CQMike comment-62075 2012-01-10T16:24:03Z 2012-01-10T16:24:03Z I guess my blog isn't a big hit-getter, but it IS in Sacramento, and it IS about food. (http://chefquest.blogspot.com/) CQMike 2012-01-10T16:24:03Z Jeane comment-61793 2011-12-31T17:30:18Z 2011-12-31T17:30:18Z Will the store open in 2012? Jeane 2011-12-31T17:30:18Z steph17 comment-61422 2011-12-16T18:05:14Z 2011-12-16T18:05:14Z it wont let me see the schedual. does anyone no the dates and time you can go in?? steph17 2011-12-16T18:05:14Z klassyladdy comment-61029 2011-12-07T18:18:02Z 2011-12-07T18:18:02Z THAT REALLY SUCKS !!!!!! THATS ALL I CAN SAY klassyladdy 2011-12-07T18:18:02Z klassyladdy comment-61028 2011-12-07T18:16:27Z 2011-12-07T18:16:27Z that really sucks !!!! thats all i have to say klassyladdy 2011-12-07T18:16:27Z DessertForTwo comment-60718 2011-11-29T16:53:52Z 2011-11-29T16:53:52Z I'm so honored to be included in this list. I had no idea anyone knew Dessert For Two was based in Sacramento, since I do Southern desserts. Thanks so much, y'all :) DessertForTwo 2011-11-29T16:53:52Z CircleR comment-60564 2011-11-23T15:36:19Z 2011-11-23T15:36:19Z I've got a local food blog as well :) BurgerJunkies.com CircleR 2011-11-23T15:36:19Z jash comment-59273 2011-10-29T15:45:16Z 2011-10-29T15:45:16Z Though the new terminal is impressive, unless the existing airlines start offering an expanded service to include non-stop from Sacramento we are going to be no better off in 2012 than we were in 2010. The emphasis should be on SFO market and getting those customers from traveling from there, to traveling from SAC. As well as landing more international flights than the ones now offered to Mexico. It's time to think outside the box people. If you build it, if you market it they will come! Step Up! jash 2011-10-29T15:45:16Z Naky777 comment-59112 2011-10-25T04:55:56Z 2011-10-25T04:55:56Z If this the Aimal , the guy I worked with at Vic's Market in Folsom Calif. Congratulation , your dream came true, You always talk about opening a restaurant. I'm going to try it out. Naky777 2011-10-25T04:55:56Z sacbeerlover comment-55149 2011-08-15T22:07:27Z 2011-08-15T22:07:27Z Yeah I remember River Rock back in citrus heights. Beer is average, but food is way below standards sacbeerlover 2011-08-15T22:07:27Z Dale Kooyman comment-54310 2011-08-02T02:17:08Z 2011-08-02T02:17:08Z I just read your offensive comment. You are in no position to judge. The truth often offends. You have no idea of his role during those years but we will never forget them because they hurt our efforts so much. Dale Kooyman 2011-08-02T02:17:08Z Aaron Davis comment-53573 2011-07-19T17:46:08Z 2011-07-19T17:46:08Z So long, Dr. Pepper meatballs (sounds weird, but they were really good!). Unfortunate to see this spot disappear, but it's nice to see such immediate interest from restauranteurs (local and otherwise) in taking that spot over, it's too good of a location to collect dust. Aaron Davis 2011-07-19T17:46:08Z John Boyer comment-53568 2011-07-19T16:47:31Z 2011-07-19T16:47:31Z definately a loss as bike delivery for them was on the upswing as well. Oh well life goes on. John Boyer 2011-07-19T16:47:31Z David Watts Barton comment-53561 2011-07-19T15:56:27Z 2011-07-19T15:56:27Z Thanks for the correction, Mark. David Watts Barton 2011-07-19T15:56:27Z pistola916 comment-53506 2011-07-19T03:00:32Z 2011-07-19T03:00:32Z We may not have a new arena (I hope we do though), or spanking residential towers, but at least Sacramento will a state-of-the-airport terminal and a gem residents and visitors can be proud of. This airport would look even better with a new, slick-design control tower. Oh, go get the new arena built!!! pistola916 2011-07-19T03:00:32Z Kevinmg33 comment-53507 2011-07-19T00:26:50Z 2011-07-19T00:26:50Z I am aware of one Indian place within a mile...please inform me of the other 3. I love indian food and look forward to trying the other options. Thanks. Kevinmg33 2011-07-19T00:26:50Z townie comment-53502 2011-07-18T17:50:35Z 2011-07-18T17:50:35Z There are approximately 4 Indian restaurants and 5 pizza joints within a mile of Spin Burger. I love Indian food and pizza, but please, put something else there!! townie 2011-07-18T17:50:35Z RichardRich comment-53500 2011-07-18T16:11:23Z 2011-07-18T16:11:23Z Sacramento doesn't take a backseat to anyone in the airport business...it's beautiful, efficient, accessable and with a spanking new terminal B, we'll have an embarrasment of riches. Everyone involved with this job deserves a big regional party. Now, if we can get light rail to it... RichardRich 2011-07-18T16:11:23Z hurricane comment-53476 2011-07-18T07:05:41Z 2011-07-18T07:05:41Z There will a high turnover of dinning establishments downtown in the comming years. hurricane 2011-07-18T07:05:41Z FrederickBaroh comment-53464 2011-07-16T22:08:56Z 2011-07-16T22:08:56Z The trains already go there, so it's really integrating what is already there with whatever else. Amtrak and Regional Transit get Federal and other subsidies, so I doubt a project like this could manage without them, and probably several other subsidized projects. By the time it's done, it'll look something like the Old Fairgrounds development:; a pastiche of Publicly funded projects, but with a sports arena piggybacked on top of it. FrederickBaroh 2011-07-16T22:08:56Z manCAVEman comment-53458 2011-07-16T18:54:21Z 2011-07-16T18:54:21Z I see that in picture 2 the "citizen architect" has donned one of those magic, $40 rubber band thingys that they sell at the Unbalanced arena. So they are going to send people who are that naive into the community to represent this project? Yeah, good luck with that. To me it's a big red flag which says "I'm really gullible." manCAVEman 2011-07-16T18:54:21Z Mark comment-53456 2011-07-16T17:07:15Z 2011-07-16T17:07:15Z Yep. Show me the money. Mark 2011-07-16T17:07:15Z manCAVEman comment-53445 2011-07-15T23:25:03Z 2011-07-15T23:25:03Z The Natomas proposal submitted to the city council in December last year met all of the requirements established by the mayor's group. It was the only proposal which did. After promising the public and councilperson Ashby that Natomas would be considered, the mayor's cronies made a last minute decision to bar the Natomas proposal in order to once agan throw money in David Taylor's direction. The real mess here is that the mayor has an undisclosed political agenda which is taking precedence over the requirement to conduct the public's business in public. He has handed off the city's business to a private group so that they can meet in secret and avoid scrutiny by the public. He has handed control of the group to a public relations consultant with no knowledge or experience in sports arenas. The economic "report" is an unaudited document written by an author with no background in the economic analysis of arenas. If the mayor had followed a policy of honesty and openess the city could be building now if it chose to do so. Instead we have smoke and mirrors. manCAVEman 2011-07-15T23:25:03Z MarkFriedman comment-53444 2011-07-15T22:51:30Z 2011-07-15T22:51:30Z It is sad to lose Spin. The Haines brothers are good operators; unfortunately, they missed on this concept. One clarification: the O1 Lofts Building and the Elliot Building are projects of Loftworks, not Fulcrum Property. Loftworks is a partnership with Mike Heller and others, who deserve far more credit for the development of those projects than I do. Thanks. MarkFriedman 2011-07-15T22:51:30Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53439 2011-07-15T20:52:24Z 2011-07-15T20:52:24Z I'm still waiting for the financing plan. Until then, everything is speculative. How could I complain its a bad way to spend money when we don't even know WHO is spending WHAT money? The real mess here and the reason that momentum has been lost is that there was a promise of a financing plan initially that never materialized. Every day that does by without a financing plan is a day lost - and we only had 365 of them to get everything together. I am all in favor of having a modern sports and entertainment complex. I am all in favor of a location downtown. I am all in favor of retaining a sports team or attracting a new one. However, how can I expect that to happen if there is literally no plan to finance it? How can you assure voters you won't cut deeper into our budgets when there has been no viable alternative presented? Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-15T20:52:24Z Mark comment-53438 2011-07-15T19:59:40Z 2011-07-15T19:59:40Z I agree that our civic amenities have not caught up with the population. I just question whether spending the money for a downtown arena will really improve the quality of life or is what we need right now. I'm not one of those Sacramento do-nothing nitpikers. I think we need to spend money to make money. I think we need to improve the social life of our city. But is this the way to do it? Since I think the Kings will leave town next year I say- no. But even if the Kings did stay I think using an arena to 'save' downtown is unreasonable and actually old fashion thinking. An enclosed arena will not have the same positive impact as a ballpark. Additionally, in a car-dependent region like Sacramento, the parking and traffic will only cause problems for the nearby neighborhoods and future Railyards. For the amount of money that we would spend on an arena we could invest in new urban housing, parks, bridges, and the like. Mark 2011-07-15T19:59:40Z Tashina Brito comment-53433 2011-07-15T19:28:33Z 2011-07-15T19:28:33Z The comment was taken down due to its profanity. Sacramento Press does not allow harmful attacks nor vulgar language on our site. However, as Sacramento Press always encourages a variety of perspectives to be represented, we have strongly encouraged the user to re-post his comment, minus the the profanity. Hopefully that user will re-post! Tashina Brito 2011-07-15T19:28:33Z Mark comment-53429 2011-07-15T19:20:55Z 2011-07-15T19:20:55Z I don't think this is going to happen because the Kings will be leaving town next year. After that the middle-aged ladies from the 'parks' can stop bitching about the billionaire owners (as if there would be any other kind of owner of a NBA team) and all this silliness about sports. Mark 2011-07-15T19:20:55Z Isaac Gonzalez comment-53430 2011-07-15T18:56:15Z 2011-07-15T18:56:15Z ..and you deleted his comment. Isaac Gonzalez 2011-07-15T18:56:15Z Mark comment-53428 2011-07-15T18:46:23Z 2011-07-15T18:46:23Z Very interesting article William. Mark 2011-07-15T18:46:23Z RichardRich comment-53416 2011-07-15T16:58:22Z 2011-07-15T16:58:22Z Part of the quality of life of a city is the quality of its civic amenities. Not the only part, but a big part. Our current event center is substandard. Sacramento is not. We deserve amenities of the calibre of our people. RichardRich 2011-07-15T16:58:22Z Isaac Gonzalez comment-53413 2011-07-15T13:17:44Z 2011-07-15T13:17:44Z DON'T DELETE HIS COMMENT It is an perfect example of my point. Those whose voice is the least bit skeptical are shouted down as neigh-sayers. And if the "people" of Sacramento want this then put it to a vote. Oh, wait, already did that.... Isaac Gonzalez 2011-07-15T13:17:44Z Isaac Gonzalez comment-53406 2011-07-15T13:16:04Z 2011-07-15T13:16:04Z I've read the "31 page" report and after you remove all the graphics, charts, history, and blank pages it easily could be narrowed down to six pages, and even those are lacking in substance. The whole report seems to have been on the shelf for some time, it even calls the current arena "arco" throughout the entire piece. Maybe that is because it wasnt designed to be read or dissected, rather reported on blindly by the media outlets as part of the PR machine that has been in full gear since the Maloofs played chicken with the people of Sacramento. Great plans should stand up to great criticism. Great ideas should welcome public transparency. Rather this plan seems to be rammed down our throats, and those whose voice is the least bit skeptical Are shouted down as neigh sayers. What's wrong with doing it right and in the open for all to see, especially if it's goin to be done with public money, which you know is the endgame of this PR move. http://ransackedmedia.com/2011/06/04/arena-finance-plan-exists-developer-fears-criticism/ Isaac Gonzalez 2011-07-15T13:16:04Z manCAVEman comment-53411 2011-07-15T09:46:21Z 2011-07-15T09:46:21Z All the members of the city council know that a vote for a new Kings' arena will be a career ending decision. Despite public relations huckster Chris Lehane's "Merry Prankster" caravan, ridiculous street theater, contrived public participation, incompetent economic reports and secret meetings with regional politicians, the poll results have never shown the kind of support needed to make this project feasible. If the polling were to show 40% support - perhaps even 35% - Lehane would be laying on a full blown campaign for a vote, knowing that with enough money he could turn 10-15% of the voters. Chris Lehane's choice of strategy verifies that he is failing. He is reduced to slight of hand, misdirection and the display of bright shiny objects in front of hand selected audiences, because he can't show a solid, audited economic analysis or a private financing plan. He has to keep meeting locations and times secret: His plans and data will not stand up to public scrutiny. There are no large pockets of support to consolidate, so he must hop all over a three county area to find friendly audiences. Lehane clearly doesn't see how ludicrous this campaign looks to the outside observer. Nor does he see how impotently it portrays the now muzzled mayor Kevin Johnson. And Graswich lets this happen. When this finally gets to a city council vote, there will be the mayor, the NBA, the Maloofs, Goldman-Sachs, some pretty pictures and a small band of purple people on one side of the room. On the other side of the room will be unemployed police and CSIs, unemployed firemen, unemployed city workers, urban planners, transportation specialists, financial analysts, lawyers, anti tax citizens, fix-my-pothole citizens, angry citizens and hungry citizens. The new Kings' arena will be DOA. manCAVEman 2011-07-15T09:46:21Z William Burg comment-53405 2011-07-15T04:37:40Z 2011-07-15T04:37:40Z From www.fieldofschemes.com: http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/2011/07/4602_sacramento_stud.html Sacramento study shows $690m in arena losses So it looks as if the big news during my hiatus was the release of a study by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force that claims $7 billion in economic benefits from a new Kings arena: Advocates of a new downtown Sacramento sports arena rolled out a study Thursday that puts an eye-popping number on the building's projected economic benefits: $7 billion over 30 years. [The study] said the new facility would shower the region with $157 million a year. That includes spinoffs such as sales at restaurants and hotels, as well as $6.7 million in taxes. ... The Sacramento study's author, Sacramento consulting firm Capitol Public Finance Group, contends that the downtown location would create considerable economic activity beyond the walls of the building itself. The arena would draw 3.1 million new visitors a year downtown, the report said. The actual report is here. http://www.thinkbigsacramento.com/assets/Uploads/The_Economic_Engine_Report-Final.pdf (Note that the task force has been renamed from Here We Build to Think Big Sacramento, apparently because they couldn't get the rights to the old domain name.) Actually reading it reveals a few details not covered in the Sacramento Bee article: It's not 3.1 million new visitors that the arena would be expected to draw each year, but rather 3.1 million visitors total. The report doesn't bother to say how many visitors the current arena gets. Likewise, the $7 billion a year in "economic benefits" is actually economic activity: in other words, the gross total of all spending in the greater Sacramento region by anyone going to a new arena, whether inside the gates, at local restaurants, etc. Net spending — in other words, money that would be new to the region — is actually estimated to be just 15% of that, a little under $25 million a year. That's economic activity, not revenue to Sacramento. Actual new sales and hotel tax revenue to the city is estimated at $1.7 million a year. So, the plan here is to spend around $400 million (the task force hasn't decided yet how the money would be raised), which comes to around $25 million a year in bond payments, to build an arena that would only generate about that same amount of money per year in new economic activity — and which in tax revenue would bring in less than one-tenth of what taxpayers were spending. That's eye-popping, all right, but probably not in the way that the Bee meant it. William Burg 2011-07-15T04:37:40Z William Burg comment-53404 2011-07-15T03:33:11Z 2011-07-15T03:33:11Z Transit doesn't just serve lower-income citizens, especially the Amtrak depot--the Capitol Corridor is very popular for "super-commuters" who have high-paying Bay Area jobs but would rather live here, or businesspeople who must make frequent trips there. But the point is well taken: it would be most upsetting to see transit funding redirected towards a failed arena effort and taken away from actual transit uses. I'm more intrigued by the mention of Goldman Sachs. I understand they helped Louisville finance their arena. How is that doing? Taken from http://www.fieldofschemes.com/news/archives/2011/05/4537_goldman_touts_l.html : "May 04, 2011 Goldman Sachs touts Louisville arena as part of its plan to eat humanity's face do good deeds If you read the kind of publications that Goldman Sachs advertises in, you may have noticed some ads from the vampire squid touting its role in helping save Louisville by selling bonds for its new basketball arena. (There's a Goldman-created video, too.) As the San Francisco Chronicle's David Sirota picks up the story: As Goldman's ad tells it, Louisville's major problem was its need for a new arena. That's when the bank swooped in with a "financing strategy" to build the stadium, which then supposedly led to "a vibrant downtown scene, where new businesses are opening (and) existing businesses are expanding." The only problem, writes Sirota: "If you do bother to click around the Internet, you'll inevitably find that the Louisville economic picture is anything but 'vibrant.' Today, the city is suffering from an 11 percent unemployment rate and a $22 million budget shortfall." He also cites the article we mentioned last fall that noted that Louisville's TIF district wasn't generating enough tax revenues to pay for the arena construction costs, which would leave the city having to dip into general funds to pay off those Goldman bonds. And it gets even worse, according to Insider Louisville's Terry Boyd: The truth is even weirder: Goldman Sachs fell short of being able to place all the arena bonds. It was in fact Louisville-based brokerage Hilliard Lyons that saved the day, placing the highest-risk, lowest rated piece of the arena debt. How do I know? I wrote the story for Business First last year. Concludes Boyd: "We'll find out pretty soon if the arena's revenue will match our collective debt obligation. But one thing is for sure — you can bet Goldman Sachs makes money no matter what happens to tax payers."" William Burg 2011-07-15T03:33:11Z William Burg comment-53403 2011-07-15T03:26:16Z 2011-07-15T03:26:16Z The transit center is not dependent on High-Speed Rail, but it is in the plan should HSR come about in our lifetimes. Our current transit center is already the second busiest Amtrak station in the western United States--and there is already transit funding to start rehab of the historic depot to continue its transit use. Amtrak buses, light rail, commuter and long-distance Amtrak trains, and local buses already stop there. William Burg 2011-07-15T03:26:16Z Isaac Gonzalez comment-53399 2011-07-15T01:47:52Z 2011-07-15T01:47:52Z Who is paying for the bus rental? Isaac Gonzalez 2011-07-15T01:47:52Z manCAVEman comment-53395 2011-07-14T23:32:09Z 2011-07-14T23:32:09Z If the calibre of the new Kings' arena matched the calibre of the participants in this project, it would be a slum. When this amount of city resources is turned over to the control of a San Francisco public relations "disaster master" to meet the requirements of the NBA with public money, the project does not pass the smell test. manCAVEman 2011-07-14T23:32:09Z RichardRich comment-53391 2011-07-14T21:17:10Z 2011-07-14T21:17:10Z But for the issue of complexity, the closer these two projects are tied, the better. They are synergistic, aspirational and definingly urban . Beyond fostering regional co-operation (with it's many benefits) it opens the door to national attention and investment in the region. Let's be sure the calibre of the product matches the calibre of the participants. RichardRich 2011-07-14T21:17:10Z Geoff Samek comment-53382 2011-07-14T19:03:46Z 2011-07-14T19:03:46Z A question that I haven't heard much is the following: How likely are we to actually build a transit center? Is building the transit center dependent on the California High Speed Rail being completed? If so that's problematic since there is a chance that money will run out for the project before it ever hits Phase 2, where it is expected to come to Sacramento. It's smart to plan for an intermodal transit center only if it's realistic one will actually be completed in the next 20 years. Geoff Samek 2011-07-14T19:03:46Z manCAVEman comment-53380 2011-07-14T18:45:46Z 2011-07-14T18:45:46Z Clearly the ONLY reason this mayor would want to combine the projects is to benefit the new Kings' arena project. He certainly has expended no extraordinary effort on anything else. It seems likely that he will seek a way to appropriate land, infrastructure and expense relief from the transit project for the benefit of the NBA, while minimally accomodating the transit project requirements. Wanna bet that the plan will be to build the new Kings' arena first, and defer the transit project until a later date. Look for the 1/2% sales tax tied to the transit center "intermingled" with funding the NBA. That's the key to his insistence on building downtown. Bottom line is to redirect the land, improvements and tax revenue stream from public transit to basketball. As always fans of professional sports will support taking resources planned to benefit lower income citizens so as to build a playpen for the sports team's billionaire owners and millionaire players. manCAVEman 2011-07-14T18:45:46Z MyQuest comment-53356 2011-07-14T16:35:31Z 2011-07-14T16:35:31Z The event center and transit center look like seperate projects. MyQuest 2011-07-14T16:35:31Z joell83 comment-53353 2011-07-14T15:52:52Z 2011-07-14T15:52:52Z They wont put any fees to a vote. joell83 2011-07-14T15:52:52Z MikeM comment-53352 2011-07-14T15:43:39Z 2011-07-14T15:43:39Z I view this merger as a huge development. They're changing horses in mid-stream, for sure. If the idea here is to somehow capture federal or state transportation dollars to help pay for part of the arena structure, then pretty much everything we've seen so far is just pretty pictures. If the plan here is to build the transit center and the arena "across the street" from each other, I can't see much point in a merger. But in either case, does the Sept 8 deadline fit any more? I almost sense a bit of panic here. And you have to look at history to see why. How many times have they kicked the can down the road on this? Three month studies; year-long studies; 90 day studies; 100 day studies. And now this. March 1, 2012 is coming up really fast. It won't be very long before we're celebrating T-Day and exchanging Christmas presents. Given that we almost certainly have to squeeze in an election to pass any rental car or hotel tax hikes, March 1 looks problematic. Someone's going to have to explain to me why this large a scope change exactly halfway through the current 100 day Think Big project helps expedite the process. I don't see how it does expedite the process. While it might not slow it down, it sure doesn't expedite it. Oh well, they got themselves into this. 100 days would have been more than adequate to come up with a Natomas plan. Coming up with a transit center/arena at the rail yard location by Sept 8 seems like a pipe-dream to me. And don't even get me started on the parking they envision for this. MikeM 2011-07-14T15:43:39Z miriamallen comment-53341 2011-07-14T07:41:57Z 2011-07-14T07:41:57Z Unemployment in construction is 21.2%, I wish these guys would tell the truth. We all need to education ourself in this tough market only way is a degree or change your career.. search online for "High Speed University" for career advice miriamallen 2011-07-14T07:41:57Z MarcRonson comment-53332 2011-07-14T04:12:34Z 2011-07-14T04:12:34Z Well, I'm glad KJ seems to be working toward something good for Downtown here. I like the idea of integrating the train depot with the entertainment complex. Hope it all works out. MarcRonson 2011-07-14T04:12:34Z mtsacramento comment-53328 2011-07-13T23:06:34Z 2011-07-13T23:06:34Z I would've tried to persuade Sutter to kick in that extra valet parking $$. That construction is a real mess. Can't wait until it's done. mtsacramento 2011-07-13T23:06:34Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53317 2011-07-13T18:41:51Z 2011-07-13T18:41:51Z True. I hope its a bunch of small changes that add up. There is something that feels right about Biba's atmosphere. Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-13T18:41:51Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53312 2011-07-13T17:44:50Z 2011-07-13T17:44:50Z Book signings are planned at the restaurant Aug. 15 and Aug. 29. Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-13T17:44:50Z thsas comment-53307 2011-07-13T15:26:02Z 2011-07-13T15:26:02Z Sort of a risky way to go, as Yelp has a high ratio of fraudulent reviews. thsas 2011-07-13T15:26:02Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53266 2011-07-13T01:56:34Z 2011-07-13T01:56:34Z Whimsical. I think that's the reaction they were looking for. Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-13T01:56:34Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53265 2011-07-13T01:54:59Z 2011-07-13T01:54:59Z I can't wait to check this out. Responding to Yelp reviews with changes? Kinda modern there. Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-13T01:54:59Z Rhys02 comment-53261 2011-07-13T00:48:07Z 2011-07-13T00:48:07Z it's a wabbit... a big red wabbit.... Rhys02 2011-07-13T00:48:07Z Mark Urquhart comment-53256 2011-07-12T23:22:31Z 2011-07-12T23:22:31Z I like the giant, red rubber chicken - classy! Mark Urquhart 2011-07-12T23:22:31Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53249 2011-07-12T21:15:37Z 2011-07-12T21:15:37Z  Update on Sacramento Regional Transit's Green Line to the airport came in today: Construction of the line from Richards Boulevard to the airport could start as early as fiscal year 2015 if funding is identified, based on a transitional analysis approved by SRT's board, said agency spokeswoman Alane Masui. Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-12T21:15:37Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53247 2011-07-12T21:02:16Z 2011-07-12T21:02:16Z I asked airport spokeswoman Gina Swankie during the initial interview whether airport officials expected to add airlines with the new configuration. I also posed the question above about domestic carriers such as Virgin America to airport PR staff. "The (Sacramento County) Airport System regularly meets with existing and potential carriers to establish new routes, but will only confirm additions as start dates are announced," Swankie said. Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-12T21:02:16Z Mike W comment-53242 2011-07-12T20:21:20Z 2011-07-12T20:21:20Z PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE fix the bar-stool to bar height problem, the bar is too high. Its really quite off-putting and degrades the experience entirely. Mike W 2011-07-12T20:21:20Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53233 2011-07-12T18:38:53Z 2011-07-12T18:38:53Z pleeeeease! Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-12T18:38:53Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53220 2011-07-12T18:26:40Z 2011-07-12T18:26:40Z The airlines that will be located in Central Terminal B are: Aeromexico, Alaska/Horizon, American, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Southwest. In Terminal A will be: United, Delta, Continental and U.S. Airways, says airport spokeswoman Karen Doron. Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-12T18:26:40Z JohnSwift comment-53230 2011-07-12T18:22:57Z 2011-07-12T18:22:57Z Has there been any discussion about bringing in other domestic carriers, such as Virgin America? JohnSwift 2011-07-12T18:22:57Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53219 2011-07-12T17:23:40Z 2011-07-12T17:23:40Z Good question. Southwest will be moving to Central Terminal B. Other airlines will switch places, with some of the airlines moving from Terminal A to Central Terminal B, and some airlines currently in the existing Terminal B moving to Terminal A. The goal is to move them all at once, according to an airport spokeswoman. Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-12T17:23:40Z Bill Burgua comment-53201 2011-07-12T02:24:11Z 2011-07-12T02:24:11Z It was my understanding that Southwest will occupy the new Terminal B and the airlines currently in the old Terminal B will be going to terminal A. Is this true and if so will the change over take place all at once? Bill Burgua 2011-07-12T02:24:11Z Clay Nutting comment-53176 2011-07-11T22:33:19Z 2011-07-11T22:33:19Z Although much smaller, this project in Birmingham, AL is an inspiring look at what could be; coming in a few hundred million dollars cheaper too. As the article states, not everything needs to be as large as NY's High Line project... http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664364/birmingham-aims-for-efficient-urban-renewal-with-175m-rail-park#9 Clay Nutting 2011-07-11T22:33:19Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53167 2011-07-11T19:34:24Z 2011-07-11T19:34:24Z The city recently named transportation department operations manager Fran Lee Halbakken to railyards project manager. In her role, she is now overseeing coordination of plans for a future transit center with the developing plans for a Sacramento Kings arena. Here's the story: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/53065/Immense_railyards_project_gets_manager Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-11T19:34:24Z MikeM comment-53156 2011-07-11T15:34:19Z 2011-07-11T15:34:19Z I was being hyperbolic, Ben. MikeM 2011-07-11T15:34:19Z MyQuest comment-53154 2011-07-11T15:06:09Z 2011-07-11T15:06:09Z Funny to think of a 25-year veteran as a "seed", but Fran's new role is hope for good things to come. MyQuest 2011-07-11T15:06:09Z lesmack888 comment-53152 2011-07-11T14:20:47Z 2011-07-11T14:20:47Z c lesmack888 2011-07-11T14:20:47Z William Burg comment-53148 2011-07-11T06:05:07Z 2011-07-11T06:05:07Z Please do me a favor and take a look at the diagram that shows the arena plan they're trying to plug...they want to put it in between the current depot and the tracks, which means there is no place to put the depot northward! Demolishing the current depot wouldn't solve the problem, because the problem is not the location of the depot but the location of the arena. There is not enough room south of the tracks to move the arena out of the way--unless you crammed a tiny little Amshack or something next to the tracks. But that would be entirely insufficient to our current needs, let alone our future transit needs. If you compare the size of the Los Angeles passenger depot (the only Amtrak depot west of Chicago busier than ours) to the space between the current depot and the new track alignment, you'd note they are pretty much exactly the same. Assuming that our transit center will get busier than it currently is, we will need that amount of space for a transit center. That center could be a large single building or a whole intermodal district (the latter would probably be quite a bit cheaper) but it will need a considerable amount of space, and it obviously has to be next to the new passenger tracks. So putting an arena there presents a bit of a problem. William Burg 2011-07-11T06:05:07Z Curmudgeon comment-53145 2011-07-11T04:21:51Z 2011-07-11T04:21:51Z Ack, bad editing on my part. Move the station northward, I don't care how historical the building is. Straighter and more modern tracks demand a more modern station with a better location. Raze the old station site and put the arena there (the arena will also require adjacent land of course). "The event ramp in, ramp out characteristics of arena loading destroy this concept." However, the event ramp in, ramp out characteristics actually make mass transit useful, for a change. Curmudgeon 2011-07-11T04:21:51Z Plum11 comment-53111 2011-07-10T04:29:58Z 2011-07-10T04:29:58Z Sice i have been dancing with Lena Logan i have been a better dancer inside and out. Before meeting Lena i was a little bored of the boring same old steps i was doing in other classes. Now i am more confident and i feel more comfortable about myself! Thank you Mrs.Lena and James for your dedication and hard work! Plum11 2011-07-10T04:29:58Z Artkisser comment-53110 2011-07-10T04:29:52Z 2011-07-10T04:29:52Z "The Homeless" are used to community as they really watch out for each other! When I was homeless, other homeless people HELPED me more than strangers on the street. I think the thing to remember is that this wonderful building will be putting a ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS! Artkisser 2011-07-10T04:29:52Z fifthgensacramentan comment-53055 2011-07-09T18:58:18Z 2011-07-09T18:58:18Z To William's point: http://coaststarlight.net/railpac/sacramentorails/Sacramento.pdf Check out the conceptual site plan. The Terminal Extension, which is the Core of the Intermodal, is exactly where a proposed arena landed. fifthgensacramentan 2011-07-09T18:58:18Z manCAVEman comment-53101 2011-07-09T07:29:09Z 2011-07-09T07:29:09Z I can see why it was so important for the mayor to host a secret meeting to talk about this. The mayor had to tell everyone that this 'study' is NOT an audited, financial analysis - it just sort of looks like one. This report is NOT signed off by ICON/Taylor, or their financial advisors. It contains no imprimatur of any city financial expert. There's no CPA stamp inside. In fact it is not the work product of ANY developer, major accounting firm or investment house. It just kinda sorta looks like it could be! In short, this is not a document which a bank can use to justify financing this project. David Carter, a bone fide expert, is quoted as saying, ""Economic reports are equal parts business, politics and public relations..." A thorough reading of this one suggests it has a heavy dose of politics and public relations, and not much else. It is only a 'feel good" document. The outlandish claims of billions of extra dollars being spent are based on two simple, unverified assumptions; That paid attendance at ALL events will greatly increase just because the arena is moved to downtown, and that attendees will spend a lot more money per event than they do now. Nearly ALL of those big dollar revenue numbers are driven by this unsubstantiated guesswork. Don't you think that if the Maloofs could sell more tickets instead of giving them away they would have? Where's the marketing, financial and comparative analyses to substantiate this number? Just because you put an extra seat in a restuarant doesn't mean you'll get an extra customer. And if you have to increase your prices because you built a fancy new place, you might even lose a few - or a lot! Ask any restuarant owner, theatre owner or small businessman. The justification isn't there. The numbers aren't real. The author, who cites NO experience whatsoever in arena analysis or even large entertainment facility performance estimation, reportedly provided this to the mayor free of charge. Just as well, as the author cannot be held responsible for a complimentary work product. But Kevin Johnson is being horribly insincere. He wants the public to believe this is a solid, bankable financial analysis of his proposed arena, and has contrived this rollout to get you to believe that: But he knows it is not. And don't you believe it is, either. manCAVEman 2011-07-09T07:29:09Z manCAVEman comment-53096 2011-07-09T02:54:23Z 2011-07-09T02:54:23Z The Urban League Institute's plan incorporated an intermodal DISTRICT, not a a single terminal. The space between the various services was to be available for transporation mode interchange. Development was recommended to be low, slow and decentralized. The whole railyard design relied on steady, predictable uniform traffic flows. The event ramp in, ramp out characteristics of arena loading destroy this concept. The placement of an arena in this location is counter to the work done by the ULI. manCAVEman 2011-07-09T02:54:23Z manCAVEman comment-53095 2011-07-09T02:46:49Z 2011-07-09T02:46:49Z They don't ever intend for them to get together. They will be trained and sent back to their individual bergs to sell the party line. They may be asked to proseletize within their community, probably to service clubs, possibly door to door a la Mormon missionaries. They simply want an available transient workforce. The orignal plan to have regional governmental leaders sell this plan to their communities has fallen apart. This group has been "converted" from a governmental commission/committee/group to a private organization so as to avoid things like open meeting and Brown Act laws. Slick, but deceptive. manCAVEman 2011-07-09T02:46:49Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53094 2011-07-09T01:49:40Z 2011-07-09T01:49:40Z "The budget may cause an $80 million funding gap for the railyards' planned $745 million in infrastructure if redevelopment agencies are no longer allowed to keep tax increments – the extra property tax revenue generated by development of the site, Halbakken said." This just seems to have happened. Of course, one would think prop 22 covered that, but the courts will have to sort that out. Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-09T01:49:40Z William Burg comment-53089 2011-07-09T01:03:59Z 2011-07-09T01:03:59Z The existing train station would work just splendidly as an intermodal passenger depot, as long as there isn't a large obstacle placed in between the tracks and the passenger depot--such as, say, an arena. William Burg 2011-07-09T01:03:59Z William Burg comment-53088 2011-07-09T01:03:07Z 2011-07-09T01:03:07Z But the plans we have seen for the arena aren't "adjacent" to the future transit center--they are exactly on top of where the transit center is supposed to be, in between the passenger depot and the tracks. The city sought advice from two national organizations about how to utilize the Railyards: the Urban Land Institute and the Mayors' Institute on City Design. You wrote a couple of articles about them: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/44510/Railyards_growth_should_start_small_experts_say http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/45791/Downtown_is_focus_for_urban_design_experts Both suggested that the space between the tracks and the depot be used for an open transit plaza. But when you look at the plans for the arena, it is located on exactly the same spot of land that both bodies suggested leaving open--which is also exactly the same spot of land where the city planned to build its transit center, until this arena idea arrived. William Burg 2011-07-09T01:03:07Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53082 2011-07-08T23:09:30Z 2011-07-08T23:09:30Z Update: Devine Gelateria is expected to open in as little as a month, but possibly as long as seven weeks, after just getting a building permit next week. Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-08T23:09:30Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53081 2011-07-08T22:38:22Z 2011-07-08T22:38:22Z I do remember this issue coming up a couple years ago when we were first starting The Press. I recall that there were three options: 1. move the existing station and build around it at the site of the new tracks (further north). 2. build around the existing structure. 3. build adjacent and connect the old and new with a walkway. I seem to remember the third being the preferred option in terms of both cost and historic preservation. Of course, the third option was the one that had the major new facility right where the arena proposal is. Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-08T22:38:22Z Ben Ilfeld comment-53080 2011-07-08T22:33:08Z 2011-07-08T22:33:08Z If it is modeled after #herewestay they really don't require meetings. Also as a fan myself, I can tell you there are demonstrably many more than 1,000 fans of the Kings. Ben Ilfeld 2011-07-08T22:33:08Z P W comment-53057 2011-07-08T21:31:47Z 2011-07-08T21:31:47Z Skype. P W 2011-07-08T21:31:47Z joell83 comment-53054 2011-07-08T20:15:07Z 2011-07-08T20:15:07Z score one for Suzanne. better luck next time buddy. joell83 2011-07-08T20:15:07Z MikeM comment-53043 2011-07-08T16:05:18Z 2011-07-08T16:05:18Z What a joke. Now the committee of 71 wants to hire a sales staff of 1,000? Isn't that pretty much every Kings fan who lives inside the City limits? Just a question: How do you arrange meetings with your committee when they're spread out over a 6 county area... Or even larger, really? If I try to arrange a meeting with my work group, I have to work for it. That's with 5 people working in the same building. How they ever get more than 20 of the 71 to agree on a meeting place and time is beyond me. (In fact, I bet they never have!) MikeM 2011-07-08T16:05:18Z Suzanne Hurt comment-53042 2011-07-08T15:54:40Z 2011-07-08T15:54:40Z The size of the space has not been determined, according to Greg Hayes. The arena is being designed to be built adjacent to the future regional transit center, all on city land in the railyards downtown. Seems reasonable there'd be open space between the two or next to them. Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-08T15:54:40Z William Burg comment-53024 2011-07-08T05:58:46Z 2011-07-08T05:58:46Z Isn't the "open space set aside next to the arena" supposed to be the new intermodal passenger depot? In fact, isn't that supposed to go where this arena is supposed to go? William Burg 2011-07-08T05:58:46Z 20SomethingSac comment-52989 2011-07-07T19:10:05Z 2011-07-07T19:10:05Z Projects like these change the dynamic of people's thinking. For example, people are car-centric and are used to driving to Natomas, so they feel that's the preferred model. Building it in the Railyard changes how people will use downtown, and I definitely feel it will be for the better. The economic analysis was for sure a rosy one, but even a middle of the road assumption for the impact of a new arena is a lot better than the alternative, which is for the Kings, and every other event held in Sac to disappear, and allow PBP to crumble... No more high school state basketball championships in Sacramento, no more Sac State graduations there, and not even the slightest opportunity for any national or state convention, sporting event (NCAA, all star weekend, etc.), concert, performance, and anything cool that ever happens in this country to even consider coming to Sacramento. I moved back to Sac after attending a UC, and a big part was because there IS sometimes awesome stuff happening in Sac that makes it feel like a big city. If we allowed the city to become anymore lackluster, small minded, and boring, I can guarantee this city will become a landing spot for a lot less young, educated residents and employees. 20SomethingSac 2011-07-07T19:10:05Z Bill Burgua comment-52984 2011-07-07T18:23:51Z 2011-07-07T18:23:51Z The sadist thing about Uncle Fred retiring and closing Cheap Thrills was the loss of access to the McNally's incredible costume collection. It is so great that the family is bringing back Cheap Thrills. A few years ago we and friends rented vintage formal wear from the store for a cruse. We had so much fun going to the formal dinners. The ship's staff and fellow passengers loved it. Mixing accessories we had a different look for each dinner. Ironically it was no more expensive than renting tuxes. If one is inventive there are lots more occasions that Halloween to wear a costume. Bill Burgua 2011-07-07T18:23:51Z MyQuest comment-52936 2011-07-07T15:49:06Z 2011-07-07T15:49:06Z How ironic...a huge, successfull national restauranteur (CPK) closes in FoodCity but a venerable, eccentric local rag shop invests in midtown's future. Gotta love it. MyQuest 2011-07-07T15:49:06Z Susie Shields comment-52927 2011-07-07T01:01:34Z 2011-07-07T01:01:34Z I've always wanted to see the inside of that building. It's beautiful! Susie Shields 2011-07-07T01:01:34Z Suzanne Hurt comment-52924 2011-07-06T21:37:13Z 2011-07-06T21:37:13Z Check out Bill Burgua's review of the troupe's production of "Or," at: http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/52690/Or_a_Sexy_Hilarious_and_Fitting_Last_Show_on_the_Delta_King_for_Capital_Stage Suzanne Hurt 2011-07-06T21:37:13Z RichardRich comment-52921 2011-07-06T18:09:37Z 2011-07-06T18:09:37Z Glad to see this edgy art urban company coming to midtown! RichardRich 2011-07-06T18:09:37Z David23 comment-52920 2011-07-06T12:11:06Z 2011-07-06T12:11:06Z Placer Co. would be a good fit. Or Rockland, or Granite Bay. Build it so the people who can afford the tickets and parking and so there is no need for a public trans system in their neighborhoods. Few people living downtown can afford or if they can there is no way to get it. The Kings and the NBA can pay for it. Maybe the players can put up $10 million each, cut back on the drugs and the wife beatings etc. David23 2011-07-06T12:11:06Z hurricane comment-52905 2011-07-06T06:14:36Z 2011-07-06T06:14:36Z Since the food at Tex Mex was lousy, I hope the next venture offers better food. hurricane 2011-07-06T06:14:36Z LittleOldLady comment-52889 2011-07-05T17:51:42Z 2011-07-05T17:51:42Z Reading between the lines, I think something else must be going on here between Jerry Perry and the Old I folks. His comments carry an underlying sense of exasperation, and I suspect there have been more ongoing problems than anyone is acknowledging. Who in their right mind would rent anything for 17 years? Another possible explanation for declining business would be the rushed, rude and unpleasant bartenders who make patrons feel unwelcome. Maybe it's time for a shake-up here. Times change and businesses need to change to accomodate the situation. LittleOldLady 2011-07-05T17:51:42Z SacABC comment-52888 2011-07-05T17:51:29Z 2011-07-05T17:51:29Z Really happy to see SMAC working on these strategies. They support so many organizations that provide direct services to youth, seniors, low-income families, kids and adults with disabilities, and many people who are at-risk and under-served. If we plan to recover from this economic situation, creativity and the arts have to be at the center of the public strategy. No successful city is without a lively cultural personality! SacABC 2011-07-05T17:51:29Z Mark comment-52887 2011-07-05T17:27:11Z 2011-07-05T17:27:11Z If its a bad idea Sacramentians seem to love it. I agree that Natomas is a pathetic location and the arena is out-of-date but it would be a mistake to build a new arena in the Railyards. Just because other cities have built downtown arenas doesn't mean we should. If they want to build close to the city center it should be up on Richards Blvd. - where the new Greyhound station and light rail is going in, and they should build a parking structure because it will not be successful in Sacramento without it. I still think CalExpo is the best site. Another idea is to build it across the river from downtown in West Sacramento but that would require WeSac be annexed by the City of Sacramento. Other cities have districts located in different counties so it can work - but we still so provincial here I doubt people could grasp that concept. Mark 2011-07-05T17:27:11Z Mark comment-52886 2011-07-05T16:40:28Z 2011-07-05T16:40:28Z Good points. Mark 2011-07-05T16:40:28Z Mark comment-52885 2011-07-05T16:32:11Z 2011-07-05T16:32:11Z LOL Mark 2011-07-05T16:32:11Z