the theme for the night and similar events a

The sun was still shining on the State Capitol at 5:30 p.m. Monday, at the start of the Sacramento Central Labor Council's Candlelight Vigil for Wisconsin Workers. The crowd grew to an estimated 2,000 people, in solidarity with labor and human rights movements in Wisconsin and beyond. The supply of signs for "We Stand With Wisconsin Workers" and flameless vigil candles didn't meet the demand. There were handmade signs, such as: "Labor Rights. Human Rights. Women's Rights. We Are One" and "Serf's Unite."  "We Are One," "It's About Freedom" and other signs from dozens of labor organizations, represented nurses, state workers, educators, fire fighters, law enforcement and skilled trade unio

Nine mayors representing California’s largest cities met with Gov. Jerry Brown in a closed session Wednesday to urge him not to eliminate redevelopment agency funding. Speaking to reporters after the meeting on the West Steps of the Capitol, mayors from Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Anaheim, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Ana, Fresno and San Diego explained their reasons for wanting to keep redevelopment agency dollars in the city budgets. “Every one of us understand the magnitude of the budget challenges we face in the state,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. He added that all mayors understand the need to shoulder their share of the budget cuts necessitated by the rece