Newest articles and comments on The Sacramento Press written by George Jackson

George Jackson on "City eyes egg-laying hen costs"

2011-02-15T00:13:30Z

If the City Council didn't take 3 hearings to address the issue that should have only taken one hearing, and if City staff listened and used resources at their disposal, this might not have cost the city much of anything at all to analyze. It's pretty clear that advocates (namely the CLUCK group) have been open to discussion and are willing to move forward to provide healthy and affordable food for all Sacramentans. Rather than take in the abstract, the Law & Leg Committee should move the issue forward to actually draft an ordinance that can be discussed openly for pros and cons, including the true costs.

George Jackson on "Schenirer to focus on neighborhoods"

2010-12-20T02:13:23Z

Can someone explain to me how Sac High is a closed school? I thought anyone who wants to can attend. Are there stories of students actually being turned away who wanted to go there.

George Jackson on "City Council 2010: Election night updates"

2010-06-09T06:03:34Z

Sac Press is more reliable than the County Registrar tonight. I vote Sac Press to be the new Registrar.

George Jackson on "Bed Bugs Pose Irritating Pest Control Problem"

2010-04-15T01:13:09Z

Unfortunately the same people that denied climate change and defended Big Tobacco are now trying to promote DDT as the savior for everything from malaria to bed bugs. Truly integrated pest management is the only sustainable way to control either, without the use of toxic pesticides!

George Jackson on "District 5 Candidates Meet Residents in Open Forum"

2010-04-03T18:00:36Z

thanks for the story -- seems like a competitive race. nice to see actual competition for a council seat.

George Jackson on "Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control District announces the Spring 2010 Fight the Bite Contest! "

2010-02-26T08:35:19Z

Can't wait until they aerially spray communities with pesticides again this spring or summer--see the safe pesticides they use just uncovered in a great article by Environmental Health News as increasingly damaging to our health and waterways: http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/pyrethroids-raise-concerns

George Jackson on "The myth of the local Trader Joes"

2010-01-16T01:19:09Z

I have heard that City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond is planning to do a local purchasing law around city contracts--don't know how far it can be extended

George Jackson on "The myth of the local Trader Joes"

2010-01-15T22:37:11Z

I assume that it becomes impossible for a local branch of any store to carry local beers or foods as soon as the entire company becomes large enough.

George Jackson on "The myth of the local Trader Joes"

2010-01-15T21:56:14Z

great conversation starter Steve. I enjoy shopping at Trader Joe's for the type of products they carry but it is true that it is really just a liberal Walmart. (p.s. I can never understand why people are giving thumbs down--whether it is for the content or the quality of the article).

George Jackson on "Councilwoman Lauren Hammond outlines goals for the city"

2010-01-10T06:46:38Z

I'm no fan of hers (she's done nothing to support Oak Park and berates her constituents constantly!), but prioritizing local business for city contracts seems like good policy.

George Jackson on "Rally held against new pesticide"

2009-12-16T04:37:48Z

very cool article. hopefully agribusiness can't approve this stuff.

George Jackson on "West Sac: Shop Local"

2009-08-30T16:00:12Z

It's disappointing that "local" means many of those large national chains mentioned in the article, rather than mom-and-pop stores. How many of these stores source their products from the Sacramento Region? That'd be a good question to pose to them. It's similar to what the Sac News and Review profiled in a recent article about Fresno. While the move by the City and businesses represents a positive step towards recognizing the need for local investment and purchasing, a few low-wage jobs and sales tax, don't take the place of truly local businesses with more local goods. I hope we can move more in that direction.

George Jackson on "CLUCK presses for changes"

2009-08-07T15:22:44Z

Movies On a Big Screen is just as awesome as when they were in West Sac. Can't wait to see the above movie and Visioneers next week.

George Jackson on "Fremont Park to become greener, harder to maintain"

2009-08-05T03:40:11Z

Kathleen, I think the point is that the park may require the SAME amount of upkeep in the short run, but LESS overall upkeep in the long run.

George Jackson on "Slow Food educates, raises awareness on Urban Ag Day"

2009-07-13T15:22:39Z

Great article. One more group to add to the list: Environment and Agriculture Taskforce (EAT) Sacramento hosted the screenings of the film "FRESH": www.eatsacramento.org.

George Jackson on "City plants seeds for new gardening opportunities"

2009-07-10T16:16:19Z

Can't wait to see the garden in Oak Park

George Jackson on "Sacramento Zine Symposium"

2009-07-09T22:27:32Z

Shoot. Too bad it competes with all the activities of Urban AgFest: bike tours, movie screenings and dinner: slowfoodsacramento.org.

George Jackson on "Farm Stand Offers More than Food"

2009-06-18T18:23:35Z

we need more farmstands everywhere, including the 'burbs.

George Jackson on "Sacramento Prepares for Urban Ag Day"

2009-06-15T20:42:17Z

They are based in the East Bay. See ore here: http://www.peoplesgrocery.org/

Sacramento Prepares for Urban Ag Day

2009-06-15T06:12:14Z

Backyard chickens. Frontyard gardens. Crop swaps. Fruit gleaning. The Good Food Movement, or movement towards a sustainable food and food production, is growing in Sacramento. And residents are seizing on the City's soils and politics to make Sacramento a living laboratory for a new wave of urban agriculture.

"Urban agriculture is providing the forum for a larger social discussion," said Jennifer Lee of EAT Sacramento in an email. "Sacramentans increasingly understand that how we eat and how we grow has profound implications for our health, our communities and our environment."

On July 11th, these efforts will culminate in Urban Ag Day. Participants will have an opportunity to ride their bike around town and visit examples of Sacramento's urban agriculture through the "What's Growing On?" bike tour, watch films like FRESH, and participate in workshops on composting and gardening. These tour stops and events will take place largely in Midtown and Oak Park, some of the greatest hotspots of Sacramento's Urban Ag movement.

Later that evening, at the Common Table celebration, participants will have an opportunity to eat a multi-course local and organic meal in the Fremont Community Garden, and listen to movement speakers, including Brahm Ahmadi of the People's Grocery. According to event organizers, tickets are limited and selling quickly. Proceeds from the dinner will benefit the Sacramento Hunger Coalition and Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition.

The event is more than just a fundraiser. According to a Slow Food Sacramento press release, "the goal is to raise awareness about local urban gardening and food programs, as well as to advocate for improved city, county and state food policies that enable more locally grown foods in urban locations." These goals touch on those recently outlined by

Valley Vision

in the paper "Food Access in the Sacramento Region," and speak to the shake-up taking place in the food system.

Urban Ag Day also demonstrates how a diverse coalition of organizations is contributing to the Good Food Movement. Slow Food Sacramento, the Sacramento Hunger Coalition, the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition, Pesticide Watch Education Fund, the Health Education Council are all participating in the event.

Tickets to the day's activities can be purchased through Slow Food Sacramento.

George Jackson is an intern with Pesticide-Free Sacramento

George Jackson on "Should We Close Sac's Parks? Open Up K St. to Cars?"

2009-06-01T15:29:43Z

Whoa. Opening up K Street? Mayor: World class cities have lots of pedestrian malls. We should be moving towards more of these--not fewer.

George Jackson on "SacDine: A Food Lovers Best Resource"

2009-05-26T04:35:43Z

don't yelp.com and midtowngrid.com already fill this niche? what's so unique about sacdine?

George Jackson on "Activists, Vegetarians Descend on Downtown Sacramento for Film Premiere"

2009-05-23T03:39:21Z

great film. and a similar movie "Fresh" is likely coming to town in July too.

George Jackson on "Residents fight city's planned cuts to parks"

2009-05-23T02:22:22Z

Every department will likely face cuts. Mayor, we need to use your volunteer effort and others to pick up where the Park's Dept leaves off. I don't see any other way to get through this mess.

Shriver Gets Her Hands Dirty

2009-05-21T19:46:58Z

Sacramento, CA - Earlier today, Maria Shriver unveiled a community garden at the heart of the Capitol grounds, following a national trend to grow food local and sustainably. The garden will be made up of fruits, vegetables and herbs, and change with the seasons. According to advocates, it is intended to be a teaching tool for children regarding nutrition, agriculture and healthy living.

“Over the years, I have seen how gardens have positively transformed students, schools and communities in California. Gardens are a wonderful resource, and I truly believe in the life lessons they teach and the lives they touch -- and that every school and community should have one. What we’re doing in California goes beyond symbolism, we are truly creating a comprehensive environment for learning all around this garden,” said First Lady Maria Shriver in a written statement.

Also speaking at the event were California Secretary of Agriculture, A.G. Kawamura, chef and author Alice Waters, and TV chef celebrity Guy Fieri.

Increasingly, the movement of people working on food issues has linked the issues of hunger, global warming, and food safety. "Shriver's garden points California in the right direction---towards, healthy, organic and local food," said Claude Black, an activist with EAT Sacramento.

Like the Obama garden, the Shriver garden will be maintained organically, in accordance with the rest of the Capitol grounds. And food grown, will be distributed to the local food banks. Similar fruit harvest operations have already been taking place in Sacramento over the past few months, under the auspices of the Urban Fruit Sustainability Project.

Logo courtesy of the Office of First Lady Maria Shriver

George Jackson is an intern with Pesticide-Free Sacramento, a group that works to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the use of pesticides in the Sacramento region.

George Jackson on "Sacramento Celebrates "Bike to Work Day," Offers Bike Racks to Businesses"

2009-05-21T16:28:29Z

It's true. I saw the Mayor ride down "L" Street with an entourage behind him. I think he might actually need an upgrade on his wheels.

George Jackson on "Downtown Sac / West Sac streetcar plan slowly chugs along "

2009-05-07T03:59:21Z

Can't we use some of those federal transportation stimulus dollars to help fund and expedite this project? It seems like exactly the type of project we should invest those dollars in.

George Jackson on "What's happening at the Capitol: May 4 and 5"

2009-05-06T01:50:08Z

The Environmental Health Legislative Working Group (EHLWG) just held two great days of training activists across the state to be better grassroots lobbyists and then folks lobbied legislators on priority environmental health and environmental justice legislation. To get involved in upcoming events, contact nidia(at)coalitionforcleanair.org.

George Jackson on "Lots at Stake for Sacramento in May 19th Election"

2009-04-29T23:39:52Z

Steve, I think these initiatives are hard to swallow for voters, but I hope the Yes! Campaign prevails.

Coalition Says "Modernize Chicken Laws"

2009-04-23T00:52:42Z

On Earth Day, Sacramento residents decided to take action in their yards, both front and back. In Oak Park, Environment and Agriculture Taskforce (EAT) Sacramento, a network of activists and organizations, issued a report and called on the city to "modernize" chicken laws by allowing residents to keep a limited number of egg-laying hens. The group also layed out part of a roadmap for achieving greater food security, as well as adressing global warming.

The group also suggested that the city could do more to support and encourage more "green thumbs" through continued gardening trainings, zoning changes, and better use of vacant lands. Citing the need to "fix", or capture carbon dioxide pollution, the group called for more Carbon Gardens and Carbon Farms throughout the city and county. The movement is definitely catching on. First Lady Maria Shriver and First Lady Michelle Obama have planted their organic, or Carbon Gardens, in the last month.

Members of EAT Sacramento have already begun discussions with councilmembers, hoping to build support for a practical chicken law by summer.

“Creating a local environment that allows people to feed their families will make Sacramento a much more sustainable city,” said Sacramento Councilmember Rob Fong.

The report, "The Kitchen Sink: Building a Healthy Food Community", suggests that local governments, in tandem with residents and an existing network of organizations need to:

(1) Help residents reclaim their yards through updating outdated ordinances on water use, animals, and land use.

(2) Build more community food networks through continued support and incentives.

(3) Make Sacramento the carbon capital by piloting projects throughout the city and county, and supporting gardening and composting trainings.

For more information about efforts to modernize chicken laws, visit www.EATsacramento.org.

George Jackson is an intern with Pesticide-Free Sacramento

Photos courtesy of Katie Towers

George Jackson on "Saving the Oak Park Starbucks"

2009-04-22T19:47:11Z

The location is all about community. It doesn't matter whether it is a Starbuck's or not, Oak Park residences need a coffee shop or cafe to gather. If you've spent any time there, you realize the baristas at this Starbuck's are also integral parts of the community. With that said, I agree that we should e spending Sacramento dollars in Sacramento companies. I would propose that Naked coffee rosters, whose roasting operation is only a couple blocks away, come in and hire all the old Starbuck's employees. Too good to be true?

George Jackson on "Local Crop Swaps Offer More than Fresh Vegetables"

2009-04-04T20:56:34Z

the crop swap in oak park has been really successful--hope other neighborhoods replicate that success!

George Jackson on "Sacramento's Next Assembly Member: The Battle Begins"

2009-04-04T06:47:08Z

thanks for the insight. an interesting followup would be who are the contenders to fill the hammond and dickinson seats.

George Jackson on "City Council to Throw Out Fair Election Ordinance"

2009-03-31T23:34:45Z

wow, this is frightening! hope everyone calls their councilmember. We need cleaner, not dirtier elections in this City.

George Jackson on "Legislators Get Educated in Second Annual Oceans Day in Sacramento"

2009-03-29T21:59:11Z

Environment California is a great group. We need more local environmental reporting on this site.

National Ag Day: Local and Organic In Sacramento

2009-03-20T04:03:27Z

In Washington, D.C., Friday marks National Agriculture Day. While this event is primarily sponsored by and profiles industry heavyweights like the Farm Bureau, Dow AgroSciences and Archer Daniels Midland, Sacramento residents are celebrating in their own way.

“Sacramentans are rebuilding our food system,” said Paul Schramski, State Director of Pesticide Watch. “Facing an increasingly unhealthy food system, and lack of access to more healthy foods, Sacramento residents are embracing a new urban agriculture.”

On any recent weekend, Sacramentans could be found participating in sustainable, urban agriculture. Neighbors in East Sacramento, spearheaded by the Sacramento Urban Fruit Sustainability Fruit Project, harvested fruit from backyards for donation to local foodbanks, while others tended plots with the Sacramento Area Community Gardens. Meanwhile, Soil Born Farms and Oak Park’s Crop Swap are gearing up for new seasons of selling food at farm stands, farmer’s markets, and neighborhood “swaps”.

This scene contrasts dramatically with neighboring industrial agriculture. Just across the Sacramento River, in Yolo County, large-scale farms have begun to spray aerial pesticides for wheat and alfalfa. For the past several days, residents of the Pocket neighborhood have been reporting adverse health effects. “Aerial spraying of the agricultural fields is excessive and I will continue to fight this imminent health risk,” said a resident from the neighborhood who wished to remain anonymous.

Multiple government and scientific research sources including the University of Minnesota and U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, estimate that about 40 percent of an aerial pesticide application leaves the “target area” and that less than 1 percent actually reaches its target. In addition, airborne pesticide drift is responsible for acute poisonings – more than half of agricultural pesticide poisonings reported in California between 1997 and 2000 – and for chronic illnesses including asthma, cancer, neurological disorders, birth defects, miscarriages, and other reproductive effects, according to articles recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Several pieces of statewide legislation, notably The Clean Air for Children, Seniors and Working Families Act (Swanson), as well as two bills recently introduced by Senator Mark Leno and Assemblymember Bill Monning, would challenge industrial agriculture, by creating health-based information and stronger health protections in cases of pesticide exposure.

Meanwhile, Sacramentans are getting some guidance from the Whitehouse in their efforts to create sustainable, urban agriculture. In a New York Times story earlier today, Michelle Obama announced plans to plant an organic vegetable garden on the Whitehouse lawn. Local elected officials have offered similar advice. “As the economic downturn continues, more Sacramentans will look for ways to cut costs. Please consider a vegetable garden. In World War II they were called Victory Gardens. Today the victory should be for pesticide-free growing,” said Sacramento Vice-Mayor Lauren Hammond in an e-mailed statement.

George Davidson is an intern at Pesticide-Free Sacramento, a coalition of civic, health and environmental organizations working to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the use of pesticides in the Sacramento region.

Photo Courtesy of David Baldridge

Event champions local food and organic efforts

2009-03-03T03:53:25Z

On Thursday night, Sacramento residents will gather to celebrate a new brand of "localism". Increasingly, Sacramentans are redefining it's traditionally negative conotations of narrow-mindedness and stubbornness. Instead, "Sacramento localism" is about efforts to build a healthier, more sustainable community, including reducing pesticide use and increasing food security.

Thursday's event, entitled “Organic Sounds,” will highlight two local efforts that are setting precedent for the entire state: the Pesticide-Free Sacramento and the soon-to-be-launched EAT (Environment and Agriculture Taskforce) Sacramento projects. Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong and Chef Michael Tuohy of the Grange Restaurant will be the featured speakers, sharing words about both efforts.

Sacramento localism is more than just lectures. Residents at Thursday's event will also hear performances from Sacramento Americana bands Rowdy Kate, Starts & Garters and regional blues musicians Spotted Dog. And they will also have a chance to taste food from Del Paso gourmets Magpie Catering and Synergy Chef, providing local and organic food. And, not to be outdone, regional wineries Orleans Hill and La Rocca will be providing organic wine.

“Sacramentans are challenging the way toxics pesticides are used in their backyards and finding creative solutions to fix an increasingly broken food system,” said Paul Schramski Towers, State Director of Pesticide Watch, the organization behind the event and organization supporting the two local efforts. “By investing in local food and organic places, we can create a healthier, more vibrant community.”

Over 3.2 million pounds of pesticides are used in Sacramento County, including thousands of pounds in urban homes, schools, parks and workplaces. Area organizations, including Physicians for Social Responsibility, Mothers’ Support Network and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op launched Pesticide-Free Sacramento as a comprehensive effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate pesticide use in the region.

EAT Sacramento is a more recent effort, emerging from efforts of the members of Organic Sacramento and the Sacramento Area Community Gardens Coalition, and supported by Pesticide Watch. As Sacramento residents face water shortages and increasing food prices, EAT Sacramento promotes new ways to grow your own local food, as well as support and enlarge local, organic farms. This effort will be more formally launched later this month.

Sacramento localism is an exciting movement to reinvest in a healthy, new Sacramento. "Sacramento residents have decided that we not only need green jobs, but we also need green thumbs," Towers added.

For more information about Organic Sounds, visit www.pesticidewatch.org.

George Jackson on "Unsustainable Waste Disposal Practices"

2009-02-01T02:40:52Z

David, thanks for sharing your perspective. To put it simply, the so-called "waste-to-energy" proposal was nothing more than an incinerator in disguise, that was both financially risky and unproven. David, I too would like to find the magic bullet to solve our trash problems, but neither burning nor burying will solve this problem. Over the past century, we have seen the countless problems posed by both options to our air and water. That's why I am one of many Sacramentans, joined by a litany of environmental and public health organizations (Californians Against Waste, Search for the Cause, Environmental Council of Sacramento, etc) who opposed the waste-to-energy incinerator and will continue to work in tandem with our elected officials towards the goal of becoming a truly Zero Waste city. In the interim, we must increase our capacity and support for recycling and purchase and support the creation of products that use less waste. For a thorough analysis of the problems with the proposed incinerator, the misinformation behind it, and an unproven track record, please visit: http://www.greenaction.org/incinerators/documents/GreenactionSacramentoPlasmaReport082608.pdf

George Jackson on "Should Our New Mayor be Granted More Power?"

2009-01-20T19:04:57Z

Earlier this morning I was approached to sign a petition to help hire an independent auditor to look at the City's budget and make recommendations about where to cut spending. Fails in Council one week--take to voters the next? Is this yet another attempt to circumvent the powers of the Council to make budget decisions? I'm all for spending tax-payer dollars wisely, but should the Council first take a stab at auditing the budget and making the tough political decisions about where to spend our dollars?

George Jackson on "Strong mayor initiative and petition"

2009-01-11T20:13:34Z

While I'm all for having more accountable (i.e. elected) officials running our government, instead of shadowy city managers, it worries me to consolidate it too much. Why not just grant more powers to the entire council, including budget, appointments, etc.

George Jackson on "Top ten Sacramento environmental stories for 2008"

2009-01-11T20:10:06Z

I'd add one to the list, though a little bit more below the radar: The effort to stop the construction of the plasma arc plant (aka trash incinerator). A small group of committed activists have been able to stop this boondoggle to date. Another misguided effort to think you can trash into nothing, without any problematic byproducts. Come on...