Sacramento - Life and Living in the Big Tomato

Five reasons why opening K Street to cars is the wrong idea

2009-07-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

A magical fix to all of the downtown area's woes has been proposed. What if there were cars on K Street? Suddenly people will return to the area, restaurants and businesses will flourish and the long black spot on Sacramento will vanish.

This weekend my family and I took advantage of the IMAX 10th anniversary free showing of "Adventures in Wild California." We parked at 10th and L and walked up K to the Esquire. It got me thinking about what is really wrong with K Street mall and why adding traffic won't fix the problem.

1) The mall still hasn't been given a chance to really be successful.
The first thing we observed on Saturday was the huge amount of state and government businesses taking up ground floor space. Despite more than 30 years as a "pedestrian" mall, K Street hasfew pedestrians on the weekends and after 5pm. There are a few gourmet restaurants, the Crest, the Esquire and a smattering of other quick lunch places. But overall, the mall still completely lacks the feel of a solid pedestrian mall. Our city leaders should be considering revitalization that includes mixed use, more ground floor retail, a successful Farmer's Market. For examples, look to Denver, Santa Monica, Charlottesville, Boulder, and Boston.

2) Homeless are still a problem on K Street.
I'm not sure if it's the lack of police presence, the lack of pedestrians, the convenience of the light rail or a mix of all of the above. Until people feel that they can walk freely and happily without being harassed, K Street won't be successful. It doesn't matter if there are cars if there are still aggressive homeless people every 10 feet. Many large cities have a homeless problem. I've certainly walked many blocks in San Francisco and DC that made this apparent. However, we appear to have a more uncommon problem with aggressive, drunk and mentally ill homeless who have settled on K.

3) Where's the draw for families?
Opening up K Street to car traffic may increase restaurant traffic in the evenings. But until K has a draw for families, the weekends will still be empty. A consistent Saturday Farmer's Market, a children's museum, independent toy shop, even a fun market type atmosphere like Pike's Place would bring in families of locals and tourists. More families drive out the negative presence in the area and build the reputation of a fun, safe environment. $15 per person movies at IMAX isn't going to do that.

4) Cars remove any novelty and any reason for the City to focus on the area.
Once K is open to cars, the area returns to being just like any other street. There is no further motivation for special renovation, no attention to the problems left behind by City interference. At that point, Downtown Plaza should probably be completely closed and the walk tunnel to Old Sac removed or rerouted. While many local restauranteurs have poured their heart and soul into these 6 blocks, they will be abandoned once K is just another problem area. K Street needs to become THE focus if downtown is going to thrive.

5) Cars don't build businesses.
It doesn't matter if traffic is open to cars if nobody has the time, money or ability to open new businesses. Years have been spent and piles of money poured into the buildings between 7th and 9th and nothing has changed. Until the owners of these buildings are either "eminent domained" out of the way or they decide to become part of the solution, K Street will remain a problem.

Kids camps around Sacramento

2009-06-25T10:39:00.001-07:00

We've been missing for too long! Too many blogs, too little time. But we know you're busy and looking for fun summer camp resources for the kids! We are still confirming availablity and will add more camps as we receive the information.

Here's a listing of camps that have spots still available as of June 24th:

Fairytale Town- Primarily for kids ages 3-7 but some camps available for kids 7 and up

Sacramento Zoo- A few spots available in camps! Register soon!

Early Childhoold Learning Center of Natoma s- Exciting programs for preschool and kindergarten aged kids.

Effie Yeaw Nature Center- Call for more information. Day camp spots available.

Sacramento Country Day School- Recreational day camp programs and specialty camp programs available for kids through middle school

Discovery Science Center- Spots available for science and space camp for kids ages 7 and up.

Crocker Art Museum- one class still open for kids 12-17. Mixed Media Mosaic

Explorit Science Center- half and full day camps with spots available in selected classes for kids preschool through 5th grade.

International Gym Centre- West Sacramento gymnastics camp offering full and half day programs for kids ages 5 thru 12.

City of Sacramento- Wide variety of half day, full day and recreational camp activities. The City offers many programs that are low-cost and still has spots available.

Sacramento Theatre Company- Camp starts next week so hurry up!

Gibson Ranch- Horse camp for kids ages 8 to 18

B Street Theatre- Acting and production camp for kids ages 6-17.

Consumer Supported Agriculture, a cheap and easy way to eat healthier!

2009-03-06T12:33:00.000-08:00

As my beautiful box of fruit arrived this week, I realized that I hadn't ever taken the time to write about Consumer Supported Agriculture and the huge benefits! In a time where money and water resources are tight, supporting locally grown food and CSA programs are one of the best use of your finances. By buying locally grown produce, you reduce the cost to you and the farmer, saving everyone money!

So what is CSA and how does it work? Different local farms run different programs. Our box comes from Farm Fresh To You and is delivered to my house every other week. For $30, every other week, I get a massive box of delicious fresh fruit and veggies. We choose the Mostly Fruit option which this week contained 3 avocados, a bunch of carrots, a pound of kiwis, at least 3 lbs of apples, 3 lbs of two different kinds of pears, and a handful of tangelos and blood oranges. The box is different every week and part of the fun is never quite knowing what will arrive. Farm Fresh has a whole variety of programs that start as low as $20 to large boxes your entire office can share at $140.

Other CSAs like Good Humus, Full Belly, Del Rio and Soil Born, deliver to a local spot where you pick up your boxes. Some farms offer produce, nuts, jams, jellies and bread. Many farms create a special relationship with their customers and offer farm tours, picnics and harvest celebrations.

Even those of us (me!) who are not big on vegetables, have really enjoyed our produce box. Other than actually living on the farm, you don't get much closer than apples with morning dew still on them when the arrive at your house. With my CSA box, there are always healthy and inexpensive snacks on my counter and more choices in the lunch box!

Sacramento Free Museum Day- TODAY- Saturday 2/7!

2009-02-07T07:16:00.000-08:00

Today is Free Museum Day! Get out and see some of our local museums. Nearly all museums in Sacramento are open for free today from 10am to 4pm, including the Railroad museum, Fairytale Town, the Crocker and the Zoo. Or check out some lesser known museums like the Towe Auto Museum, the Museum of Medical History or the Military Museum.

Free shuttle buses are available from many locations. The most popular places fill up fast so be sure to get an early start. If you have a few extra dollars in your pocket, be sure to drop it in the donation buckets inside the museums. Many of our best assets are struggling and this is a great way to ensure there will be a Free Museum Day next year!

Help save something fabulous for Sacramento families!

2009-02-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

As we have all read and heard a million times, times are rough and services are being cut. Many things make up a great city and it's hard to choose one that is worth saving. But I hope that you'll think about your family vacation plans for the summer and consider a great, inexpensive alternative to your normal plans!

Camp Sacramento is an affordable, fun and adventurous family vacation for everyone! We were first timers last year and had taken a few other vacations over the past three years. Camp Sacramento, BY FAR, was the most relaxing, fun and low stress vacation we've done! I cannot recommend it enough for any stressed out family with kids between 4 and 14! Even teenagers with a little cash in their pockets and a little freedom will have an amazing time.

Moms and dads take note- your kids will have fun activities all day run by the City Parks and Rec people. They'll be occupied while you read on the porch, take a nap, drink a glass of wine or participate in an art class. They'll be learning archery while you are hiking, fishing, playing board games with other adults or just doing nothing. Literally nothing! You don't have to cook, clean or plan anything if you don't want to.

Best of all, Camp Sacramento is totally affordable. Look at this cost comparison and you'll see that you'll save $1000 by taking a Camp Sacramento trip instead of Disneyland. I can promise you'll come home more rested and recharged after a week in the hands of the Camp Sac staff!

Parks and Rec is shooting for 95% occupancy rate this summer. Make some lifelong memories. We'll see you at Camp Sac!

Does a Goodwill bring good will?

2009-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

North Natomas is all a buzz about the possibility of a Goodwill taking over the Borders location in Park Place. You can read the tension on Natomas Buzz and Joe Sacramento. People are either against the Goodwill or against people that are against the Goodwill. I've seen very few arguments that are encompassing a positive argument for why a Goodwill is really what North Natomas needs. Calling names, calling us "haters" because we didn't sign up to live next to a thrift store is not productive.

My thoughts from my comments on Joe Sacramento with some additions:

The Goodwill in North Natomas fills a need that is temporary. Sure, the economy is in decline. But when the economy turns around, our neighborhood will not make the same increase if we have fallen apart. I didn't sign up 10 years ago to live next to a thrift store. Supposedly, I was getting a mixed use, neighborhood commercial center that was fully walkable and family friendly. That didn't happen. But I'm not willing to settle and say "It's not walkable, so let's just throw in whatever fits the building." I bought my house on a promise that the City would fulfill a beautiful community plan. If I were opposed to diversity, I wouldn't have bought here- we'd be in Granite Bay. This isn't about diversity. It's about reality of economics. When you swamp an area with low-income housing to meet an arbitrary percentage, you defeat the purpose of mixed residential.

I would like to see a traffic impact study done. Goodwill will no doubt increase the traffic in our neighborhood. I can't imagine that the donations pouring in will amount to the same traffic as one Borders delivery truck. North Bend was not designed to be a retail route. If people start driving in and out that way, the entire neighborhood (including the elementary school) will be impacted. The increased traffic on Natomas Blvd will also be difficult, considering before and after the high school days are already a nightmare.

Goodwill is not the best we can do. It's better than the Dollar Store idea. But I'm very concerned how a change will impact the other tenants in the center. Adding one Goodwill and losing 5 locally owned businesses as a result, is a major problem. I don't think we could stand to lose Jacks, Dinner My Way, Strings, Mathnasium, Big Spoon etc. in that center because people are either afraid (rightfully or not) to shop there, or because the new clientele attracted doesn't have the cash. Sorry- few will convince me that folks will go to Goodwill after work, do a little shopping and then drop $40 at Strings for dinner very often. Highly unlikely the same clients buy fancy shoes from the Shoes N Feet, get frozen dinners or for a week at Dinner My Way. One retailer can change the entire dynamic of a center.

People all over Natomas need to grow up, stop slinging mud and stand up for what we all committed to either 10 years ago or 30. If you're in South Natomas, you have just as much right to be mad at the City. But it's time to DO SOMETHING. Don't just complain that everyone in North Natomas is whining. We all bought into an idea of a community near downtown, close to the airport, with great schools, nice parks and high quality community activities. I don't think you can find one person here who said "Hey I think I'll rent a crappy apartment in a bad school district where the city lies to me, the parks are covered with graffiti and I'm afraid to go shopping." Not one person chose to live here saying that.

Drama unfolds in Natomas Park as discrimination is legalized

2009-01-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to guest blogger Mr Speeb who has given us permission to repost this from comments on News10.net

So if you're a home owner in Natomas Park, you probably received in the mail today, an interesting document. It is a proposal to amend the delegate voting system from its current form to a new (more sensible?) form. As I said, the clubhouse vote was rigged from the beginning. Here is how the current voting works:

Let's say each delegate has 100 home owners (votes) in his neighborhood. If 10 people vote for something and 10 people vote against something, and 80 didn't vote, the delegate gets to spend the 80 votes anyway that delegate sees fit. Essentially, in this example, the outcome for this delegate will be 90 (80 + 10) votes in one direction and 10 votes (actual home owner votes) in the other direction. Pretty cool. To even get a break even, unbiased vote, 50% of the homeowners would have to vote in one direction. Heck, we don't even get a 50% turnout in a national election. So, as you can see, if the delegates all agree that "those people" should be excluded from the club house, it was a done deal. With a 25% (or less) turnout for the vote, the delegates held 75% of the votes, before it even went to ballot. That's why these board defenders here won't give up any numbers. There was never any chance for a democratic process. But then the board knew that, planned on it, and counted on it.

So back to today's proposal in the mail. The delegates would now have to cast their votes (non-voting owners) in the same proportion as the voting home owners. That is, if the delegate represented 100 home owners, and the owners voted 10 for and 10 against, with 80 non-votes, the delegate would have to cast his vote 50 for and 50 against. Gee, one wonders why they are changing that now. Covering tracks? Trying to make sure the same ploy can't be used to undo their dirty deeds?

Come on NEWS10. Get on this. Start digging and publish the truth.

Best wishes for 2009

2008-12-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

As another year comes to a close, everyone seems to be in the mood for lists. What were the best movies, the worst, the best and worst outfits, who got married, divorced or died. I made some crazy predictions for 2008 so let's take a minute to revisit them and see how I did.

Prediction #1- The major I-5 construction project will not be finished in 2008 and there will be major traffic consequences, leading to the funding of the DNA lightrail line.
Minus one for me- the I-5 construction project went off with barely a hitch, Sacramentans adjusted fine and the road has not collapsed, nor has the DNA line been funded in any way.

Prediction #2- Absolutely nothing will happen with the arena. Nothing.
I'll go with neutral on this one. I believe there is a finalized plan out there somewhere to move to Cal Expo but the discussions have really died down in light of the economy.

Prediction #3- Absolutely nothing will happen with K Street.
Plus one for me! Other than Mo Mohanna finally losing his spot, nothing has changed, as evidenced by this Sac Bee article.

Prediction #4- Arden Arcade will be successful in their Nov 2008 bid to become a city.
Wow. I missed this one by a mile. But there is renewed hope that a 2010 vote may happen. So maybe I'll add it to my 2010 list.

Prediction #5- Natomas will not flood this year
Out of great fear that I will jinx my house for the next week, I will not wrap this prediction up. However, we have successfully not flooded for 350 some odd days so that is a good sign.

Stay tuned for more crazy predictions for 2009.

Please shop locally!

2008-12-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

As the holidays near, the list of business shutting their doors for good is growing longer and longer. I'm pleading with you to please shop locally when at all possible! Natoma s Buzz is reporting that just here in Natomas we are now losing Roly Poly, Borders and Quiznos as well as the previously closed up Linens and Things, Starbucks, Johnny Rockets and more. Natomas will not be seeing our Sonic or TGI Fridays anytime soon either. Our main farms on El Centro Rd. are also in trouble and need our support to keep growing the amazing produce they sell!

You may read the above list and realize that many of those names are larger corporations. True. However, they employed local people from part-time teenagers to full-time employees who live right here in our community. Keeping the cash in our neighborhood keeps businesses open, neighbors employed and reduces crime. Don't drive out to the Galleria or to San Francisco this holiday season. Save the gas and keep your dollars local in your neighborhood.

Be Thankful and share your thanks

2008-11-25T16:14:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when no matter how rich or poor, we all begin to think about what we have and what we are thankful for. Each of us has something to give and to share. I'm taking this opportunity to repost an article I wrote for Joe Sacramento to remind everyone that there is something you can do today to make our community a little richer!

In this very moment, you can go to Joesacramento.com and chip in for holiday dinners for needy families. If you won't be having Thanksgiving this year because your family has hit hard times, email Joe and you may qualify for our help.

Loaves and Fishes-It doesn't take much to make the life of a homeless person a little brighter this season. Loaves and Fishes has a handy holiday wish list or you can donate online. It doesn't get much easier than that to help out and you don't have to leave your home.

Boys and Girls Club of Sacramento- Serving 6500 youth from ages 6 to 19 from all over Sacramento. They know what they’re doing and they do it well. You can volunteer with kids, teach classes, help with fundraising and auction materials and more.

Stanford Settlement- Right in our own backyard! Stanford Settlement is dangerously close to missing their budget required to stay open. Save a few lattes and help out the kids. They work hard to promote positive relationships for teens, give them a safe place to “hang out” and also provide emergency assistance, senior support and more.

Sacramento Children’s Home- Looking to meet a special child one on one and change the world one life at a time? This is it! Kids at the children’s home are lacking serious adult role models who can show them a way out of the horrid things they’ve seen. If that’s too personal, look at the wish list and buy something or volunteer for a special event.

Project Birthday- A one-time or repeat feel good warm fuzzy here! Throw a birthday party for a homeless child or a whole group! For $400 you can sponsor an entire party for 30 kids or you can donate supplies left from your kid’s last party.

Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services- Not just a food bank, SFBS provides family support, mother-baby classes, parenting classes, computer classes, clothing and supplies and much more. With over 800 volunteers, you know they’ll put you to work and value your committment. Can’t do it?

Hands On Sacramento- So it’s Friday and you have a few hours free tomorrow with no plans. What should you do? Visit this website and see who needs you right now for a few hours! Projects are short or long term and easily searchable by neighborhood, time and skills. If they don’t have something that fits your schedule, try Volunteer Match.

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)- What happens when kids are caught in the middle? CASA steps in to find out what’s best for the child. You can be the first adult a child has ever experienced a positive relationship with. CASA provides the training, the materials and the support and you provide the loving heart to help.

Big Brothers Big Sisters- If you have a driver’s license, insured transportation and a big heart, you can be a big brother or big sister! Be the adult to hold an at-risk child accountable and you’ll see the rewards multiply.

Five Things KJ Needs to Do The First Month

2008-11-12T11:42:00.000-08:00

Of course, high on the list is finally sitting in that fancy office chair! But let's get serious and discuss what really needs to happen in the very short term to start turning Sacramento around.

#1- Immediately hire an outside auditor: Yes, it'll be expensive but any good auditor worth their weight in excel spreadsheets will more than pay for themselves. We need an immediate accounting of excess, waste and lost goods. Progress will come quickly with a specific accounting and budget of every resource in the city.

#2- Make his schedule and work product public: By public, I do not mean hidden buried under five search engines on the city website. I mean open and transparent. Residents need to know who gets his ear and his time.

#3- Demand a meeting with all superintendents in the city: Get everyone around one table and lay it out. We need real education change right now. Tell the superintendents they do not get more money or more goodies but they need innovation immediately. Ask them to each identify two things that they can change in their districts right now. Then expect them to do it.

#4- Call true short-term moratorium on housing in North Natomas and call a meeting with all interested Natomas stakeholders: It's time to get the North Natomas Community Plan straightened out for once and for all. KJ owes the residents here who put our faith in him. We need a real plan that doesn't involve drowning us in all the low and ultra-low housing that the city feels like building. We need a new transportation solution, a revised housing plan and a serious discussion on police and fire services.

#5- Meet with the City Council and high ranking City staff. Demand a level of civil discourse and decorum in dealing with the public. KJ needs to show great leadership in how he conducts City Council and other public meetings. He should demand that residents be treated with respect, decency and a thread of compassion. Residents should not be scolded, chastized or publically embarassed because the City Council can't take the heat of their own decisions.

Yes we did... Now go do something amazing!

2008-11-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

I feel like I'm floating on cloud 9 today. A new Mayor, a new President and a new sense of hope, prosperity and the American Dream. It's it an amazing feeling? Keep the feeling going today and allow others to see the new sense of America. Join my family on the Run to Feed the Hungry.

Thanksgiving Day, Sacramento will fill up with more than 23,000 runners who all know that sometimes we need a little boost, a kick in the pants to work for that American Dream. The Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services is that kick in the pants. This isn't just any old give them food forever kind of program! People in need are taught computer skills, ESL, parenting and so many other life skills to give them a hand up, not a hand out.

Through the magic of community participation, volunteers and corporate sponsors, the Food Bank can turn $1 into $10 worth of services. That is really putting your money, time and energy to good use.

Take that feeling of hope, restored faith in our country and a dawn of a new day and sign up to Run to Feed the Hungry with me. If you can't run, you can walk the 5K or be a virtual team member. There are no good excuses. You'll even be home in time for turkey.

Tomorrow is an historic day

2008-11-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

It's time to vote again! Please don't forget! If you're discouraged because your candidate is polling behind in California or you think your vote doesn't matter because your candidate is polling far ahead, IT DOES MATTER! There are many down ballot issues that will be decided this election. It's important that you take your opportunity to make your voice heard. Take a book and some water and a snack and go be a part of history.

If you don't vote you will miss your opportunity to speak out on these issues:

Sacramento Mayoral Race
Community College Funding (Measure M)
Utility User Taxes (Measure O)
Numerous School Board seats
State Assembly Races
Congressional Race
State Propositions including: High Speed Rail, Children's Hospital Bonds, law enforcement funding, renewable energy requirements and funding, minor abortion waiting period and parental notification, veterans bonds and redistricting

Those of you in Natomas, please make your choices very carefully. If you were my best friend and we were sitting down to coffee, I'd caution you on the school board election in particular. Do you really want someone who is an incumbent, who sat through all the land deal mess and said nothing? Who says she has "learned her lesson" at the expense of our students? Sue Heredia has had eight years to learn her lesson and improve schools in Natomas. No thanks. I'll be picking 3 new school board members. Bruce Roberts, Patricia Adams and Briza Trujillo Cardenas have put in the time, energy and effort to make Natomas better. It's time we give them a shot where they can make a difference.

My best jack-o-lantern ever

2008-10-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

More stencils available at Yes We Carve.

Don't forget to vote November 4th!

The answer to Proposition 8

2008-10-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Sitting at dinner with family recently, my brother and I devised a way to solve the entire debate surrounding Proposition 8 (and Prop 22 before it). The answer is simple and I was surprised to find that it really doesn't seem to be on the table for discussion. We propose civil unions for all couples, heterosexual or same sex. Leave the marrying to the church.

Why?

In theory, our government is supported by a political doctrine of separation of church and state. Yet marriage is still one area where religion and government are highly entwined, determining everything from pensions and inheritance to adoption and visitation. A church is still the primary officiant of weddings and the one determining who can and can't marry based on internal and external laws. The government determines who is married based often on what the church says, not based on local laws. Get a license, get it signed by your church officiant and you're good to go.

But what about those who don't attend church regularly or at all? Those who are not practicing the faith of their childhood and don't feel comfortable in a church? You have options too. You can have your ceremony performed in the county office or by a county official on the weekend. Or you can choose the option my family has chosen, a close friend ordained by the Universal Life Church. It's a complicated, entangled mess that makes for a lot of debate over a simple issue.

According to a 2006 study by the Pew Forum, a majority of Americans support the idea of civil unions for same-sex marriage. But they are not comfortable giving up their religious idea of marriage in exchange for equality and fairness for everyone. Since marriage is so intricately woven into the fabric of religion, why not reserve it for religion alone?

Our proposal is simple, easy and shouldn't cause any heartache for anyone. Separate the two issues. For all intents and purposes, civil unions would be required to obtain the current legal rights associated with marriage. But you wouldn't be married, you'd have a civil union. The religious aspects and morality issues would be left up to the church to determine. If your church lets gays marry, fine for you, if not, then find another church. The state would not discriminate and would allow civil unions for any committed couple who chose to do so.

So how does this work in reality? Essentially, the same as it does now, minus a step. In civil union world, you would go to the county recorder's office, obtain your civil union license, pay your money and consider yourself joined. Right now, you go to the office, get your license, have your church perform a ceremony and take it back to the county for filing. In our scenario, the church would still perform whatever ceremony you chose, without government interference or paperwork.

The best permanent solution to same-sex marriage is to simply remove religion from the process.

As for my husband and I? We would have chosen civil union anyway. I imagine many Americans would. Numerous studies and polls show that a majority of Americans do not attend church regularly. So let's leave the government out of marriage and truly separate church and state.

As an aside, New Zealand currently allows civil unions for heterosexual and same-sex couples. It does not appear to have ruined the country, destroyed morality or created a nation of heathens.

Fun Harvest and Halloween Events!

2008-10-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Looking to get out and about in the next few weeks? We've got some great ideas for you!

Kid Friendly

*Ghost Tours* Friday 10/17, Saturday 10/18 and Friday 10/24, Saturday 10/25- Old Sacramento's creepy ghost tours feature Halloween-themed trains, streets with decorations and fun stories. Tours depart every 30 min, 6:30 to 8pm.

*Trick or Treat In Neverland* Friday, 10/24- Fairytale Town goes all out with a Neverland themed park, 17 trick or treat stations, entervainment and more. $10 at the door, 5 to 9pm Friday thru Sunday.

*Mansion After Dark* Friday, 10/24 and Saturday 10/25- Visit the Governor's Mansion, listen to spooky stories and much more. $5 for adults, $3 for kids 6 to 17, 6 to 8:30pm.

*Halloween Haunt* Saturday 10/25, Safetyville is decked out with great family activities including face painting, costumes, music, games and fortune telling. Dinger from the River Cats will be on hand to meet kids. 11am to 4pm at Safetyville USA.

*Boo at the Zoo* Friday, 10/31- Trick or treat at the Zoo for $6 in a safe, family friendly environment. 4:30 to 8pm.

*Ikea Trick or Treat* Friday, 10/31- Trick or treat at Ikea for free and get some shopping out of the way. 5 to 6pm

*Halloween Bounce* Friday, 10/31- Bounce, trick or treat and play at The Bounce Spot in West Sac. 5 to 10pm.

Adults Only

*Exotic Zone Ball* Saturday, 10/25- A Sacramento favorite of adults over 21 looking to wear their most exotic costumes. Tickets available for $33 in advance, $38 at the door.

The message of personal responsibility

2008-10-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

What's wrong with Natomas? What's wrong with Sacramento? This country? What are you doing about it? We've discussed the topic of personal responsibility often on joesacramento.com but it has resurfaced again and I think it's worthy of a post here as well.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Barack Obama. But his message of personal responsibility is party-less and should be one that every single American is listening to right now. Is it weird that I, as a staunch Democrat, am also hugely in favor of personal responsibility? Probably some would think so. But really, from my perspective, government's job is to give a hand up not a hand forever. You've hit rock bottom? Government will give you a little help but it's not forever, it's not guaranteed and you'd better give back.

I see so many neighbors complaining about everything from gas prices to food prices, poor people to awful teenagers. But what are you DOING about it? Back in July I posted about keeping kids in school. It's a simple answer and yet many keep complaining without putting forth one second of energy or effort. Even for your own kids! When did it become the school's responsibility to take your child from 7am to 6pm, feed them, teach them about academics, morals, respect, ethics and social responsibility and then magically deliver them back to you at the end of a 5 day week all done up and perfect?

So you're busy... we're all busy. You will be busier when your 30 year old still lives at home and needs you to bail him/her out of jail. Or when your 25 year old has 3 kids by 3 different fathers and moves back home for help. Or loses job after job because he can't read above a 4th grade level. Isn't it worth it to put in 30 minutes a day now rather than later?

If you don't have kids, you're not off the hook in my book. Are you doing anything to improve your life and your community? If not- here's a list of community organizations who still need help. There are literally hundreds more.

But personal responsibility is more than that. You have to take a few seconds and think about your responsibility to yourself. The question is not do you need a $500K house on $3K a month income. The question should be "Can I afford this house and why do I need it?" Stop and ask yourself if buying your kids all that junk really shows that you love them? Or would everyone in your family be better off if you worked an hour a day less, bought less crap and ate baked potatoes at home one night a week.

So much of our current financial crisis is driven by wants rather than needs. People living well beyond their means. Sorry folks, drowning yourself in debt is not the "American Dream." You actually have to work hard for all those goodies. The 21st century is going to require all of us to take a little responsibility for our actions, our spending, our neighbors and our planet. Get off your duff, stop whining and do something!

One thing you MUST do this week...

2008-10-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

The economy is in the tank, gas prices are still high, housing prices are still low, my retirement fund has about five cents left in it. The lines at Wal-Mart are long and the lines at Whole Foods are non-existent.

So what is a good American to do? Is this a time to just sit on your duff, drinking beer and complaining? A time to hang your head and figure it doesn't matter, nothing you do changes anything? Or is it time to make a difference, in some tiny way, change the course of events?

If you do nothing else patriotic, nothing else brave or interesting this week, you MUST REGISTER TO VOTE! I don't care if you're Republican or Democrat, Libertarian or Green. You have an opportunity to love your country, support your troops and be a proud American. Millions of people around the world wish they had our luxury of telling our government how we really feel.

In California, you must register by October 20th to vote and you have to sign the voter registration card in person! Request your voter registration today at the Sac County Elections Office website. You need to fill it out and return it to the Elections Office. Don't wait or you won't be able to vote November 4th.

If you don't register you will miss your opportunity to speak out on these issues:

Sacramento Mayoral Race
Community College Funding (Measure M)
Utility User Taxes (Measure O)
Numerous School Board seats
State Assembly Races
Congressional Race
State Propositions including: High Speed Rail, Children's Hospital Bonds, law enforcement funding, renewable energy requirements and funding, minor abortion waiting period and parental notification, veterans bonds and redistricting
President of the United States

So you're already registered? Ask 5 friends today if they are also registered. Don't talk politics, don't debate. Just ask if they're registered. If not, help them sign up.

Head for the hill-- Apple Hill!

2008-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's still hot here in the valley but the farmers at Apple Hill are getting ready to harvest! Time to pick a weekend, load up the kids and make the short hour drive up to Camino to see all that Apple Hill has to offer. The season officially opens at different times for different farms so check the website for specific information. We've included the highlights here.

Saturday, Sept 13th - Teddy Bear Picnic Carnival at Rainbow Orchards

Saturday, Sept 20th- Kids' Day at Kids Inc, Taste of Fall Harvest at Mother Lode Orchards,

Sunday, Sept 21st- Johnny Appleseed's Birthday- various locations

Saturday, Sept 27th- Opening Weekend at Grandpa's Cellar

Early October at Apple Hill is very festive with lots of Halloween/harvest activities, pick your own pumpkins and more. We'll highlight those towards the end of September.

Are You a Community Organizer?

2008-09-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but I have no trouble being labeled a community organizer. Tip O'Neill once said that "All politics is local" and I know so many people who embody that idea. From my neighbors who spend countless hours tutoring in the local housing project to friends who have knocked on hundreds of doors in our upcoming mayoral race, those who care start at home first. They have no higher aspirations, they are not running for office. They just know that you have to make a difference at home.

Community organizing provides a way for disenfranchised people to speak out and make change. It opens doors that have been shut repeatedly. As the technology changes, community organizing changes to reflect the values of those it represents. Many bloggers are now community organizers who disseminate information to those who otherwise would not receive it. My buddy Joe Sacramento is a prime example of a 21st century organizer. Without his research, thoughtful commentary and insight, so many Sacramentans would still believe that Heather Fargo is the savior of our town.

I'm not embarrassed to be thrown in the category of community organizer. I'd rather be one with my community than mayor any day...

Palin in Comparison: Are all women interchangeable?

2008-09-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sure this is a local blog, but all politics are local right? I've certainly shared my support for the Obama campaign here in the past. And should this person end up our VP, even here in sunny California, life is bound to change.

Here's my two cents in a nutshell: Sarah Palin is a smart, capable, intelligent and aggressive candidate who is perfectly capable of becoming the VP... someday. She's not ready now. She was not properly vetted by the McCain camp and it's coming back to bite them in the rears.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a former opposition researcher. I spent an entire year digging through old newspaper archives, college yearbooks, tax records and even sitting on stakeout once to prove that someone didn't ever take residency where they said they lived. I've even been hired by someone to find out what secrets were easily available from his own past. This is what you do when you're running for office, even at a very local level.

So did the McCain camp think that they'd be able to keep secret Palin's 17 year old daughter's pregnancy? How about the ethics charges against Palin herself? Or her husband's drunk driving arrest? What about her very, very conservative policies that make even McCain look more moderate?

I'm insulted. The McCain camp obviously thinks that all female democrats are mad enough about Hillary not being on the ticket to throw all our values, all our positions and ideals out the window simply because she has two X chromosomes. Someone gave him bad advice to think that democrats would leap to a woman who is:

Staunchly anti-choice, including cases of rape or incest
Favors teaching creationism in science class
Denies any evidence that global warming is man-made or that man has contributed
Is suing the federal government to remove the polar bear from the endangered species list to build an oil pipeline
Supports drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge
Favors abstinence only education in schools
Inexperienced in all matters of foreign policy- being "near Russia" doesn't count
Opposes stem-cell research
Opposes same-sex marriage
Opposes government involved health care or government funding for health care
Heavily tied into big oil

(Information from On The Issues)

Democrats are not sexist... we won't vote for a woman just because she's a woman. We are not interchangeable. You have to earn your spot in our hearts and our pocketbooks. Nice try McCain.

If that's not enough, read more from bloggers around the country at Momocrats.com.

No wi-fi for you!

2008-08-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

That's right, time to re-up your own wireless contract, the City will not be helping you out. The City Council voted last night to cancel the contract with Sacramento Metro Connect. Although we reported here in January that wi-fi plans had returned, it appears that SMC was unable to put together the funding for the project.

It's no surprise that in today's economy, many of the technology giants pulled out of the deal. SMC estimated needing $15 million to get started plus ongoing costs to run the network. These costs were supposed to be supported by ads on the free network and supplemented by fees from the faster, ad-free network.

So now what? We'll have a good tally on our trees, a lost pile of water meters and no wi-fi. It seems that the City could have been far more proactive on this project and made a major difference. How much are we currently paying for network services for City and County buildings? Why not make a joint powers agreement with the state and blanket the entire downtown/midtown area? Many of these buildings are already using wireless repeaters so the startup cost of opening the network and adding a few firewalls would not be extensive.

Or we can keep on being almost but not quite as cool as San Francisco.

Rebuild Fort Natomas Pancake Breakfast

2008-08-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Join families and friends from all over Sacramento for some delicious pancakes and help rebuild Fort Natomas! Applebee's has agreed to host and despite information on the Fort Natomas website, you CAN get tickets at the door!

Rebuild Fort Natomas Pancake Breakfast
Applebee's Natomas Marketplace
8am to 10am
Satuday, August 8th
$6 per person for all you can eat pancakes!

A reason to love Sacramento--

2008-07-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

My family just returned from my new favorite thing about living here- Camp Sacramento! If you've never been you're missing out on what I believe is the best thing the city has ever done for its residents. The best family vacation we've ever had and that's saying a lot!

Have you ever been to sleep-away camp? Well imagine that concept but for your whole family! We slept in little cabins, ate meals in a big dining hall, played fuseball in a lodge, sat around a campfire and sang silly songs and shared group bathrooms. Add to that archery for everyone, morning hikes, a trip to Lake Tahoe and snake catching in the creek and you have Camp Sacramento.

Because it's run by the city, the cost is affordable for most families and very reasonably within reach of your summer vacation budget. They provide recreation leaders for children's activities from ages 3 to teens. Adults have recreation activities too but I preferred to sit on the patio reading a book and soaking up the nice 80 degree sunshine.

Reservations open for next summer to the general public in September. Hope to see you there!

What keeps kids in school anyway?

2008-07-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Joe Sacramento's recent post, I've been mulling my former teaching career and the idea of what keeps kids in school anyway? I won't rehash the statistics but essentially, Natomas Unified is failing to keep kids in school. Why is that and what can we do to make it better?

I stumbled across an old Dept of Ed article called "Manual to Combat Truancy." This line in particular jumped out at me "I've never seen a gang member who wasn't a truant first," says California District Attorney Kim Menninger. Based on the crime stats in Natomas and ongoing problems as the economy sinks around the nation, we're obviously not doing enough to keep kids in school. The article has a few ideas of programs that have worked but none seem to focus on the real problem at hand: Why should kids care about staying in school?

The answer is simple to adults and complex to kids. If you have only seen your family treated poorly, suffered hunger, gone to school in clothes that were dirty, walked miles because you can't afford a bus pass, then you have low expectations. While working at an alternative school, I had a student who traded sexual favors for food from a neighbor. It was the only way to feed her 4 year old brother who was often left in her care for days or weeks on end. She came to school every day because it was the only bright light in her horrid life. This happens every day to kids right in our own neighborhood.

But those kids are a mere fraction of the statistics represented in Joe's report. The rest are simply kids that got left behind. I've seen undiagnosed learning disabilities that were so severe that kids in high school were still functioning at a 4th grade level. They worked so hard, for so little. I've seen others who had to work at night to help pay rent, others who failed year after year but got passed on anyway. I've seen gangsta kids who thought the streets had a better life with more money available to them. Do you know where I saw them all? SCHOOL.

And here's the simple answer. What keeps kids in school? Having an adult they trust who they believe cares about them. It's that simple. It can be a parent, teacher, family friend, pastor, principal, school counselor, even school safety officer. But they have to feel accountable to someone and feel like they matter. Will someone know if they don't show up at school? Will someone call their house and track them down? If not, one easy day turns into 100 then a failed exit exam then jail. It really is that simple.

You can throw money at the problem all day long but essentially, it boils down to time. I was lucky to be a teacher in two schools that encouraged me to give my heart and soul to my class and to take time. Miss a staff lunch because someone is crying in your classroom? No big deal. Want to plan a life-changing field trip with no money? We'll make it happen. Too many teachers are hog-tied by regulations, restrictions, low-esteem and the "no way it'll work" administration. Why do so many new teachers leave in the first five years? Because too many people tell them they can't change the world.

Second to that, schools need to have freedom to design a system that works for their students. Since Brown vs. Board of Education, a vastly different population of students has entered a system that was designed for wealthy white boys in the 1800s. The system hasn't changed to meet the needs of the students. Why do charter schools work? Because they are individualized to what a small group of students need. Our system needs to be more diverse, more understanding and more broadly defined, not less. If your student needs online school, homeschool, big classes, single-sex classes, alternative schedules, block schedules, gifted acceleration, remedial tutoring,- you should be easily able to find it within your school district.

With enough parental pressure, Natomas Unified and every district in the state could easily meet these needs. If only the administration would stop saying "No."

When the bad air isn't enough, take some poison with that!

2008-07-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

The air is terrible and we're struggling to breathe. Old and young, everyone has been trapped in their houses or in cooling centers for more than a week. Just as it starts too cool down and the air begins to clear a little we're keeping our fingers crossed for relief. But don't put your mask away yet, the Mosquito and Vector Control folks are about to dump poison on your heads. They are waiting with baited breath for that second where they can fly their spray planes in the clearer air to spray.

What's about to be dumped on your house? Pyrethrins and Pyrethroids. To find out more read this. While pyrethrins may be easily excreted by most mammals, they are considered highly toxic to most fish, tadpoles, beneficial insects and many invertebrates. Those mosquito fish used to eat the mosquitoes in backyard ponds? Dead...

We've written about this before when the vector control bombed our house last year. So much for the beautiful organic garden we're growing in our backyard. Our opinion has not changed much from 2007. The spray is overrated and the health risks are too high to continue after a summer of bad air anyway. In last year's post, we discussed colony collapse and other risks to insects and fish.

Vector control officials are unable to say where or when they'll spray just yet, but it's looking like Elk Grove and the Pocket will be first. If you do not want to get caught by surprise, sign up for email alerts so you can at least have a minute to bring your pets in.
Links of interest:

Stop West Nile Spraying Now
Organic Sacramento
Don't Spray California

Things to do when it's too hot outside to do anything

2008-07-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

The news says to expect it to be well over 100 in the Sacramento area and possibly even up to 110 on Wednesday, depending on who you read. So what are you supposed to do to stay cool when it's so hot outside?

*Free and Nearly Free Stuff*
Library Family programs are a fun way to make someone else pay for your air conditioning- Tuesdays at South Natomas Library at 6:30 pm are Family Game night
Thursdays at Central Library at 2:30pm are kids movies
Thursdays at 4pm North Natomas library has different performers and activities for kids

City pools are an easy and cheap way to keep cool! Adults are $2, under $17 is $1. Look at the City's website to find the one closest to you.

Regal Cinemas free family film festival. You can enjoy a family friendly movie every Tues/Wed at 10am throughout the summer.

Need to exercise but can't go outside? Try one of the local malls for an air-conditioned walk! Arden Fair has a Mall-Walker program with prizes and events. While you're there, look into the Arden Fair Kids Club. This weekend, see a kids' magician at Arden at 10am!

If you've never seen the Crocker Art Museum check it out this Sunday! Free hours are available from 10am to 1pm each Sunday, courtesy of Bank of America. If you don't mind the admission fee, Saturday features a family art program from 12pm to 3pm, including a family tour of the museum.

Up for a road trip? Head to Fairfield for the free Jelly Belly tour! Adults and kids will love this tour which includes a birds' eye view of the factory floor and free samples.

More thoughts on last night's meeting...

2008-07-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me at about 2am while I was sleeping, that Lisa Kaplan was sitting in the back row at the meeting last night about the Natomas crime spree. For those unfamiliar, Lisa Kaplan is the former president, now clerk of the Natomas Unified School District Board of Trustees.

I sat up and started thinking that Lisa Kaplan, Ron Dwyer-Voss and the rest of the board, should have been sitting on the stage instead of Mayor Fargo last night. How is it that a bunch of high school aged kids are committing crimes during school hours and the school district seemingly holds no responsibility for that? Where was the district's security team last night? Shouldn't most of those kids have been in school? Inderkum's graduation was 6/12 and I can't find the date but I'll bet Natomas' was close to that. So for the first two weeks of the crime spree, these thugs should have been the responsibility of NUSD.

In the long run, I'd like to know if the brats that Captain Hahn and his team have arrested are NUSD students. I'd like to know if they have attendance problems and if they have been appropriately processed by their schools. I would find it shockingly hard to believe if these guys were all good students that had somehow slipped under the radar. More likely, year after year, NUSD dropped the ball again.

I'm reminded of an incident about three years ago at the park next to Natomas Park Elementary School. I had my son there and we were playing in the sandbox early in the day. A younger boy (about 2nd grade) was swinging on the swings and waiting for school to start. Two 5th grade boys approached the boy, yelled at him, swore and used horrible language. They got up in his face and looked as though they may punch him. I immediately intervened and the older boys laughed and walked off. I grabbed my son, walked the younger boy to class and went to the office to report what I'd seen.

The school secretary refused to talk to me. She said that incidents in the park are not their problem. I showed my district ID, identified myself again as a district employee and asked to speak to the principal. No luck. I got a counselor who asked me to look through a yearbook and identify the kids but too no notes, made no attempt at doing ANYTHING. Great no bullying policy...

Absurd. Those two boys are probably now, or will be soon, perpetrating these crimes. No adult had ever held them accountable and their school didn't seen to care either.

A brief overview of the police meeting in North Natomas

2008-06-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

More to follow tomorrow when I've had a deep breath- but here is a short summary.

I feel 100% confident that our police are doing everything they can to solve the policing problem in Natomas and they are working hard to catch these robbers. Chief Brazil and Captain Hahn left me feeling that they are busting their butts to get this thing put away. Natomas Buzz will have information tomorrow on what you can do to protect yourself.

However, their hands are tied by a lame city council and mayor that need to be on the curbs as soon as humanly possible. Fargo and Tretheway contributed absolutely nothing, not one iota of useful commentary or information. Complete fluff, political stunt and garbage. I don't think anyone would have missed their presence.

Fargo's huge blunder of the night, I believe, was showing her true colors. She snapped at an audience member who asked what the city was doing to hold banks responsible for dilapidated properties that are drawing crime. Fargo snapped

"You can't blame the city for foreclosures, that's the feds."

More on why we CAN and SHOULD blame Fargo for the foreclosures and how to report code violations tomorrow.

Oh and thanks to Kevin Johnson for making an appearance at the meeting, observing and listening without making a show of his attendance. Professional, polite and exactly what I'm looking for in a mayor. He didn't need the stage to show his concern.

In the quest for information...

2008-06-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

I was hunting for the official news release of the community meeting tonight at Inderkum High School to address an ongoing rash of home invasion robberies in North Natomas. I never did find the flier I was looking for but I did find something interesting...

Ray Tretheway (your city council member for Natomas!) has not updated his press release pages since 2006. That's right, an entire year and a half have gone by without any updates. Has he sent out press releases that haven't been added or is there really just nothing to report? I started a tour of Ray's links and realized he has not updates his calendar of events either. Or his online newsletters.

Now you may be saying to yourself: This isn't Ray's fault of course... the City is likely responsible for the information on that page and they haven't gotten around to it. That's all fine and dandy until you get to this disclaimer:

In order to further the effective electronic exchange of information and views between the City's residents and their elected representatives, the City of Sacramento provides each individual member of the Mayor and City Council with a page on the City's Website. The contents of this page have been chosen by the individual councilmember, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the City of Sacramento, its Mayor and Council, or other individual councilmembers.

So Ray has actually chosen to not update his pages?

Aren't we supposed to be a technology friendly city? And our own city council can't provide remotely timely information on their websites?

In case you missed the big announcement that I was looking for:

PUBLIC SAFETY IN NATOMAS MEETING

Tonight!

6:30pm, Inderkum High School Theatre

Take that North Natomas!

2008-06-26T07:53:00.000-07:00

Is it that the bloggers are getting mad and word travels fast? Is it the rapid rise in crime in the area? Perhaps it's that the school district seems to think they're brilliant and wonderful managers. Either way, North Natomas is about to take another major hit over the head. This time, it's in the form of a community day school set on the same campus as a brand new elementary school.

That's right folks. The NUSD believes it can best serve the community by placing a group of students who need psychological services, have been expelled and have massive attendance problems right on your brand new elementary school! The Natomas Community Day School will, of course, be a heavily supervised well run program. Because we've seen the district is so good at that. (Can you taste the dripping sarcasm yet?)

For some unknown and unpublicized logic, the district is no longer interested in using the Sacramento County system of Community Day schools that are already established. They say they want to keep these students closer to home for easier reintegration. I believe it's a justification for a massive junior high school that will stand unused this year because of NUSD's poor financial management.

Despite what their information says, this is not "scare tactics." I have personally been the assistant vice principal at an alternative school where nearly all of my students had parole officers and had been in and out of juvenile hall. I'm not "scared" of these students and they deserve every opportunity to recover from years of bad parenting.

However, even I wouldn't be as bold and ignorant to put them on an elementary school campus and then promise the public that everything is fine because they'll be supervised. The things I've seen would shock any adult and not things you would ever want your adorable kindergarten son walking into in a boy's bathroom.

If you have a child who will attend Allen Hight Elementary or you live in the Creekside neighborhood or the far west side of Natomas Park, I suggest you get on the phone today and begin screaming and yelling about this decision. As best I can tell from old board agendas, the district waited until school was out to have a public hearing (on June 19th) and review the proposal. Their supposed "higher ratio" of teachers to students only includes a budget for one teacher and one social worker/administrator. That's a pretty bad ratio for a one room campus of troubled students.

I agree with the idea that Natomas students would be best served by a community school in our area. However, it makes the most sense to either put it on Natomas High's campus or locate it at Discovery High. Sharing resources and facilities with a school that is already equip to deal with older students makes the most sense. Instead, the district has chosen to do what it usually does- make a hasty last minute decision that is illogical and lacks vision.

What is going on in North Natomas and where are the police???

2008-06-25T08:18:00.001-07:00

Joe Sacramento has posted it best so I will not try to outdo his writing. North Natomas is currently plagued by a rash of home invasion and armed robberies. Please be careful, look out for your neighbors and be suspicious of anyone who looks out of place. I have personally seen two suspicious older teens behaving oddly this week (I know odd, I taught high school) and I did nothing because I didn't want to appear intolerant or perhaps racist. I'm kicking myself now for not making a simple phone call.

If you're in Natomas Park, call Paladin Security immediately if you see anything out of the ordinary. Do not hesitate, do not wait and do not intervene yourself. They have a much, much faster response time than the police in Natomas. Pathetic, disgusting and yet totally true.

Email Heather Fargo, anyone and everyone at the city and try the Sac Bee while you're at it. Then go outside and sit on your porch tonight. Knock on your neighbors' doors and get to know them. Share a cup of iced tea and chat about how smoky the air is. You need to know who stays home during the day, who is available in an emergency and who is watching your stuff when you're gone!

When you're done freaking out that your own garage is not safe and would like to stick your head back in the clouds, check out Rick Kushman's new column "The Good Life" all about life in Sacramento. While I appreciate his bubbly enthusiasm, I'm busy checking my backyard for armed robbers.

Join PunditMom and the $27 election revolution

2008-06-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

$27 buys you about 7 Happy meals or grande iced lattes. It will buy you a half a month of cell phone service, two months of Netflix rentals, a good book from Amazon or a cheap dinner at a local ethnic food restaurant. It will put six gallons of gas in your 15 gallon tank.

Or you can change the world. Simple huh? Money talks in politics no matter how much hope, change, idealism or fanaticism gets pumped into the system. It's all about the money in the end.

PunditMom is working on just that idea. If women (and men and anyone who cares!) took just $27 and poured it into a candidate he/she believed in, we could really and truly change the world. Maybe you don't have a presidential candidate who has won your heart and you're not excited about whether it's going to be Johnson or Fargo for mayor. You don't have to be- you can find the one person that makes YOU excited about the world and gives you hope again. Perhaps it's a local school board candidate, an assembly candidate who is down in the polls or your next door neighbor who would be amazing at any office but doesn't think he can pay for it.

Cough up your $27. So you stay home from Target once this week. You can do it.

I did.

It's hot- you need ice cream!

2008-06-21T06:40:00.000-07:00

It's supposed to be as hot as 103 this weekend- what a way to celebrate the beginning of summer in Sacramento! The coolest place to be in town tonight is the Crystal Midsummer Night's Dream and Ice Cream Fantasy at Fairytale Town. Head over there tonight from 6 to 9pm for all you can eat ice cream, food, beverages, crafts, entertainment and more.

Love the idea of all you can eat ice cream and want to do it again? The Sacramento Zoo's Ice Cream Safari is Saturday, July 26th from 4 to 8pm. This feast features all you can eat Baskin Robbins ice cream and Coke products, live entertainment and great bands, face painting and more fun for the whole family. Our favorite part of the Ice Cream Safari is the Giraffle- you can win some amazing and fun prizes all while supporting the zoo.

While we're on the all you can eat theme, adults will also enjoy the King of Feasts at the Zoo. Enjoy live music while dining on exquisite samples of delicious Sacramento food, dessert, wine and beer. Tickets are $50 for non-members and children are allowed but discouraged.

Save money and have more fun locally!

2008-06-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

If you're still driving to San Francisco or Oakland to catch a baseball game, you've really got to get local! You're spending $30 in gas, plus bridge tolls and parking fees when we have local ball right here. It's time to check out the Sacramento River Cats and find out what you've been missing. Nearly every game has a special promotion, including fireworks on Saturdays, Nestle Drumstick giveaways, KCRA 3 giveaways and much more. The food is delicious, the company is fun and you may even win a flying dog from the hot dog cannon!

Got kids? Don't worry, the River Cats planned for that too and have lots of fun kids' packages, events and activities.

Things to do around town this weekend

2008-05-29T08:48:00.000-07:00

Great weather this weekend, get out and explore!

If you love your pets or you're looking for a new one, don't miss the SPCA Doggy Dash! If you don't want to do the run/walk, check out Pet Fest 2008. All events take place in Land Park so remember that the I-5 closure may affect your travel.

Desperate to avoid I-5 mess if you live on the 50 corridor, how about a Renaissance Faire in Lake Tahoe! Print an online coupon to save $2 and have some fun!

Those in the 80 corridor or south of town may be interested in pick your own cherries and peaches at Impossible Acres in Davis. Or check out the Davis Farmers' Market on Saturday.

If you're in the North Sacramento area or Roseville area, check out the Maidu Interpretive Center or the Aerospace Museum of California. Also out that direction is the Magic Circle Theatre's version of Sleeping Beauty.

Important questions left unanswered in the mayoral race

2008-05-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Bee took the least effective route to endorsement in the mayoral race this weekend, an absurd attempt to get the election to extend until November. Really people, what happens if we accidentally elect Muriel Strand? It's possible, with the Bee's plan, that whomever the candidate listed at the top of the ballot would be elected. We've seen voter mistakes before so why would our editorial board want to encourage it?

Perhaps it is time the Bee took a serious approach to journalism and started asking some hard hitting questions. I've been thoroughly impressed with the research and detail that Joe Sacramento has put into these questions and I strongly encourage you to email Mayor Fargo (hfargo@cityofsacramento.org) and ask her these questions yourself. A few of Joe's best and my favorites:

In the 2008 State of the City address you disagreed with the Corps of Engineers’ AE flood zone designation, and stated you felt the levees were “strong as ever” —-yet in the KCRA debate with Johnson you agreed with him that we are in fact in severe danger of catastrophic flooding, and you were working hard with agencies to bring the levees up to 100, then 200 year flood protection levels. Can you please discuss the conflict between your two statements?

When members of the Metro Chamber recently complained that you were not responsive to their emails and inquiries, your response was that your job was complicated, and that your limited staff “triaged” requests daily–a word that paints a picture of a frantic hospital emergency room. If your office is so inundated with inbound help requests and questions from folks in our city who need your help, how do you justify missing 125 days of work since Oct 2005?

The NNFF (North Natomas Financial Plan) is said to be in flux now, and residents have heard that a $36 MILLION rebate to developers is even being proposed. Residents in N Natomas are paying EXTRA for amenities and public safety measures that were promised to them in the master plan for the area. What can North Natomas residents expect in terms of your commitment in seeing these broken commitments repaired? And, is it true that a $36 MIL rebate to developers is on the table?

Summer Sanity Saver- Free movies!

2008-05-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

Regal Cinemas offers free movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10am all summer long! They're really and truly free, though the snack bar is open so you have to resist the kids pulling on your legs begging for popcorn. We usually buy just the popcorn and make it a movie morning for $5.00. It's the best $5.00 nap you'll ever have! Available at the following Regal Theatres

Regal Natomas and Market Square Arden, Laguna Village and Olympus Point Roseville schedule:

06/17/2008-06/18/2008	Rugrats The Movie (G)
	Nancy Drew (PG)
06/24/2008-06/25/2008	Rugrats In Paris: The Movie (G)
	Shrek The Third (PG)
07/01/2008-07/02/2008	Charlotte's Web (G)
	Flushed Away (PG)
07/08/2008-07/09/2008	Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (G)
	The Second Junglebook (PG)
07/15/2008-07/16/2008	Wallace And Gromit (G)
	Hook (PG)
07/22/2008-07/23/2008	Muppets Take Manhattan (G)
	Stuart Little (PG)
07/29/2008-07/30/2008	Everyone's Hero (G)
	Bratz (PG)
08/05/2008-08/06/2008	Adventures Of Pipi Longstocking (G)
	Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)
08/12/2008-08/13/2008	Doogal (G)
	Are We There Yet? (PG)

Things to do around town this weekend, while avoiding the Jazz Jubilee

2008-05-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I hate the Jubilee. Hate it with a passion. We usually try to leave town on Jubilee weekend if at all possible. So what can you do this weekend if you're stuck in town?

*For families-
Check out Garbeau's performances of Alice In Wonderland. Saturday matinees fit perfectly into the day!

Sacramento County Fair runs May 22 thru May 26th. Admission is free, parking is $8 and carnival wristbands are $20. There's farm animals, concerts, dancers and a Demolition Derby too!

*Date Night
Splurge a little and get tickets to see Phantom of the Opera at the Community Center. It's a date sure to impress, particularly if you lead into it with a reservation at a great restaurant. Check out Open Table to see what's available.

Phantom tickets out of your budget but you still want theatre? Try B Street's Around the World in 80 Days or Measure for Measure at UC Davis.

Save your sanity, book summer camp now!

2008-05-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

I've been struggling to find a good, comprehensive list of summer camps in the area. I've put together one that covers lots of topics and a variety of locations and hours. I've included some sleepaway camps in the Elementary and above levels. As I come across others, I'll be adding to the list.

If you have suggestions to add, please comment!

Preschool and Kindergarten Level

Early Childhood Learning Center of Natomas - A variety of themed camps and kindergarten readiness camps.

Sacramento Zoo- Little Ducklings class for preschoolers and themed half-day kindergarten camps

Fairytale Town- Themed camps available for kids 4 and up.

Kindergarten and Elementary School Level

Sacramento Zoo- Half day and full day camps for kids through junior high

Fairytale Town- Camp available for kids up to age 10

Effie Yeaw- Nature themed camps available for kids from Kindergarten through grade 5

Sacramento Country Day School- Academic, recreation and sports camps all summer long

Discovery Museum Science Center- Science and Space camps for kids ages 7 through 11

Crocker Art Museum- Art camp and classes for kids 5 through 17

Explorit Science Center- Themed science camps for kids 5 and up

The Bounce Spot- Jumping, jumping, crafts, jumping and more for kids 3 to 12

Elementary and Middle School Camps

Hornet Sports CSUS- Variety of sports camps including football, volleyball, soccer and tennis

International Gymnastics Center- Gymnastics, field trips and more for kids 5 to 12

Peak Adventures- Outdoors, rafting and more by Associated Students of Sac State

City of Sacramento- Classes and recreation camp all summer

Sacramento Theatre Company- Theatre camp for kids in 1st through 9th grades

Walking G Ranch- Overnight horse camp for kids ages 7 through 16

CSUS Aquatic Center- Aquatics, swimming, crew, rowing, jet ski, sailing and more

Gibson Ranch Horse Camp- Horsemanship camp for kids 8 to 18

Camp Augusta- Overnight camp with a few spots left for summer for kids 8 to 16

Traffic woes again... June will be even worse than you thought!

2008-05-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

According to the Back-Seat Driver article in the Bee, you really should just stay home the entire month of June. Take a staycation, telecommute or just crawl in bed and cry because driving anywhere will be a nightmare.

As we've previously noted, the Fix I-5 project will cause major traffic delays throughout town. You can also add to that:

*Work on the Howe Avenue Bridge, with lane closures M-F 8:30am to 4pm

*Closing West El Camino at Northgate to rebuild the bridge. Why do you care? These people will be rerouted to Arden-Garden, one of the major diversions for the I-5 project.

*Replacing the median barrier on the Cap City freeway. This is supposed to take place at night but as with any construction project, there are leftovers in the morning. There will be traffic signs, cones etc. and the lookey-loos will slow down even more.

If you don't have a plan... you'd better find one. You have 16 days!

How will you get to work?

2008-05-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't noticed the big, blinking signs on local freeways, the Fix I-5 Project is about to begin. If you don't have a backup plan, you need one now.

According to the project schedule press release, beginning Friday, May 30th at 8pm, all northbound lanes of I-5 from the interchange to Richards will be closed. Yes... closed. As in, NO you can't go that way. Friday, June 13th at 8pm, the reverse will happen and all southbound lanes (except 2 lanes for J Street exiting only) will be closed.

This is going to make a major mess of downtown. Even if you usually don't drive anywhere near I-5, your routes to work will be more crowded. Please make sure you have an alternate route worked out. If you can, talk to your boss about working an alternate schedule, biking, telecommuting or simply going on vacation!

Links to help you plan your routes:

North Natomas Transportation Management Association

Sacramento Regional Transit

Fix I-5 Page

Sacramento Regional Travel 511 Info

YoloBus

Amtrak Capitol Corridor

Mayoral Debate Tonight

2008-05-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

If you haven't made up your mind yet, watch the Mayoral debate at 6pm on Channel 10. All seven candidates have agreed to appear and participate in the debate. The debate includes viewer questions and you can still submit them online on Channel 10's website.

Things to do around town this weekend

2008-04-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

The weather looks sunny and mild for the weekend, a perfect Sacramento spring. The pollen counts are still a little off the charts for me to imagine a weekend outside but if you're one of the few Sacramentans who is allergy free, we've got outside ideas for you too!

*UC Davis Picnic Day- Saturday. The parade ceremony begins at 9am. Kids events, cooking demonstrations, animal shows and so much more follow. If you've never been to Picnic Day, with or without kids, you really have to check it out. Parking can be difficult so plan ahead. Most events are free of charge and parking on campus is free for the day.

*Farm, Friends and Fairytales- Sunday. Take the kids to Fairytale town and celebrate California's agricultural history. Kids will make ice cream and see the process of food from the farm to your table.

*Meet Kevin Johnson- Land Park Block Party- Saturday, 2pm. Go find out for yourself if the hype is for real.

*Bodies Revealed- You've got two weeks to see the all the gore and strangeness before the exhibit moves on.

Mayorial Debate- set for May 7th at California Museum

2008-04-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

May 7th we will get an opportunity to see what the city plans are from our mayoral candidates. The Bee, News 10 and the California Museum will host the debate with an hour broadcast live on News 10 from 6 to 7pm, followed by a 30-min online discussion.

People have complained that Kevin Johnson would not agree to a debate. Perhaps those complaining should have waited a few weeks to give Johnson a chance to get his campaign up and running, to develop policy and position statements and to form a campaign team before whining.

I find it entirely reassuring that Johnson wanted to take time to have details before entering a debate. It's not interesting or informational for anyone for a candidate to debate by saying "I will have a policy on that." We want to see and hear actual information. In recent weeks, Johnson has issued a crime plan that lead to the endorsement of the Sacramento Police Officers Association. These are the kinds of details that I want to see.

Fargo's own website (which is new) does not talk about the future. She takes credit for many accomplishments of the past, most of which were team efforts or efforts of the city manager that she rubber stamped. We all know what's happened in the past, we were here. I want to know what her plans are for the future.

So Mayor Fargo and all the candidates running for office, since you've agreed to debate, I challenge you to lay out a 5 and 10 year plan for the city. I want to see your vision. I want you to specifically address:

Plans for Railyard Development
Plans for downtown and K street redevelopment, including what to do with the big holes left in the ground from failed projects
Flood control and how you will work with SAFCA, the feds and environmental groups
Crime control and fire control plans
North Natomas development
Lightrail and DNA line development

If we're going to be a world-class city, we need a world-class visionary to follow through.

What did you do with my radio?

2008-04-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

My very favorite TalkCity 1240Am has vanished into thin air. Last week we were on a road trip and I turned on the radio at 9am to hear Ed Schultz, only to be blasted with gospel music. What? Where did my Air America go?

According to this post on Sacramento for Democracy, the radio station was having trouble supporting the format. Despite very strong ratings and a large listening community, ad sales just weren't making the profits required to keep it up and running. So while not too long ago Sacramento had two progressive talk radio stations, we're down to none. You can still get conservative talk on two stations here in town but progressives have been sent scouring the net for podcasts and live broadcasts.

Pathetic. In an election year where we have to make major decisions to guide the direction of our country, we can only hear one side of the talk. Don't give up- the information is available you just have to find a different outlet. Air America has listen live broadcasts for most shows including Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann and Rachel Maddow.

While you're listening live, send an email to Air America and let them know we're here and still wishing to listen. Even if you're a conservative and you never turned on the station once, part of free speech means opportunity. If you can't find it and you can't hear it, it's not free... the Chinese also have free speech... as long as they say what the government wants.

KJ's on the cover of Sactown

2008-03-28T18:35:00.001-07:00

If you haven't seen it yet, you have go out right now and get a copy of Sactown Magazine for this month. Kevin Johnson is not only on the cover but there is an excellent, in-depth piece about his history and campaign goals in the middle. We are more convinced than ever that KJ for mayor is the best idea we've heard around town since The Towers project was floated.

Does it mean Johnson is perfect? No. We have some concerns still about properties in Oak Park that have been left relatively unattended. But one man cannot do everything on his own and essentially, the city has left Oak Park to him.

Johnson brings change, hope and idealism to the city. He is bold and not afraid to ask, with friends in high places. He personally begged Howard Schultz to open a Starbucks in Oak Park and promises to bring big dollars and big names to town. We're in love with his plan to actually use our rivers to our advantage a-la San Antonio and Portland, instead of ignoring them. We are inspired by his plans to develop downtown faster and we believe that he will not take no for an answer.

Most impressive is Johnson's commitment to education and his follow-thru. This is not a guy who talks big and then disappears. St. Hope has made a major difference in the lives of nearly 2,000 kids- kids who Sac City Unified was not serving to the best of their abilities. Earlier this year, in partnership with the M.I.N.D. Institute and UC Davis School of Education, St. Hope opened the Triumph Center for Early Childhood Education. This center effectively makes it possible for kids from 3 to 18 to benefit from St. Hope's extraordinary vision.

You have just a few weeks to make up your mind for mayor. Get Sactown's April/May issue and we're certain it won't take you that long.

It's nearly Jazz Jubilee time and boy do we have a great surprise for visitors!

2008-03-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's nearly that time for Memorial Day weekend's Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. Nearly 70,000 visitors will come to Sacramento for probably our most famous event. The Jubilee has added 5 new venues on the K Street mall this year!

Now if you're not a jazz fan, this is a perfect weekend to flee town as fast as possible. 2008 is shaping up to be the worst- make reservations and get out of here now! Why?

News and radio keep saying that the Fix I-5 boat section project is scheduled to begin in late May. We see on the Fix I-5 website that they are going to make sure the downtown sections are open during the Jubilee. However, they don't say specifically when construction will begin or when the "set-up" will happen. Considering their press conference right by the boat section on March 17th about 30 min before the St. Patrick's day parade in Old Sac completely messed up traffic for at least an hour, I have little faith that they're going to think this one all the way through.

Things to do around town this weekend

2008-03-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Looking for something fun and different- we've got ideas for you!

See great Shakespeare without the Ashland prices- Natomas Charter School's Performing and Fine Arts Academy does MacBeth this weekend. General admission is $16 and group discounts for 5 or more tickets is 15% off. Support local theatre and be truly wowed by the talent of high school students. You'll think you're in a professional productino.

Hear beautiful music- Catch the Regina Carter quintet. If jazz and classical violin is your style, you should be at Mondavi Center tomorrow evening.

Watch robot wars- If violins aren't your style but you still want to go to Davis this weekend, check out the FIRST robotics competition at UC Davis.

Hunt for eggs- Take the kids out and hunt for eggs at local parks. Or go really nuts and head to Rancho Cordova for a huge egg hunt, live music, craft fair and more.

Sample a spot of tea- at the Fair Oaks Library. If you have the kids, check out one of the many library storytimes at libraries around the region.

KJ's in and Fargo swings and misses

2008-03-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Kevin Johnson is officially in the race. Heather Fargo takes a swing and misses widely. And so the mayorial race for Sacramento begins.

We're still working on an in-depth profile of Johnson that we should have completed soon. In the meantime, here are some important links.

A map and listing of KJ's Oak Park Properties

Ongoing stories relating to Kevin Johnson:
October 2007 Neglected Properties
October 2007 Triumph School for Early Childhood Education
December 2007 Sac High keeps its charter

Important Links:
Sac High
St. Hope Schools
St. Hope Development

My biggest concern is that Fargo has already gone negative. Doesn't Sacramento deserve a campaign that focuses on the issues, based in fact and reality and gives voters a true picture of the candidates? Fargo needs to get a campaign manager who will fact check everything that goes out the door. We're a few days into a campaign and inaccuracies, incomplete stories and misrepresentation of the truth are already leaking out. Let's talk issues. Let's talk flood control, crime, development of the railyard and North Natomas, doing something about K Street and the big holes downtown. Let's talk about educating Sacramento's kids who are falling behind their counterparts in other cities and states.

Mayor Fargo, if you want to talk about personal fallacies, you'd better make sure you can back it up with fact and can accept the same in return. It goes both ways. Don't go all Hillary on us whining about how people are picking on you and then plant lies in the media about your opponent.

Entertainment and Events this weekend in Sacramento

2008-02-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

So much to do this weekend, so little time! The sun is shining and it looks like spring in Sacramento. Turn off the TV and get out of your house and enjoy a little excitement around town.

*Things to do with kids*

Dr. Seuss Read-a-thon at Fairytale town, Saturday from 11am to 3pm. See Francie Dillon, play games, make crafts and read lots and lots of stories.

Arden Fair Kids Club Science Wizard, Saturday at 10am. Hit the mall and entertain the kids, then have lunch or sneak in some shopping for yourself.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, B Street Theatre, Saturday and Sunday, 1pm and 4pm. Introduce the kids to theatre the easy way- at B Street! The show is intended for kids 6 and up.

*Great Dates this weekend*

Food for Thought, Sacramento Public Library Foundation Authors on the Move series, Saturday at 5pm. A fundraiser, silent auction and dinner to benefit the library. Dave Bender will MC andnearly 40 popular authors from the area will be in attendance.

Blue Line Gallery Grand Opening Exibition, Roseville, through May 3rd. See the latest and greatest art gallery in Roseville. Showing Art and Illusion: Selections from the Frederick R. Weisman Foundation.

Picnic in a Park, anytime. The weather is perfect for a late afternoon picnic. Pack it at home or visit one of our favorite picnic-packing spots like Sellands, Corti Bros, Trader Joes, or just get cupcakes from Babycakes!

*Getting ready for spring*
Sacramento Home and Garden show, through Sunday. Do something about that mess of a backyard, plan a gorgeous outdoor kitchen, learn about sunrooms, SMUD energy conservation programs and much more. Plus your spouse will think you are making an effort and stop yelling at you to do something!

Natomas lightrail DNA line is back on?

2008-02-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

It appears from the Bee and RT that RT has decided to fast-track the Downtown-Natomas-Airport (DNA) line, with a target completion date of 2017. This is three years faster than we reported last April. I know, it's 2008, so we're still looking at nearly 10 years of construction so I'm not holding my breath. But it's a step in the right direction. The RT board will hear public comments tonight at 6pm and the public comment period ends tomorrow.

There has been volumes of debate about the cost, the time, the location and probably even the paint color they use on the trains. But the reality of the situation is, a big city needs alternate modes of transportation and a way to get to the airport. If Sacramento wants to truly be a "green city" we must have a light rail system that is functional, quick and reliable. It makes no sense to me that the original light rail line didn't include an airport stop.

I've heard the comments about putting the tracks on Truxel and the dangers. That's just more bad planning on the city's part and a lack of foresight. I don't agree with the RT plan of where to run the line, but that doesn't mean the entire plan is bad. Running the line down Truxel increases transportation to the high school, the South Natomas library, Arco and to shopping areas. It's not the best idea, but it will work. RT can increase safety by monitoring the area, particularly around the high school, where traffic tends to be a younger, less safe group of drivers and pedestrians.

I also think the prediction of lowering car traffic from Natomas by 1% is simply shortsighted. As traffic increases to downtown, parking costs and gas rise and the economy bounces around, RT has no idea what will happen. If the schedule is convenient, passengers are safe and trains are clean, people will ride.

Also not factored into this 1% is out of town travelers. It would be a huge bonus for the Sac CVB to be able to sell conventions with light rail to the airport. As it currently stands, convention visitors have to rent cars or use buses (RT or private) to get downtown. I'm already envisioning a huge green living and sustainability convention that requires no cars or buses to get around. The tax dollars spent will be worth the return when the convention center, downtown hotels and shopping, restaurants and other tourist locations start to fill up.

On to the most hysterical part of this entire debate. As we have commented before, bus service to Natomas is nonexistent on the weekends. RT had to supplement their own bus service for public open houses because people couldn't use RT to get there:
"RT will offer supplemental bus service on Route 11 from downtown Sacramento to the open house at Inderkum High School on Saturday, February 9. Buses will depart from 3rd and J streets every 30 minutes from 9:07 a.m. to 11:07 a.m. The last return trip from Inderkum High School to downtown Sacramento will depart at 12:10 p.m." (from the RT press release here)

Great things to do around town this weekend

2008-02-22T08:51:00.000-08:00

A big storm is coming late Saturday and early Sunday so what should you do? First tie down all the stuff in your backyard that is likely to hit the neighbor's house. Make sure you have candles and flashlights available. Then get ready to get out of the house and do something fun!

* Bodies Revealed *
If you haven't checked out Bodies Revealed yet, now is your chance. It's a bizarre assortment of over 200 bodies on display. Learn more about human anatomy then you ever wanted to know. Open through the end of April.

* California Museum for History, Women & The Arts *
Check out Maria Shriver's pet project this weekend. You can see the California Hall of Fame, including original prints by Ansel Adams, Tiger Woods' golf clubs and more. The museum also features several other exhibits about California history. Open Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 12pm-5pm.

* Watch the Oscars *
Do something amazing and spend Sunday with the Capital City AIDS Fund in their Oscar Night party at the Hyatt. Enjoy a great party, check out the Oscar fashions and do something good for the city all at the same time.

* Visit a new Sacramento area restaurant (or new to you) *
Have you been to Ella Dining Room or Paul Martin's American Bistro? Perhaps a more casual joint serves you better like Suzie Burger, Hot Rod or Chicago Fire Pizza. Looking for dessert? Try Sweeties, Babycakes or for a more exotic flavor try Mochii.

Want to get out of town for the weekend? Copia is featuring Death by Chocolate: The Ultimate Chocolate Tasting. Saturday from 1pm to 4pm. Tickets are $45 general admission, $35 Copia members.

Super Tuesday is coming- get out your sample ballots!

2008-02-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Super Tuesday is coming and California has a chance to actually participate and matter this time around. Candidates are all over the state (though we always get ignored up here!) and really making a push for California delegates.

My thoughts? I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat, Peace and Freedom or whatever. You HAVE to vote. It is your civic duty and responsibility as an American to vote. And frankly, if you don't vote, you can't bitch about it later. If you feel like there aren't any candidates you can support, at least write in someone you can.

If you're in Sacramento County- click on the following links if you need help election day:
Polling Place Lookup
Absentee Instructions
Election Day Info

Not sure who to vote for yet or need research? Visit Project Vote Smart for biographies, voting records and campaign finance information.

Just a reminder, in California, if you are a registered Independent or a Decline to State voter, you can ask for a Democratic ballot. If you don't, you can only vote on propositions this time around. The Republicans do not let others vote in their primaries so you're out of luck there. If you want to vote in the Democratic Primary, you have to ask when you check in for a Democratic ballot.

This year I feel really inspired and can't stop telling all my friends about Barack Obama. I worked for the Clintons in 1996 in their women's outreach office and on the inaugural committee in DC. But Hillary just isn't convincing me that she has Bill under control or that she is ready to take on the world. Plus the crying? Ugh. Yeah that'll work well in meeting with Musharraf. Obama has the power to inspire and motivate millions of Americans to make our country great again. He had it right on the war from the beginning. He knows what it takes to get things done and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty. I'd be proud to have him as our President.

Free wi-fi plans are back!

2008-01-31T14:14:00.000-08:00

After several delays and major negotiations, free wi-fi in Sacramento will launch downtown in February! The goal of covering a 48 square mile radius should take nearly two years to complete but initial areas downtown will be covered very quickly.

Freebie wi-fi will get you pop up ads but you can buy faster and ad-free service for $15 to $50 a month depending on the package. It may not work inside some buildings or homes without an additional repeater but for relatively cheaply, you will be able to take advantage of the new service.

And this my friends, is why we pay for private school

2008-01-30T11:11:00.001-08:00

Natomas Unified has made some bad decisions under Dr. Farrar. We know about the land deals, the mediocre ratings on Great Schools, the below average spending per pupil (Current expense of education per ADA- $6304, state average $7,127) and the overall mismanagement and unhappiness of many parents in the district. The one thing they've done right is to let the charter schools do their own thing. In a mess of the district, the charters are doing well.

Dr. Farrar's response to the proposed governor's budget is perhaps the most appalling of mistakes. Per his letter, he has issued an immediate hiring and spending freeze as a precautionary measure. Interesting... especially since Natomas Unified still has jobs posted on edjoin.org listed as open and available. Is this a lie or an oversight?

While driving to the local library yesterday, I noticed that the Inderkum football field is all torn up and inquired inside. They are replacing it with artificial turf, that will apparently be state of the art. Yeah... we need a state of the art football field when you're already spending less per pupil than the rest of the state.

He even threatens to turn Kindergarten and 1st grade classes into 30 kids a piece next year, eliminate busing for students and even *gasp* potentially file for bankruptcy in 2009.

Now really, I know this is a fluff piece. It's designed to enrage parents in the assumption that they'll turn that around and push it on the governor. Right. The state problem is the same as the district problem... a simple mismanagement of funds. You can't spend what you don't have and you can always do more with less. I'm willing to bet, as a former teacher, everyone would forgo a football season to have a few permanent teachers in the classroom and a few less subs. Maybe leaving off the synthetic turf soccer field at the new Hight middle school would have bought a few more class sets of textbooks. I'm for sports and sports programs... but not when they sacrifice learning for athletics.

Perhaps that few million extra misspent for the land in North Natomas would be useful now?

Whatever they're on, I wish I had some.

2008-01-30T10:58:00.001-08:00

Seriously, the city council must have a really good supplier of some amazing drugs. Does it make any logical sense to anyone else that they annexed the Greenbriar area last night to allow more building in Natomas?

They must have missed the memo from FEMA about the state of the flood protection in Natomas. No wait, we know they got it because Fargo promised to go head to head with Matsui, who said safety is the primary concern. From Breton's Bee article dated 1/20/2008 "On Friday, Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, easily rebuffed Fargo's argument. "If I thought that was the right way to go, I would. But this is a different time," Matsui said. "We need to move forward on flood protection."

At least she's reading the FEMA memos.

What the heck is the city council thinking? We're in a serious housing crunch. Pardee Homes all but abandoned a huge chunk of land and left me with an ugly wall to look at. Yet somehow, despite the major flood risk, the economy and ongoing debate about the safety of building more homes in Natomas, the city council thought this was a good plan?

Kevin Johnson for mayor, anyone? At least he has his own money and won't be beholden to AKT and their shady land deals. Natomas has seen this before. We're done.

Museum Day is coming, plan your attack!

2008-01-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 2nd is Museum Day. If you're new to town or have been here forever, now's your chance to check out some of the lesser-known museums in town for free. The event runs from 10am to 4pm and if you're organized you may be able to get in two or three museums in that time.

My advice for enjoying Museum Day? Skip the biggies. This is not a good day to go to the Zoo or Fairytale Town. The lines will be long, parking will be terrible and you'll be very cranky. It's the perfect day to visit The Aerospace Museum of California or the Towe Auto Museum. Perhaps take a stroll through the historic city cemetery and visit the Governor's Mansion.

For more information and a map of museums, visit the Museum Day website. Go green and use the free shuttle buses for an even more festive experience! RT will run 5 free shuttle loops around town to get you where you need to go without the hassle and traffic.

KJ for mayor?

2008-01-25T08:12:00.000-08:00

Marcos Breton's article in the Bee this morning covers the possibility of Kevin Johnson for mayor. As you know, I am not a fan of Heather Fargo and just about any name being on the table is exciting to me. It's time for Mayor Fargo to face some stiff competition and actually have to fight for her spot for once.

Kevin Johnson has a long history in Sacramento, though as of late much has been controversial. Most around town know the former-NBA player as the guy who is cleaning up Oak Park or the guy who started St. Hope and took over Sac High. There's a lot more to this story with complex weaves of he said, they said. But it ends up in a pleasant place of "Local star makes good".

We'll be researching Johnson's history and politics carefully and keeping you up to date on whether or not he'll be our guy. Right now, we're happy to just have another name to consider.

New excitement for Natomas and North Sacramento areas

2008-01-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

Why do Roseville and Elk Grove always get to have the fun? They get the best kid stuff, the new restaurants and all the buzz for families. Well it's about time we had something fun of our own!

Funtastic Play Center has opened in Natomas! On Gateway Park Blvd right near KidsPark, you'll find a new indoor play center with soft foam for climbing, slides and more. It's designed for kids under 8 but the pictures look more like kids under 6 will enjoy it the most.

What's in it for you? A chance to hang out while the kids play and you can catch up with your friends while they run around. The Elk Grove location has wi-fi and espresso but I can't tell if Natomas does. I'll let you know after we visit.

Upcoming Natomas Park HOA election (apologies to readers outside Natomas Park!)

2008-01-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

A major hoodwink is about to happen in Natomas Park and I feel it necessary to share this information. My apologies to readers outside Natomas Park. However, you should still be concerned about the property rights violations and discrimination about to take place in Natomas Park- it could be your HOA next.

Why you should VOTE NO on the upcoming Natomas Park HOA ballot

You should expect an HOA ballot to be arriving in the mail towards the end of the month. There are significant changes being made to the CC&Rs as well as some changes that should have been made that are being left off purposefully by the Board of Directors. It is important that no matter how you vote, you return the ballot so that this decision can be made by homeowners NOT the delegates.

The Board of Directors has packaged this vote as one yes or no vote, without breaking down the individual items specifically. They are holding your vote hostage.

There are numerous changes in this vote that are required by law. The city, state and county laws have changed and our CC&Rs are not in compliance. Rob Thompson said at the meeting on Tuesday, January 8th that "Breaking out the individual issues is too complicated" so the Board decided to go with a single yes or no vote. There are two reasons to do this- either the Board doesn't think you're smart enough to figure out the changes, or they are trying to hide things all in one package on the pretext of saving money. If this vote does not pass, we will still be required by law to vote again. Because of the way they chose to word the ballot, you have no option to agree or disagree on individual issues.

The Board of Directors has elected to change some problems with Delegate voting, but only those in their own best interests.

One major issue on this ballot is how Delegates vote for Director. You may not know this but currently, it doesn't matter how you vote individually on HOA issues. If 51% of the ballots in a district are not returned, the Delegate can vote however he or she want. Even if 49% of the residents are against an issue and the other 51% don't vote, the delegate could vote in support of an issue. The Board knows this is a problem but are refusing to address it in this vote because it serves their own interests. They have already met with the delgates and given them instruction on the importance of their issues BEFORE the vote. The Board has chosen to address this issue on this ballot BUT ONLY for how it affects their vote for Directors. Because of notoriously low turnout in the HOA elections, the Board is counting on the delegates to do as they are told to push this ballot through.

Delegates vote by secret ballot so you have no right to know how your specific Delegate voted. The Board has chosen not to address this problem.

It is your responsibility as a property owner to vote in elections for the HOA. However, because of secret ballot, your Delegate has no accountability to the neighborhood. He/She can choose to vote however he/she chooses. All public officials have to share their voting records and are accountable for them, why do we not require the same openness in our HOA elections?

The Board of Directors is encouraging discrimination based on income within the community.

At a meeting on Tuesday, January 8th, an audience member addressing the issue of tenants using the Club said "Most of us in the neighborhood just don't like renters and don't want them here." This comment was met with nodding heads of the present Board members. The Board has chosen to discriminate against tenants, assuming that renters are all undesirable instead of taking the legal and appropriate actions they already have available. The Board has not enforced policies requiring owners to notify them about tenants. They are using the excuse of too much time to manage who lives where. If they enforced the currently existing laws instead of creating new, discriminatory policies, this would not be a problem. Do you want to live in a neighborhood that creates classes of people? Do you want to encourage your children to believe that renters are bad? How would you feel if you suddenly had to sell your house and rent due to a family crisis? We are talking about telling your friend, neighbor or child's teacher that he/she is bad and can't be trusted with Club access.

The Board of Directors is encouraging you to give up your property rights.

Even if you agree that only owners should have access to the Club, this was not the system you bought into. As it currently stands, if you have to move to another town and rent your house because it won't sell, you can assign your Club privledges to a tenant as an extra "perk" for choosing your house. You assumed moving into the neighborhood that your HOA dues paid for a certain level of service. This measure reduces your level of service, decreasing your right to rent your property as you bought it, to others. A yes vote tells the Board that you are willing to sacrifice your property rights.

Property owners who rent their homes in Natomas Park are already organizing for a class-action lawsuit if this measure passes.

The lawsuit against Lennar has not even been resolved yet and the Board is interested in baiting the community into another lawsuit. This lawsuit will cost you money to defend. Do you really want to pay more dues to fund a lawsuit defense?

Now that you understand the issues, what can you do?

Encourage your neighbors to understand the issues and ask questions

Meet your neighbors and talk to them, get to know the renters and homeowners in your area.

Report renters and homeowners that do not follow the CC&Rs using the existing legal methods

Most importantly, VOTE NO and demand the Board give you a fair ballot that allows you to pick and choose issues, like a state or city election.

Predictions for Sacramento and the surrounding area for 2008

2008-01-02T18:48:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year where everyone comes out with their list of predictions. Who would have guessed that 2007 would see The Towers and Aura projects fall apart? It seemed like in January 2007, these were the hottest things going on the west coast. Or that the housing market would crumble in Sacramento? Here goes my best attempts as a long-time Sacramento resident at predictions for the new year. We'll see in 11 more months how I did.

Prediction #1- The major I-5 construction project will not be finished in 2008 and there will be major traffic consequences, leading to the funding of the DNA lightrail line. That's right you read it here first! Using the Sac Bee's article about more downtown congestion being purposefully initiated by the city to generate interest in alternative transportation, we predict that when Caltrans starts making a hole in the Q street/I-5 sunken road, a messy disaster will strike. Followed by a renewed interest and funding for the DNA airport line. Not that it will get built any faster.

Prediction #2- Absolutely nothing will happen with the arena. Nothing. As in the Kings will still play at Arco and no progress will be made with Cal Expo talks.

Prediction #3- Absolutely nothing will happen with K Street. Mo Mohanna will tie up the redevelopment of K Street in court. We will have more of the same for another year.

Prediction #4- Arden Arcade will be successful in their Nov 2008 bid to become a city.

Prediction #5- Natomas will not flood this year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. This is more of a hope than a prediction but one that's worth making. If I'm right, I get to keep my house. If I'm wrong, I'll be in a white FEMA trailer next year this time and I won't be blogging to tell you about it anyway.

Railyard Project gets the green light

2007-12-12T10:36:00.001-08:00

Speaking of eyesores, the Railyard project got a green light from the City Council on Tuesday. Over the next 20 years, in theory, the project will begin to develop downtown into a "real" city. We'll see jobs, stores, mixed use housing projects, a cultural center and a major infill project take form.

I'm in support of the idea of the railyard project, I really am. But is this the city council to do it? So far we've seen the arena fall through, the completely botched development of North Natomas, the big hole known as The Towers and the troubled Aura Condo project. Sure, it's a down market but it wasn't in the 90's when they approved the debacle of North Natomas. The city surely has had an economist or two studying the market and preparing for fluctuations, right?

As a longtime resident of Sacramento, I'm ready for an all new council full of young, entrepreneurial talent with bold ideas, creative plans and a environmentally friendly way to make Sacramento really shine. This council is none of those... We can only keep our fingers crossed that the next election cycle will bring out some new blood.

Thanks Pardee Homes for the big, ugly eyesore

2007-12-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that I live in North Natomas and that I'm concerned with the development in the area. We fell for the big lie in 1999 and now we're stuck. But the big lie just gets worse as weeks go by and suddenly we're left considering turning our house into a rental just to get out of here. Is that really what's best for the city? For the neighborhood?

The latest thorn in my side is the hugely ugly eyesore that Pardee Homes has left on the corner of Del Paso and Gateway Park. A big concrete wall advertising Natomas Meadows, a chainlink fence surrounding the entire development and pipes sticking up everywhere. They didn't even stick around long enough to finish the road damage caused by their heavy machinery. Eight houses sit very lonely in the middle of all the mess, with lights on full-time burning up kilowatts for nothing.

According to the Sac Bee, Pardee Homes decided not to play the game anymore and shut the development. Since they couldn't charge the exorbitant and outlandish rates of two years ago, they mothballed the whole thing. They reassured the Bee that they'll be back when they can make more money and they'll finish the development.

In the meantime, those of us still here are stuck with the damaged road and the hideous fence to stare at every day driving to work. It's all a big reminder of the big lie.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2007-11-25T18:14:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas in Sacramento! The weather is just chilly enough to feel like winter but you won't freeze your tush off at any of the outdoor celebrations. You'll have lots of options of things to do so get out your mittens and get ready to celebrate. Here are just a few upcoming ideas:

*Fairytale Town Winter Wonderland Saturday, December 1st. Visit with Santa and his elves, do some art projects and listen to music all while enjoying Fairytale Town.

*Old Sacramento Heritage Holidays November 21st thru December 23rd. An assortment of activities including a holiday train ride, Christmas puppet show, Discovery Museum projects, historical reenactment and the Capitol City Yacht Club's lighted boat parade

*Ice Skate Downtown Plaza November thru January 21st. Your chance to pretend you are a kid again, or take the kids and show them how great you really are!

*Holiday Magic at the Zoo Saturday, December 8th. You had no idea an orangutan can open a present did you! All the animals at the zoo receive special gifts.

And that's just for the next week!

Day trips from Sacramento to celebrate the holidays

2007-11-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

The scent of the holidays should be in air right now, but we've been stuck in this bizarre late summer weather. Even Halloween seemed a little off- just a few times did I smell the scent of burning jack-o-lanterns or hear the crunch of leaves on the sidewalk. It looks like you're going to have to leave town to get the holiday celebration underway!

Mark your calendar for the Grass Valley Cornish Christmas celebration, Friday nights from November 23rd thru December 21st. Businesses in downtown Grass Valley decorate their windows in celebration and there will be live music, carriage rides, food and drink, entertainment and much more. The downtown is closed to vehicle traffic and you can stroll along in peace with your family.

If that weren't enough celebration, you'll love the Nevada City Victorian Christmas just a few weeks later. Chestnuts will really be roasting on an open fire, strolling minstrels and carolers fill the streets and Santa will make a visit. You can check out the Victorian Christmas 3 Wednesday nights December 5, 12 and 19, from 6-9 p.m and 2 Sunday afternoons, December 9th and 16th from 1:30 to 6pm.

If you're really up for an adventure, make a weekend of it and spend the night in one of Nevada City's beautiful bed and breakfasts. If you're lucky, you just might get a sprinkle of snow to kick off your holiday season.

Dear Mayor Fargo, you have really done it now

2007-10-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

This morning I opened up the Bee to find an article that has had me grinding my teeth for three hours. I am so mad I could spew! Thank you Mary Lynne Vellinga for getting out what I've been complaining about since we moved to North Natomas in 1999. The North Natomas community plan was a farce designed to make the city look like good planners. Don't believe me? Read the Grand Jury Report.

Somehow all the lies of Lennar and the promises of the city have slipped the councilmembers and the mayor's minds. I have ranted extensively about the lack of police substation, the unfinished parks, the rezoned school land that disappeared. But Mayor Fargo has outdone herself this time.

Quoting from the Bee article "While she frequently hears complaints about a lack of police services, Fargo said the area has much less violent crime than many other city neighborhoods."

Seriously North Natomas residents, your mayor just told you to stop whining because people don't die here.

I ran the crime stats myself this morning from 8/1/2007 to 9/30/2007. The area classified as North Natomas had 194 crimes, 22 assaults. East Sacramento had 240 crimes, 19 assaults and Land Park had 119 crimes, 10 assaults. Yes... the data suggests that we are faring better than Oak Park or Del Paso Heights.

But when I bought my house, I wasn't promised that it'd be better than Oak Park.

We bought our house in Natomas Park in 1999 on a PROMISE from the city that it would be the most amazing development in all of California and even maybe all of the west coast. We gave up a nice house in East Sac, near everything, including the light rail to work. We were promised regional parks, bike and walking trails, great schools, a light rail line, public transportation and walking commercial centers.

According to the article, planning director Carol Shearly says "We were cautious about overburdening the development with fees because we really wanted it to get started." So the city didn't bother to make sure that all the promises they and Lennar were selling, were actually funded. They didn't stop Lennar from publishing their fancy brochures with all the wonderful amenities. Mayor Fargo and Ray Tretheway talked up North Natomas like a new Disneyland- everything you could want and more.

Knowing full well that they were unfunded and that many things, like the police substation and community centers, had been taken off the table long long ago.

Councilman Tretheway says "I talk to a lot of average people. They love Natomas. They're going crazy over it." Seriously Mr. Tretheway, do they live here? I love my neighborhood but I wouldn't say that anyone I know is "going crazy over it." Afraid to walk to school? yes. Afraid to walk around at night? yes. Afraid of getting hit in one of the disastrous parking lots? yes. But going crazy? That's a major leap of faith.

Ms. Vellinga's article points out that the city decided the grand jury report used outdated information. That is correct, but that was the entire point of the grand jury report. The city did not follow the original community plan; they simply changed it at will. Many of us bought our houses based on "outdated information."

To Mayor Fargo:
Now I'm mad. You have a reelection campaign coming up. I'm throwing my money, time and energy behind someone else. I'll be knocking doors and ringing phones for another candidate who perhaps won't be so overburdened by the job. You are no Joe Serna.

To the young girl who left her baby with a stranger at a Natomas bus stop (and a thought on sex ed)

2007-10-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

I know there's probably no way you're reading this but on the off chance you are, thank you. Thank you for realizing that you may not be ready to be a mom. Thank you for choosing a young woman at a local bus stop who looked like she might care. You may have even seen her before and thought she was nice. Thank you for not leaving your baby in a dumpster or in your closet. You are a good mom because you did what was best for your baby. That's all a mom can do.

Now... why exactly did this girl leave her baby at the bus stop? We don't really know but I'll venture a guess... she didn't know any better. The paper and the news are falling all over themselves trying to condemn this young girl because we have a "safe haven" law. Seriously, if you know a kid between 12 and 18 ask them what you do if you have a baby you don't want to keep? I'd venture to guess not one of them will say 'Oh it's easy, you just take it to a fire station and nobody will ask any questions.' And even if they do know, they don't actually believe that nobody will ask them anything. Heck I don't even believe it after reading the brochure.

They don't know because it's not part of the class. I taught 8th grade sex ed for 2 years at a local middle school. We don't discuss the save haven law because you certainly wouldn't want to encourage teens to abandon their babies. It's kind of the same backwards theory about only teaching abstinence- if you tell them about sex, they might want to try it- so don't tell. Sure we have old drawings of body parts and how it works. Once, we even taught them how to put a condom on... until some parents had a fit and it had to be removed from the curriculum. We covered STDs but not pregnancy and certainly not what to do afterward.

So if the young girl is about 16... she was probably 14 or 15 when she got pregnant. She is probably a freshman in high school. So I'm venturing a guess that the sex ed curriculum she had was the same as I taught. She never knew about any safe haven law. If you've ever actually had a baby of your own, you know that those 24 hours after delivery are full of panic and apprehension, even in the most planned pregnancy situations.

She found her own safe haven.

Bear with me while I make a huge leap here. Recently I've been watching The Truth About Food on Discovery Health. Last night I watched an episode with what I call "The Raisin Test." If you restrict a certain food but leave it visible, children crave it to the point of actually pushing and shoving to get at it when it's allowed. Even if it's only raisins.

Sex to 16 year olds is raisins. If you forbid it, make it mysterious and magical, they will crave it and push and shove to get it. Are we doing our kids any favors by forbidding raisins? Are we doing them any favors by refusing to teach them actual scientific information about their bodies and allowing them opportunities to talk about the pressures they feel in life?

To the young girl in Natomas... I wouldn't turn myself in either.

A slacker, a harvest festival and pumpkin patches

2007-09-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

I've been so obsessed with another blog I'm working on- China Free Christmas - that I haven't been taking care of my Tomato blog. So many things have happened in and around town without me sitting down to type. Apologies... but hey- you have a great resource for toys not made in China!

One important, exciting and fun event of note coming up soon is the Elk Grove Harvest Festival. This is one of my absolute most favorite October events and one of the best pumpkin events in town for families. There are tons of carnival games for the kids, the most gargantuan pumpkins you've ever seen, entertainment, food and more. Sadly, my husband's work scheduled a picnic the same day so we won't get to attend this year.

If you're in the mood for pumpkins, my favorite the local family run Bastiao Farms that turns into Goblin Gardens during October. The family hay ride is so much fun and they may even give you a taste of the delicious fresh corn right off the stalk. You can wander the fields for hours and pick your own pumpkin to bring back in a wagon. We actually went 3 times last year!

*• Goblin Gardens Pumpkin Patch, 3845 El Centro Road, Sacramento; (916) 416-1133

If you're looking for a day trip and want to get out of town- head to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland. There you can ride a train, have a BBQ, slide down Coyote mountain and much more. Plan for the event to take the whole day, there's more to do out there than you think!

Stay tuned for a guide to Apple Hill, next week!

The Chaos (aka CalTrans) is about to begin...

2007-09-24T10:05:00.001-07:00

The worst traffic snafu you've ever seen in Sacramento is coming... and it's going to last for at least 8 months. Yes you read that right, for 8 months Sacramento will be thrown into traffic chaos. According to the Bee, beginning in February or March, Caltrans will shut down sections of I-5 through downtown daily for months and months to repair the section of I-5 that is below river-level. The current plan is to close one or two lanes in each direction from Richards to the 50 interchange.

I don't mean to be alarmist but this is going to be a serious mess! Regardless of what time of day, the downtown area is always slow as people try to get off downtown, get over to the interchange at 50/80/99 and the tourists get lost because signage is bad. Can you imagine what the downtown area will look like during Jazz Jubilee? It's bad enough Jubilee weekend that most locals avoid downtown like the plague but now we have to content with tourists and closed lanes. I think we'll go to LA that weekend... the traffic can't be worse.

The road's a mess and it has to get fixed, I'll give Caltrans that. I'm pretty sure that building a major freeway below river level was not the best idea and that in a post-Katrina world, we really need an upgrade. I wish the plans included a raised section so that we won't have to tear it all back up again in 30 years.

My bigger concern is the possibility of the City to just overlook the entire situation. Quoting the Bee's quote "Hopefully more folks will take light rail, buses and carpool" city traffic official Hector Barron said.

Uhh.... what light rail? The City let builders develop the entire North Natomas area without light rail. Where's the DNA line? Stuck on someone's desk. Buses... there's a thought. Hypothetically if I wanted to ride the bus from the Kohl's in North Natomas to downtown it'll take between 25 and 46 minutes, assuming all buses are on time and I only want to travel on the weekdays during rush hour. Best I can tell, you CANNOT get downtown from North Natomas on the weekends. According to RT's online trip planner "There is no service on the day or at the time you've requested. Please try a different date or time."

My recommendation to the city- you'd better get ready to throw some serious funding towards the North Natomas Transportation Management Association and be prepared to cover alternate routes with bus coverage and weekend routes. You cannot ask people to 'hopefully' use alternate routes if you don't provide them. I'd also up the number of carpool spots in City lots and make parking with an authorized carpool free during the traffic problems. Let City workers with non-essential job duties telecommute, work alternate schedules or give carpool bonuses during the first month in particular.

But whatever they decide to do, they have to do something... just waiting until the chaos begins just isn't a good option.

It's official... sort of... The NBA settles on Cal Expo.

2007-09-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

According to the Cal Expo website (run by the state), it's official- the NBA has settled on Cal Expo as the preferred location for the new arena. The commission received a letter dated September 5th inviting Cal Expo to enter more formal discussions regarding arena plans. The commission directors will vote on September 28th whether or not to authorize formal negotiations. Stay tuned for more.

Things to do this weekend in Sacramento

2007-09-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

The weather is just perfect and you can actually be outside for more than 2 minutes without cooking. They're saying it might rain on Saturday but who's afraid of "scattered showers" anyway?

For kids and families:

*Storytelling Series at Fairytale Town. At 12:30 and 2pm, enjoy stories, music and fun on the outdoor Mother Goose Stage.

*Junie B Jones at B Street Theatre. If your kids are slightly older (probably 5 and up) and will sit through a play, this is the one to see! B Street's family series will delight your entire family and you'll be happy to see kids shows in a real theatre setting too.

*The circus is in town! Ringling Brothers are at Arco all weekend.

*Mix 96 Kite Fest at Elk Grove Regional Park. Come to the free family festival (weather providing) and enjoy the professional kite flyers, live music, children's activities, and a Root Beer garden!

To Cal Expo or not? The tale of the arena plan continues

2007-09-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

The woes of the arena and the Maloofs continues... where to put the new arena? Will it even stay in Sacramento? Who will own the arena, the parking etc? The saga continues...

The NBA is currently in talks to make some sort of an arrangement at Cal Expo. If you've been reading, you know I'm not really fond of the way the City of Sacramento has handled the whole arena situation. While the state owns Cal Expo, I am not hugely confident that they will do any better in negotiations. Perhaps if the Maloofs are not in the initial discussions, the NBA and the state will fare better.

There are two major issues I see with an arena at Cal Expo. The most complex problem will be parking revenue. This has been a major issue of contention and the main reason the railyard arena plan failed. The Maloofs do not want to sacrifice the bread and butter of parking. Yet Cal Expo makes a significant portion of their revenue from parking and will likely not part with it. How will they work out the parking so that everyone gets what they want? Now that the state is involved, I can only imagine the bureaucratic pile of red tape.

A less complex but more frustrating problem will be the traffic situation on the Cap City freeway and around the area. It is currently 5:02PM on a Wednesday and the traffic in the area (according to News10 Traffic Maps) is moving at less than 25 mph. What happens with a 7pm game start and rush-hour traffic? This area is already a complete disaster during evening rush hour, Christmas shopping and the State Fair. I'm no urban planner, but it doesn't take a degree to realize that pushing through10,000 to 15,000 cars extra through the area will be a major snafu.

I'm not opposed to an arena at Cal Expo... I'm just wary. The grounds are rundown and the area is not designed well to support sudden traffic flows. I'm skeptical that an arrangement can be reached in which the area receives substantial money for infrastructure, the grounds are rebuilt nicely and the traffic flow can be rerouted sufficiently. Perhaps the NBA is willing to invest the kind of cash necessary to solve these problems? Is David Stern really that committed to keeping the Kings in Sacramento?

All of this... while Harrah's and AEG are putting together the new Las Vegas arena...

I'm not holding my breath or buying season tickets.

Gold Rush Days in Old Sac

2007-08-31T20:03:00.002-07:00

Take the family out for a historical day of reenactments, education and fun games and entertainment! Admission is free and events begin at 11 through Monday. It's an entirely different experience to see the streets of Old Sac covered in dirt and all the cars removed. Kids will enjoy trying to play authentic games of the time period while adults marvel at the food preparation required in early California. I highly recommend it for everyone. For more information visit the Gold Rush Days website or just pop over to Old Sac anytime this weekend. If you're already been to the fair, this is great entertainment for the long weekend.

One word of caution, if your children are frightened by loud noises, check the schedule carefully for reenacted gun fights and cannon firings. You'll want to be on the opposite side of Old Sac when they occur.

A great place to blow $30, eat a ton and have fun!

2007-08-28T11:00:00.001-07:00

My son has a new favorite location. It's not technically Sacramento, but it's close enough that he does not complain once about being in the car. If you have kids under 40 you must take them to the new John's Incredible Pizza!

Located in the old Sam's Club building in Roseville, just off the Atlantic St. exit, you'll find fun, food and entertainment. John's has some of the best pizza I've ever had, especially considering it's mass produced buffet style. The Garlic Alfredo is worth the drive alone! For $6.49 at lunch or $8.49 dinner and weekends, you'll be treated to all-you-can-eat buffet of pizzas galore, a large salad bar, breadsticks, pastas, desserts and ice cream. You'll load up your tray and sit in one of the theme rooms from cartoons to cabins, techno to calm and quiet. The cartoon room is our favorite because we can eat and chat while the little man watches a few cartoons that are generally kid appropriate.

After you are stuffed to the brim, venture into the gaming room where you can play a variety of games, bowl, ride a few rides and gamble for tickets. You can purchase individual credits on a card or just go for the gusto and get the $24.95 fun card with a ton of credits on it. There are many choices and the place is much cleaner than any Chuck E Cheese I've ever seen. Little man loves that the games give out tons of tickets too so you can buy cool prizes at the end.

If you're looking for an alternative to the same movie and coffee date, JIP could easily be a fun and exciting date night as well! My husband and I could easily spend an evening there playing games, dueling on the mini-bowling alley or battling bad guys in the teen/adult games in the back.

A children's museum would make us a "real" city

2007-08-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, about two years ago, some neighbors and I embarked on an adventure to start a children's museum right here in Sacramento. We made some decent progress when we were shocked to discover another group was working on the same concept. We handed over all of our materials and gracefully bowed out of the competition, as we were promised that the other group had significant fundraising capabilities and "larger" contacts in the community.

Two years and some change later and the Sacramento Children's Museum website hasn't been updated. From what I understand, they got stalled in arena talks, the discussion of putting some sort of civic contribution at the railyard and general infighting among the group. It's a real tragedy that they have been unable to get something productive off the ground.

What brings this up? I spent the day with my son at the Stockton Children's Museum. We sat in a real ambulance, police car, bus and fire truck. We shopped at a pretend grocery store, looked at x-rays, learned about delta fish and made some great art. For a measly $4.50 each, we played in an airconditioned, child-friendly, educational center. For three hours, he was able to touch everything in sight, experiment and play in his own way and discover how to make current flow on a water table.

So why don't we have a children's museum? Most major cities in the US have at least one, some have several. My personal favorite is in Portland, but we have also visited similar designs in San Jose, Seattle, San Antonio, and San Francisco. Each is unique in the way it is presented, but all are designed for children to learn and explore on his/her own terms. They allow children of all types, ages, shapes, sizes, disabilities and backgrounds to come together and play in a unifying and friendly way.

It's time for Sacramento to get on board. Sure we have the Discovery Museum or Explorit in Davis but these aren't the same. Science museums are exciting and interesting but you have to be old enough to manipulate the exhibits and understand the context of the information. At a true children's museum, kids come in with all different education levels and still appreciate the exhibits, discovering and learning as they go through.

If we are to be a true family friendly city, it's time to provide an enriching, enlightening experience for all families to enjoy. If Stockton can do it, Sacramento can too.

Yes we have a budget... mostly

2007-08-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

So after much deliberation the CA Senate approved the budget today in nearly identical form as the Assembly passed it weeks ago. What was the holdup?

Apparently Republican Senators were unhappy with the promise of the Governator to make some line-item veto cuts on his desk. According to the Sac Bee, they didn't trust their own party Governor to uphold his word to remove an additional $700 million from the budget. Yet suddenly, they have a newfound trust and believe the Governor will keep his word. The only other major gain the Republicans made by holding out was an amendment to protect infrastructure bonds from greenhouse gas emission lawsuits. That doesn't strike me as a major gain, nor one the Democrats would have refused in regular session.

Perhaps it's time to sit down and seriously reevaluate the CA budget process. Obviously, being 52 days late on a budget is not a good plan. If I were 52 days late paying my credit card, you can bet there'd be someone calling my house, my cell, my work and anywhere else they could find me. Why then are Californians so unconcerned with the ongoing budget problems?

Could someone explain to me why our legislators were out playing softball instead of wrapping up loose budget ends so that we could pay healthcare providers, childcare centers and others?

Will we get a budget today?

2007-08-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today lawmakers return to a budget stalemate that is keeping many Californians from getting paid... will they pull their heads out? The Assembly has passed a version but the Senate Republicans are still holding out for more cuts. In the meantime, children's health care issues are heating up in the newspapers and TV ads but being ignored while the budget debacle continues.

Will we get a budget? Will we get children's universal health care? Will the Republicans dump the Governator for pushing them on the budget? Will we have a budget by the September recess? Stay tuned for more on "The Downside of Full-time Legislatures"

Avoiding the fair? Three things to do this weekend-

2007-08-17T13:49:00.001-07:00

If you're not really into the State Fair, or you just want to wait for the crowds to die down a little- try these three fun events and activities around town this weekend:

*The Great Sacramento Duck Race- Events and activities begin in the Old Sac waterfront area at 10am. Stick around until 3pm to see the official Great Duck Race as many as 20,000 rubber duckies will make a journey down the river to win prizes. All in good fun, the event is a major fundraiser for Special Olympics of Northern California

*The Yolo County Fair- If you're looking for a more mellow, true fair and farm experience, check out the Yolo County Fair! If you hurry, you can still get tickets for the old-fashioned destruction derby on Sunday.

*The WOOF Movie night in Elk Grove- Get the whole family out to see Fox and the Hound after dark.

And a bonus extra for those without kids or who already have a sitter- tickets are still available to see Lewis Black at the Community Center on Sunday.

Where oh where is our budget?

2007-08-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

Imagine for a moment that you had a project deadline at work but you decided to just skip it and go on vacation. Six weeks later, you're still dilly dallying around the office, filing a few papers and making a few phone calls but still haven't bothered to finish your project. Would your boss be very happy?

Now imagine that your project is affecting millions of people around the state. Some people will soon run out of healthcare options, others won't get paid and many hardworking people will begin to wonder if they'll make their house payments. From the Sacramento Bee's Dale Kassler on 8/9/2007, "All told, an estimated $1.1 billion in bills didn't get paid across the state in July, state Controller John Chiang estimated last week. Another $2.1 billion would be withheld this month if there's no budget."

3.2 billion owed to Californians who contract with the state and they're not getting paid. If you were my employee, I'd fire you. Oh wait, you are my employee. You are a legislator who works for me. Did you get surprised by the budget deadline? I hate it when June comes every year... it's so sneaky! Perhaps you were too busy on vacation to realize that elder care homes, childcare centers and MediCal clinics are in danger of closing because you're on the beach?

August 20th the vacation ends and the project better get finished. You should be embarrassed.

It's almost back to school- 3 things to do this weekend before it's over

2007-08-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

The back to school signs are up, the sales are on and it's almost the end of summer! Even if you don't have kids, there is something about "back to school" that brings you back to reality. Vacations are done, swimsuits are on clearance and pants and coats are on sale. Here are 3 things to do this weekend to pretend that none of this is happening!

* Screen on the Green- The City of Sacramento will be showing "Ghostbusters" on Saturday at sundown at East Portal Park. I highly recommend a late picnic from Selland's Market and a big blanket to watch the movie. Not much else says Sacramento like a picnic and a movie after dark.

*Davis Farmer's Market- Take a short road trip to Davis and hit the Saturday farmer's market. Your tastebuds will thank you and your kids will love the dad-powered carousel in the park. When you're done, wander through downtown and stop in one of the local shops.

*Raft the American- It's not as dangerous as it sounds, even if you've never rafted before. This is not whitewater and the biggest problem you're likely to have is sunburn. Pack up the cooler, take a lunch and spend the day on the water. The alcohol ban has made this a very pleasant and fun family adventure. Without the kids, you'll still have a chance to kick back, relax and daydream about your to-do list you've put off one more weekend. Check out River Rat Rentals and American River Raft Rentals for more info.

West Nile- I'll take my chances, stop spraying my house!

2007-08-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

My house is being bombed by a WWII plane this week. At least that's what it sounds like at 7:30 every night when the West Nile spray plane takes off. In theory, we're outside of the spray zone. In reality, they hit our house at least 3 times last night. If I can see you flying overhead and could probably hit you with a rock if I tried, we're in your spray zone.

I am not afraid of West Nile virus. Don't get me wrong, I'm sorry that four elderly people have contracted West Nile. But does that mean my organic garden in my backyard needs to be blasted with pesticides because some people won't clean their pools? I happen to be allergic to chrysanthemums, the main ingredient in pyrethrins that they use to spray for the mosquitoes. I've read the news articles that say this is "nontoxic" for humans. Obviously they weren't in my house yesterday or today as I tried to stop sneezing and coughing long enough to take some extra allergy medicine. Sure it's "virtually" the same as lice treatment for children... in what dosage? Many chemicals are fine in a small amount and toxic in large amounts with continued exposure. That seems like cheating to me.

We really have no idea how this spray affects the local wildlife. NIH says it's toxic to fish as does this study from New York. In addition, if pyrethrins kill all insects and are nondiscriminate, could we be contributing to honeybee colony collapse? I have not seen one single wasp or bee in my backyard today and it's usually covered in yellow jackets and wasps by mid-afternoon.

We've had more hit and run deaths in Sacramento County than West Nile this year. I don't have recent statistics but 2005 stats say that 102 people were murdered in Sacramento County. More than 100 people died here from heat related problems last year. And we're spending money on spraying for West Nile? I can't find any cost data but I have to believe we could put one more cop on the street all year for the price of that private plane.

Organic Sacramento has more information and ways to voice your concerns. Stop West Nile Spraying Now has data and alternative ways to get rid of mosquitoes.

My personal belief- West Nile virus cases drop because people are hiding inside from all the pesticides being dumped on our parks, backyards and houses. Not too many mosquitoes inside our suburban homes.

6 Reasons to Love the Sacramento Library

2007-07-24T18:54:00.001-07:00

Unless you've had your nose buried in Harry Potter, you probably haven't read enough this week. I know, it's hot and you don't want to go outside. I have the perfect solution- 6 reasons to love the Sacramento Library this Saturday. All branches except Courtland have Saturday hours so you have no excuse!

*The Carmichael branch of the library has a teen movie at 2pm and an old-time jug band at 5pm.

*Know someone who doesn't even know what a blog is? Perhaps they can't figure out how to email and keep bugging you? Send them to the Arcade branch for public computer classes on emailing and the internet.

*Hook up with the North Highlands/Antelope Mystery Book Club at 10am.

*Have someone else read to your preschooler for a change at the MLK branch preschool storytime, 10:30am for kids 3 to 6 years old.

*Rancho Cordova branch has a teen event with ghost hunter Gloria Young. Is your house haunted? 2pm

*Get a library card! Sacramento Public Library has gone high-tech, you can request books online and have them delivered right to your local library or even better, download books right to your computer.

On the driving subject...

2007-07-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

This morning's Sacramento Bee in the Metro "Back Seat Driver" column has a scary writeup about driving. Evidently, commuters are not as stressed out as they may seem. Writer Tony Bizjak has written about a new study by Jennifer Hughes from Atlanta about stress during the commute. By testing saliva, Ms. Huges was able to measure fluctuating cortisol levels in response to stress. Her research found that overall, cortisol levels do not rise, therefore commutes are not as stressful as people seem to believe.

That's not the scary part. The article states that " A lot of people multi-task," Hughes says. "They do things like listen to the radio or books on tape." She goes on to say that you can listen to books, chat on the phone and sip your Starbucks. "Many moms say it is the best part of the day."

Shouldn't we be driving when driving? Sure I often drink my coffee but I never listen to a book, talk on the phone and drink my coffee. I'm pretty sure my brain can only handle so much... and that seems like about two too many things. I can't believe some people read the newspaper, talk on the phone and drive at the same time... but I've seen it.

Moms, if the commute is the best part of your day, it's time to make some changes. Maybe a yoga class in the evenings, a nice hot bath and a magazine or that big hug you get at the end of the day from your kids.

PLEASE learn how to drive!

2007-07-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have had the very unfortunate luck to drive from North Natomas to the area near the Pavillions every day this week. Why is it that Sacramento drivers do not know how to drive? I've driven all over our country, from LA to Seattle, DC to SF. I even drove in Barcelona, Spain once. I swear, we have the worst drivers ever, anywhere.

For example, this morning while on I-5 South at the 50 interchange, some numbskull in the fast lane decides that he MUST take 50 or the world will end. So he cuts across all 6 lanes of traffic to the Q Street ramp, realizes his mistake and cuts back again one lane to the left. I slammed on my breaks so hard my poor little guy in the backseat dropped his book. Then I had to slam on the gas to get away from numbskull2 behind me who was text messaging or something on his phone and not realizing that everyone was stopping, came barreling down behind me.

Seriously people, slow down and pay attention! You will not get there faster if you hit me because I am going to wait for my insurance claims adjuster to come and I promise, it'll take hours.

A quick tip for those of you who are good drivers- check the CHP traffic incident info page before leaving your house to see if the roads are clear. In high quality government web design, you will have to select Sacramento at the top of the drop-down screen.

Other tidbits from the Grand Jury Report

2007-07-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

*Sacramento County currently pays its pharmacists for health clinics 10% less than neighboring counties and 25-35% less than area hospitals. Temporary pharmacists are actually paid anywhere between 30 and 50% more than permanent hires. This pay scale problem has left a shortage of pharmacists, according to the report.

* The City and County are continuing to allow development in areas that do not have 100-year flood protection. Potential flood depths in some areas are greater than 15 feet. The report recommends that all building in North Natomas stops immediately until at least 100 year flood protection is achieved.

*The Education committee toured several area high schools and listed several components of the programs at each school. None of these snapshots shows any critique of the schools or programs. It is simply a short summary of the committee's tour of the campus and a description of the programs. It reads more like a marketing brochure for each school.

What went wrong in North Natomas?

2007-07-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

This is the second in a series of blogs reviewing the Sacramento County Grand Jury report.

Anybody who has been in Sacramento more than 15 years remembers that North Natomas is farm land. It used to flood on purpose to protect other neighborhoods. A few people were brave enough to live here, but that was mostly farmers maintaining their agriculture land. That is until 1983 when the Kansas City Kings and other developers began filing for land development entitlements. With the Kings, came more development. And so the story of the insanity of North Natomas begins...

The city amended the 1974 general plan in 1986 to allow development in North Natomas. The new North Natomas Community Plan (NNCP) required open space, recreational space, mixed use land, infrastructure and a jobs to housing rate of 60%. In theory, the area would be "one of the must livable communities in the region and a community that serves as a model for the rest of the nation." (North Natomas Transportation Management Association Literature) The community would develop with smart growth principles, public transit, walkability and grow the village concept where neighbors can walk to work and to stores.

30 years later, the Grand Jury has found that almost none of the original NNCP has taken place. North Natomas has grown dramatically since the development of the plan in 1986 and yet we are still without:

* A police substation
*Numerous planned parks, including the regional park central to the village concept
*Bus service to the west of I-5
*Sidewalks that lead to Inderkum High School and Natomas Middle School
*Light rail to downtown and the airport

What did North Natomas get out of the deal?

*Monstrous shopping centers that are unwalkable and draw major congestion to the area
*Dangerous bike trails that pop out onto streets with no warning
*Loss of the 250 foot buffer at Fisherman's Lake
*Mandatory flood insurance

My 2 cents:
It's time for the city to review the original NNCP and determine exactly what the goals for the area will be for the next 10 years. As a resident of North Natomas, I bought into the village idea, the regional park, the live/work concept and the theory that the levees had been upgraded and we were now 'safe'.

At the bare minimum, North Natomas deserves adequate police protection and the same response time as the rest of the city. Beyond that, the residents deserve to know the truth about the plan for the area, including how much of the development rests in the hands of the Maloofs, Lennar and the "arena plan."

Betrayal in the Kingdom- The Grand Jury Report

2007-07-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

The next series of blogs will be about the Sacramento County Grand Jury report for 2006-2007. It's not a very exciting read but so much information is buried inside that I'll try to summarize the important pieces for you!

If you've been reading for a while, you know I hate the city's attempt at Measures Q and R- also known as "the arena deal." Evidently, I wasn't the only one with suspicions as November 7, 2006, the Grand Jury began investigating the city and county's dealings with the Kings.

The backstory is this: when the Kings moved in 1985 to Sacramento from Kansas City, the favors and backroom deals began. The owners then had difficulty finding someone to finance an arena in flood prone Natomas, so the Sacramento City Employees' Pension fund loaned them $8 million. In 1997, the city loaned the Kings another $78.5 million and discussion began for a "Partnership for Playing" where the city would commit $150 million to Arco Arena and commit infrastructure to a new arena. The Kings withdrew their proposal in 1997 but left a feeling that the city would be the personal financier of the Kings. There were other loans issued in 1997 but the details are not public, despite being made from public funds.

$700,000 of public funds were spent getting Measures Q and R on the ballot in 2006, including $300,000 for sports consultants. The Grand Jury report is scathing, including "All the election hype and analyses were bogus!" Clearly the Grand Jury believes that the taxpayers were misled, lied to and fed a story that was neither true or researched.

And so we end up with the railyard. Yippee for us!! The city has conceded that it paid $55 million for a building that it does not think is worth $55 million. The infrastructure in the area will take years to develop but the city has implied that we'll have a railyard development very soon. Nevermind that there have been no objective studies of the railyard development or Richards Blvd. development. We love the Kings... or at least some city politicians love them so much that the idea of losing them is too much to handle.

In summary, the Grand Jury believes that the 2006 ballot measures Q and R, the railyard development, the love affair with the Kings and the 1997 loans had a hint of scam and the city has not been forthright with the citizens. It's time to shed a little light on the process!

Things to do for the 4th

2007-07-03T06:45:00.000-07:00

There are lots of fun things to do in Sac to celebrate the 4th of July!

Celebrate the 4th

*Woodland Pancake Breakfast- check out the fire station and trucks while enjoying a delicious breakfast.

*River Cats vs. Fresno Grizzlies- good family fun and you don't have to BBQ the hot dogs!

*America- In Concert- Rancho Cordova's Hagan Park- Sacramento's largest regional celebration featuring live music, a parade, fireworks and more

*City of Davis 4th of July- Live music, softball, food and games and fireworks

Major Fireworks Locations
*Cal Expo- Gates open at 6pm. You can park in the area as well, but avoid the Business 80 at fireworks time. People actually stop on the freeway... nuts.

*Elk Grove Regional Park, Salute the Red White and Blue

Support truly local theatre

2007-06-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Benvenuti Center opens for the grand opening gala. This project has been more than 10 years in the making and local charter school celebrities Charlie Leo and Ting Sun deserve a huge pat on the back. Natomas Charter School's Performing and Fine Arts Program has a world class theatre to call its own. Every minute of their hard work was worth it as students now have an amazing performance space and local artists will be drawn to perform in the state-of-the art theatre.

If you've got some spare change, check out the commissioned project this weekend to open the theatre with a bang.

Free movies!

2007-06-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

It's summer in Sacramento and it's hot... well not that hot yet but you know it's coming. Rather than running your air conditioning, suffering at the office or driving around in your hot car, take a break at a free movie!

Regal Cinemas offers a Free Family Film every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10am. It is really, truly free. We usually buy popcorn but you don't even have to do that! Cinemark Woodland also offers movies as part of the Summer Clubhouse series. Really and truly free.

The only downside to the movies is that there are often a ton of families and kids. Many of these folks have not taught their children movie etiquette so you may have to suffer through kid noise, adult cell phones ringing and some hollering. If you want to watch the movie, it can be distracting. If you're just looking for free AC, bring some earplugs and take a nice nap.

The Saca continues...

2007-06-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Just days after CalPERS bought John Saca out of The Towers project, he is unveiling a new condo plan for downtown. According to News 10, the plan includes 320 condos at 10th and J st, across from Ceasar Chavez Park.

This part of downtown has struggled for a long time to overcome the reputation of being a little dangerous, a little dirty and very rundown. Music in the park on Fridays during the summer has drawn a bigger crowd back to the area but K St. is still dilapidated in several blocks, leaving a hole between Downtown Plaza and the Esquire. While the city succeeded in buying out the last few holdouts in 2006, not much has changed.

The new Saca project isn't on K St. or part of the K St development but it will surely feed more development in the area. Parts of J are just as patchy as K st in the immediate downtown area. Perhaps if he can make this project fly, it will be just what other developers need to get started making changed downtown.

Goodbye Towers Project

2007-06-20T13:59:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, I nearly convinced my husband that giving up $10,000 on the potential of an amazing apartment with a view of the Capitol was a brilliant idea. I rarely say it, but honey, you were right!

The hope of the idea that Sacramento would be able to build and sustain a high-rise apartment building of the caliber of The Towers Project is gone. CalPERS announced last week that they are buying Saca out of the project and going into redesign mode. It's doubtful that CalPERS will keep the original concept and many people who wanted an apartment have made the jump to the Aura building already.

So what does this mean? Is Sacramento not yet ready for such a high-brow concept? Saca was a visionary and was willing to take a leap that nobody else in Sacramento had really gone for. It was only after Saca secured funding that Aura even got started. It was amazing to hear chatter on the streets of the future of Sacramento and the rise of a new downtown. I truly enjoyed the idea that the downtown might flourish without a city-funded, taxpayer burdening arena.

I have to agree with Marcos Breton in today's Bee article. The idea of the Towers begged for us to believe that Sacramento could be so much more. I for one, can only stand by and hope that CalPERS and CIM are able to come up with a better, grander project than envisioned by Saca, one that will continue the blossoming downtown force. Please do not build us another office building that closes by 6pm and has nothing to offer the public more than 100 hours a week. We want a hotel, vibrance, restaurants, mixed-use facilities and creativity. Something to put Sacramento on the architectural map.

And to agree again with Breton... without the Maloofs.

The one local political event you NEED to care about

2007-06-11T14:04:00.001-07:00

Love him or hate him, Michael Moore has a new movie and a new agenda. Do you have health insurance? Are you sure they'd cover you in the event of a catastrophe? What about if you needed life-saving but experimental treatment? You may believe that because you have insurance, you're not one of "them". I'm sorry to say, you are one of "them". If you have to fight your insurance company, it is a long, dark and lonely road and frankly, you may be dead before you find the path that leads the right direction.

Tomorrow, Michael Moore will testify in front of the CA State Senate, followed by a rally on the west steps. If you hated Moore's other films, that's okay. You still need to see "Sicko" to truly understand the downside of our healthcare system in the USA. While insured Americans are dying, pharmaceutical companies are turning in record profits, for-profit health care is booming and people who bought and paid for insurance are being denied care.

If nothing else, Mr. Moore has brought an issue to the forefront that needs to be discussed. 47 million Americans don't have insurance at all. They at least know they'll have to fight for healthcare. But what about you?

Things to do in and around town this weekend

2007-06-07T19:55:00.000-07:00

Sacramento in June is never this nice to enjoy it! So what should you be doing this weekend to celebrate the beautiful temperatures? 10 things to do in no particular order:

*Hit the NASCAR All-American Speedway at the Placer County Fairgrounds

*Visit a local farm and pick berries or apricots. My favorite is Impossible Acres but there are other choices like Pacific Star Gardens and Boa Vista Orchards.

*Take your hot dog out to a new dog park for a run in the sun. Then hit our favorite doggy wash The Wagger Day Spa for a bath.

*If you love animals but don't want to hit the dog park, visit the SPCA Doggy Dash in Land Park instead.

*Do you need your faith in education renewed? Take the kids to the Westlake Charter School International Festival. Believe in our education system again.

*Before it is unbearably hot, take a train ride on a steam engine.

*Visit the animals and the nature sanctuary at Effie Yeaw.

*Enjoy dining on a patio downtown. Choose one of the many new restaurants that suits your foodstyle and go for it. Zocalo, Mikuni, Lucca, Tapa the World and many others have great patios.

*If you like big planes, jets, airshows, tricks and worst of all, traffic, visit the Capital Airshow. If not (especially the traffic), stay far, far away from Mather.

*Last but not least, have a toast for my parents who are celebrating their 200th anniversary or something like that.

Sactown Magazine is all you need-

2007-06-01T16:58:00.001-07:00

A free plug for my favorite magazine, Sactown. If you haven't picked up a copy yet, you're missing out.

The latest issue was thoroughly impressive and I savored each page like a delicious piece of dark chocolate. Are you tired of the Sacramento Magazine boring version of 50 things to do in Sacramento (some of which aren't even in or close to Sacramento)? You've got to get the June/July issue of Sactown to see what there really is to do in town. I've lived here my whole life and I learned a few things! I had no idea there is still a drive-in in West Sacramento or that you could play golf after dark, for a price.

What I love most about Sactown is that it proves Sacramento is a real city. We're not just halfway between the Bay and Tahoe. There are actual things to do here, places to eat of note, people to see (check out the fashion show spread) and reasons to stick around on the weekend.

When was the last time you took a picnic to Capitol Park, McKinley Park or Land Park? Have you visited the new Aerospace Museum?

Perhaps it's time to organize a group of friends and do a progressive dinner downtown? We recently did one for a mom's night out with an international theme, visiting Tapa the World, Shanghai Garden and Crepeville. There are literally hundreds of combinations you could come up with!

My challenge to you this weekend- buy a copy of Sactown Magazine and try something in Sacramento that you haven't done before, or haven't done in a long time!

The Whales head back to the ocean

2007-05-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness the whales have finally headed back and are almost clear of the San Pablo Bay. If you're one of the thousands of people who flocked to the delta to harass the whales, I hope you can ask yourself honestly "Was it necessary?" Was Discovery Channel not good enough? These poor whales got lost and while we'll never know, probably stayed lost due to human intervention. Noise, boats, pollution, even porta-potties could have stalled the whales' return to the open ocean.

Those of you who ran out there dragging your kids in tow, are you the same ones that bought organic foods, canvas bags and environmentally friendly lightbulbs because Oprah said so? I'm fairly certain that driving your gas-guzzling SUV out to the unpaved delta roads, was not what she had in mind for conservation. I was appalled at the amount of trash, the greed-grubbing entrepreneurs who made is easy with water and snack sales, the security and manpower required to contain the crowd.

Worse, it appears that local news seems to have forgotten we're in the middle of a war. While I like a happy story now and then, the obsession with the whales has somehow overpowered the reason of the news directors. Do more than about 50 Americans know we are in talks with Iran?

Natomas School Board, are you nuts?

2007-05-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Natomas Unified School Board:

Have you lost your minds? Did all that "no child left behind" stuff confuse you so badly that paying $24 million for land you don't need seemed like a good plan? Perhaps there is campaign cash falling into pockets that we won't know about for weeks or months to come. Perhaps there is a recall heading your way. We're tired of failing schools, failing students, security concerns and a board that can't count it's own cash. See you at the polls.
Sincerely,
Concerned Natomas resident

For those of you just catching up, the Natomas Unified School Board just purchased farmland for $24.7 million based on a hypothetical appraisal of land value. The lawyer on the deal double ended the purchase, representing the district and the seller (who happens to be Tsakopoulos). Somehow none of this information ended up in front of the school board before it made the decision to purchase the land at the outrageous price of 3 times the going rate for land in the immediate area. The appraiser instead, used numbers based on the land being annexed into the city, which is not on the long or short-range plan. Basically, he made the whole thing up. Nice work.- how do I get that job?

Dr. Ferrar, you are the superintendent of the district and supposed to be the one asking questions. How did you not realize that the lawyer and law firm on both sides were the same? Did it somehow sneak by you on the paperwork? Did you not have district employees do their own due diligence before signing off on the deal? What is going on over at that huge district office that a land deal somehow didn't get checked and double-checked?

This is not the first time the district has suffered a major oops. The district continues to state that enrollment is "falling" in the area. In numerous rumors throughout teachers and those "in the know" in the district, this is simply a spin to leave out the fact that the enrollment projections were miscalculated in the first place. A portion of the active-adult community of Heritage Park is in the Natomas Unified boundaries. No children are allowed to reside in these houses and therefore, there are no students. However, rumors persist that the district didn't count this in the enrollment projections and is now short about 2500 students. Many believe this is the reason for the delay in Heron Elementary opening, as well as the lack of need for this new land.

What a mess. Thank you to the Bee for picking up the story and realizing that the Natomas Unified board has some serious questions to answer. They'd better move fast, elections are coming soon.

Things to do in and around town this weekend

2007-05-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

The weather is heating up and finally looking like spring. It'll only last about 5 days if Sacramento weather follows true to form so you have one weekend to get out and do something!

Some highlights of fun family events around town:

*My personal favorite- The Capital City Caper fundraiser for FamiliesFirst! Our pirate themed team will be Lootin' for Charrrrity, so if you see us around town try not to laugh hysterically!

*Saturday, May 19th in Old Sac- celebrate the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean III from 12pm to 4pm with treasure hunts, a costumed Jack Sparrow and more, courtesy of Stage Nine.

*All weekend- Fairytale Town hosts the Annual Puppet Festival by Puppet Art Theatre, good for anyone under 8 or so...

* Raging Waters makes its debut at CalExpo in the old Waterworld location. Get out and hit the slides before the summer crowd takes over.

* Oh yeah, and if your kids didn't drag you last weekend, Day with Thomas is wrapping up in Woodland.

Get out Sacramento and enjoy the weather!

Wayward Whales in West Sac

2007-05-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

Two humpback whales have wandered up the delta to the Port of Sacramento in a repeat of the Humphrey the Humpback story of 1984 when Humphrey got lost in the same waters. Vets and scientists are gathering to try to figure out the mystery and help the lost mom and calf get back to the ocean. Unfortunately, both whales are showing signs of injury, probably from a run-in with a boat propeller. Because May is the beginning of feeding season, both whales are running low on reserve blubber and need food pretty fast to be able to survive. Hopefully the scientists will be able to get them back to saltwater quickly.

Now gets to the puzzling part... several hundred people (some reports say 800) have been lining the banks of the levies, bridges and riverbanks to see the whales. If you were a wayward humpback whale, would the screaming of schoolchildren encourage you to head on down the river toward the ocean? I hope the scientists can turn their underwater mics up and play the humpback song louder than the crowds. In the meantime, give the whales and scientists some room!