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EVERY DAY IS A GOOD DAY TO MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD A BET TER PL ACE. 25 S

MAY 2021 YEARS

EAST SAC

MAY 2021 YEARS

ARDEN

SUZANNE MURRAY

MAY 2021 YEARS

LAND PARK/GRID

MAY 2021 YEARS

POCKET

PATRICIA PRENDERGAST

ANNIE O'CONNELL

ERIN MARTINELLI

ALISON SAAR AT THE CROCKER ART MUSEUM

EAST SACRAMENTO • McKINLEY PARK • RIVER PARK • ELMHURST • TAHOE PARK • CAMPUS COMMONS

ARDEN • ARCADE • SIERRA OAKS • WILHAGGIN • DEL PASO MANOR • CARMICHAEL

LAND PARK • CURTIS PARK • HOLLYWOOD PARK • SOUTH LAND PARK • THE GRID • OAK PARK

POCKET • GREENHAVEN • SOUTH POCKET • LITTLE POCKET • RIVERLAKE • DELTA SHORES

Our Other Editions Serve: Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael • Pocket

Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Pocket VISIT OUR WEBSITE: INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Arden/Carmichael • Pocket

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: INSIDESACRAMENTO.COM 3104 O ST. #120 • SACRAMENTO, CA 95816

Our Other Editions Serve: East Sacramento • Land Park/Grid • Arden/Carmichael

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GREG KONDOS AT THE CROCKER ART MUSEUM

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3104 O St. #120, Sac. CA 95816 (Mail Only)

GREGORY KONDOS Gregory Kondos (1923–2021) is a world-renowned Sacramento-based artist and teacher who passed away last month. Shown: “Rutherford Vineyard,” 88 inches by 88 inches, oil on canvas. The painting is in the Crocker Art Museum collection and was a gift by Bob and Jeannette Powell. Visit crockerart.org.

info@insidepublications.com PUBLISHER Cecily Hastings EDITOR Cathryn Rakich editor@insidepublications.com PRODUCTION M.J. McFarland DESIGN Cindy Fuller PHOTOGRAPHY Linda Smolek, Aniko Kiezel @anikophotos AD COORDINATION Michele Mazzera DISTRIBUTION Info@insidepublications.com or visit insidesacramento.com ACCOUNTING Daniel Nardinelli, COO, daniel@insidepublications.com

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MAY 2021 VOL. 8 • ISSUE 4 6 8 10 12 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 39 40 42 46

Publisher's Desk Pocket Life Pocket Beat Out & About Inside The County Building Our Future City Beat Giving Back Time For Priorities Animals & Their Allies Farm To Fork Garden Jabber Sports Authority Spirit Matters Gregory Kondos Open Studio Open House Restaurant Insider

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TREATMENT FIRST FILM SHOWS WHY OUR HOMELESS STRATEGIES FAIL

he homeless crisis has defied all solutions advanced by local and state politicians. In Sacramento, strategies to end the crisis have only made the problem worse, with increased numbers of people living on our streets. The challenges are complex and seemingly endless. Homeless people struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Many suffer from mental illness and physical health issues. Some engage in criminal behavior. Few are prepared for employment opportunities. For years, Inside Sacramento has covered the homeless crisis from multiple perspectives. One influential example of our work appeared in May 2019, when I wrote a column titled, “Is Sacramento Dying?” The piece was based on a documentary film about homelessness in Seattle. It is the mostaccessed article on our website to date. Thousands read and shared it. Christopher Rufo is a documentary filmmaker and researcher. He released a compelling video in December titled, “Homeless in America.” The video helps explain the crisis from the ground level—what drives and perpetuates the problem, and why nothing seems to help.

CH By Cecily Hastings Publisher’s Desk

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Rufo grew up in Arden Park. He graduated from Rio Americano High School and Georgetown University. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two young sons. “Homelessness has devastated West Coast cities. Here’s what drives the problem—and what can be done to solve it,” Rufo says as he describes his documentary. “This film was based on a paper originally published by The Heritage Foundation and summarizes three years of my research on homelessness.” Rufo explains cities such as Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle have spent billions of dollars on homelessness in the past decade, only to see street populations explode. The number of homeless people has increased 15 percent in Los Angeles, 24 percent in San Francisco and 25 percent in Seattle. “Local leaders have the primary responsibility for homelessness policy,” he says. “Those in cities who have failed to solve the problem have failed because they have failed to understand the problem—with perilous consequences not only for average citizens, but also for the homeless themselves, who have been left in the streets where they suffer from addiction, mental illness and threats of violence and in many cases pass away.” Rufo’s greatest contribution may be his new way of approaching the crisis. He calls it “a human problem, not a housing problem.” “While it is tempting to think of homelessness in terms of housing—it is embedded in the very term ‘homeless’—

this conceptualization obscures important dynamics. For most of the homeless, lack of housing is the result of a series of misfortunes, including job loss, domestic violence, family crisis and health emergencies,” he says. “Furthermore, despite the political rhetoric that attempts to avoid it, two of the primary drivers of homelessness are drug addiction and mental illness. According to the latest data, approximately three-quarters of the unsheltered homeless—people living in cars, tents and on the streets—suffer from serious mental illness and drug addiction. Ultimately, as we have known since the 1990s, when street homelessness first became prevalent in major cities, homelessness is the result of the loss of human relationships, including those with family and community.” In the film, Rufo examines the policy known as Housing First. The definition has evolved, but today it refers to providing permanent housing to homeless people with no requirements for sobriety or participation in mental health or social services. “This model assumes that many, if not most, of the homeless will never be able to overcome their addictions and that programs should therefore focus on harm reduction, which means preventing overdose deaths and managing the most negative aspects of addiction, not promoting drug recovery or abstinence,” Rufo says. “Unfortunately, neither Housing First nor harm reduction has lived up to its promises. “Housing First programs, which have cost the local, state and federal

governments billions of dollars over the past decade, have failed even to keep pace with homelessness. Some projects have cost up to $700,000 for a simple apartment unit. And taxpayers in Los Angeles voted for a $1.2 billion bond that will likely provide fewer than 5,000 Housing First units for a total homeless population of 59,000.” He cites evidence that indicates Housing First programs don’t reduce substance abuse or mental illness. “Many Housing First programs simply transfer the dysfunction of the street to subsidized apartment complexes,” he says. “Another policy is needed. The approach of progressive West Coast cities has not succeeded in reducing homelessness. But there are other models in the United States that show the potential for positive results.”

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ATTACK ON CHILD UNDERSCORES HOMELESS CRISIS An 8-year-old Land Park boy is attacked as his mother screams at the assailant. A homeless man is taken into custody but quickly released from jail. The situation demonstrates the volatile reality in many Sacramento neighborhoods—families out for a walk amid growing numbers of homeless persons, many of whom suffer from mental illness and addiction. In April, Megan Gash and her son were returning home from Marie’s Donuts on Freeport Boulevard when a homeless man, identified by police as Richard Meza Lopez, encountered them. Authorities say Lopez struck the child, threatened the mother and walked away. Lopez is charged with two felony charges of child endangerment and attempted willful cruelty to a child. Despite the allegations, Lopez was released from jail without posting bail, under a promise to return for arraignment. When he failed to appear, a warrant was issued. He was re-arrested two days later after causing a disturbance near a Pocket neighborhood shopping center, police say, and held on $201,500 bail. Gash told reporters she hopes homeless people can get assistance, but added, “I also know that this could happen anywhere.”

The documentary visits Houston and finds a success story. Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner believes the city must balance the provision of services with enforcement of the law against street camping.

“This approach has paid dividends,” Rufo reports. “Between 2011 and 2019, the city reduced homelessness by a remarkable 54 percent as it continued to skyrocket in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. The mayor consistently enforced the law against

camping and drug consumption, even fighting and winning a lawsuit against the American Civil Liberties Union, which had attempted to hamstring enforcement efforts.” Turner embraced an important lesson: City governments cannot and should not tolerate rampant street disorder, which is common in West Coast cities. This only incentivizes more homelessness and disorder, including large numbers of transient homeless who migrate to permissive communities. To address the challenges associated with homelessness, particularly addiction and mental illness, Rufo believes cities must provide effective services and treatment programs. “Fortunately, gold standard Treatment First programs have demonstrated robust results,” he says. “The University of Alabama at Birmingham has run a multi-decade study on intensive housing and treatment programs for the homeless that get people off the streets, into recovery, connected with employment and eventually on to independent living. In one of the program’s most successful cohorts, 44 percent of men were stably housed and 53 percent were stably employed after 12 months—an incredible outcome, given the severe

social, psychological and medical challenges of this population.” Rufo concludes that current approaches don’t work. Most Sacramento residents would agree. “Housing First and harm reduction made outsized promises but failed to deliver commensurate results,” he says. “Cities must recognize that a new approach is needed to address the full nature of human challenges facing the homeless.” His solution has two parts: First, enforce laws against public camping, drug use and property crimes. Second, move from Housing First to Treatment First, which addresses addiction and mental illness and steers clients toward self-sufficiency. “Compassionate leadership, combined with a proper sense of limits and public order, can make all the difference,” Rufo says. Visit insidesacramento.com to view Rufo’s documentary, “Homeless in America.” Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublictions.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Maeley and Ron Tom Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Her Way

BLAZING TRAILS COMES NATURALLY TO MAELEY TOM

ay is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It’s a time to acknowledge the contributions of Asian Pacific Islander Americans.

CM By Corky Mau Pocket Life

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Maeley Tom is a notable member of the Asian Pacific Islander community. She’s lived in Pocket for decades and last year published a memoir, “I’m Not Who You Think I Am: An Asian American Woman’s Political Journey.” The story takes readers from Tom’s upbringing in San Francisco to her success as the first ethnic minority woman to earn top jobs at the state Capitol. She was chief administrative officer for the state Assembly and chief of staff to the state Senate president. Her story is fascinating. Tom’s parents immigrated to the United States in the late 1930s from

Guangzhou, China. They were members of a Cantonese opera troupe. Her father, a popular comedian, performed nightly at San Francisco’s Mandarin Theatre while her mother sang in underground clubs. “Seven days a week, they lived the fast, hard life of entertainers— performing on stage, followed by long hours in the gambling dens of Chinatown,” Tom recalls. They weren’t ready to care for a young child. Two weeks after she was born, Tom was sent to live with a French-Basque family. “When people learn I was in foster care for almost

eight years, I get a sympathetic glance. But those years were among my happiest,” she says. At age 10, Tom moved to Oakland to live with her mother for the first time. If she thought that meant more motherdaughter time, she was wrong. She spent more time with her friends and their families. Graduating from Oakland Tech High School, Tom was told by her mother to find a job. There would be no more support. She was 16. She worked her way through San Francisco State and graduated with a social welfare degree.

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She met her future husband when she was 15. Ron Tom and his buddies drove from Sacramento to an Oakland dance. The pair had a brief romance, but eventually married other people. By 1969, both were divorced. They reconnected at a dinner party held by longtime friends Lina Fat and Nanci Jan. Ron and Maeley were married six months later. They celebrated their golden anniversary last year. “Our marriage has endured this long because of patience, skillful negotiation and allowing each other the space to grow and simply be ourselves,” she says. During her state Capitol career, Tom worked to help the Asian Pacific Islander community find its voice in politics. She had memorable interactions with presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Those political experiences weren’t always positive. During the campaign finance scandal of 1996, when the Chinese government allegedly tried to influence American politics, Tom experienced prejudice and discrimination from the national media. With support from family and friends, she rose above it. Her book describes the toll on her professional career and personal life.

The couple isn’t slowing down in retirement. There’s family time and a grandson. Tom is active with local Asian Pacific Islander organizations and belongs to the Committee of 100, a leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans. Tom finds time for her favorite hobby—karaoke. She loves jazz and inherited a beautiful voice from her mother. Tom recalls, “Back in the 1960s, I was living in Hawaii. I had a brief gig as the opening act for the late Hawaiian comedian Inny Young who performed in Waikiki clubs.” She was born with a passion for life and follows that passion in retirement. “If you look at what you have in life, you will always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough,” Tom says. Her memoir is available on Amazon and eBay. The journey is far from over.

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Looking

For Excuses MOTORBIKES CAN’T BE REASON TO STOP RIVER

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

ne guaranteed way to get my attention is to say somebody needs to build a gate near the Sacramento River Parkway levee. After all, thanks to Inside Sacramento, I’ve spent the last seven years helping Pocket community members erase nine cross-levee gates that blocked public access to the city’s original treasure. It’s been a tough fight against a small group of property owners who live along the levee and think they own the river. Some of their fences have stood for five decades. Now the battle is over. The community has won. The gates are coming down to accommodate levee repairs by the Army Corps of Engineers. State officials will not issue new permits for levee fences and gates when the project finishes in 2024.

RG By R.E. Graswich Pocket Beat

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So I was surprised to hear urgent pleas about the need for a new gate near the levee behind Arabella Way in Pocket. This new gate will replace an old pipe gate that was removed for levee repair work. It’s basically an idiot-proof barricade. In other words, a new gate would prevent idiots from driving motorcycles and even cars onto the levee. “People have been doing some really dumb stuff,” says Dennis Rogers, chief of staff for City Councilmember Rick Jennings, who represents Pocket. “I’ve seen video of motorcycles up there. We don’t want to lose momentum for the bike trail.” And Rogers doesn’t want to give ammunition to people who oppose public access. He’s right to be concerned. For reasons I’ve never understood, a handful of levee property owners somehow amassed significant political influence decades ago. State and city authorities feared them. Fortunately, that influence disappeared in recent years, thanks to Jennings and the state’s Central Valley Flood Protection Board, which owns and controls the levees. Fear of crazed trespassers has been a foundational argument for property owners along the levee since the 1960s. The first cross-levee fences

were established after property owners claimed marauders on horseback and motorcycles used the levees to terrorize newly subdivided neighborhoods south of Riverside Boulevard. I’ve spent years searching for evidence that horseback and motorcycle outlaws plundered homes near the mid-century Pocket levee. I’ve found easements from long-deceased Pocket farmers giving levee access and control to state agencies. I’ve found permit applications for levee fences that looked nothing like the fences that were erected. But I’ve never found proof that crazed horsemen and motorcycle gangs rampaged in Pocket. A lack of evidence won’t stop property owners from claiming they need fences. In 2014, the late Pocket hero Gary Buzzini enlisted my help in his campaign to open two illegal gates on Chicory Bend and Rivershore courts. Outraged residents claimed the gates were needed to prevent drunken youth from accessing the levee and running amok. We checked police records and found there were problems on Chicory Bend and Rivershore—mischief generated by residents themselves. The Arabella access noted by Rogers is an old levee entry road used by

maintenance crews. A simple pipe gate prevented entry for cars and motorcycles (and most horses). Earlier this year, Army Corps contractors removed the gate to deploy equipment on the levee and build seepage cutoff walls. The levee repair project has been underway for more than a year. The contractors do a good job fencing off construction zones to keep people safe. Securing the Arabella site isn’t complicated. Dealing with a few idiots on motorcycles or motorized toy scooters is another matter. When the repair project is finished and the levee parkway is paved and open to pedestrians and bicyclists, an occasional knucklehead on a motorbike will discover an access point and ride along the levee. It’s stupid, but they can’t help themselves. These will be the same idiots who let go of the handgrips while speeding and pop wheelies on Pocket Road. We don’t barricade Pocket Road on their account. And we won’t barricade the levee parkway. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

Legends from Los Angeles Betye, Lezley, and Alison Saar in the Crocker Collection ON VIEW THROUGH AUGUST 15

216 O Street • Downtown Sacramento • (916) 808-7000 • crockerart.org Lezley Saar, Zerpenta Dambullah: Born under the shade of a black willow tree in New Orleans in 1826 sat on a rock turning rain into tobacco smoke, 2019. Crocker Art Museum purchase with funds provided by Emily Leff and James Davis III. © Lezley Saar. Photo: Agust Agustsson, courtesy of Walter Maciel Gallery.

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Un/Equal Freedoms SAC STATE ART PROJECT ADDRESSES ISSUES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

BIG DAY OF GIVING

“The Dream is Not for You” by Jose Guerrero explores social justice in new Sac State virtual art exhibition.

acramento State’s Center on Race, Immigration and Social Justice has launched “Un/ Equal Freedoms: Expressions for Social Justice,” a website and virtual exhibition that will house artwork from 35 local artists exploring the themes of “unequal freedoms” and “more equal freedoms.” CRISJ produced the exhibition in collaboration with the Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, NextGen Policy, Sac State's Student Government and city Councilmembers Eric Guerra and Jeff Harris. Earlier this year, professional and emerging artists from around the

JL By Jessica Laskey Out & About

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region and the Sac State community submitted artwork in various mediums, including sculpture, textile, painting, drawing, mixed media, digital, dance, music, performance, spoken word and poetry. Thirty-five artists were selected by the project subcommittee—comprised of members of regional art and social justice organizations, local artists and activists, and Sac State faculty and students—to have their work featured on the site. “The artworks in this exhibition grapple with the unequal freedoms embedded in our social structures,” explains Monicka Tutschka, Sac State political science professor and subcommittee member. “The works offer artistic expressions for social justice, laying bare these unequal freedoms, giving marginalized voices a space for expression, representing forward action, and ultimately offering a vision for an improved society with greater equality and freedom for all.” For more information, visit crisj.org or csus.edu/crisj.

Almost 700 nonprofits in the capital area will rally donors to support their favorite charitable causes for this year’s Big Day of Giving on Thursday, May 6. The annual online give-athon has raised $52 million for local organizations since 2013. “This year’s Big Day of Giving is coming at a crucial time," says Linda Beech Cutler, chief executive of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, which organizes the event. "Like other businesses, nonprofits have been hard hit by cascading crises over the past year, forcing them to lay off staff, cancel fundraisers and cut programs. Yet, they’ve risen to help so many in our community through this moment." Donors can review comprehensive profiles of the 698 participating organizations and get more information at bigdayofgiving.org.

ROSE GARDEN PHOTO CONTEST Get your cameras out. Friends of East Sacramento is sponsoring the ninth annual McKinley Rose Garden photography contest, open to amateur and professional photographers. “We are looking for some general overall shots of the garden showing the variety of beds, as well as close-up portraits of individual roses and the other plants in the garden,” says Lisa Schmidt, co-founder of Friends of East Sacramento.

The garden is a popular wedding spot, located at the corner of H and 33rd streets, and maintained by volunteers and managed by the Friends of East Sacramento. Photos must be taken during the month of May. Email high-resolution photo entries (limit of three per person) to friendsofeastsac@aol.com. Deadline to submit photos is June 1. Winners will be featured in Inside Sacramento and displayed in the lobby of Clunie Community Center.

INSPIRE GIVING The Sacramento Metro Chamber Foundation recently named Improve Your Tomorrow as the grant recipient of its 11th annual Inspire Giving program. Improve Your Tomorrow is a nonprofit created to break the school-to-prison pipeline by helping young men of color through college. The organization will receive a $10,000 grant, as well as in-kind services provided by Inspire Giving, to create a four-week intensive STEAM-focused summer school in South Sacramento in partnership with Breakthrough Sacramento. The program will be designed to ensure low-income males of color enter high school prepared to take rigorous classes, graduate, attend college and join the workforce. “As a region, we will truly thrive when all of our communities have equitable access to opportunities to be successful,” says Heather Williams, Inspire Giving board chair.

Last year's McKinley Rose Garden photography contest's ﬁrst-place winner is by Ken Stites.

NEIGHBORHOOD BUILDERS Bank of America has named the Food Literacy Center and Juma Ventures as the 2020 Neighborhood Builders awardees for greater Sacramento. The nonprofits were selected for their work addressing economic mobility by providing food and nutrition education programs to underserved communities and pathways for at-risk youth to secure better paying jobs. Each organization will receive a $200,000 grant, a year of leadership training, and access to peer

organizations across the country and capital to expand their impact. “This $200,000 grant from Bank of America will allow us to continue our virtual programming to ensure youth are work-ready when stadiums reopen,” says Stephen Norris, development director at Juma Ventures, which places young adults from underserved communities into jobs where they gain work experience, money management and teamwork skills. For more information, visit foodliteracycenter.org and juma.org/ sacramento.

“Laughing Owl the Way to the Bank” by Maija Peeples-Bright is part of -Archival Gallery show.

E Street Gallery’s Second Saturday show features paintings, ceramics, ﬁber and photography.

UNITED WAY GIFT

HIGHEST PERFORMING

United Way California Capital Region is starting its first wave of funding from the $10 million gift received in December from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The initial $500,000 will help individuals and families gain social and financial capital through United Way’s Capital Region Independence Initiative; support digital equity by removing technological barriers to education and employment; empower Sacramento residents at Mirasol Village to have greater influence in the area’s redevelopment; and provide COVID-19 relief funding in Yolo County. “We knew this gift from MacKenzie Scott would be a game-changer for our community, and I’m thrilled that we are able to begin distributing this muchneeded funding,” says Stephanie Bray, president/CEO of United Way California Capital Region. For more information, visit yourlocalunitedway.org.

Sacramento Charter High School in Oak Park has been ranked the highest performing high school for Black students in California by the California Charter Schools Association in its new report “Serving Black Students With Excellence.” Part of the St. HOPE family of nonprofits, Sac High was one of the top five schools in the Sacramento City Unified School District for Black student performance in 2019 and is now the highest performing high school for Black students in California. This is due in part to the school’s equity-based instructional practices and strategies, as well as three educational hallmarks: College-Going Culture, Power-toLead Mentality and Data-Informed Instructional Practices. Graduation rates for the 2018–19 school year were more than 97 percent for Black students, compared to the Sacramento City district average of 88 percent. In 2020, all Black students at Sac High graduated meeting the requirements for admission to University of California and California State University schools. For more information, visit sthope.org/sac-high.

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PRIDE Industries launches free job helpline.

Nick and Alisha Lee open Nudge Eco Store in Midtown.

PET VACCINES & MICROCHIPS

Volunteer Howard Hatch celebrates Sacramento History Museum’s 1 million followers on TikTok.

PRIDE INDUSTRIES PRIDE Industries has launched a free job helpline—called “I Am Able”— for people with disabilities. Job seekers can call (844) I-AM-ABLE (426-2253) or visit prideindustries.com. A staff member will be in contact within 48 business hours to discuss the client’s needs (support services, training, employment) and available services and/ or job opportunities. In addition to transporting people with disabilities to worksites, PRIDE buses have been repurposed during the pandemic to deliver groceries, PPE, activity packets and pet supplies to employees with disabilities throughout the region. The buses also transport employees to medical appointments and

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provide socially distanced “scenic access rides” to support mental wellbeing. “The COVID crisis has been difficult for us all, but individuals with disabilities have been particularly hard hit,” says Vic Wursten, PRIDE’s chief rehabilitation officer. “The isolation from their friends and co-workers has been devastating, which is why we at PRIDE needed to find ways for our employees with disabilities to stay connected with their support networks.” Prior to the pandemic, PRIDE Industries’ fleet of 60 vehicles provided more than 21,000 monthly rides to individuals with disabilities who work in Placer, Sacramento, Yuba, Nevada and Sutter counties.

The city’s Front Street Animal Shelter is hosting drive-through clinics offering free pet vaccines, first-time pet licenses and microchipping on the second Saturday of each month at several Sacramento locations. “Because of limited veterinary services during the pandemic, many animals are not getting the care they need,” says Front Street Shelter Manager Phillip Zimmerman. Clinics are open to residents who live within the city of Sacramento and are on a first-come, first-served basis with no appointment needed. Clinics will be held 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 9 at Pannell Community Center (2450 Meadowview Road), June 13 at Oak Park Community Center (3425 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.) and July 11 at Robertson Community Center (3525 Norwood Ave.). For more information, visit cityofsacramento.org/ community-development/animal-care.

GARDEN TOUR The East Sacramento Garden Tour to benefit David Lubin Elementary is back virtually on Mother's Day weekend, May 8–9. Participants will enjoy online garden tours, tutorials, boutiques and wine

tasting. While free to join the fun, donations to the school are always appreciated. For more information, visit eastsacgardentour.com.

YOUR SAC PARKS Looking for recreational facilities near you to make the most of spring weather? Check out the new website YourSacParks.com, a one-stop gateway to facilities like dog parks, trails, golf, horseback riding, tennis courts and more. The website is a partnership of 19 recreation and park agencies in the Sacramento region, including Sacramento County’s Department of Regional Parks, with the goal of connecting residents to recreational services available in our area.

FREE RT RIDES The Sacramento Regional Transit District is providing free transit rides to scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointments within SacRT’s service areas. “Access to vaccinations is a top priority for Sacramento County Public Health,” says Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye. “We do not want transportation to vaccination sites to be a barrier for anyone that wants to receive a vaccine.”

Sacramento Zoo offers free virtual program to Title 1 educators. To ride free, customers must show a COVID-19 vaccine appointment confirmation via email, text or vaccine card. To plan your trip, visit sacrt.com, call (916) 321-BUSS (2877) or download the free SacRT SmaRT Ride app.

MOVING DAY In lieu of its annual in-person fundraising walk, the Parkinson’s Foundation will present a Moving Day Drive-Thru Celebration at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 15, at Gibson Ranch Park in Elverta. Participants are invited to decorate their cars for a chance to win a prize. Moving Day fundraising rewards will be available for pick up and donations can be dropped off—all without leaving your car. If you can’t make it to the Moving Day Drive-Thru, join Virtual Moving Day on May 22, an interactive digital experience that will allow your team to take part in everything they love about Moving Day. For more information, visit movingdaywalk.org.

E STREET GALLERY E Street Gallery will open with a Second Saturday group show from 5–8 p.m. on May 8. Paintings, ceramics, fiber and photography will be exhibited throughout the complex. Artists will include Dave Hodapp, Larry Love, Carlaina Brown, Chris Thompson, Marc Cardinet, Laura Nolan-Boyd, Linda Gelfman, Aniko Kiezel, Cherie Hacker, Genesis Torres and Stanton Miller. Masks will be required and a limited number of people will be allowed to enter the gallery at one time. Follow E Street Gallery, located Downtown between 11th and 12th streets, on Facebook and Instagram for details and updates.

WILDLIFE LEARNING The Sacramento Zoo is offering free virtual content to educators through the end of the month for Title 1 schools in the greater Sacramento region, thanks to a generous donation from T-Mobile. Children in grades K–6 will have the opportunity to learn about wildlife conservation through animal videos, zookeeper talks and fun “guest” appearances. The 25-minute, pre-recorded program meets Next Generation Science Standards. The content also includes a Teacher’s Guide with viewing suggestions and additional activities to further the learning opportunities within California curriculum standards. Title 1 educators may register at saczoo.com/education/ online-programs.

COMMUNITY MURALS The city’s Art in Public Places program recently launched Community Murals Sacramento, a temporary public art program where visual artists in the Sacramento region can apply for a community mural project in a district of their choice. The program came about from the success of APP’s partnership with Sacramento City College last year for a Mural Speaker Series that set the stage for a city mural policy that clarifies how the city regulates and records murals. A component of the policy is a city-run community mural program that helps mentor young upcoming muralists and allows artists to work with local communities. Following a panel selection process, each district will receive one or two community murals, depending on size and location. The city expects painting to begin in July and end with dedication events for each site in September, followed by a City Hall exhibition of all

“Wave Collapse #1” by Omar Thor Arason is at Axis Gallery. eight projects in November. For more information, visit arts.cityofsacramento. org.

1ST STOP, 2ND SATURDAY California Stage will present a new monthly art event—First Stop, Second Saturday Art Exhibit—from 4–7 p.m. through October in the Courtyard Gallery at 1719 25th St. On May 8, Cal Stage will feature work by photographer Anna Skacel, a native of England who spent much of her childhood in Nigeria before earning degrees in industrial textile design and education in the arts. She taught in England and Bahrain for several years before finding her way to Sacramento. For more information, visit calstage.org.

AUDIOBOOK LAUNCH Elk Grove author Margaret Duarte recently launched an audiobook version of the first novel in her four-book fiction series, “Enter the Between.” The audiobook is narrated by voiceover artist and KCRA reporter Kristen Simoes. “Kristen’s voice compelled me because of its familiarity, cohesiveness, and when you hear her, it’s like listening to a friend,” Duarte says.

“While I’ve been speaking into a microphone for decades, an audiobook is a whole different ballgame,” says Simoes, who attended elementary school and Elk Grove High School with Duarte’s oldest son. “It has been such a joy to work on this novel, and an honor to work with an author I respect and admire.” Duarte has won two first-place awards and one second-place award for fiction in the Northern California Publishers & Authors awards competition, and first place for adult fiction in the California Author Project. The “Enter the Between” series can be found on Amazon.

CAPITOL BOX ART Sixty local artists have been chosen for the 2021 Capitol Box Art Revival Project, led by the city of Sacramento’s Office of Arts and Culture. Project sponsors are the Capitol Area Development Authority and Downtown Sacramento Partnership. This is the second cohort of artists selected for the program since its establishment in 2014. The inaugural Capitol Art Box Project temporarily wrapped 33 traffic utility boxes with vinyl artwork in the CADA neighborhood. The 2021 Capitol Art Box Revival Project will wrap the same 33 boxes

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Ancil Hoffman Golf Course is honored for its environmentally smart programs.

“Table for Two” by Alison Saar is featured in Crocker Art Museum’s new exhibit. with new work, as well as an additional 32 boxes in the Downtown area, throughout summer and early fall. “This project is about connecting artists with creative opportunities in the public realm and connecting them virtually to each other during the pandemic,” says CADA Executive Director Wendy Saunders. “We hope their art inspires community pride and deters vandalism of the utility boxes.” For more information, visit capitolboxart.com.

KVIE GALLERY & ART AUCTION The PBS KVIE Gallery’s newest exhibition, “California Dreamin’” featuring contemporary landscapes by Sue Chapman, will be on view through June 4. A multi-year participant in the station’s renowned Art Auction, local painter Chapman has won several awards for her colorful paintings of Northern California vineyards, rivers and country roads. The PBS KVIE Gallery showcases the art of past auction winners, jurors and California masters. The solo exhibitions rotate every two months and are curated by Jill Estroff, KVIE’s new art curator. The gallery is at 2030 West

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El Camino Ave. For more information, visit kvie.org/gallery. If you’re an artist, the station’s Call for Artists for the 40th annual PBS KVIE Art Auction is open through May 31. Visual artists throughout Northern California are invited to enter their original artwork for consideration in this year’s three-day televised auction Oct. 1–3. For more information, visit kvie.org/artauction.

CROCKER REOPENING Each Sunday through May 31, enjoy free admission as part of Crocker Art Museum’s “Welcome Back Sundays,” sponsored by Western Health Advantage. Four new exhibitions are now on view. “Legends from Los Angeles: Betye, Lezley and Alison Saar in the Crocker Collection” features transformed and reused historical objects. “Country, City and Sea: Dutch Romantic and Hague School Paintings from the Beekhuis Gift” explores the unique towns, landscape and shoreline of the Netherlands. “Spirit Lines: Helen Hardin Etchings with works by her mother Pablita Velarde, and daughter, Margarete Bagshaw” showcases multigenerational Native American artwork. “The Edge

“First Snow” by Sue Chapman is on display at PBS KVIE Gallery. of Elegance: Porcelains by Elsa Rady” explores the artist’s transition from producing functional objects to sleek sculptural vessels. For reservations, visit crockerart.org.

EXPERIENCE ITALY Pocket resident Dick Mercer and Arden resident Lori Martin, co-owners of Experience Italy, were recently selected for Conde Nast Traveler’s 2021 Top Travel Specialists. For the past 25 years, Mercer and Martin have planned more than 100 trips to Italy for individuals and groups. Starting in 1995 with small group tours to little-known towns, the duo has grown their business to include customdesigned foreign independent travel excursions tailored to each client’s timeframe, pace and budget. “Experience Italy believes travel to Italy is about the people as much as it is about the places,” Mercer says. The selection by Conde Nast is “an honor that recognizes our knowledge

and expertise in designing highly personalized travel experiences throughout Italy and connections to Italians.” For more information, visit cntraveler.com or experienceitaly.com.

YOUTUBE GARDENING The UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County have launched a YouTube channel to help gardeners get the most out of their gardens. The channel features short instructional videos on all kinds of gardening topics, including installing water-efficient landscapes, growing food, pruning, attracting pollinators, managing pests and more. To access the videos, search the group’s name on YouTube or visit sacmg.ucanr.edu.

ARTISTS AVIARY Archival Gallery in East Sacramento presents “The Artists Aviary,” featuring

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work by local artists who are known to use avian themes in their work. Artists are Kim Scott, Maria Winkler, Kellie Raines, Richard Feese and Maija Peeples-Bright. Pastels by Terry Baxter are also on display all month on the gallery’s front wall. Archival will be open for a Second Saturday reception May 8 from 5–7 p.m. with respectful distancing and limited capacity. The exhibit runs through May 29. For more information, visit archivalgallery.com.

SAC OPEN STUDIOS Verge Center for the Arts is calling on artists for its 16th Annual Sac Open Studios, the region’s oldest, largest and most prestigious artist studio tour program that celebrates artists and makers across the Sacramento region. The studio tour will take place in a hybrid format with virtual artist interviews during July and August, and in-person artist studio tours Sept. 11–12 and Sept. 18–19. Registration is open through May 23. Register by May 16 and the fee is $99 for Verge members and $150 for nonmembers. After May 16, the fee is $175 for everyone. For more information, visit sacopenstudios.com.

VERGE FAIR 2021 Verge Center for the Arts will also present its inaugural Verge Fair from May 21–23. This three-day art market is designed to build a bridge between artists and art lovers while celebrating the vitality and creativity of the Sacramento arts scene. The fair will kick off Friday, May 21, with virtual art lectures, artist Q&As and live stream performances, as well as a curated selection of art for sale in a silent auction and Verge retail space. Events will run through Sunday,

May 23, with timed entry and social distancing. For ticket and sponsorship information, visit vergeart.com/attend/ verge-fair-2021.

AXIS GALLERY Axis Gallery on S Street will present two new exhibitions May 1–30. The main gallery will feature “Quantum Collapse,” new paintings by Icelandic American Carmichael artist Omar Thor Arason that explore the hypothetical overlap of theoretical physics, psychology, religion and mythology. The gallery’s East Room will feature “Gravity Don’t Pull Me,” a solo exhibition of the works of queer Latinx visual artist and curator Daniel Alejandro Trejo examining personal narratives and experiences when environments become unreachable. For more information, visit axisgallery.org.

TIKTOK MILESTONE The Sacramento History Museum along the Old Sacramento Waterfront has reached a remarkable social media milestone: 1 million followers on the virtual video platform TikTok. The museum’s rise to online fame started with a video posted in December of 82-year-old volunteer docent and Land Park resident Howard Hatch working in the museum’s print shop. That video has more than 17 million views to date. “During the pandemic, our dedicated staff focused on finding fun and innovative ways to keep our museum top-of-mind,” says Delta Pick Mello, executive director of the Sacramento History Museum. “Of course, becoming a TikTok sensation was entirely unexpected, but we are enjoying the newfound fame—especially being

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Margaret Duarte releases audiobook in her ﬁction series. featured nationally on NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’—and are absolutely thrilled to introduce the museum to a worldwide audience in an exciting new way.” The museum is now open and continues to feature virtual programs at sachistorymuseum.org and, of course, on TikTok.

NO MORE PLASTIC Nudge Eco Store, a zero-waste and plastic-free shop, offers sustainable products intended to replace items typically purchased in or made of plastic. Products include band-aids, deodorant, dental items, makeup, laundry detergent, kitchen brushes, makeup, skin care items and children’s toys. Nudge partners with independently owned small businesses,

ethical companies and local makers to offer an alternative to the big box store or Amazon shopping experience. “Nudge is making plastic-free shopping the new normal by ensuring it is possible for customers to purchase the products they desire, without the unnecessary packaging or fillers,” says co-owner and South Land Park resident Nick Lee. “It’s a feel-good experience that makes everyone an active participant in a more sustainable future!” Nudge Eco Store is open in Midtown at 1126 18th St. For more information, visit nudgeecostore.com. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Submissions are due six weeks prior to the publication month. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Cop Watch COUNTY MOVES TOWARD SHERIFF OVERSIGHT

HS By Howard Schmidt Inside The County

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he Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is wrestling with how to impose more oversight over Sheriff Scott Jones and his department. Jones is a controversial figure. Community activists paint him as head of a rogue department. But he won re-election without a challenger in 2014 and finished first in a four-person contest in 2018. As an independently elected official, Jones is accountable to voters, not the supervisors. Despite Jones’ autonomy, the Board of Supervisors is moving toward creating a community review commission that will subject the sheriff and his agency to greater oversight. The push probably is linked to a shooting in 2017 that erupted into a dispute between Jones and former Sacramento Police Chief Rick Brazil, who served as Sacramento County inspector general. The inspector general position provides independent and objective review of citizen complaints of misconduct by sheriff employees. Nonetheless, Jones rebuffed Brazil’s critical commentary on the deadly shooting. The Brazil-Jones feud created a schism among some supervisors— notably Phil Serna—about Jones’ management. Retired Brentwood Police Chief Mark Evenson became the new inspector general. Supervisor Patrick Kennedy says the current IG is receptive to having a community review commission. Kennedy says he’s wanted a commission for some time for “better transparency and accountability for law enforcement.” He told his colleagues, “The idea isn’t about Jones, but instead the position of sheriff.” During that discussion, Serna appeared to contradict that by bragging about voting against the sheriff’s budget due to the “department’s leadership.” He meant Jones. The creation of a review panel would put the sheriff’s department under a degree of civilian oversight that doesn’t exist today. Yet Kennedy’s proposal acknowledges the commission would have no authority to manage or operate the sheriff’s department, including the imposition of discipline. Originally, the commission wasn’t to have subpoena power. But criticism from community activists led Kennedy (with help from Serna) to add that provision for consideration. Serna says

subpoenas are needed because the sheriff’s department operates without “structural scrutiny.” Citizen review commissions are not without controversy. Membership sometimes gets divided into camps— anti-law enforcement comprised of social justice activists against pro-cop supporters unwilling to recognize any need for reform. Supervisor Rich Desmond says there is a need for a review commission. He’s a retired CHP officer and worked on Assembly Bill 953, which created the Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board to improve diversity and racial and identity sensitivity in law enforcement. Desmond told fellow supervisors when working on that bill there were legitimate concerns about having extreme viewpoints on the panel. He thinks any county review commission should be “balanced.” The commission idea has been on the board’s agenda twice this year. Each time, only a handful of citizens commented. Representatives from law enforcement were silent. The composition of the proposed commission would consist of supervisors each appointing two members, plus one county staff person named by the county executive. While some supervisors may be critical of Jones’ management, he has a record of reform. Earlier this year, Jones began to equip deputies with body cameras. The department expects full deployment of cameras by June. Jones was the first sheriff to create a Youth Services Unit that works collaboratively with community partners, including schools, faithbased organizations, businesses and nonprofits. The unit addresses issues such as youth violence and delinquency by positively connecting deputies with underserved youngsters and their families. The review commission will probably become a reality. County staff has been told to bring supervisors a draft for the group. Time will tell whether the commission succeeds. Howard Schmidt has worked on the federal, state and local levels of government, including 16 years for Sacramento County. He can be reached at howardschmidt218@aol.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Roger Hume Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Star Reborn 1928 BEAUTY READY FOR NEW CLOSEUP

esperate for something to feel good about amid the city’s boarded-up storefronts and quiet office buildings? Make your way to the 2700 block of K Street. It should lift your spirits. The spring afternoon I went there, a crane dangled steel beams high above

GD By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future

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rooftops, workers delicately handled decorative terra cotta and an energetic Roger Hume bounced around from floor to floor. The frenetic scene belonged to one of the more complex and promising rehabilitation projects in recent Sacramento history. Hume, a longtime East Sacramento resident who made his mark building luxury homes in such upscale communities as Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades, Bel Air and Brentwood, is betting nearly $40 million that he can turn the historic but neglected Eastern Star Hall building into a successful extended-stay Hyatt House hotel. This will not be any ordinary 128room hotel when it opens a little more than a year from now. Erected in 1928 across from Sutter’s Fort State

Historic Park, the once-proud building sat unused for most of the last decade despite the fact that its Romanesque Revival architecture and elegant features landed it on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Built by a Sacramento Masonic women’s group that sold stock shares to raise most of the funds, the building features a grand staircase foyer, 20-foot ceilings, Juliet balconies, tall arched windows, Corinthian columns, three entryway arches, French doors and decorative terra cotta throughout. As the paperwork for historic landmark status states: “Architecturally, this building has significance as a fine example of the Romanesque Revival style, but beyond that is one of only a handful

of historically significant buildings in Sacramento devoted to the interests of women.” Hume, who developed the La Borgata at Serrano shopping center in El Dorado Hills, said he was drawn to the old five-story building several years earlier by its red brick and terra-cotta arched facade that’s similar to the design of the city’s train depot on I Street. But he was too busy with other projects to give it much thought. He had done several challenging historic renovations in Santa Monica. As he became more intrigued with the possibilities on K Street, he began to hear from skeptics. “I know a lot of people looked at that building,” he says. “But I don’t think most people looked at that building with

Photos by Justin Lopez

the grand planned vision that I really felt it needed. It needed more than just the existing confines of the building.” Working with Sacramento’s HRGA, an architectural firm that did redesign work for the Marshall Hotel some 20 blocks west on K Street, Hume came up with an ambitious plan. He would preserve the Eastern Star’s front and south-facing facades, its brick walls, public-space lobby and mezzanine levels while gutting most of the rest of the building down to the basement. Inside the hollowed-out core, Hume, who is general contractor on the project, decided to build a new eight-story structure—a building within a building. New piles had to be sunk to provide support and temporarily shore up the existing structure, while the interior floors and roof assembly were removed. A new, much taller steel structure is being built to help make the project financially feasible. Sequencing the work was a challenge: Hume’s team was building a new structure and simultaneously supporting the old one so it would not collapse in the process. When it’s finished, the grand lobby, lounge and dining areas will have tall ceilings rarely seen in new construction. Much of the old wrought-iron furnishings, doors and other accents will give it a different feel than other extended-stay properties. Even two old working radiators in the lobby will remain for heat and atmosphere. As part of his deal with the city and Sacramento Preservation Commission, Hume is saving and restoring everything within 35 feet of

the front entrance. He has poured a new foundation, brought in new steel beams for what will finally be the eight-story structure within the original brick exterior. “It took a while to sit down and meet with all the groups here in Sacramento,” he says. “But once you’re able to sit down and show a vision of how we’ll breathe new life into it, we’ll pay homage to the women who created this building and the history … when you see plans for the lobby and the grand staircase, people started to see that it could be something special for Sacramento.” For clientele, he’s counting on people using Sutter Medical Center and other nearby medical facilities who want an extended-stay hotel. That’s why 70 percent of the rooms will have kitchenettes. “We will give people a boutique hotel experience without the boutique hotel prices and that’s really what people are looking forward to,” he says. “A great experience.” With Hume’s track record and passion for the building, he will provide a new Midtown destination that restores a grand old building to new life and purpose. That should lift anyone’s spirits. Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

ACROSS 1 Fry source 5 “Hold it!” 9 Herb in caprese salad 14 “Beloved” author Morrison 15 Device that enables bingewatching 16 Dumpster smells 17 No ifs, ___ or buts 18 Holder in a ﬁlm archive 19 Primed for an argument 20 Carrier to Prague (see letters 4 to 8) 23 Cassis cocktail 24 Recycling container 25 Like “it,” grammatically 28 Turn into compost 29 Manual mode’s counterpart 31 Equal: Preﬁx 32 Puerto ___ 35 By its very nature, in court (3 to 6) 37 Dutchspeaking Caribbean island 39 H.S. “ruling” class 40 Admiral’s command 41 Tool for updating online text (3 to 5) 43 Avails oneself of 10/6

44 Doubles in tennis? 45 “Parasite” director Bong ___-ho 46 Beaver’s project 48 Put another layer of varnish on 50 Morning moisture 51 Comic-strip “Horrors!” 54 Canadian jazz pianist who won eight Grammys (3 to 8) 58 Reason to march 60 Effortlessness 61 Peak 62 Choose to participate 63 Synagogue chests 64 Capital where “all roads lead” 65 Attack from every side 66 Apt rhyme for “infest” 67 List-ending abbr. DOWN 1 Five pancakes, often 2 Shady kind of scheme 3 Subordinate to 4 Part of CD 5 Connecting waterway 6 Book with photos from a movie, e.g. 7 Mind ___ matter 8 Survey of opinions

9 Carried away 10 Vowel-heavy farewell 11 Summer and winter occurrences 12 Pique 13 Something dropped at Woodstock 21 2020 network for “Perry Mason” 22 Enthusiastic about 26 Cosmetician Lauder 27 Miniseries of 1977 and 2016 28 Spa wrap 29 Kitchen splatter catcher 30 KGB state, once 32 Having less training 33 Cara of “Fame” 34 Children who earn badges

35 Analogy phrase 36 University grad 38 Next (to) 42 Minimal amount 46 Abhor 47 More than mere respect 49 Davis of “School Daze” 50 Ofﬁce furniture 51 Broad neckwear 52 Mark where a reader breathes 53 Prepare to be knighted 55 Collect, as rewards 56 Take the rind off 57 Not often seen 58 Stripped barbecue discard 59 Mimic

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WORDS MATTER CITY’S HOMELESS RESPONSE MISSES POINT

Photo by Aniko Kiezel

life in politics turned Mayor Darrell Steinberg into a wordsmith. Commanding center stage at City Hall or running a remote City Council meeting, the mayor builds his arguments like a master of semantics. His sentences launch and soar and land without a stumble. But sometimes even a wordsmith slips. This can happen when Steinberg navigates the swamps and hedgerows that impede the city’s response to

RG By R.E. Graswich City Beat

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the homeless crisis. Earlier this year, the mayor was reduced to one word, repeated four times: “Where, where, where, where,” he said. The emphasis on location is essential to Steinberg. He believes Sacramento can only solve its homeless crisis by identifying eight new sites across the city—one in each council district—to spread unsheltered people and homeless services around the community. A vast tapestry of services generates broad solutions. Or so the theory goes. “Once we are able to come to some kind of agreement as a city and county on the question of where, I think the rest will come together,” the mayor says. Steinberg is smart to link the words “city and county.” He knows he needs county support to accomplish breakthroughs on the homeless front. It won’t be easy. Local mayors have been building county alliances for decades. They rarely hold together,

thanks to political turf wars, budget priorities and personality conflicts. Mayors Joe Serna Jr., Heather Fargo and Kevin Johnson sought county partnership in challenges ranging from traffic congestion to pollution. The words were aspirational. But when county supervisors realized they would play subservient roles in grand mayoral operas, county agendas suddenly became filled with other pressing matters. This year, Steinberg has conducted workshops to solicit public testimony on ecumenical locations for homeless services. His goal: Answer the “where” question and share the pain. From a county perspective, the “where” answer might be Land Park, but never Fair Oaks. And “where” is the wrong word. The mayor should focus on “what.” Cities face a buffet table of options that offer alleged solutions to homelessness. The crisis has

attracted at least nine agencies and 41 programs on the state level alone. All are expensive. Few have measurable success. The city’s track record on the “what” question is dismal—all scattershot and inconsistent. Most recently, policy focused on “housing first,” an idea that dates back more than three decades and has become a sink hole for tax dollars. “Housing first” was designed in the 1980s to help families with children overcome temporary financial setbacks and avoid homelessness. Today the label has been kidnapped by the homeless lobby and turned into a gospel of human warehousing— shelter on demand for everyone, no questions asked. Fortunately, the city is considering an alternative strategy based on a San Antonio nonprofit, Haven For Hope. The program includes a large complex with two sections. In one area, homeless people can camp and get

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drunk or high or whatever, anything short of violence. The second parcel features dignified indoor living and rehabilitative assistance to break the cycle of homelessness. It requires personal commitment and hard work. A group called “Hope For Sacramento” wants to create a local version. Dr. David Lubarsky, CEO of UC Davis Health, has examined the Haven For Hope integrated-care model along with strategies that spread treatment facilities around the community. “We need a system of care that takes care of the most afflicted person,” Lubarsky says, citing the importance of not merely housing people “but how to integrate them back into society.” Last year, UC Davis Health published two academic papers on

Sacramento homelessness. The authors reviewed programs, costs and funding sources. Naturally, the costs were astronomical. But the authors identified dozens of potential funding sources. They focused on care and treatment, not “housing first,” which demands neither. UC Davis wants to keep homeless people alive and away from its Medical Center emergency room. It wants homeless people to build selfsufficiency and dignity. Steinberg wants the same thing. To get there, he better start using the right words. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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You Gotta Have Friends SENIOR GROUP RAISES MONEY THROUGH HANDIWORK

Casey Knittel puts donations from Friends of Mustard Seed to good use at the school. Photo by Linda Smolek

JL By Jessica Laskey Giving Back: Volunteer Proﬁle

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ary Alice Lewis knows what a difference a handmade item can make to someone in need. Since 2015, Lewis and a group of fellow residents at the River’s Edge senior community off Fair Oaks Boulevard have raised money for Loaves & Fishes’ Mustard Seed School through the sale of handmade goods. They have raised more than $20,000 for the school, which provides free Montessori education and a safe space for homeless children ages 3–15.

“Mary Alice and the volunteers at River’s Edge have been supporting the children at Mustard Seed for years,” school director Casey Knittel says. “It’s wonderful to have their help because they are always so careful to make sure they understand exactly what our school needs. They have helped with everything from providing Valentine’s cards to buying Montessori materials for our classrooms to renovating our front office.” The volunteer group was brought together by Lewis’ friend Judy Cohen,

“an absolutely brilliant woman who wanted to collect a group of creative ladies—no one younger than 80—with the goal of making things for the school,” Lewis says. “Everything had to be something we had personally crafted.” The women initially sold items in a space at River’s Edge named Charlotte’s Gallery (after Cohen’s mother), but the group and gallery eventually changed its name to Friends of Mustard Seed to clarify the purpose. Pre-pandemic, the group hosted three craft shows a year to sell everything from handmade frames to crocheted items, and put the earnings toward various projects at the school. “Each show seemed to produce more and more money,” Lewis says. “People are extremely generous—if we’re selling something for $10, they’ll give us $20 and say, ‘Keep the change.’” Though the pandemic put shows on hold for the better part of a year, Friends held a craft fair in March featuring facemasks, notecards, vests, door wreaths and holiday decorations. Lewis proudly reports the show brought in more than $1,200. “It has us all feeling wonderful to have been able to make some very nice additions to a very wonderful charity,” Lewis says. “There are a lot of charities out there, but Mustard Seed feels like one of the more worthwhile. It hits home for all of us grandparents.” Lewis herself has 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. When not crafting creations to sell, Lewis and other group members stay involved in seasonal activities at River’s Edge, including Irish poetry reading (and green beer drinking) for St. Patrick’s Day, an egg hunt and reading of “The Velveteen Rabbit” for Easter and other performances with a troupe that’s dubbed itself the River’s Edge Players. Lewis says they partake in “anything we can do to uplift spirits,” particularly during the pandemic. For Knittel, Friends of Mustard Seed definitely lifts her spirits—and then some. “Caring community members like Mary Alice literally make running our school possible,” she says. For more information, visit sacloaves. org. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Time For Priorities BUDGET SEASON MEANS DECISIONS, OPPORTUNITIES

udget season is upon us! This is the time of year when Sacramento County leadership and the five supervisors start discussing what the funding priorities will be for the next fiscal year. Although the economic fallout from COVID-19 has created uncertainty about the amount of revenue the county can expect in future years, we are fortunate to be receiving a large influx of federal funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to help meet our fiscal needs in 2021–22. This money is in addition to the $95 million from the COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act in rent relief being administered by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency and other funds dedicated to public health. There are many opinions about how this federal stimulus money should be used. The county’s reserves are at historic lows, and there is a need to use some of the money to increase the amount of our “rainy day fund” for emergencies and economic downturns.

RD By Rich Desmond

POC MAY n 21

There is also tremendous pressure to use one-time federal funding to expand certain county programs. I think it’s crucial to strike the right balance. I support increasing our reserves while setting aside some funds to meet other urgent needs. These are some things I am exploring and discussing:

crumbling roadways, will be significantly lower as revenue from fuel has decreased during the pandemic. We have a chance to use some federal funding to chip away at the backlog that has made our roads among the worst in the state.

HOMELESSNESS

Although our small business community has received some grants and loans to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19, there are still many businesses in desperate need of help. We should explore ways to help local businesses recover some of their losses.

Our homelessness crisis continues to grow, with thousands living on our streets and public places in despair while local businesses struggle with encampments that leave mounds of trash behind and drive away customers. We need a new approach that will help provide services to those in need while allowing us to relocate homeless campers from commercial areas and parks into shelters or designated camping locations. To accomplish these goals it will take an investment, and we have a unique opportunity to use some of the federal funds for this purpose.

ROADS With an $800 million maintenance backlog in our unincorporated roadways and only $25 million in dedicated maintenance funding each year, the potholes just keep growing! The Senate Bill 1 gas tax revenues, which were supposed to fund the

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LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE At the direction of the board, county staff proposed the creation of a Crisis Response System as an alternative to a law enforcement response for behavioral health and quality-of-life issues. Law enforcement has become the default responder to many issues that should be handled by social workers and behavioral health counselors. The new CRS will work with law enforcement and 911 dispatch centers to develop protocols for triaging and transferring calls that do not involve criminal activity or jeopardize public safety. There are indications that

county staff will be pressured to fund this effort by diverting resources from the sheriff’s department. That is a mistake. Citizens of the unincorporated portion of Sacramento County rely on the sheriff for public safety and a fast response when crimes occur. Unincorporated neighborhoods already experience a lack of adequate law enforcement resources (it is estimated there are 0.8 sheriff deputies for every 1,000 residents in the unincorporated area while there are 1.3 police officers in the city of Sacramento for every 1,000 residents). We should use some federal stimulus dollars to create the new CRS. While I support efforts to improve transparency, oversight and community trust in our sheriff’s department, I will always work to make sure law enforcement has the resources to keep us safe. We want to hear your budget priorities. The board clerk is accepting public comment, and I urge you to email boardclerk@saccounty.net and call with your comments during budget hearings. I always welcome hearing your thoughts and priorities. Rich Desmond is Sacramento County supervisor for District 3. He can be reached at richdesmond@saccounty. net or (916) 874-5471. Previous columns can be found at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

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Second Act

SENIOR PETS HAVE MORE LOVE TO GIVE

picked up the 10-pound mutt—a brown and black muddled mess of terrier, chihuahua and who knows what else—from Sacramento County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter. My husband and I foster dogs for a local rescue group. This perky-eared pooch was our next project. He was friendly, playful and affectionate. He loved to be held and rolled over for belly rubs. He got along famously with our other dogs and even enjoyed the company of cats. Sleeping was a favorite pastime, but walks on a sunny day were equally agreeable. We named him Costello in honor of his gentle, forgiving demeanor— his ability for “peace, love and understanding” after all he had been through. Yet, despite his admirable qualities, Costello had languished in the county shelter for weeks—passed over for adoption time and time again. His crime? He was 13 years old. Senior dogs are adopted at half the rate of younger dogs and puppies, reports the American SPCA. As a foster parent for more than eight years, I can attest. Puppies, kittens and young adults “fly off the shelf.” Securing a home for animals in their twilight years can take months. A pet’s “age isn’t his problem so much as a problem in the minds of prospective adopters conditioned to think that, because kittens and puppies are ‘cuter,’ they might make better pets or create stronger bonds,” says ASPCA President/CEO Matthew Bershadker. “Neither is necessarily true, and this prejudice can be deadly. Older animals are often the least likely to be adopted and the most likely to be euthanized.” I’ve heard the typical explanations for wanting a younger canine or feline friend. Seniors are more prone to medical problems that can be costly. But any breed at any age can develop unexpected health conditions, from

CR By Cathryn Rakich Animals & Their Allies

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severe allergies to early diabetes. An older dog or cat without pre-existing medical concerns may be a better bet. Senior dogs at the Sacramento SPCA receive full diagnostic bloodwork and dental cleaning prior to adoption. There’s the notion that it’s difficult to train or teach commands to elderly pets. I’ve been there. It’s easier to potty train an adult dog than a rambunctious, easily distracted puppy. And most older dogs already know to do their business outside. Adult pooches may understand basic commands and are perfectly capable of learning new tricks. They are smart and adaptive. Cats instinctively use the litter box—no training necessary. Let’s not forget about coming home to pillow stuffing flung about the living room or the once-blooming garden now a mound of dirt and mud, courtesy of your “cute” puppy. Wooden table legs and new shoes become chew toys. Mature pets have outgrown these teething and destructive habits. “If you’ve never adopted a senior dog, you don’t know what you’re missing,” says Celest Ingrid with the county’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter. “Most seniors are already house trained, and have learned desirable skills, such as walking nicely on a leash, and basic commands, and make fabulous companions.” Older dogs don’t need constant attention and twice-daily walks. They are mellow, relaxed and easy to handle. They have developed their own personalities—traits that fit any lifestyle. Most have pasts that involved living in a home, maybe with other dogs or cats, making them more likely to settle into new environments faster. “Adopting a senior pet and spending their golden years together is a truly special gift,” says Dawn Foster with the Sacramento SPCA. “It’s a time in their life where they’ve settled into a more comfortable version of themselves—some wanting to spend most of their time cuddling on the sofa with you and others still very active and adventurous, but without the intensity they had as a puppy or kitten.” Many pet owners are concerned that an older Fido or Fluffy won’t be

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as likely to bond with family members as a youngster. My experience proves different. Senior dogs and cats, especially those who have lived a hard life, crave a kind voice and gentle hand. They want to trust and be trusted. After being shut down and fearful in a chaotic shelter, an older pet will be an engaged family member in a safe, loving home. It might take 24 hours or 24 days. Patience and kindness (and a few good treats) are the only requirements. Those looking to adopt may desire a specific breed. If you’re in the market for a chihuahua, pit bull or black cat, you’re in luck. Just contact your local shelter. Popular breeds, such as longhair dachshunds, French bulldogs and Siamese felines, are harder to find—and people turn to breeders for puppies and kittens. The ASPCA reports 25 percent of shelter dogs are purebreds. Plus, there’s a rescue group for every breed—just be patient and the right furry friend will come along.

But the No. 1 reason I hear for not wanting to adopt a senior is that the animal does not have a long life ahead. Many people have had to say goodbye to a beloved pet, often after an extended and gut-wrenching illness. They tell me, “I just don’t want to go through that again so soon.” Yes, elderly pets will not live as long as we hope. But that’s more of an issue for humans than for animals. It’s our own selfishness. A senior pet’s need for a safe place to live out his or her life is just as strong as yours or mine. They still have much love to give. “He is just wonderful,” Costello’s new mom tells me. “Wagging his tail and interacting with us. We love him so much. Thank you for bringing him into our life.” Cathryn Rakich can be reached at crakich@surewest.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Each handcrafted Conscious Creamery recipe is made without artificial fillers, stabilizers, flavors or colors. All flavors and colors are plant-derived, many extracted from fresh fruits, spices, nuts and seeds found at local farmers markets. Base gelato recipes are soy and gluten free, made by blending organic raw cashews and water. Conscious Creamery offers traditional Italian flavors, plus inventive blends such as rose, golden milk and roasted strawberry. Andrea tells their story: What’s the difference between gelato and ice cream? “Gelato contains less fat and less air, almost always, and is churned more slowly than ice cream so it gets less whip in it. It seems richer and maybe fattier because it’s very smooth and creamy, but it’s actually less of both so it has a very high flavor impact on the palette. It is served warmer than ice cream and it’s softer.” Why is it important to you to use organic and non-GMO ingredients? “A number of reasons. No. 1, because as far as the organic part goes, it is less impactful for the most part on the planet. It has less chemicals, so it’s important to us to try and source those whenever we can. It’s also important to try to

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BESPOKE GELATO COMES TO OAK PARK

onscious Creamery has been mixing up scrumptious, small-batch gelato by hand since 2016. The business operated out of a commercial kitchen, but now the vegan treat shop has a storefront in Oak Park.

TMO By Tessa Marguerite Outland Farm-to-Fork

POC MAY n 21

For owners Andrea and Kevin Seppinni, choosing the location at 3400 Broadway was like waiting for the perfect pint of cookies and cream. Says Andrea, “We’re thrilled to be opening there specifically. It just feels right and we’ve been welcomed so far. It feels like home to me.” The couple began crafting gelato after a trip to Europe for their 30th wedding anniversary. Andrea, a classically trained chef, had been making vegan frozen desserts for friends, family and clients since 2009. Once they experienced the goodness of gelato in Vienna, the couple decided to plunge into their own vegan venture when they returned home to Sacramento.

markets in the nation right in Downtown. We try to utilize that as much as possible.” What fruits or flavors will be in season in May? “Hopefully, the first round of strawberries will be coming up. Mint and a lot of other berries and things like that will start coming into season and rotating throughout. It will depend on what went really well this year crop-wise. I go back every Sunday to check with my farmers and see.” What is the most memorable compliment you’ve received from a patron? “We got a compliment from one client who said she’s not even really an ice cream lover but has been a convert because of our gelato. My goal is for someone never to say, ‘It’s really good for being vegan.’” What are your and Kevin’s favorite flavors? “My historically favorite flavor in life has always been mocha almond fudge, which isn’t necessarily a traditional gelato flavor, but I make it a gelato flavor because I love it. I love spumone. I’m a traditionalist for Italian flavors, but I also like experimenting. So every year when I come up with different flavors, I fall in love with those as I make them. Kevin’s favorite is cookies and cream.” What is the most interesting gelato flavor you’ve created? “A tomato basil with balsamic vinegar reduction. It was for a tomato festival and it was unusually good. It was almost like something you would have as an intermezzo, you know, with your meal. I’m not really trying to make really weird things, just things I think are going to taste delicious.”

source things that are fair trade. Obviously, we can’t buy cashews or chocolate locally. So the things we can’t source locally we want to make sure are fair-traded so people can make a living.” Where do you get the fresh fruits, spices, nuts and seeds? “We get them from a variety of sources depending on the season. We’re really lucky that in California we have a long growing season. We’re really fortunate that we have one of the biggest farmers

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Cutting Edge BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY WITH THE RIGHT BOUQUET

Ellie Longanecker Photo by Linda Smolek

DV By Dan Vierria Garden Jabber

imple bouquets and elaborate floral arrangements are a snip away with a cutting garden, a designated area specifically planted with striking flowers and foliage. The payoff is a color blast for the dining table, kitchen island, even the home office. Monet, van Gogh and Renoir put brush to canvas and created stilllife paintings of flowers in a vase—a universal symbol of love, happiness and good vibes. A Harvard study found

POC MAY n 21

flowers in the home instill a sense of happiness and compassion toward others. The gift of a single flower lifts the darkest mood. “I share my bouquet arrangements with my yoga studio, my hairdresser’s salon, celebration of life services and my wonderful neighbors, Eric and David,” says Ellie Longanecker, an American Rose Society arrangement judge from Carmichael. “Seeing others enjoying the beauty is just another reason for me to continue working at what I love to do.”

A cutting garden can supply yearround flower needs and ease the dilemma of depleting permanent beds and borders of precious blooms. “If you’re new to gardening and interested in a cutting garden, it will be more rewarding to choose flowers that last in the garden and the vase,” says Longanecker. She notes Sacramento’s heat is a challenge for gardeners and flowers. Among plant choices that are easy to grow, beautiful and possess staying power, she recommends: Calla lilies: Odessa and Green Goddess. Hydrangeas: Buttons ’N Bows and Limelight. Roses: Secret, Gemini, Grande Amore, Olympiad, All My Loving, Moonstone, Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Patrick, Sedona and Flower Girl. For flower arrangement foliage and filler, she prefers Ming fern, leather leaf fern, flax, fatsia, Indian hawthorn and sago palm. Seasonal cutting garden groupings will extend the supply of flowers and foliage. For instance, Shasta daisy, sweet peas, sweet William, alstroemeria and calendula for spring bouquets; sunflower, zinnia, black-eyed Susan and euphorbia for summer; chrysanthemum, Mexican bush sage, statice and tuberose in fall; and narcissus, cyclamen, poinsettias and ferns in winter. Sacramento nurseries and seed catalogs, such as Renee’s Garden, Baker Creek Heirloom and Territorial Seed Company, are excellent plant and seed sources. Readers interested in upping their flower arrangement game by learning about netting, floral tape, picks, floral frogs, color palettes, and other tools and techniques may want to consider joining the Sacramento Floral Design Guild. The guild meets twice a month, September through May, at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park. Contact the guild at sacfloraldesignguild.org.

“I most enjoy the satisfaction, the joy of doing something artful and creative,” says Cherry Hoover, president of the Sacramento Floral Design Guild. “There is a lot of pride in doing a nice, creative arrangement.” A few of Hoover’s flower choices for the vase are lilies, hydrangea, gladiolus, iris and Ming fern. Snip flowers in early morning with sharp clippers and place stems in a bucket or large vase of water. Do not leave them in sunlight. Before arranging cut flowers, choose a vase, remove all foliage that would be submerged and cut the end of the stem on the diagonal. Immediately place the flowers in a vase with water. Longanecker adds two tablespoons of sugar or preservatives to the water to prolong the life of the arrangement. No more than half a teaspoon of bleach per quart of water works well too. Planning and planting a cutting garden is like any other flowerbed. Choose a sunny, well-drained site and amend the soil with compost and slow-release fertilizer. Choose flowers and foliage plants that require similar sun and water requirements. Consider planting seasonal blocks of flowers so spring, summer and fall bloomers are grouped in separate areas. Some winter choices can be grown in containers. Planting in rows makes it easier to tend and harvest. Then, stand back and wait for happiness to bloom. Dan Vierria is a University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener for Sacramento County. He can be reached at masterg29@ gmail.com. For answers to gardening questions, contact UCCE Master Gardeners at (916) 876-5338, email mgsacramento@ucanr.edu. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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Marathon Man WITH 90,000 MILES ON HIS CLOCK, HE’S READY FOR MORE

Denis Zilaff Photos by Aniko Kiezel

enis Zilaff knows what it takes to run 92,000 miles because he’s done it. Among the requirements are two good hips and a functional mitral valve. The hips keep the legs moving. The valve prevents blood from flowing backward into the heart. When his hips began to fail and his mitral valve became floppy, Zilaff was in trouble, mostly because he wanted to keep running. The repairs were piecemeal and took about two years. Delays were caused by the pandemic and the fact that doctors won’t fix two hips and one heart in a single marathon surgery. Zilaff would have appreciated the marathon surgical approach. He loves marathons. He’s run almost 200, each encompassing 26.2 miles. He finished two Western States endurance runs,

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where participants conquer 100 miles from Squaw Valley to Auburn. He’s done many 50-kilometer events, each a fraction more than 31 miles. At some point, numbers blur. Zilaff keeps running. “I started running in 1982 because I was in my 30s and out of shape, and my wife said, ‘You’re getting kind of flabby and you have to do something,’” he says. “I started running with a buddy and after 3 or 4 miles, I was just dying.” Events run by Zilaff include two Boston Marathons, among them the 2013 edition when two terrorist bombs exploded near the finish. Combined, his events don’t add up to anywhere near 92,000 miles. The majority of his steps come from training. “With a marathon, you should do 40 miles a week in training,” he says. “For Western States, you’re doing 80 to 100 miles a week, plus you have to train for the hills, the heat and staying up all night. On Saturdays, we’d leave at 5 a.m. and get back at 8 p.m. Anything under 20 miles is worthless. You need to drink 8 gallons of water a day, which is really hard. Don’t try it.” For three decades, Zilaff consumed his miles while holding down work as supervising attorney with the Sacramento County Counsel. The office serves as the legal branch of county

bureaucracy. Zilaff became an expert in mental health matters while representing the Public Guardian’s office. He retired in 2017 and turns 68 this month. His hip problems involved cartilage worn away by hard miles. Running can do that. But the mileage created a physiological wonder. His orthopedic surgeon said Zilaff’s bones were “like rock,” having observed sedentary patients with bones “like mush.” Recovery was a breeze for Zilaff. “Two years ago, when I got my left hip replaced, I was pain free afterward,” he says. “I didn’t take one pain drug and was walking the next day. They said I needed a walker but I didn’t.” The right hip failed in 2020. Surgical restrictions due to the coronavirus forced a three-month postponement of repairs. Zilaff knew the anesthesiologist and asked if he could be kept awake during the second hip replacement. “I’m really into this stuff,” he says. “I wanted to know what they were doing. He put me into a kind of twilight. I could hear them talking, the surgeon sawing off the bone, the pounding on the prosthetic hip. I said, ‘Hey, I should have brought my sledgehammer.’ The surgeon said, ‘Put

him out.’ Like the first time, I had zero pain.” In preparation for the second hip operation, a heart murmur was discovered. It was the floppy mitral valve. Zilaff had his valve fixed last August. Doctors said recovery would take a year. By October, he was running again. “I was really slow and felt out of breath, but they said I was the first patient to run 8 miles four months out of open-heart surgery,” he says. The next test arrives in December. Zilaff plans to run the California International Marathon. He knows the challenges, having run every CIM since the first one in 1983. His streak would have ended last year thanks to surgery, but the marathon was canceled. “That worked out OK for me,” he says. R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

Vicky Gomez, owner of Vicky G’s Hair Design on 4848 Folsom Blvd.

Maria E. Munoz, owner of East Patio Mexicano on 5100 Folsom Blvd.

Nicole Finley and Jeff Landeros, co-owners of Freeport Bar & Grill on 8259 Freeport Blvd.

LOCAL PLEDGE CAMPAIGN KEEPS GROWING

Elena’s Kitchen and Catering owner Elena Melnychuk (second from left) and her food service staff outside their Carmichael location.

Marnie and John Carvalho, owners of Freeport Wine Country Inn & Bistro on 8201 Freeport Blvd. in Freeport.

Photos Courtesy of Cecily Hastings, Lauren Stenvick and Sally Giancanelli We are happy to report that the PLEDGE 100% LOCAL campaign continues to grow and pick up new supporters. We invite other businesses and groups to join the effort. You can participate as simply as posting our signs at your business or by donating to fund signs and other resources. Visit insidesacramento.com/100local. For more information, contact cecily@insidepublications.com.

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Funny You Asked NO QUESTION STUMPS OUR CHAPLAIN

efore the quarantine, I often traveled the country, speaking before church and civic groups. After I spoke, I hosted questionand-answer sessions. I’ve not yet booked post-COVID speaking engagements, so I thought this column would be a good place to share the answers to some frequently asked questions. Dear Chaplin Burkes. Why does my email come back as “undelivered”? Dear Reader. I’m not a mime and my first name isn’t Charlie. I mention this because chaplain is commonly misspelled as Chaplin, like the comic actor and director. My title, C-h-a-pl-a-i-n, has two a’s, which spells the difference between Charlie, the comedic genius, and Norris, the opinionated chaplain.

NB By Norris Burkes Spirit Matters

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How did you become a newspaper columnist? In the summer of 2001, I took my son on a Boy Scout camping trip where I met Tom Clifford, then editor of Florida Today. After I shared chaplain stories around the campfire, Clifford asked me to send him some drafts for a spirituality column. It seemed like an easy gig until Tom asked me to begin by writing a spiritual response to the attack on the World Trade Center. How can I become a newspaper columnist? Unless you know Tom, you’ll need to take your chances with a syndicate like Tribune Media, Hearst or Creators. As they did with me, they’ll likely refer your proposal to Helen Wait. Meaning, “If you want your own column, go to Hell-n-Wait.” What kind of email do you get? Aside from one I’ll get from my mother chiding me for my potty-mouth answer to the previous question, I get sad ones, mad ones and lots of sweet ones. The first two are those I remember most. Do you answer them all? Mostly, just not always in a timely or coherent manner. However, I’m no Ann Landers, so I don’t offer personal advice

or engage with political or theological issues. How much do you get paid? About half as much as I did five years ago or a tenth of what you think I get. If I gave an actual figure, thousands of idealistic journalism students would dropout and flood the fast-food job market. Are you Democrat or Republican? To keep my meager salary, I decline to answer. How long does it take you to write your column? Which column do you mean? My first draft? Or the 15 revisions that follow? (The real answer is 12–15 hours.) Where do you get your column ideas? From news events, family stories, chaplain experience or the Bible. Sometimes I don’t have any ideas. Then I write columns like this one. How long have you been writing this column? It’ll be 20 years in October. Do you live here? Define “here.” I write for 35 papers nationwide from my home in Auburn. Can you come to our town to speak? Yes. Like the Old West circuit-riding preachers, I’m a have-Bible-will-travel chaplain. I’m fully vaccinated and raring to return to public speaking.

What is your educational background? I have a double major in journalism and religion from Baylor. I have a Master of Fine Arts in nonfiction from Pacific and I’m halfway through my master’s in journalism from University of Nevada, Reno. (No one ever asks that question, but I thought it would be fun to tell you.) What kind of minister are you? I’m a “recovering Baptist.” I attend a 12-step group where we must acknowledge that there’s a higher power than the Southern Baptist Convention. The true answer depends on the day. I’m often a sad one, a confused one, a happy one or an empathetic one. Today, I’m just a wisecracking chaplain who hopes to have given you a smile or two. Norris Burkes can be reached at comment@thechaplain.net. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. Burkes is available for public speaking at civic organizations, places of worship, veterans groups and more. For details and fees, visit thechaplain.net. n

Gregory Kondos, 1923-2021 ‘HIS ART WILL LIVE ON FOREVER’

acramento artist Gregory Kondos passed away in late March. He was 97 and worked in his studio most days until his

death. Upon his passing, the Crocker Art Museum wrote: “Kondos is best known for the buttery spread of bright, warm color in his thickly painted landscapes. Even the cool tones of blue of his paintings are heated, evoking sun-warmed expanses of summer sky and water. The intensity of color and heat broadly flattens detail and is common in Sacramento, where he painted and taught for half a century. “Through his use of high-keyed color and broad paint handling, Kondos displayed an affinity to artists like Roland Petersen, Raimonds Staprans and Wayne Thiebaud, with whom he shared an abiding friendship. In 2013 Thiebaud noted, ‘He makes a sweeping gesture and then adds detail with

quick stops like exclamation points. He addresses horizons, rivers, seas, those things that change constantly with looseness and freedom and a kind of brush dancing.’” According to the Crocker, “Kondos’ series of Napa and Sonoma county subjects culminated in 1989 with a monumental work, ‘Rutherford Vineyard.’ This painting’s true subjects are grapevines and shadows, which occupy a full four-fifths of the composition. Like other works in the vineyard series, grape leaves are rendered as calligraphic abstractions in pure, saturated color. Foreground vines and posts are depicted nearly life-size and resolve into something identifiable only at a distance when the accompanying buildings and trees come into view.” Regretfully, I did not get to know Kondos, although I admired his work and was thrilled he was honored on Sacramento’s Walk of Stars in 2017. His star is installed in the sidewalk on L Street near 19th Street in Midtown.

My friend Tim Collom, an accomplished artist, knew Kondos well. He offered his thoughts: “I can’t say enough about Greg Kondos, an incredibly funny, charismatic and charming man. He was harsh in his criticism of my work, but only to make me better. I often visited his studio and listened to every word as he was a wealth of knowledge and always wanted to teach. He was one of the best art teachers because he gave practical advice that a painter could truly understand. “Greg Kondos and Wayne Thiebaud have always been so gracious to me and so many artists in the region. They are two of the best role models that held such a high standard of excellence through hard work and discipline. Greg was an artist’s artist as he practiced what he preached every single day. Through his sketches and paintings all over the world he

embodied everything he saw through his own eyes. “Sacramento and the whole art world lost an icon with his larger-than-life personality and his art will live on forever. Love goes to his incredible wife, Moni Van Camp, who was there every step of the way. Moni will forever hold a place in my heart as a champion for Greg and so many artists in the area. Rest in peace my friend, and above all, thank you.” Cecily Hastings can be reached at publisher@insidepublications.com. n

Top left: Gregory Kondos in his studio. Top right: Gregory Kondos, “Rutherford Vineyard,” 1989. Oil on canvas. Crocker Art Museum, gift of Bob and Jeannette Powell. Bottom right: Gregory Kondos and Tim Collom.

By Cecily Hastings

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Watercolor Incorrect

Jerald Silva Photo by Aniko Kiezel

JERALD SILVA’S GENRE-BENDING BRUSHSTROKES MAKE ART AN ADVENTURE

JL By Jessica Laskey Open Studio

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cclaimed painter Jerald Silva fits many descriptions. Here’s one he doesn’t fit: watercolorist. “It’s not insulting. I just work so differently from persons who describe themselves that way, I don’t wish to

be misunderstood,” Silva says. “Mine is a different genre using the same materials.” Silva’s style was developed by accident. As a young artist, he was using a friend’s studio while the friend was abroad. He ran out of

canvas. With necessity serving as the mother of invention, Silva noticed a roll of butcher paper. He decided to paint on that—until he discovered it was too porous for watercolor. He then saw a gallon of Elmer’s glue, which he thinned and spread across the paper. He glued on a piece of cardboard for stiffness. The glue film allowed the paper to resist the water, which gave Silva a new surface to paint on, along with a new genre he called “watercolor incorrect.” “This method of working is really an unexpected extension of the medium,” says Silva, whose lifelong pursuit of painting and drawing has included art studies at Sacramento City College, where he studied with Wayne Thiebaud and Amelia Fischbacher. He also attended the prestigious Chouinard Art Institute of Los Angeles (now part of CalArts), and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Sacramento State. “It offered me possibilities that nothing else did,” he says. “I’ve tried very hard to show other people how I do it—I think it’s really easy, but I’ve been doing it for 60 years. I love it because the style is unexpected. Every painting is an adventure.” The 84-year-old is always up for an adventure, as evidenced by his huge body of work—he estimates he’s completed roughly 900 paintings— and extensive resume. He’s exhibited in his native Sacramento, plus Folsom, Rocklin, the Bay Area, Southern California, New York City, Ashland, Ore., and London when his family moved to England on a whim in 1968 after a successful show in L.A. “My wife had always wanted to live in England and she asked if the show had been successful enough for us to move there,” says Silva, who has three sons with his late wife, Susan. “I said we could do it but it would be difficult. Well, in this family, if something is possible, it’s mandatory. Ten weeks later we were on a freighter to England.” Silva is quick to point out his success has been a product not just of talent, but timing. “The 1950s and early ’60s were a really good time for me to decide to be an artist because it was very stylish to be poor,” he says. “Nobody thought of BMWs,

fine houses or haircuts. We lived the life we were actually living—we were poor, but we didn’t feel poor. When I lived was a miracle. Twenty years before or after, I couldn’t have done it. I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been.” And he’s not done. He recently had a solo exhibition at artspace1616 on Del Paso Boulevard and plans to exhibit again in San Francisco and L.A., where his paintings fetch substantial sums. He’s still experimenting with his style—in fact, he’s painting in his Curtis Park studio as we talk. “Now I’m doing odd landscapes with drawings on top as if in fog,” Silva says. He uses a technique called scumbling. A stiff brush scratches the color on, and he softens the material into what he calls a “vague painting”

by spraying the watercolor pigment with water, causing it to relax and float around. Then he marks the surface with his finger. The result is a ghostlike image that looks like it’s been drawn on a steamy window. “I’m only ever playing,” Silva says. “I always want to face the unexpected—you don’t want to be caught boring yourself. Every day you wake up is an experiment. If it’s not, you’re not doing it right.” For information on Silva’s work, visit jeraldsilva.com. Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Previous profiles can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

I’m only ever playing. I always want to face the unexpected—you don’t want to be caught boring yourself.

“

”

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Très Bien! CUSTOM-BUILT HOME IS REMINISCENT OF FRENCH FARMHOUSE

our years ago, Ray Gundlach and his wife, Laurie Wood-Gundlach, purchased property seven houses down from their home in the ArdenArcade area. They liked the neighborhood, adjacent to Del Paso Country Club, and were happy enough with their house, but wanted to experience “something different,” Laurie says. The idea of designing a house custom-built to fit their individual tastes—tastes honed by their many experiences with past homes— appealed to them. The 3,200-square-foot, two-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath residence was completed in 2018, and built in the classic French farmhouse style. Nestled among olive trees, the house lives up to its inspiration.

ZS By Zack Sherzad Photos by Aniko Kiezel OPEN HOUSE

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Where the terra-cotta roof meets the imperfect smooth stucco are three rows of Génoise tile, assembled with obvious attention to quality and consistency. The front doors and matching shutters, one of the final projects of the talented Christy Power of Anasazi Old World Doors before she retired, are lightly brushed a gorgeous blue-grey. Reminiscent of patinated copper, the unique color is hard to look away from, and the mildness of the rest of the facade emphasizes it beautifully. Ray, a retired real estate developer and project manager, has been building commercially for 40 years, but even he was surprised to discover how time

consuming it can be to design and construct a custom residential home. “I was amazed by how many really small details there are. Every single thing you see is a decision,” he says. Admittedly, Ray's involvement ran much deeper than usual. During construction, Ray rode his bike to the site every day, and he built every piece of cabinetry himself. The feat is a chef-d’oeuvre coming from a man who calls himself “a hobbyist.” Crafted from sapele, an environmentally friendly substitute for mahogany, his handiwork graces every room—from the bathroom's floating vanity to the cabinet fronts of the kitchen's refrigerated drawers. “If there hadn't been delays in

the construction due to weather, I would have had to work 22-hour days to finish,” Ray says. Another unique aspect of the build is the floor plan. When working with the architect, Ray and Laurie made a decision to maximize the amount of wall space so they would have more room to display art. “You could design this house much more efficiently, but we wanted the corridors,” Ray says. The long hallways feature warm recessed lights angled to illuminate each piece of artwork. This gives parts of the house a pensive quality—an atmosphere of meaningful reflection usually reserved for libraries and museums. The living room is a different story. The space is dominated by a soaring oil triptych by artist Diane Ainsworth. A wall of plate glass facing the backyard casts the artwork in varying degrees of natural light. “We bought the painting in Montana in 2015,” Ray says. “We kind of jokingly said that we needed to build a house to hang it. We spent a lot of time talking about where it would be.” The painting is double-sided and flipped seasonally. Both sides depict rich red poppies, but one shows a lush green field, while the opposite focuses on individual flowers. The greener side brings the blooming spring and summer indoors, while the bold red of the close-up brightens the short days of fall and winter. Finally, the kitchen supplements the house's verdant pallet with deep green

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steatite countertops and a seafoam tile backsplash. Commonly known as soapstone, steatite is a dense talc-containing stone that is highly resistant to chemicals and heat, but relatively soft—roughly equivalent to marble. Ray's sapele cabinetry is a splendid complement to the countertops. A beautiful Frenchmade La Cornue stove is an absolute jewel—a pitch-perfect addition to this couple's interpretation of the classic French farmhouse. Très bien! Zack Sherzad can be reached at zacksherzad@gmail.com. To recommend a home or garden for Open House, contact Inside Sacramento at editor@ insidepublications.com. More photography and previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n

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ASPARAGUS

This perennial is one of the first plants of spring. Its tender young shoots are delicious when steamed, roasted or grilled. Nutrient dense, it’s rich in B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Eat it: Toss the spears in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then roast outdoors on a hot grill until charred.

FAVA BEANS

A member of the pea family, these beans have a nutty taste and buttery texture. Look for sturdy green pods with velvety fuzz. They need to be shelled and peeled before re eating. Favas are high in n protein and dietary fiber. Eat it: Steam them until tender and serve with olive oil, salt and lemon.

ENDIVE

Sown in spring, chicory seeds produce a root that’s harvested and placed in a dark, humid “forcing room.” The result: endive, the second growth of a chicory root. Crisp, with a sweet, nutty flavor, it’s a good source of potassium. To eat: Separate the leaves and top each one with a spoonful of chicken salad or edamame with miso dressing.

Monthly Market A LOOK AT WHAT’S IN SEASON AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS IN MAY

GREEN GARLIC

ARUGULA

This edible annual plant, sometimes known as rocket, belongs to the same family as mustard greens and kale. Its peppery green leaves are green in salads. Arugula is a rich source of certain phytochemicals as well as vitamin A. Eat it: Tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice and topped with shaved Parmesan.

ENGLISH PEAS

Also known as shell peas or garden peas, these sweet legumes enjoy a short season in late spring and early summer. Their pods aren’t edible, so shell them immediately before cooking. High in protein, they’re also low in fat. To eat: Boil them briefly until crisp-tender, then add to a pasta salad.

Also known as spring garlic or baby garlic, this young plant is a highlight of the spring farmers market. It looks like an overgrown scallion and has a mild yet garlicky flavor. Plants in the garlic family are known to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Eat it: Use it raw in a salad or cooked in a frittata.

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Photos by Linda Smolek

Follow the Smoke BARBECUE AND BEER JOINT SHINES IN QUIET CORNER OF EAST SACRAMENTO

ames Lee’s friends call him “Panda.” As far as I can tell, everyone is his friend. But if you forget Lee’s nickname, reminders are everywhere: on his panda-themed shirts and the panda mural painted on

GS By Greg Sabin Restaurant Insider

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the side of the barbecue joint he owns with Julio Peix. You’ll find Lee at the smoker most days. He smokes brisket, ribs or pork belly. He throws a little smoke onto his signature meatloaf or even tofu. If the smoker is going, he’s there. “I’m usually onsite by 1,” he says. “Just after lunch?” I ask. “No,” he says, “1 a.m.” The work of the pit-master, you see, starts long before you take a bite. When Lee rolls up to Lefty’s Taproom on Elvas Avenue, his first task is to start his “coal bed.” He says it takes about one hour to get a good coal bed started. Then he can put on his meats.

It’s another eight to 10 hours as he slowly feeds in small pieces of wood to get the right amount of smoke without affecting the overall temperature. “I’ve lost all my arm hair,” Lee says. “Feeding wood in that smoker totally does it to you.” He holds out his left arm, of course. The name of the joint, Lefty’s Taproom, comes from the fact that both he and Peix are left-handed. This is Lee’s first run at restaurant ownership. He’s a civil engineer by trade, but got the barbecue bug a few years ago. Starting with just a Webber kettle in the backyard, then a pellet smoker, he quickly gained the skill and

confidence to offer some of the best barbecue in the area. I ask if he has any local mentors or teachers. I picture Lee sitting at the foot of a grizzled, whiskered old-timer wreathed in smoke, skin permanently smudged from decades at the smoker. “Mostly trial and error,” he says. “And YouTube. There are a lot of good videos out there.” Partnering with Peix, who previously co-owned Dad’s Kitchen, seems like it’s working. Peix’s influence has made Lefty’s a homey, festive outpost. You’ll find old beer advertising signs and a Skee-Ball machine. Same as Dad’s Kitchen, you’ll find an incredible beer selection.

Both Lee and Peix are heavy into the beer scene. With some unofficial consultation from Sacramento Beer Week founder Dan Scott, they put together an impressive beer list. Brews come from up and down the West Coast (including Reno). The list goes from easy drinking favorites such as North Coast Brewing’s Red Seal Ale and Dust Bowl Brewing’s Taco Truck Lager to adventuresome concoctions like Sour in the Rye from Orange County’s Bruery Terreux and a meaty Russian imperial stout from Massachusetts brewery Clown Shoes. The restaurant and taproom are located at Elvas Avenue and F Street. It’s a little sleepy over there and you might miss it if you’re using Elvas as a high-speed thoroughfare. However, if you roll down your windows, you’ll catch the smell of meaty smoke in the air and know where to stop. The menu features barbecue, of course, with the big guns such as ribs and brisket served Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Other days feature a decent menu of goodies, including some

of the best chili in town, the best potato salad I’ve had in years and surprising (for a barbecue place) vegan and vegetarian options, plus a house salad that has no business being as good as it is. Lefty’s is still a new enterprise. Lee and Peix opened in March 2020, days before the first shutdowns. Since then, they’ve tweaked the menu and physical space. Now Lee says, “I think we’ve got everything where we want it. I have a feeling it’s gonna start getting crazy busy in here when everything is open and I can’t wait.” I can’t wait either. Neither should you. Check out Lefty’s.

IN A SUMMER READY MOOD?

ENJOY FRESH & HEALTHY MEALS EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK AT SELLAND’S JOIN US OR ORDER ONLINE FOR CURBSIDE PICKUP OR DELIVERY ORDER ONLINE AT SELLANDS.COM

Lefty’s Taproom is at 5610 Elvas Ave.; (916) 389-0288; leftystaproom.com. Greg Sabin can be reached at gregsabin@hotmail.com. Our Inside Sacramento Restaurant Guide and previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento. n

www.waterboyrestaurant.com (916) 498-9891 2000 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento

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