City Hall’ s pay-to-play CulturE page 11
you dEsErvE a raisE Sacramento’s big water meter install is one of the city’s costliest projects ever. Is it also
wasting millions?
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2016, y’all Remind me not to visit Texas again the day after an election. Talk about painful—Greg Abbott billboards everywhere and my birth mother gleeful for the way her new governor “stomped all over that little Wendy Davis’ behind.” Ouch. Back home in California, however, it’s clear how important it is to occasionally step out of one’s political comfort zone. Abbott won the Lone Star State’s highest office by appealing to conservatives who worried more about jobs, gun rights and immigration than a woman’s right to birth control or a safe abortion. While Davis raised more than $30 million and also pledged to improve the state’s economy and educational system, she also should have expanded and strengthened her platform. Now, it’s time to get serious. Republicans won the senate majority, the first GOP primary debate is already on the books (September 16, 2015—mark your calendars) and speculation over potential candidates is already in full heat: Jeb Bush? Rand Paul? Chris Christie? Rick Perry, again? One thing’s certain, if Democrats want to keep the White House, they must focus. Even as the GOP held fast to its conservative core, the left stumbled, floundered, bickered and ultimately just drifted off-message. The Affordable Care Act. Gun control. Gay marriage. Marijuana legalization. Reproductive rights. Immigration reform that guarantees crucial civil rights and allows a clear path to citizenship. Livable wages, long-term jobs, marked income growth, and affordable housing and higher education. The ever-widening gap between the very rich and the rest of us. These are the issues that matter—especially to the young, diverse voters expected to turn out at the polls on November 8, 2016. Get it together, y’all.
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BEFORE
November 13, 2014 | vol. 26, issue 30
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51 Custom Publications Managing Editor Shannon Springmeyer Custom Publications Writer/Copy Editor Mike Blount Custom Publications Writer Brittany Wesely Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Directors of First Impressions Courtney DeShields, Matt Kjar Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Daniel Bowen, Russell Brown, Nina Castro, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, John Cunningham, Lob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Aaron Harvey, Wayne Hopkins, Brenda Hundley, Greg Meyers, Kenneth Powell, Wendell Powell, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resources Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Rosenquist Accounting Specialist Kortnee Angel Accounts Receivable Specialist Nicole Jackson Sweetdeals Coordinator Alicia Brimhall Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Lead Technology Synthesist Jonathan Schultz
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“Everyone should watch a meteor shower.”
Asked at McKinley Park:
What should everyone try at least once?
Doug Lovell
Craig Fugina
Daniela Voronkova
retired
nanny
Parachute from an airplane. I was in the British army. I practiced a bit, and saw real combat in the Middle East. It’s exhilarating. You never get used to it. I had a close call one time. I landed on someone else’s chute. ... We were about 600 feet up, not a lot of time to react, but we made it.
Everyone should watch a meteor shower. I did it back in my home country. We went out of the city to see the sky and we watched the falling stars all night. ... Some leave white streaks, and some are yellow and orange. It makes you think about nature differently, and how this beautiful thing can be created.
David Butterworth
Tony Rivera
architectural design
truck driver
Travel to another country. I’ve been all over Europe and Mexico. I want to go to South America next, Rio de Janeiro. The best place is Sacramento, obviously. It’s good to step outside your comfort zone, see what’s outside the California bubble. Plus vacation is always nice to recharge and relax.
Tina Cerruti
strength guide
Ride a bike. The first time I rode a bike when I was a kid, my dad pushed me down a hill and I ran into the back of a car. I got up, got back on, and ever since I’ve been riding a bike. It’s my main way of getting around.
Just do something you’re afraid of. Move somewhere different, travel somewhere new, or look at something in a way you haven’t before. I’ve tried so many. I moved to Austin, [Texas] and met my fiancee doing something I never thought I would have been doing, and we moved back here and started my company.
nurse
Skydiving. I tried it once 15 years ago. It went well. I survived it, but I don’t think I’d do it voluntarily again. My initial reaction was I wanted to go up and do it again. It feels like free-falling: frightening, but really invigorating. It’s the jumping out of the airplane I don’t like, but once you’re out of the airplane, it’s fun.
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Bikes not the enemy Re “Where the sidewalk ends: On modernizing Sacramento’s bike rules and infrastructure” by Nick Miller (SN&R Arts & Culture, November 6): In 2012, 4,743 pedestrians and 726 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles (according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Can you imagine if each one of these incidents got letter of the same coverage as a bicyclist hitting a pedestrian? the week The Sacramento Bee would have to run a new section every day and we’d probably need a new 24-hour news network just to cover it all. Yet somehow the real menace to public safety is people pedaling around on 30-pound frames, and the daily carnage caused by two-ton motorized battering rams is just background noise. The victims of bike crashes certainly deserve support and condolences, but let’s not forget that this is the epitome of a man-bites-dog story. Everyone benefits when we make the streets safer to walk and bike on.
C a l i f o r n i a ’ s l a r g e s t o u t d o o r s p o r t i n g & t r a v e l s h o w r e t u r n s t o s a C r a m e n t o
Matthias Kimball
I n t e r n at I o n a l
S a c ra m e nt o
Wages, transit and health care
Re “Should Sacramento raise the minimum wage?” by Sasha Abramsky (SN&R Feature Story, November 6): I agree that the minimum wage should increase, for the reasons stated in the article. However, there are two topics not addressed that actually result in financial instability for lowwage workers. Many of these people live in online buzz transit-poor neighborhoods, where they have little choice but to own On whether bicycliStS ShOuld be a car—usually an older, unreliable car. The car breaks down, and the allOwed tO ride On the Sidewalk: person goes from barely getting by Sometimes it’s safer for me on to financial crisis. The solution is the sidewalk ... but then there’s to make sure that we have effective the jerks who show no concern transit in the places where low-wage for walking public ... What to do! workers live, and to make sure we Flora Elizabeth Davis provide affordable housing in places via Facebook with effective transit. The second is health care. A single I only ride on the streets. Sidewalks are for people who incident of injury or poor health, or walk. any of the chronic diseases brought on by low-income lives, can push somePatrick Schiller-Nunes one over the edge, from barely getting via Facebook by to crisis. The solution is universal health care, that allows these people On whether kevin JOhnSOn ShOuld to get treated and get back to work. run FOr mayOr again Universal health care also ensures that Yes!!!! If he were not our Mayor, caring for and financially supporting Seattle would have our Kings and family members with medical issues the Downtown Plaza would still doesn’t cause the low-wage worker to stand half occupied. Just wait lose their job. all. Once this arena is built, you’ll reflect back... Dan Allison Chris C-ray Raynes Sacramento via Facebook
He agrees with SN&R, finally!
I think it depends on what projects or issues he still wants to address. If something else comes up where he would be an effective advocate for the city, I want him to run again.
Re “Doug Ose and Ami Bera’s despicable attack ads” by Jeff vonKaenel (SN&R Greenlight, October 30): Let me say that I have never agreed with just about anything I’ve ever read in your paper. I even argue restaurant reviews in Dish. I’m shocked to find myself in total lockstep with the views in Jeff’s article, let BEFORE
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SportSmen’S
alone the fact that I am writing to you about anything. What an incredible waste of our time and their money to use that forum not to inform the voter on one single issue either candidate stands for. ... To quote Clara Peller: “Where’s the beef”? Certainly not under those campaign buns. Alan Johansen Wheatland
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11:26 AM
PA I D A DV E RT I SE M E N T
Open for Canna-business Limited options led to opening of collective by Evan Tuchinsky
Then someone stole his crop. Fortunately, his homeowner’s insurer reimbursed him for the loss. He didn’t get a huge windfall ($3,300) but it came at a time when repair jobs were tailing off. Plus, he received a fair measure of publicity — local media couldn’t resist the story of a guy getting insurance money for his pilfered pot. Meanwhile, to procure the medicine, Matt had to drive to Oakland, which limited purchases to an eighth-ounce per day.
MMCA opened for business in Placerville, operating out of a garage with a couch, before moving to the unincorporated area of Diamond Springs. MMCA set up shop in its current location in 2005 but was asked to leave in 2008 when, Matt says, the landlord felt pressure from drug-enforcement officials. The collective returned last year. Photo by Laura Marie Anthony
I
n 2001, Matt Vaughn found himself at a crossroads. A mechanic by trade, he’d been using marijuana medicinally to treat his glaucoma, growing what he needed to ease his eye-pressure symptoms in the backyard of his El Dorado County home.
This combination of factors led to the creation of MMCA: the Medical Marijuana Caregivers Association. The collective, based in El Dorado County with a dispensary in Cameron Park, primarily grows and markets its own products, only taking from outside vendors those items that members can’t make. “It was just originally from my needs and the lack of medicine that I have to have,” Matt says. “The other driving thing here is, as a glaucoma patient, I’m otherwise healthy and I felt the need to get out there and help the people who were really having trouble. They can’t grow their own; they rely on people like us to do that.” Matt Vaughn got into the cannabis business after finding limited medical marijuana options in El Dorado County. He formed the MMCA collective in 2004.
“I felt the need to get out there and help the people who were really having trouble.”
Legally speaking, that’s the brunt of what MMCA has faced: “We’ve been threatened,” Matt says, “but nothing’s really happened ... we’ve never been raided or anything like that.” The county finally acknowledged MMCA as a business with a “non-conforming use” this spring.
Matt Vaughn, president, MMCA
MMCA is set up as a nonprofit corporation of which Matt is president and his wife, Helene, is treasurer. (Elaine Roller, the other executive on the board, is secretary.) Matt says the collective does not keep a database but estimates active membership around 2,000. The group incorporated in 2004, in the wake of SB 420, the Medical Marijuana Program Act.
“It’s over 10 years, and we’re still slugging it out,” Matt says. “I thought it’d be like a start-up — I’d be working here two or three years and it’d be revving to take off — but it’s still starting up.”
“There is no real road map for this,” Matt says. “There is no real right way, but they’ll tell you if it’s the wrong way!” COLLECTIVES CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY. For more info: www.Collective-Giving.com
Sponsored by:
DOCTOR’S ORDERS CO-OP
CANN-MEDICAL
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MMCA C 100% ORGANI
CC101
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A.M.C.
420MD
THC
Midtown muggings See SCOREKEEPER
See BITES
11
Raise the minimum See EDITORIAL
13
The anticorporate list
PHOTO BY JOHn W. AdkiSSOn
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Underdogs win!
Project Censored announces 2014’s top 10 overlooked stories Project Censored is an annual book and reporting project that features the year’s most underby reported news stories. The top 25 finalists Joe Fitzgerald are sent to Project Censored’s panel of Rodriguez judges, who then rank the entries, with ocean acidification topping this year’s list.
Traditional media ignored stories of FBI and NSA operations against Occupy protesters. That’s one of Project Censored’s overlooked stories of 2014.
1. Our oceans are acidifying—even if the nightly news hasn’t told you yet
As humanity continues to fill the atmosphere with harmful gases, the planet is becoming less hospitable to life as we know it. The vast oceans absorb much of the carbon dioxide we have produced, from the industrial revolution through the rise of global capitalism. Earth’s self-sacrifice spared the atmosphere nearly 25 percent of humanity’s CO2 emissions, slowing the onslaught of many severe weather consequences. Although the news media have increasingly covered the climate weirding of global warming—hurricane superstorms, fierce tornado clusters, overwhelming snowstorms and record-setting global high temperatures—our oceans’ peril has largely stayed submerged below. 2. Top 10 U.S. aid recipients practice torture
Sexual abuse, children kept in cages, extrajudicial murder. While these sound like horrors the United States would stand against, the reverse is true: This country is funding these practices. The top 10 international recipients of U.S. foreign assistance in 2014 all practice torture, according to human-rights groups, as reported by Daniel Wickham of online outlet Left Foot Forward. Israel received more than $3 billion in U.S. aid for fiscal year 2013-14, according to a Congressional Research Service report. The next top recipients of U.S. foreign aid were Afghanistan, Egypt, Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. All countries were accused of torture by human-rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez was, until recently, a reporter for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, where this story first appeared. Rodriguez now works for SF Weekly. Find out more at www.project censored.org.
3. A secret deal to help corporations
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is like the Stop Online Piracy Act on steroids, yet few have heard of it, let alone enough people to start an Internet campaign to topple it. Despite details revealed by Wikileaks, the nascent agreement has been largely ignored by the corporate media. BEFORE
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The agreement touches on intellectual property rights and the regulation of private enterprise between nations, and is open to negotiation and viewing by 600 “corporate advisers” from big oil and pharmaceutical to entertainment companies. Many criticized the secrecy surrounding the TPP, arguing the real-world consequences may be grave. Doctors Without Borders wrote, “If harmful provisions in the U.S. proposals for the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement are not removed before it is finalized, this trade deal will have a real cost in human lives.” 4. Corporate Internet providers threaten net neutrality
Under the FCC’s proposed new rules, corporate behemoths such as Comcast or Verizon could charge entities to use faster bandwidth, which advocates say would create financial barriers to free speech and encourage censorship. John Oliver, comedian and host of Last Week Tonight on HBO, recently gave a 13-minute treatise on the importance of stopping the FCC’s new rules, resulting in a flood of comments to the FCC defending a more open Internet. 5. Bankers remain on Wall Street despite crimes
Bankers responsible for rigging municipal bonds and bilking billions of dollars from American cities have largely escaped criminal charges. Every day in the United States, low-level drug dealers get more prison time than these scheming bankers who, while working for GE Capital, allegedly skimmed money from public schools, hospitals, libraries and nursing homes, according to Rolling Stone. Dominick Carollo, Steven Goldberg and Peter Grimm were dubbed a part of the “modern American mafia” by the magazine’s Matt Taibbi, one of the few journalists to consistently cover their trial. STORY
6. The ‘Deep State’ of plutocratic control
What’s frightening about the puppeteers who pull the strings of our national government is not how hidden they are, but how hidden they are not. From defense contractors to multinational corporations, a wealthy elite using an estimated $32 trillion in tax-exempt offshore havens are the masters of our publicly elected officials. In an essay written for Moyer and Company by Mike Lofgren, a congressional staffer of 28 years focused on national security, this cabal of wealthy interests comprise our nation’s “Deep State.” As Lofgren writes for Moyer, “The Deep State is the big story of our time. It is the red thread that runs through the war on terrorism, the financialization and deindustrialization of the American economy, the rise of a plutocratic social structure and political dysfunction.” 7. FBI dismisses plot against Occupy as NSA cracks down on dissent
Nationally, law enforcement worked in the background to monitor and suppress the Occupy Wall Street movement. A document obtained in a FOIA request by David Lindorff of WhoWhatWhy from the FBI office in Houston revealed an alleged assassination plot targeting an Occupy group, which the FBI allegedly did not warn the movement about. Lindorff confirmed the document’s veracity with the FBI. When contacted by Lindorff, Houston Police were uninterested, and, seemingly, according to Lindorff, uninformed. 8. Ignoring extreme weather connection to global warming
referring to global warming as the context or cause, even as a question. As Project Censored notes, a study by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting found extreme weather events in 2013 spurred 450 broadcast news segments, only 16 of which even mentioned climate change. National news outlets have fallen on the job as well, as The New York Times recently shuttered its environmental desk and its Green blog, reducing the number of reporters exclusively chasing down climate-change stories. 9. U.S. media hypocrisy in covering Ukraine crisis
The U.S. battle with Russia over Ukraine’s independence is actually an energy pipeline squabble, a narrative lost by mainstream media coverage, Project Censored alleges. Russian President Vladimir Putin has drawn fire from the media as a tyrant, without complex analyses of his country’s socioeconomic interests, according to Project Censored. As the media often do, they have turned the conflict into a cult of personality, talking up Putin’s shirtless horseback riding and his hardline style with deftness missing from their political analysis. 10. World Health Organization suppresses report on Iraq impacts
The United States’ legacy in Iraq possibly goes beyond death to a living nightmare of cancer and birth defects, due to the military’s use of depleted-uranium weapons, a World Health Organization study found. Iraq is poisoned. Much of the report’s contents were leaked to the BBC during its creation. But the release of the report, completed in 2012 by WHO, has stalled. Critics allege the U.S. is deliberately blocking its release, masking a damning Middle East legacy rivaling the horrors of Agent Orange in Vietnam. Ω
In what can only be responded to with a resounding “duh,” news analyses have found mainstream media frequently report on severe weather changes without | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R | 11.13.14
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by SN&R staff
SCORE KEEPER
Presenting the best in music, dance and speakers
Sacramento’s winners and losers—with arbitrary points
More Midtown muggings
Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra TUE, NOV 18 • 8PM
Dr. John & The Nite Trippers WED, DEC 3 • 8PM
Holy arena subsidy, “your Sacramento Kings” are actually good this year (at least so far). They’re actually fun to watch and (sometimes) play defense. They beat legit contenders Portland and the L.A. Clippers. DeMarcus Cousins, who was on the verge of being booted out of town two years ago, is a serious MVP candidate. What the hell is going on at the venue that will always be known as Arco Arena?!
- 1,000,000
+ 916
Nacho fail November 6 was National Nacho Day. Which is like five notches above Christmas, right? Except if you were Scorekeeper: We deviated from the usual favorites at Midtown’s Tres Hermanas restaurant and opted to celebrate with the day’s eponymous fare. Bad move: overpriced, soggy, gross. Tres, you’re the best Mexican spot on the grid, but your nacho game is way, way off.
- 8.99 ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN BRENEMAN
If New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, then trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and the 18-piece New Orleans Jazz Orchestra are the proud standard bearers of that city’s indelible legacy.
THINK FREE.
The Spirit of New Orleans!
King for a week or two—or more?
It’s that time of year when holiday cheer abounds—and Midtowners get their phones jacked. Police are investigating an alleged robbery-at-gunpoint this past Saturday morning after 2 a.m. near K and 21st streets. And more: On Sunday morning, two robberies occurred—one at G and 18th just after 2:30 a.m. (two men robbed and assaulted a victim at gunpoint), and another at H and 23rd streets just after 4 a.m. (two to four male suspects assaulted and robbed multiple victims), according to the city police log. It’s worth noting that, in recent years, data does not show an uptick in crime on the grid. Still, be safe, Midtowners.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and New Orleans music legend.
The Gloaming
FRI, NOV 14 • 8PM
Folk tradition merged with contemporary takes this Irish supergroup in “fascinating new directions.” —The New Yorker
Brad Mehldau Trio THU, DEC 4 • 8PM
“One of the most consistently fascinating voices in current jazz.” —JazzTimes A full list of the 2014–15 season is available at mondaviarts.org 10 | SN&R | 11.13.14
Not gonna brag
Good never prevails?
Scorekeeper and this paper took a lot of crap for its vocal, sometimes snarky anti-Measure L stance. People said we were out of touch and unfair. Well, perhaps just the latter is true: After Election Day’s strong-mayor shellacking, it looks like we’re the ones in step with the will of the people. (Unlike some local print-media opinion tastemakers out there.)
Turn your eyes to the right to read this week’s Bites column for the lowdown on good-government reform in Sacramento. Scorekeeper, however, wants to chime in and say that, after Measure L’s beatdown (sorry, had to go there again), we’d hoped to see the pro-L contingent make a concession or two when it comes to ethics and campaignfinance rules. Guess not.
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- 12
GET IN, OUT, & CLEAN.
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Bites shares a Measure L postmortem, plus dishes on Sacto’s newest radio station Congratulations to the “L No” folks for defeating Kevin Johnson’s massively funded—though largely non-substantive—strong-mayor campaign. Unfortunately, Johnson may already be making a power move to prevent serious ethics reform in the city. Many of Measure L’s critics, Bites included, think the city of Sacramento is long overdue for the creation of an ethics commisArviN sion with the power to enforce the city’s by CoSMo G ethics and campaign-finance rules. That’s the cosmog@ newsrev iew.c om standard in most big California cities. Johnson’s Measure L called for a weaker “ethics committee” with no enforcement power. With Measure L defeated, local groups are ready to push for more substantive reform, but last week Johnson pre-empted them and announced he was forming his own “good governance ad hoc” committee to study the matter. Naturally, the ad hoc includes himself and his closest allies on the council—Jay Schenirer, Angelique Ashby and Allen Warren. There are several problems with leaving ethics reform to Johnson and his buddies. They have fostered an increasingly blatant pay-to-play culture at City Hall. And Johnson’s ad hoc committee meets behind closed doors; they don’t have to comply with public-meeting laws or public-record laws. Craig Powell with the local government watchdog group Eye on Sacramento said he applauds the mayor for advancing some ethics reform in the wake of Measure L’s defeat. “He is ironically proposing the least transparent and most anti-democratic way of going about it,” said Powell. Councilman Steve Hansen, who led the campaign to defeat Measure L, agreed. “This is the same process that brought us Measure L: back-room, ad hoc, no one from the public is really present,” Hansen said. Hansen and Powell suggest formation of a task force including community and goodgovernment groups—like Eye on Sacramento, League of Women Voters and Common Cause— as well as business, labor and faith groups. “If the process is designed right, the final product is likely to be broadly supported and much more effective,” said Powell. Hansen notes, however, that Johnson likely has the votes on the city council to get what he wants—and kill whatever he doesn’t want—on ethics reform. “The members of the public who care about this will have to get organized and hold the council accountable to do something real,” said Hansen. Congratulations to Jeff Harris, whose volunteer-driven “people’s campaign” overcame a 6-to-1 fundraising deficit against opponent Cyril Shah to win City Council’s District 3 seat. Proving that for a good candidate, money doesn’t matter much, right? Wrong, says Harris. “At first, no one would give me the time of day, because I didn’t have BEFORE
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a bank account,” he said. Harris wants to bring back the city’s public-financing program, which awards matching funds to qualifying candidates who agree to spending limits and fair campaign practices. Bites asked if Harris would run the same small-money people’s campaign four years from now, when he’s the incumbent and specialinterest cash comes knocking. “I can’t say what will happen. But I don’t see my values changing,” he replied.
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KUBU (“You be you,” get it?) will carry all the programming that you can hear on Access Sacramento’s “The Voice” cable radio station now—including music and public-affairs programming. On Tuesdays, the station will also carry live audio of Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and Sacramento City Council meetings. The kids love that stuff. Bites has always been a big believer in Access Sacramento’s mission of putting massmedia tools in the hands of citizens. Extending that mission to a bona-fide terrestrial radio station is an exciting next step. Anyone who wants to help support the station can contribute to the KUBU IndieGoGo campaign to help pay the Internet bill and rent on the tower. And Access is always ready to help train new producers. Go to AccessSacramento.org, or look for KUBU 96.5 FM on Facebook for more information. Ω | A R T S & C U L T U R E
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And finally, congratulations to Sacramento’s newest community-powered radio station KUBU-LP 96.5 FM. As of November 13, the new low-power FM station—run by Access Sacramento—is officially on the air full time. KUBU is the first of a crop of local LPFM stations awarded construction permits by the Federal Communications Commission in the last year. The transmitter itself is tucked in an electrical closet on the fifth floor of a Midtown office building. It gets its signal via broadband internet from the Access Sacramento studios at the Coloma Community Center in East Sac. A fat cable runs from the closet to the roof and up an old taxi dispatch tower, 120 feet above street level. KUBU is rocking about 65 watts right now, compared to 10,000, 20,000, or 50,000 watts for commercial stations. Access Sacramento director Gary Martin said the signal should reach a 5-mile radius—so about to West Sacramento, Florin Road, Sacramento State University and Sleep Train Arena.
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Election night blues I’m disappointed in the Democrats Last Tuesday was not a very good night for Democrats. They lost the Senate. They lost seats in the House of Representatives. And worse, they seemed to lose their way. Pundits and political spin doctors are trying to explain away this defeat, saying the party of a president in his second term usually loses. Or the Democrats had too many vulnerable seats. Or the president should have done more. Or the president should have done less. But the simple and painful truth is that not enough people who would have benefited from Democratic programs bothered to vote. The turnout was horrible. L by JEff VonkaEnE Voting is not hard. Americans spend many hours each j e ffv @n e wsr e v ie w.c o m day watching television and checking social media. Most Americans could have found a few minutes to go down to the polls, or to mail in their ballot. There were no long lines. While admittedly long waits have been a problem in the past, especially in minority districts in Republican states, this was not the problem last week. This November, many voters—who are in the 99 percent of Americans that personally benefit from many of the Democratic programs, and who will not benefit from the Republican-supported tax for corporations and the Imagine that instead cuts wealthy—chose not to vote. of running attack The reason is simple. They ads, Democrats did not believe it mattered to them. They did not believe that it had committed to was worth taking a few minutes raising the national of their time to vote. But why? I believe the Democrats have minimum wage. not adequately communicated how their programs are important to an average American. And the Democrats have been afraid to take courageous stands supporting the poor and the middle class. The Democrats should have supported a progressive campaign that dealt with the increasing income inequality in America, such as the program advocated by Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. Millennials sat The Democrats should have called for one set of law out this election. enforcement for all Americans, instead of our current system Here’s an with one set of standards for the very rich and another for the interesting interactive tool rest of us. Imagine that instead of running attack ads, Democrats had showing what would have happened committed to raising the national minimum wage to $10.10 an in four states if hour. This would go a long way toward replacing what inflayouth voter turnout increased: tion has taken away since the 1960s. Imagine that Democrats had pointed out that the Bush tax tinyurl.com/ youthvote2014. cuts for the rich have not helped the economy, and that they then advocated repealing them and using the money to put hundreds of thousands of Americans to work repairing our crumbling roads, schools, bridges and infrastructure. Imagine that the Democrats had demanded that the bankJeff vonkaenel is the president, ers, who ignored financial regulations to rip off their fellow CEO and citizens, had to serve jail time instead of returning only part of majority owner of the News & Review their illegal gains. Imagine if President Barack Obama had not delayed imminewspapers in Sacramento, Chico gration reform until after the election. and Reno. If this was the reality, I think you could imagine voters who would have found the time to vote. Ω
This Modern World
by tom tomorrow
Time for a living wage Raising wages to a living wage isn’t simple. Just like how fighting poverty has proven to be a much more simple matter in theory than in reality. But while all wages have been relatively stagnant for the last several decades, the workers at the bottom of the wage scale have suffered the most. We can’t expect workers to be self-supporting while working low-wage and minimum-wage jobs. It’s just not possible. Even with unrealistically low costs for things like food, rent, utilities and health insurance (not provided by most low-wage workplaces), most low-wage earners need roommates and a second job in order to live above the poverty level. These workers aren’t just young kids in temporary jobs. People who are Let’s kill that myth. The working full-time are U.S. Department of Labor reports that roughly threenot making enough to quarters of minimum-wage escape poverty. workers are over 20 years old— not teenagers living at home, but young adults trying to make a living. More than half of them are women. And these aren’t part-time workers, either; more than half work full-time. That’s right: They work full-time and yet live in poverty. And, one way or another, those of us fortunate enough to make a decent living are paying for other employers’ low wages. A large number of working adults find it necessary to access public assistance. That’s billions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize businesses’ low wages. Let’s say that again: People who are working full-time are not making enough to escape poverty. Businesses cushion their bottom lines by paying less, and then taxpayers bail them out. The usual argument against raising the minimum wage constitutes complaints that employers will simply hire fewer workers, or be forced to raise prices. Here in Sacramento, leaders say our economy isn’t San Jose or San Francisco, and local businesses can’t absorb the hit of raising wages. It’s true that Sacto is not the Silicon Valley. But with S.F. voters opting to raise its wage to $15 this past Tuesday, and other cities up and down the West Coast doing the same, the time is now for city leaders to start a conversation about what a living wage in Sacramento should look like. A mandatory minimum wage, one that allows full-time workers to support themselves and their families, is a free-market friendly response to poverty. It rewards people who are working—and isn’t hard work what we want to encourage? What’s more, low-wage workers spend far more of their income, therefore putting more dollars back into the local economy. Upping the minimum wage is the smart and right thing to do. Paying a living wage for certain jobs is just plain good business. Fifteen dollars an hour is a nice goal, but a dialogue is the first step. Red states such as Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota raised their minimums this past Election Day. Sacramento needs get on board. We urge our readers to support a minimum-wage ordinance in the city of Sacramento. Ω
Fertile discussion Here comes the holiday party season, when cocktails Manners perspective. We engage in small and small talk run wildly across our tongues. talk to help each other feel comfortable and by When meeting new people, we lean hard on included, but when you ask a new acquainBecca Costello the usual questions: What do you do? Where tance when she intends to have children, you be c c ac @ are you from? Where is the wine? might be treading into sensitive territory. newsre view.c om This year, I suggest we banish one question Maybe she can’t physically have children, from all introductory chitchat. Let’s agree to even though she wants them. Perhaps she and never ask, “Do you plan to have kids?” her partner do not agree on whether to have As a 39-year-old childless woman, I’ve kids, and the conflict is testing their relationfielded this query for nearly two decades from ship. Her past might include an abortion that dozens of people I’ve left emotional trauma, a recent met only once. I’ve been miscarriage or a child who It’s time to polite, but it’s time to has died. Maybe the necesacknowledge that fertilsary financial resources and acknowledge ity decisions aren’t party emotional support never lined conversation. up, and now she fears she’s that fertility Here I am, gray lost her chance at parenthood. decisions hair in my bangs, obviOr maybe, just maybe, ously aging out of the she’s totally fine with not aren’t party childbearing game, and having children, but sick of conversation. I tell you I don’t have being hectored about it. children. You ask if I How can any of this be want kids. You ask if shared honestly with near my partner and I have talked about it. You strangers over appetizers and Chardonnay? A might point out that I don’t have much time woman without children might be delighted by or, conversely, mention some woman you read that choice, or it might be a situation fraught about who had a child at 60. with pain and loss. Whatever her reason, it’s What can I say? definitely not because someone at a party Leaving aside the implication that women forgot to remind her to breed. without children are making an invalid lifeSo let’s change the subject, kind partystyle choice, let’s consider things from a Miss goers. You are off the hook. Ω BEFORE
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{PhoToS by bobby MuLL} Sacramento’s big water meter install is one of the largest and costliest city projects ever. SN&R investigates whether a lot of it is necessary or wasteful.
his fall, workers from Teichert Construction, the company awarded the contract to install Sacramento’ s new water meters in Land Park, descended on the neighborhood. There are a lot of ways to describe the city’ s water-meter plan. Low impact is not one of them. Diesel trucks dart through the neighborhood. Jackhammers pulverize concrete, backhoes tear out sections of streets. The air at times is filled with dust. Hard hats pop out of freshly dug 6-foot-deep trenches in streets and sidewalks. Some roads are closed, while bigger thoroughfares like Land Park Drive are partially shut down by workers directing traffic. Residents say the project is leaving a big mess in its wake. “This was a nice neighborhood. Now, they’re digging big holes and doing a lousy job patching them up,” said resident Marcelo Dacosta. It’s ironic that Sacramento’s water-meter project has come to have such an impact. After all, this is the city that always said never to the idea of water meters. The city’s charter was even amended in 1920 to declare its inalienable right to unmetered water. But 10 years ago, the state Legislature slapped a water-meter mandate on Sacramento and a few other holdout cities. Flash-forward to this year: Only half of the meters are installed, and the project isn’t slated to be complete until 2025. It won’t be cheap: The price tag to install more than 100,000 meters and replace pipes and water mains, according to the Department of Utilities (or the DOU, the folks in charge): 14 | SN&R | 11.13.14
$474 million—though that number jumps every year because of steep construction inflation. City council approved the sale of $234 million in bonds last year partly to pay for the install. The project’s buy-now, pay-later financing means it will likely cost more than the new Kings arena, according to SN&R’s estimates. To pay for some of the project, water rates ticked skyward 10 percent each year over the past three years. The DOU acknowledges the rate hikes will continue. According to local watchdog group Eye on Sacramento, a family of four could well pay a utility bill of more than $250 per month by 2025. “The business community, the middle class and the poor are all being killed by these rate hikes,” says Craig Powell, executive director of Eye on Sacramento. How did Sacramento’s water-meter install get so expensive? One cost driver is that the city’s paying $50 million more to install water meters in sidewalks, rather than landscaping them into lawns or dirt, the way it’s done in a majority of California cities subject to the state mandate. A former high-ranking DOU official, who ended up being sentenced to federal prison for accepting kickbacks, played a role in convincing the city council of the merits of the sidewalk plan in 2005. But the biggest expense, at least $350 million according to the city, is jackhammering up streets and replacing water mains. The DOU’s justification for this cost is that the water mains are in bad shape and have to be replaced before meters can be installed. They also want to move water mains from people’s backyards and into the streets out front. One former DOU engineer told SN&R these replacements are “incredibly wasteful” and blasted the department for not studying the water mains it was replacing. Civilengineering experts also say a lot of this work
seems unnecessary. And even Sacramento’s auditor said in a 2011 report that the DOU was replacing water mains “irrespective of their condition or remaining service life.” And the project also might be dangerous. Gaffes last year by water-meter contractors in Curtis Park and East Sacramento risked setting off explosions, including one at a house with a pregnant mom and a 2-year-old. In East Sacramento, a broken gas pipe leaked until a local resident stepped in and dialed 911. And in Land Park, one contractor just drilled right through a gas line.
When to replace a water pipe When Sacramento’s water-meter saga began 10 years ago, Angela Anderson was the DOU’s water-conservation officer. She still works to conserve water, but these days for the Federal Bureau of Reclamation. She says she left the DOU because of what she viewed as a lack of commitment to water saving and concerns about “corruption.” Her fears proved to be well-founded. Her immediate boss, longtime Water Superintendent Barry Holland, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in federal court in 2008 (after Anderson left). An FBI investigation revealed that Holland for years had been accepting kickbacks for selling the DOU’s used-water-meter stock out the back door to an unscrupulous contractor. “The whole scene around [Holland] made me very uncomfortable; there were a lot of secret old-boy kind of conversations, it was very cliquish,” said Anderson, a mid-level employee who had the odd-ball view of welcoming water meters in a department that was hostile to them. When it comes to meters, getting on board with the state mandate faster appears to be much cheaper. Fresno installed its meters in less than two years. They also decided to keep water mains in backyards.
The entire project was done for a whopping $400 million less than what it will cost in Sacramento, just $73 million, and the number of meters required in both cities was nearly identical, approximately 105,000. At City Council meetings in March of 2005, DOU officials presented their plan to meet the water-meter mandate. Utilities director Gary Reents said that, because of the project’s “cost and complexity,” the city would need 20 years to complete the work. What made the job so expensive and difficult, according to Reents, was that before they could install water meters in 35,000 older homes, the city would first have to remove every backyard water main and place new ones out front, underground in the streets. His rationale was simple: He said that, by 2025, “all of them will have to be moved anyway because they are going to wear out and they are old.” City engineer Dan Sherry provided a little more detail, saying the mains they would be replacing are mostly “thin walled steel, around 70 years old and will be exceeding their life expectancy within the next 20 years.” But according to the city’s own data, only 4 percent of the city’s mains being replaced are steel. The majority of backyard water mains are concrete pipes (61 percent), known as transite, and cast iron (34 percent). Multiple studies show those pipes could last 50 years from now, or even longer (more on this later). Ray Tretheway, council member at the time and who today runs the Sacramento Tree Foundation, said that he and his colleagues should have asked tougher questions. “In retrospect, we trusted too much,” he said. While other cities and utility districts, such as several in the East Bay and San Diego, have hired third-party civil-engineering companies to study aging water mains, Sacramento has not. The city has instead
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tHErE wErE a LOt OF SEcrEt OLd-bOY kINd OF cONvErSatIONS, It waS vErY cLIqUISH.
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defended the accuracy of the focus group results, saying “the question to the focus group was ‘Are you willing to pay more to put the meters in sidewalks?’ And the answer was a resounding yes, and council agreed with that and approved that plan.” When told of the conflicting executive summary, Busath said it didn’t accurately reflect the focus-group results. “They got it wrong.” Trethaway said knowing that residents had serious cost concerns would have likely changed his vote. “Accuracy, truth and trust is paramount when you are gathering information to make decisions like this,” he said. Another former city councilman, Robbie Waters, said he was also troubled to learn that the focus group results appear not to have been accurately relayed to council. “I already had concerns about this, the patchwork look that the sidewalk water meters would create.” Waters told SN&R last week there were enough questions about the overall watermeter program that he thought it would be worthwhile for the grand jury to examine it. When told of Water’s remarks, Reents said, “which way did he vote, did he vote against it?” Waters and the rest of the city council all voted to approve installing water meters in sidewalks. In 2011, Sacramento’s city auditor Jorge Oseguera said, as part of a larger audit, that the city should stop the sidewalk installs. He called them too costly and unnecessary. In a written response to this audit, the DOU rejected that recommendation, arguing that this was settled ground: The focus group made its choice, and the city council voted for it.
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” FLUSHING MONEY? ” continued on page
Crack in the sidewalk plan?
water-meter mandate all have opted to Jessica Hess, longtime spokeswoman for landscape meters into lawns. In Elk Grove this the DOU, said she could not provide any past spring, workers carefully put green lids reports from the focus groups because she (meant to match grass color) over water-meter disposed of “things like that” after two years. boxes sunk into the ground. The workers then An appeal to the city clerk’s office, however, re-landscaped the area. “We haven’t had any yielded results. complaints. It’s meant to just blend right in The focus group’s executive summary there,” said worker Richard Salas. shows that a majority of residents actually The approach used in Elk Grove is at least balked at the cost associated with sidewalk $500 cheaper per home and a lot less invasive meters. than cutting out and then replacing entire The executive summary reads: sections of concrete, then embedding water “Respondents were told that to have meters meters in the installed in sidewalk. sidewalks would According cost $300-400 per to former DOU home. Most were employee reluctant to pay Anderson, departthe added cost and ment leaders instead begrudgalways wanted ingly accepted the to install water yard location.” meters in sideThat concern walks. She said over cost was that among those de-emphasized pushing for the when it came time sidewalk decision to present findings Angela Anderson was Holland back to city council. former DOU water-conservation himself. Reents, in officer, on the culture at the Holland March 2005, told department played a key council members role publicly that residents as well. At a city council meeting in March “unanimously, overwhelmingly chose the 2005, Reents deferred to him as the expert on sidewalk option.” City council approved the the topic of water-meter placement. Holland sidewalk plan. told the city council his crews would need to Reents stands by what he presented. “The spend a lot of time searching for water meters city council, not publicly but behind closed placed in lawns. He even said they’d have to doors, were adamant that they did not want to use metal detectors. see water meters ever. And that they wanted Councilman Steve Cohn suggested that to have as much time as possible to put them residents could become angry if the choice of in,” he said. where meters were installed was made unilatIn an interview last month, DOU Acting erally and suggested a focus group. So, the Director Bill Busath said that his department DOU paid a private consulting firm to survey prefers sidewalks because they don’t want attitudes about the coming water meters. to have to deal with the complications of Three groups of 10 residents provided input. doing work on private property. Busath also
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largely relied on its claims of industry standard lifespans. For example, the city says that concrete transite pipes have a lifespan of 65 years, after which they are at risk of imminent failure. SN&R spoke to the DOU last month and it continues to stick by its stance that pipe age and material alone are enough to justify watermain replacement. But on a few occasions, the city has had a third party study other aging pipes. And when they have done so, it’s saved ratepayers millions. Last year, the city hired an outside consultant to analyze a 1915 concrete sewer pipe. Residents in Curtis Park were concerned that if it burst, the damage could be extensive. According to an email sent to neighborhood residents from the DOU, a third party found that the “main is in remarkable condition with no structural distress and little evidence of corrosion.” They wrote that it could last another 90 years before needing to be replaced. Civil-engineering experts such as the Colorado-based Water Research Foundation argue that a replacement policy based on a pipe’s age and material, rather than detailed study, is bad policy. “Back when many of these pipes were first put in the ground, we were in an era of massive expansion,” said senior researcher Frank Blaha. “The estimated lifespans of things were just guesstimates. There just isn’t some national standard of 75 or 100 years when we say all pipes need to be replaced.” Blaha says that many water mains and pipes installed in the 1920s still work just fine today. “The name of the game is to identify the pipes that are serving well and to replace or rehabilitate the ones that are not.” In Sacramento, the opposite is happening.
Pipe dreams and realities The Elk Grove Water District serves the older part of Sacramento’s neighboring city. Many homes are 75 years or older and the infrastructure is aging, and a lot of the | 11.13.14
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” flushing money? ”continued from page
The city is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to replace what experts say might be perfectly good pipes and water mains. Shown here is a trench cut in Land Park; workers dig these so as to move water mains from backyards to the front streets.
backyard water mains are similar to those in Sacramento. But when the city finished its water-meter install this fall, general manager Mark Madison left 90 percent of his city’s backyard pipes in place. He deemed them in serviceable shape. He even says some, particularly concrete pipes, are in excellent shape. “It certainly saves us a lot of money to leave the backyard main in place. But that is not the biggest benefit. Main replacement is very disruptive socially to the entire community,” Madsen said. The section of water mains being replaced in Land Park today is served primarily by cast-iron pipes installed around 1915. A report by the American Water Works Association says that the average life span of those types of pipes is 120 years. But that report and others underscore the need for testing and analysis, stressing that water mains can last much longer, or shorter, than that average. According to the DOU, cast-iron water mains have a rigid useful life of just 87.5 years before they are on the verge of imminent failure. At a July community forum to discuss the Land Park neighborhood’s big dig, DOU Construction Coordinator Chris Powell showed images of badly decayed pipes. He told residents that other cities not taking aggressive action like Sacramento could be “headed for trouble.”
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There are people wiThin The deparTmenT who know ThaT The waTer mains we are replacing have noT been sTudied, and ThaT iT’ s incredibly wasTeful.
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anonymous former DOU engineer
Part of the DOU’s rationale to spend so much on the water-meter project is that getting water mains out of backyards is imperative. But water mains that run through backyard easements remain common throughout California and the nation, from Houston to the Bay Area. Officials who service them routinely say doing so needs not be a nightmare. At the Contra Costa Water District, spokeswoman Jennifer Allen says her department gets “creative” when it comes to backyard mains. “If there are impediments like trees or structures, our crews are skilled at digging around them. We have maps of the water mains, keys to backyards, so we can get back there quickly in an emergency.” Allen says that her department deals with decisions around backyard mains mostly how they would with any other main. “If it’s in the ground and performing well, we leave it alone. Once we have had an issue, we study it and determine if the pipe is generally in good shape 16 | SN&R | 11.13.14
and needs one or two repairs, or if it needs to be replaced.” If backyard water mains are deemed to need replacement, like in Sacramento, Allen says the preferred method is to move them to streets. But, Allen stressed, “because of the expense and impact on people’s lives, its not something we do lightly without studying the pipes.” The DOU says that some of their decisions are based on other mains with histories of problems. But they defend the practice of making many replacement decisions solely on what they say are industry standard life spans. That stance apparently troubles some employees within the DOU. A former engineer with more than a decade of DOU experience says there are people “who know that the water mains we are replacing have not been studied, and that it’s incredibly wasteful. “They think it is wrong, but they don’t have enough power to alter what’s happening,” said the source, who agreed to speak with SN&R but did not want to be named for fear of reprisal.
The big audit In 2011, the city audited the DOU. It was actually the third audit in as many years. The first two were spurred by the Holland scandal. City Auditor Oseguera comes across as thorough, polite and non-confrontational. His DOU audit reflected that style. Rather than belaboring past misdeeds, he looked forward, focusing on cost-savings and efficiency recommendations. Oseguera’s primary finding was that was that water mains were being replaced “irrespective of their condition.” He called on the DOU to stop the practice and to install water meters in backyards. This audit could have radically altered the water-meter project and transformed it into a simpler, lower-costing program like the install in Fresno. But Sacramento’s audits are not binding. They serve only as recommendations. This is despite the fact that a team of respected consultants—including Dennis Diemer, the longtime former general manager of the East Bay MUD and the current head of the Davis Yolo Clean Water Agency—helped forge the recommendation. Diemer told SN&R that the audit team called for a rethinking of the water-meter project because it seemed that Sacramento was not investigating the actual condition of its water mains. “It’s important to look at each set of pipes rather than having a one-size-fits-all, blanket replacement policy. There are important questions to ask like is the pipe experiencing leaks? Is there clear evidence of corrosion? Could they be repaired?” In reaction to the audit, the DOU hired engineering firm CH2M Hill to do its own review. The firm backed the DOU’s plan. Busath oversaw the review and says the conclusions reached were independent. But SN&R’s investigation of hundreds of emails exchanged between CH2M Hill and the DOU, obtained through California’s public-recordsrequest laws, reveal that department officials guided the review away from areas that risked confirming the audit’s findings. The emails show that CH2M Hill initially sought to explore whether Sacramento’s water mains need to be replaced at all. The firm recommended comparing Sacramento’s plan to how other cities handle pipeline replacements.
Sacramento’s Department of Utilities said it would take
ThE ToTal cosT of ThE pRojEcT is EsTiMaTEd bE aT lEasT $474 Million.
20 yEaRs
to install more than 100,000 meters.
The city says some of Sacramento’s most common water mains only last up to
One of the largest cityworks projects ever, it could ultimately cost taxpayers
65 yEaRs. 250 yEaRs.
The city is replacing water mains in 82 areas of the city, but a majority of those areas, 59, don’t have leak issues.
MoRE Than ThE Kings aREna.
Other experts say these pipes could last up to
METER by METER
ThE doU nEvER sTUdiEd ThE pipEs.
Most California cities put their meters in lawns and landscape. Sacramento wants theirs in the sidewalk. This costs at least
A breakdown of Sacramento’s big water-infrastructure fix
Eye on Sacramento estimates that utility rates for a typical family of four will rise to over
$500 MoRE pER hoME.
The DOU is replacing old water pipes and mains and relocating them, which costs at least
$350 Million.
$250 a MonTh.
, Two dangERoUs gas lEaKs Last year, there were at least
in 2005,
Sacramento amended its city charter to declare the right to unmetered water.
California mandated that cities without water metering need to get on board and install meters.
DOU engineer Sherry responded to these proposals in an email to CH2M Hill, “Justifying the mains to be replaced is our highest priority and should be the first task completed.” Sherry and others at the DOU also nixed a comparative analysis that could have revealed how Sacramento’s water-main-replacement approach differs from other cities across California. For example, 61 percent of the water mains being replaced in Sacramento are concrete pipes commonly referred to as AC, or transite, pipes. AC pipes are typical, particularly on the West Coast. Some cities like San Diego have thousands of miles of them underground. A senior engineer from San Diego says that the city is finishing a three-year study of its AC pipes. They seem for the most part to be “fine,” according to the engineer. Only 4 percent are slated for near-term replacement. The engineer stressed that number could go up once the analysis is complete. BEFORE
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Like in San Diego, most of Sacramento’s AC pipes are between 40 and 60 years old. But the DOU claims that the pipes have a lifespan of just 65 years. If that were the case, replacing all of them as part of their water-meter program would be logical and sensible. To help make its case that Sacramento’s AC water mains have a lifespan of only 65 years and are on the verge of imminent failure, the CH2M Hill report cited the website of a Palo Alto-based firm called Exponent. The firm specializes in helping utility companies make smart decisions about when to replace water mains. The review implies that Exponent’s research would back up the DOU’s blanket replacement of all AC water mains in Sacramento. But Exponent’s website essentially makes the opposite case, stressing the importance of testing to determine pipe conditions and debunking set age limits. Recently, Exponent conducted a multiyear study of the Alameda Water District’s AC pipes. Utilizing extensive lab tests and computer modeling, the firm determined that
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in
because of the project.
ThE foRMER doU waTER sUpERinTEndEnT plEadEd gUilTy in fEdERal coURT foR accEpTing bRibEs.
most of the AC pipes are in good shape and helped pinpoint ones that need to be replaced. Exponent also released a statement about its research being used to justify water-main replacements in Sacramento, saying that the 60-year-lifespan claim “does not reflect Exponent’s research findings or opinions.” Exponent senior engineer Matt Radlinski told SN&R that some of Alameda’s 60-yearold pipes were still in “great shape, virtually non-deteriorated, almost in pristine condition.” He didn’t want to put an exact life span of those pipes, but he said it wasn’t inconceivable they could last another century. A study released last year by the Water Research Foundation cast even more doubt on Sacramento’s wholesale replacement of AC water mains. “Our study was prompted by the concern by many utilities that AC pipes were about to fall off the cliff and suffer a huge number of failures,” senior researcher Blaha said. “What we found was that they’re not about to fall off the cliff and that most of the water mains had significant life left in them. It is very likely
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that that could be the case with Sacramento.” How long is significant life? Under the most ideal conditions, the study found that AC water mains could last another 250 years. The DOU continues to insist the water mains they are replacing are at the end of their “industry standard” useful life. In an interview last month, senior engineer Sherry repeated this. “There are industry standards depending on the different types of pipe. So we have guidelines for the different pipes, for transite (AC) it’s 60 or 70 years,” he said. When asked whether transite pipes with potentially decades of service life remaining actually need to be replaced, Busath responded that SN&R was “overlooking the bottom line.” “We do not want the pipes in the backyard, we want to get them out of the backyards. We want to replace them and put them in the streets.”
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” flUshing MonEy? ”continued on page
in 1920,
fREsno spEnT $73 Million To insTall nEaRly ThE saME aMoUnT of waTER METERs as sacRaMEnTo. (ThaT’ s $400 Million lEss.).
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East Sacramento resident Tony Lobue (right, with his wife, Kim) smelled gas last year during water-meter construction on his block. Firemen told him not to start his car because the ignition might risk causing an explosion.
‘The height of recklessness’
“
Moving forward on a project of this size, it’ s very iMportant to assess how it’ s going. is the Money being used well?
Boom goes the neighborhood One complaint by residents of neighborhoods that have gone through the water-meter install is things never really get back to normal. In Curtis Park, which underwent installations in 2013, a black stretch of slightly uneven pavement now runs down the middle of streets where work has been “completed.” This kind of road work is called a trench cut. It’s usually temporary. But because of the scale of the water-meter replacements, the DOU acknowledges that repaving will have to wait for its typical cycle, something that happens every 15 to 20 years. A common complaint is that the neighborhood feels scarred. And there are problems—from the mundane, like broken sprinkler heads, to the terrifying. For Shannon McKinney’s family, the experience was a nightmare—and almost a tragedy. One morning in January of last year, McKinney awoke to the unmistakable whiff of a natural-gas leak. She was pregnant at the time, home with her 2-year-old. When a PG&E crew arrived at the house, they were alarmed as well, telling the family to evacuate immediately, even putting them in a hotel so the house could air out and a new gas line could be installed. Brandi Ehlers, a spokeswoman for PG&E, says an investigation showed that the company installing water meters in Curtis Park, T&S Construction, was “definitively at fault.” Ehlers said that PG&E had marked the gas line and made clear that it should be “potholed,” or exposed using a hand shovel, before any serious digging took place. Instead, according to PG&E’s investigation, T&S failed to expose the gas line. When they used a boring machine BEFORE
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” flushing Money? ”continued from page 17
to vertically install T&S said the a new water line, blame was PG&E’s, Jeff Harris “T&S severed a however, for contractor and city half-inch gas line, burying its line too councilman-elect causing a buildup shallow. of gas.” A PG&E T&S owner spokesperson Anthony Spinella cautioned that gas did not dispute this account, but said his firm lines can shift over time and that contractors takes the safety of residents and workers very are legally mandated to hand-dig around gas seriously. He acknowledged that, because lines to expose them. of the enormous amount of digging, some East Sacramento resident Tony Lobue was problems are inevitable. “In Curtis Park, we home at the time. He didn’t initially pay much installed 27,000 feet of water mains. ... When attention to the commotion outside because he you have that amount of exposure it can was used to the construction and digging. But happen. Every contractor that does what we do then he smelled gas. occasionally hits gas lines,” he said. “I work in construction. I know how serious Spinella acknowledged that it was possible this could have been,” Lobue said. some of the water mains they were replacing He says he called 911 himself. When the could have useful life left on them, but still firemen arrived on the scene, he says they told described the overall approach as valuable. him not to start his car because it could ignite an “What are you going to do, leave a third of the explosion. water mains in backyards? Michelle Carrey, coordinator for the city’s PG&E’s Ehlers said that the leak could water-meter project, defended T&S, saying that have ignited an explosion along the lines of a in her experience the company does good work. deadly 2008 incident in Ranch Cordova, when City Councilman-elect Jeff Harris, who a house was reduced to rubble and neighborwill represent East Sacramento and is also an ing homes were also damaged. experienced construction contractor, says he’s Two months after the Curtis Park incident, already been hearing from constituents about the DOU awarded T&S Construction a new the project. He said the gas-leak incidents adds $4 million contract to install meters in East a new wrinkle. “The fact that these incidents Sacramento. Calamity almost struck again have happened raises questions about how these there: A subcontractor cut another gas line. This projects are being managed,” he said. time, a section of Elvas Avenue was evacuated. The DOU’s Busath said earlier this month According to PG&E, the contractor was again at that he had no knowledge of any gas-line fault, this time not bothering to call to check on mishaps during the water-meter install. the location of gas lines before saw-cutting on the street.
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Sacramento’s water-meter project is loaded with water-main replacements over the next decade. The bulk of them, and 175 miles of road work, is planned for the next 10 years. As the project is presently conceived, at least $350 million still needs to be bonded to pay for it. But the DOU says that comparisons to how other cities, such as Fresno, performed their water-meter installations for a fraction of the cost and impact aren’t a reason to change course. “You’re assuming that Fresno has done this right, and we disagree with that. We think what they’re doing is not cost effective in the long run. If they want to leave their pipes in the backyard forever, then I guess that is OK,” Busath told SN&R. Fresno’s Robert Andersen, who headed up that city’s water-meter job, says he and the city take very seriously the issue of replacing problematic water mains. Every year, his team replaces a few backyard mains, moving new ones to the street. But he stressed, “we don’t replace pipes that are not in dire straits.” Busath called the second-guessing of Sacramento’s approach to installing water meters pointless: “This has all been presented to council. Council knows exactly how much this is costing. They know all the circumstances, and they agree.” But several members of city council say they now have questions about the project. Harris said he is very concerned about the expense of the program and the impact of rising utility rates. “This is a big project, which requires new votes on bonds. I’m a believer that more information is good,” he said. “And moving forward on a project of this size, it’s very important to assess how it’s going. Is the money being used well?” Councilman and Assembly member-elect Kevin McCarty says he is concerned about the impact on residents. He said that before any new bonds are passed, the city council should “take a hard look at the program.” And Councilman Steve Hansen, who represents Land Park and the central city, also hinted at the need to investigate. “We need to know more about what is going on in this program to make sure that we have proper oversight of our contractors, our staff, and to ensure that the public is receiving the value they deserve,” he said. Eye on Sacramento’s Powell says he would favor a moratorium on the project until safety and wastefulness concerns are ironed out. “If we don’t take a long pause, it would be the height of recklessness. Individual wrongdoing needs to be looked at,” he said. “They need to bring in outside technical and financial auditors to do a complete assessment. “And then we should restart it, only once the public has confidence that their interests are being protected.” Ω Joe Rubin is an Emmy-nominated freelance journalist based in Sacramento. His reporting has appeared on National Public Radio, PBS’s Frontline, ABC’s Nightline, and in The New York Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting. This article was reported in partnership with the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute.
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How Michael Bosworth grew one of the region’s most abundant crops from lowly side dish into a farm-to-fork star
by Janelle Bitker
photos by kyle monk
Michael Bosworth takes a stand on his Olivehurst ranch.
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Gonna be a funny week
Pizza + Indian eats
See NIGHT&DAY
See DISH
Pregnant and Raw
Weed wins!
See MUSIC
See THE 420 It’s post-harvest quiet time down the Rue & Forsman Ranch roads.
ue & Forsman Ranch sits covered in water. The big rice harvest ended last month, and now its more than 1,000 acres of rice fields are enjoying a good soak. Shorebirds stud the surface while rice straw slowly decomposes, and Michael Bosworth drives his truck around with dog in tow. With Sacramento’s focus on the farm-tofork movement, it’s logical to assume local restaurants purchase their rice from area farms such as Rue & Forsman, located just south of Marysville. After all, Sacramento is flanked by rice fields. The region holds 550,000 acres of the grain alone. That’s not the case, though. In the rice industry, kernels are loaded by the 50,000-pound truckload and driven from different farms to the same mill. The resultant bag that consumers buy comprises a hodgepodge of California rice, and it goes all over the world—maybe a grocer in Sacramento, maybe a restaurant in South Korea. In 2006, Bosworth had an idea: he could control every process of his farm’s organic rice and sell it directly to local businesses. He could give his rice an identity. He could mill the rice himself, ensure that it’s refrigerated in a special facility until right before it’s sold, and design its packaging specifically for chefs. He brought a bag to a sushi restaurant in Yuba City for a test run. “It was a special moment to taste your own rice for the first time,” Bosworth says, smiling. “I thought it tasted good. And the chef said it was quality rice, that it stuck together well.” The student-run Coffee House at UC Davis became Bosworth’s first client—he had recently finished his masters there in agricultural economics. Soon he added the dining halls at UC Davis, the Farmer’s Kitchen Cafe in downtown Davis, and then he expanded into Sacramento. Two of the first chefs to sign on were Billy Ngo at Kru and Randall Selland at The Kitchen— their restaurants are widely recognized as some of the city’s finest. Ngo didn’t even want to try Bosworth’s rice at first—it’s a bit more expensive, and restaurant profit margins are notoriously slim. But then he met Bosworth, toured Rue & Forsman and learned all about rice farming. After, he wanted to support it, to be part of it. “I just think it’s so cool. You can think of it kind of like wine—people make wine with grapes grown from different vineyards,” Ngo says. “Rice brands buy their rice from different farms and we have no idea where it’s from. This, we actually know where it’s coming from.”
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But Bosworth controls every step of his own, much smaller organic rice production—including the pricing—which provides some welcomed stability. Locally, he sells two-pound bags for $4.95 online at www.nextgenfoods.com, as well as at the Midtown shop Preservation & Co. and the Davis Food Co-op. But most of his bags go directly to other small businesses. “You want to have your two-pound bag of rice in every store in America, but it’s tough. It’s almost better to build a direct relationship with your buyer,” he says. “I’m glad I found a niche with the local restaurants. … I think when chefs get to know you and come to the farm, there’s a lot of loyalty.”
Bosworth is the latest in a long line of family farming. He’s originally from the Shasta area, where his family had been cattle farmers since the 1870s. Then his mom got remarried and they moved to Rue & Forsman Ranch in Olivehurst. He spent summers working on the farm and eventually studied crop science at UC Davis—for four years, he held down the teaching assistant gig for the school’s infamous tractor driving course. The ranch got its start in 1946, all irrigated pastures and beef cattle. Bosworth’s stepfather Michael Rue wanted to diversify—he added rice fields in 1974 and organic rice fields in 1997. The region’s clay-heavy soil isn’t so good for orchards or anything requiring room for roots to grow. But rice? Rice works great. “The clay layer is nearly impermeable,” Bosworth says. “It’s like a big bathtub.” There’s never a time for Bosworth to fully rest or take a vacation, but he is approaching his slowest season of equipment repair and irrigation. In March, the rice cycle will start over again. He’ll drain the fields and work the ground. Fancy GPS-precision technology is used to ensure a flat field. Then they get fertilizer—or poultry manure for the organic fields—and deep grooves for seeds to easily fall into. The fields are flooded again, and by the end of April, planes fly over dropping seeds at 100 miles per hour. Those seedlings grow, eventually shooting up to become 3-feet-tall stalks of kernels. Then it’s time to harvest—Bosworth reported 100-hour workweeks this past October—and dry, mill, package and refrigerate the rice until it’s sold. According to the California Rice Commission, 97 percent of California’s rice is grown in the Sacramento Valley. California supplies virtually all of the country’s sushi
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rice. And it’s a major exporter to countries that devour rice faster than they can grow it. That means Bosworth has a whole world to think about when it comes to his conventional rice. “There’s a lot outside California impacting our bottom line every day,” he says, pointing to California’s main international competitors, Australia and Egypt.
You want to have your two-pound bag of rice in every store in America, but it’s tough. It’s almost better to build a direct relationship with your buyer. I’m glad I found a niche with the local restaurants. Michael Bosworth rice farmer, Rue & Forsman Ranch
Like California, Australia has been suffering a drought and anticipates a low yield next year. Amid turmoil in the Middle East, Egypt placed a ban on exporting rice for about a year. These factors drive up demand—and the price— of California’s rice, which is experiencing its own shortfall. According to the California Rice Commission, only 420,000 acres of rice— a 25-percent drop—were planted this year.
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Cook a batch of Bosworth’s organic Calrose— a regional medium-grain variety of rice—alongside a generic brand of medium-grain rice, and it’s shockingly easy to see the difference. Bosworth’s rice kernels look, understandably, more uniform. But the rice also wears a sheen and carries a noticeable fragrance. It’s fluffier, stickier. It’s just better. Jason Azevedo, chef at Mighty Tavern in Fair Oaks, started purchasing from Bosworth a couple of months ago. Azevedo says that as soon as he tried Bosworth’s rice, he knew he had to start carrying it. “You tend to think of rice as a commodity,” he says. “His rice definitely isn’t just a placeholder on a plate. It adds something special.” Azevedo uses it for side dishes and a play on creamed spinach, thickened by a rice and onion paste. And his risotto doesn’t use the traditional Arborio rice—it’s made with Bosworth’s Calrose. Ngo had long used Bosworth’s Calrose at Kru. But a couple years ago, Ngo decided he really wanted short-grain sushi rice instead. Most Japanese restaurants in the U.S. use mediumgrain rice, Ngo admits, but the stickiness that comes with short-grain rice is unparalleled. So Bosworth planted new grain, which Ngo has been serving at Kru since May. Do diners notice the difference? “I hope so,” Ngo says, laughing. “I tell [diners] about the rice, how this farm grows it, mills it and delivers it—that they’re growing this sushi rice just for us. It’s huge.” All of Bosworth’s rice is graded No. 1—the highest possible—by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That means it looks creamy and white—no gray tones detectable—and there aren’t broken, heat-damaged or chalky kernels. The grade translates on the plate, too. Ngo points out the minimal broken kernels and says it boasts better flavor and mouthfeel. Azevedo goes back to maintaining the farm-to-fork ethos. “Really, what are you spending your money on? Cheap, Minute-Maid style rice, or a quality product from a quality farmer delivered right to your doorstep?” Ω
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For the week of November 13
F
over the past year. The following day at the Comedy Spot (10:30 p.m., Saturday, November 15) Sacramento comedian Johnny Taylor will perform a CD-release show with Keith Lowell Jensen, Daniel Humbarger, Jaime Fernandez, Jon Gomora and more. His album, Tangled Up in Plaid, debuted at No. 7 on the iTunes comedy charts. Both Comedy Spot events cost $8. Elsewhere, ComedySportz Sacramento’s relatively new space-TV-based improv show Cosmic Conquest goes down at 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 15. It riffs on shows like Star Trek and Firefly. ComedySportz
or starters, we’ve got popular stand-up comedian Tig Notaro (pictured) performing on Monday, November 17 (see “Stand-up tragicomedy” on page 27 for more info on that) and satirist David Sedaris returns to perform at the Mondavi Center on Sunday, November 16 (that one’s already sold out). But Sactown’s comedy scene is well represented in a variety of events this week, too. The Sacramento Comedy Spot Awards happen Friday, November 14 at 8 p.m., to celebrate the best in Sacramento Comedy Spot (1050 20th Street, Suite 150) happenings
is located at 2230 Arden Way, Suite B; and admission to the show is $4-$8. Lastly, there’s another touring comedy show that’s worth a mention (some of the performers are from the Bay Area, but others are from all over the United States and Canada): The Filipino Comedy Tour ($25; 9 p.m. on Friday, November 14). Featuring comedy by Ron Josol, Joey Guila, Justin Rivera and beats by DJ R1ckone, it’ll be held at The Tower Theatre, 421 Vernon Street in Roseville.
—Jonathan Mendick
weeKLY PICKS
A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody
River City Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show
Thursday, November 13 Through suNday, November 16
Friday, November 14 Through suNday, November 16
Sacramento Theater Company produces three cabarets per year, and this is the first of this year. CabaRet Based on the works of Florenz Ziegfeld, it features music by Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Jerome Kern performed by a cast of six. $15-$30, various times at the Sacramento Theatre Company Cabaret Stage, 1419 H Street; www.sactheatre.org.
There was a time when quilts were simply viewed as blankets. There was also a time, back in 1977, when local quilting organization River City Quilters’ Guild only had 20 members. Today they have more than 200, and quilts are respected for the pieces of art that they are. Some quilts will be for sale, and the featured artist at this show is Phyllis QUILtS McCalla. $7 per day, 10 a.m. daily at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 6151 H Street; www.rivercityquilters.org/show.
—Jonathan Mendick
—Aaron Carnes
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Drink Radio saTurday, November 15 Booze and art are one of the most enduring couples in the history of civilization. In celebration of the fall season and that classic pairing, Capital Public beeR Radio’s pint-glass design competition drew inspiration from the autumnal “CapRadio Brew” produced by Oak Park Brewing Company. The winning artist’s design and the beer will both be available for purchase in honor of the region’s artistic and brewtastic bounty. $10 per glass, 5 p.m. at Oak Park Brewing Company, 3514 Broadway; www.capradio.org/ events.
—Deena Drewis
Fast Cars Slow Food saTurday, November 15 Sactown’s newest certified farmers market, the Arden Garden Market, MaRKet opened last month with a celebration. It’s keeping its fun factor going this Saturday with an event called Fast Cars Slow Food, featuring live music, classic cars, food trucks and a vintage goods market. Free, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Arden Garden Market, 1409 Del Paso Boulevard; www.ardengardenmarket.com.
—Jonathan Mendick
Hands on History: The Donner Party saTurday, November 15 Sutter’s Fort already has an impressive Donner Party exhibit, and it was a major part of the story. This event will feature the largest collection of original Donner Party source mateHIStORY rial in existence. People can see replicas and originals of documents detailing many stories of the Donner Party trapping and rescue, and learn many rarely discussed details of the infamous ordeal. $5-$7, 10 a.m. at Sutter’s Fort, 2701 L Street; www.suttersfort.org.
—Aaron Carnes
join the coconut club buy 7 entreeS get 1 Free
Curry, via Chicago
happy hour: 4:30-6pm eVeryDay • Appetizers $3 • Beer on Tap $3 • Bottle Beer $2 late night Special 8-9pm Noodle Soup $6.95 Appetizers $3
Chicago’s Pizza 4391 Gateway Park Boulevard, Suite 600; (916) 928-6300; www.sacramentochicagospizza.com It’s sometimes hard to judge foods that feature cross-cultural mash-ups. Inventions such as ramen burgers, sushi burritos and by Jonathan Mediterranean nachos are still so new, there’s Mendick not really a precedent, template or standard recipe. Are they supposed to be considered j o nathan m@ news review.c om based solely on ingredients? Should they be compared to the original dishes they’re mashing up? Or, do they exist only to make so-called “exotic” foods more palatable to a mainstream American taste? Whatever the case, it basically comes down to this: They’re just works of culiRating: nary art, and you either like them or you don’t. HHH That much was clear when I told my wife I was bringing home an Indian pizza Dinner for one: from Chicago’s Pizza in Natomas, and she $12 - $20 immediately dissed it before even trying a slice. Perhaps the concept of blending Asian food and pizza brought up bad memories of a certain Thai chicken pizza from a chain restaurant that we tried one time many years ago. This custom pie from Chicago’s, however, was a deep-dish pizza (hence the eatery’s name), and arrived topped with tandoori chicken on one half and an equal amount of tikka masala on the other. H And, once we both gave it a chance, flaweD this pizza turned out better than either of us HH expected. My wife preferred the tandoorihaS MoMeNtS chicken half, with its copious bell peppers and HHH smoky diced chicken rubbed with what tasted aPPealING like garlic, ginger and cumin. It seemed overly HHHH dry to me, however. Rather, the tikka masala authoRItatIve half—with its spicier tomato- and yogurt-based HHHHH sauce seeping into the meat and the thick ePIc buttery pizza crust—seemed the better half. The creamy sauce softened the middle of the pie which created a better contrast of texture against the crunchy pan-pizza crust. Later, we sampled some of Chicago’s traditional pizza toppings and regular crust. Still hungry? A vegetarian pizza and a pepperoni pie tasted Search SN&R’s good served on an “original” crust, a standard “Dining Directory” medium-chewiness American-style dough. The to find local vegetarian option had plenty of toppings— restaurants by name or by type of food. onions, bell pepper, artichoke, tomato. The Sushi, Mexican, Indian, even heftier Three Idiots (barbecue chicken, Italian—discover it garlic chicken and spicy chicken) and the all in the “Dining” Combination (beef, salami, pepperoni, sausage, section at www.news mushrooms, olives) held together nicely atop review.com. the thicker crust, unlike some similar pizzas that crumble once you pick them up. We also sampled the only actual traditional Indian food on the menu—samosas, which come four in an order. The crunchy pastry shells filled with potatoes, onions, peas, beans and spices made for a good starter. They might also be a good start for kids who may have never had Indian food before, but who like pizza. They’re served with a side of delicious, bright green coriander chutney. Additional starters include a garden salad and chicken salad. Neither stood out as great, but at least both came with a diverse selection of fresh veggies: tomato, mushroom, cucumber, BEFORE
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Special Vegan & gluten Free menu options cooked with organic tofu & rice bran oil
lettuce, onion, bell pepper, carrot. The only difference was that the chicken salad is served with diced chicken breast on top. Perhaps it could’ve been improved by some more Indian flare—maybe chickpeas, or some kind of chutney sauce? Or maybe spicy chicken? Likewise, the pizza here misses a great opportunity to incorporate one of the many tasty Indian breads. Roti, naan or uttapam might shine as part of a thin-crust pizza, for example. A bigger beer selection beyond Bud Light, Blue Moon, Shock Top and Sierra Nevada might serve Chicago’s well, too. How about a Maharaja Premium India Pilsner?
Check Yelp page under “From This Business” for Daily Dish + Free Iced Tea Yelp.com/biz/thecoconut-midtown-sacramento
2502 J St | Sacramento, CA | 916.447.1855
BUY 1 GET 1 1/2 OFF EXP 11/19/14
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The pizza here misses a great opportunity to incorporate one of many tasty Indian breads.
Happy Hour
Voted “Best of Sacramento” 3 years in a row!
Monday – Friday 3–6pm
Other notes: Chicago’s delivers, but only within 4 miles of the restaurant. And even if the person answering the phone tells you that your pizza will be done in 20 minutes, give it about 40 if it’s a deep-dish pie. Overall, this spot is a good place to try the somewhat new (to Sacramento) phenomenon of Indian pizza, or to grab a slice of Chicago-style deep dish before a Kings game—it’s not too far from Sleep Train Pavilion, and it’s a way better deal than the arena pizza. Ω
1315 21st Street, Sacramento 916.441.7100
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Cake to order
Diners gasped as a server placed a massive three-layer wedge of banana cake with chocolate frosting on a neighboring table. This was one of the desserts The Porch Restaurant and Bar offered during last month’s Sacramento Vegan Chef Challenge, and it was not only impressive in size (it also came with a fantastic vanilla-bean coconut ice cream), but in its taste and moist texture. Then, a lightbulb moment: Would the restaurant make the cake to order for vegans and their assorted special-occasion needs? Sous chef Courtney “Coco” Cornwell gives consent, as long as the kitchen has at least three days advance notice— and around $48. She also said that the restaurant is in talks about keeping a vegan entree and dessert on the menu year-round. Let the ordering begin at 1815 K Street or (916) 444-2423.
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football night specials
sunday trivia night starting at 9pm taco night tuesdays plus karaoke at 9pm sunday brunch with bottomless mimosas 10am-1pm
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Downtown Blackbird Kitchen & Beer Gallery Blackbird is back with chefowner Carina Lampkin again at the helm. It’s located in its original space with a similar aesthetic, though with more focus on beer and bar food to better complement the seafood-inspired dinner menu. A burger served with house pickles, seven-day housecured bacon, cheddar and sweet ’n’ chivey “awesome sauce” make for one of the city’s best burgers, no question. Chowder fries, however, are nifty in theory—fries covered in bay shrimp, bacon and parsley, then doused with chowder. It’s a play on poutine, but a lack of acid and serious sogginess issues mar it from being a landmark dish. Better yet? Fish tacos featuring fried pollock served with pickled cabbage and chipotle crema. These and a beer will remedy any bad day you’re having. American. 1015 Ninth St., (916) 498-9224. Dinner for one: $10-$30. HHH1/2 G.M.
Where to eat?
Here are a few recent reviews and regional recommendations by Janelle Bitker, Ann Martin Rolke, Garrett McCord, Jonathan Mendick and Shoka updated regularly. Check out www.newsreview.com for more dining advice.
Midtown Block Butcher Bar This place serves the holy trinity of European cuisine: meat, cheese and alcoholic beverages. Most of its boards and plates are balanced using three basic tastes: salty (meats and cheeses), sweet (honey and jam) and sour (pickles and vinegar). The charcuterie boards impress visually and on the tongue.
A recent selection included shaved almonds, neat piles of meat, mustard, pickled cauliflower and beets, served with small slices of bread. The ’nduja sandwich is startlingly spicy and salty, with rich melted cheese and ground meat spread between pressed slices of bread. Or try the pressed serrano ham, manchego cheese, arugula and salsa sandwich—it’s like a cross between a cubano, a breakfast panini and a torta. Elsewhere on the menu there are fine cocktails, an intimidating whiskey list, and a small but diverse selection of beer and wine, both regional and international. European. 1050 20th St., (916) 476-6306. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH J.M.
Capital Dime Restaurant With a new chef and menu, this Midtown eatery has transformed into a farm-to-forkthemed place for smart bar bites and appealing sandwiches and salads. Try the bacon lollipops, perhaps the tastiest little creations ever put on a stick. Here, salty rib bacon is slathered with melted brown sugar and whispers of cayenne and cinnamon more hushed than the juiciest of rumors. Sweet-potato pierogis are tasty, puffy packets of potato drizzled with sour cream and shredded-duck confit. A duck burger with fig jam and plenty of crispy onions makes for a gamy change of pace, but the rib bacon whiskey burger—with crunchy lumps of house-made pickle, cheddar and a landslide of crispy fried onions—just
might be the best burger in town. American. 1801 L St., Suite 50; (916) 443-1010. Dinner for one: $15-$25. HHHH G.M.
Der Biergarten This spot is a slightly quirky, low-key place with only nine food items on the menu: four appetizerstyle options, four sandwichtype offerings and a sausage platter, plus about 30 cold ones on tap. Patrons order from a building that was built from a couple of cargo containers and dine outdoors on communal benches, traditional German biergarten style. The Derfinater Dog is a gussied-up hot dog, and despite its seemingly excessive number of toppings, everything serves a tasteful purpose. The mayo and garlic sauce help moisten a somewhat dry roll, and the bacon adds saltiness, which balances the sweetness of cream cheese and barbecue sauce. The pretzel disappoints by being a bit on the flaky and brittle side. The sausage platter is the best item on the menu: a pork sausage, chicken sausage, and a veal-and-pork sausage— much more plump, juicy and flavorful than the frankfurters—served alongside piles of sauerkraut and German potato salad. German. 2332 K St., (916) 346-4572. Dinner for one: $5-$10. HHH J.M.
Goldfield Trading Post This new eatery rustles up much nicer chow than your usual cowboy fare with a menu that
Vallejo’s
WINNING DISHES ’14
I CHIL O EN RELL TE PLA
S NITA CAR TE A PL
Slow-Cooked, Delicious
Our Family Chile Relleno Smothered in Cheese
Served for you AT 2 LOCATIONS 916.498.1744 1100 o St, Sacramento 24 | SN&R | 11.13.14
916.443.8488 1900 4th St, Sacramento
features dishes with names like Grandma’s Meat Loaf. Grandma knows how to make some meat loaf, that’s for sure: slabs of beef ground with bacon are glazed with a sweet sauce, served atop the cheesiest mashed potatoes this side of Wisconsin. The Gold Panner’s Pork Chop was flat-out fantastic, oozing juicy flavor from its fire-kissed crust. Housemade cinnamon applesauce for dunking was a perfect accompaniment. Any good country bar worth its salt pork has chili on the menu, and Goldfield is no exception. It’s made with chunks of tender chicken rather than ground beef, with plenty of nuggets of gold corn and black beans to boot. American. 1630 J St., (916) 476-5076. Dinner for one: $5-$10. HHH1/2 AMR
East Sacramento Fahrenheit 250 BBQ This barbecue joint ups the ante with attentive table service and high-end ingredients. Chef Jacob Carriker serves Southern staples such as pulled pork, brisket and ribs, plus the very California addition of smoked tri-tip. There’s also chicken and trout—all smoked in a 7-foot hand-forged steel behemoth. The pulled-pork sandwich is moist, smoky and falling apart with tenderness. The half-chicken is a bit dry, but benefits from a shot of sauce.
The tri-tip is well-smoked, but not as good as the brisket, although it still makes for a very nice addition to the Market salad, with baby greens, grilled zucchini and onions, and cornbread croutons. Barbecue. 7042 Folsom Blvd., (916) 476-4508. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH AMR
Land Park/ Curtis Park Boba Cafe For starters, try the scallion pancake; it’s salty, crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. Or, order the pan-fried beef bun, which with its doughy, crunchy wrapping strangely resembled the texture of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap, only smaller, with a much richer flavor. Also worth sampling: pork dumplings served as a firm dough wrapping filled with a rich pork broth and a small ball of meat. The “Taiwan Style Stewed Pork Over Rice,” a red-braised pork, is a tender, deep-red colored pork marinated in earthy aromatic spices and copious amounts of soy sauce. Paired with an egg and a heaping pile of rice, it’s one of the most comforting rice plates in Sacramento. Chinese. 5131 Freeport Blvd., (916) 455-1687. Dinner for one: $5-$15. HHHH J.M
Pangaea Bier Cafe Just as European wines are made to be enjoyed with food rather than sipped alone, the current tsunami of Europeanstyle microbreweries feature
drinks often best quaffed alongside a well-crafted meal. Pangaea Bier Cafe recently stepped up its food game to satisfy that need with a revamped menu that includes an ever-changing rotation of seasonal, slightly upscale pub food. Try the Buffalo wings: They’re deeply flavorful fried morsels with a thick glaze. The mac ’n’ cheese is creamy, with a bit of beer in the sauce and a crunchy topping of herb-flecked breadcrumbs. The sliders are gorgeous little mouthfuls with Tillamook cheddar and house-made pickles. The main-course cheeseburger, one of the best we’ve had in ages, is made from a custom blend of brisket and chuck. This is a juicy patty that holds together, yet bursts with flavor. The locally made brioche bun bears up well, and the house pickles and cheddar simply gild the lily. American. 2743 Franklin Blvd., (916) 454-4942. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHH1/2 AMR
South Sac Bodhi Bowl This Vietnamese eatery’s menu is all vegetarian and mostly vegan, with plenty of high notes. The Heavenly Noodle is a can’t-go-wrong salad comprising snow-white vermicelli noodles with cooling mint, cucumber slices, house-roasted peanuts and jagged pieces of faux beef. The “beef” actually is slightly sweet, plenty umami and pleasantly inoffensive, as far as fake meat goes. Nearly everything here has a faux-meat
Kansai Ramen & Sushi House This place serves its own take on ramen and sushi, with varying degrees of success. The kakuni ramen, which features three thick slices of braised pork belly in lieu of the house ramen’s thin slices of chashu, boasts a nice, sweet marinade; tender consistency; and copious flavor. The sushi rolls here are Western style—aka loaded with toppings. Try the Mufasa roll. With crab and avocado on the inside and salmon and sauce outside, it’s particularly tasty, seasoned in sesame oil and baked—a somewhat unusual technique for sushi. Japanese. 2992 65th St., Ste. 288; (916) 455-0288. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH J.M.
Natomas The Waffle Experience A whole menu of waffles—sounds heavenly, no? But hold your forks—these aren’t your mom’s buttermilk
beauties full of syrup. They’re traditional Belgian liège waffles, which are closer to bread than pastry. Open for breakfast and lunch, the menu offers choices that include breakfast creations and dishes labeled “Two Hands Required”—i.e., waffle sandwiches. All are packed with flavor. The “Eggcellent” consists of applewood bacon, fontina, egg, arugula, and sun-dried tomato aioli sandwiched between fennel seed waffles. It’s messy, but worth the extra napkins. “Cheeses Gone Wild” is a grilled cheese for grown-ups, with four kinds of cheese, bacon, kale, fennel confit and caramelized leek waffles. The rich cheeses are well balanced by the greens and slightly acidic confit. American. 4391 Gateway Park Blvd., Suite 650 in Natomas; (916) 285-0562. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHH A.M.R.
Arden/ Carmichael
texture from all the veggies, a light boost of piquant flavor from a “pepper plant sauce,” and won’t leave you feeling overly stuffed after eating it. American. 8928 Sunset Ave. in Fair Oaks, (916) 241-9365. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH J.M.
Danielle’s Crêperie This eatery, which specializes in French and American, serves a ton of breakfast and lunch options (pancakes, waffles, omelets, quiches, crepes, sandwiches) and diners can order them at any time of day. A chocolate crepe is huge and could make for an entire (sugary) meal itself. A Nutella filling option would also be nice. Savory crepes are a good option; try the Crab and Spinach Crêpe. With crab meat, spinach, garlic and a cheesy French Mornay sauce, this is rich haute cuisine at a bargain price. French and American. 3535 Fair Oaks Blvd., (916) 972-1911. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH1⁄2. J.M.
Field House American Sports Pub
Dad’s Kitchen The cooking at this Guy Fieri-approved joint is consistent and at times technically terrific. Try the Dad’s Burger (lettuce, red onion, tomato, Aleppo chili aioli, and a beef patty encrusted with blue cheese and bacon). With a firm and chewy bun and a sauce with kick, it’s one of Sac’s best burgers. Or get the Hot Blonde. It’s like a subtle, healthier version of a club sandwich, with organic chicken, avocado, spinach, cucumber, roasted onion and Swiss cheese—all set between sourdough bread and grilled on a panini press. It boasts a crunchy
Launched by the same team that raised Shady Lady Saloon, this spot brings a bit more culinary hope to an often forgotten part of Sacramento. The whiskey burger is a mighty sammich of perfection with smoked Gouda cheese and bacon that serve as excellent counterpoints to the achingly sweet maple-bourbon glazed red onions. Fries-slash-chips arrived pencil-thin and fiercely crispy. If you visit for brunch, don’t miss the signature bloody mary: a 32-ounce bloody mary that doesn’t skimp on the horseradish.
IllustratIon by Mark stIvers
product or tofu element. So, sorry diners with soy allergies—it can’t even be escaped in the papaya salad. Not an issue? Soldier on with the Hot & Sour soup, a not-too spicy sunsetorange broth that teems with a tomatoey and citrus flavor, chunks of pineapple, semicircles of trumpet mushrooms, cubes of fried tofu and slices of faux crab. Or, try the stir-fried Eight Fold Path. It features al dente celery, red bell pepper and triangles of the most savory, salty, dense tofu perhaps ever. Vietnamese. 6511 Savings Place, Ste. 100; (916) 428-4160. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH S.
It’s served with skewers of beet-pickled egg, sausage and bacon, tiger prawn, pickled veggies, and the most amazing slider. American. 1310 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-1045. Dinner for one: $15-$25. HHHH G.M.
Davis Shanghai Town This tiny dive serves plenty of familiar ChineseAmerican takeout menu items. Ignore those and, instead, check out menu items marked with a star for some of the most authentic food outside of Shanghai’s Huangpu Qu district. The Lion’s Head soup consists of fatty minced pork meatballs the size of your fist, seared and added to a meaty broth with cabbage and shiitake mushrooms. It arrives in a blazing clay bowl greater than any wall in China and capable of feeding a small army. Or order the clay pot of eggplant vermicelli and minced pork, tasty with sticky, soy-laced caramel goodness. Braised bean curd and pork belly argues equally for attention. Knotted ribbons of bean curd taste savory and addictingly salty. The fatty bricks of expertly cooked pork belly play a supporting role to the bean curd—unheard of in today’s pork-focused dining culture, but here it is and done successfully. Chinese. 1260 Lake Blvd. in Davis; (530) 758-4663. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH G.M.
Sweet beans
I just got back from a trip to Taiwan, and one sweet treat in particular stood out: tofu pudding. OK, it sounds a bit weird in theory, but it’s not too different from the taste or consistency of a store-bought can of tapioca pudding—and you can find all the ingredients to make it in Sacramento. Here’s the best way to make tofu hua (tofu flower) as the Taiwanese call it: First grab some of the soft and sweet soybean pudding at Fay Wong Tofu (6464 Stockton Boulevard), then head down the street to 99 Ranch Market (4220 Florin Road) to pick up boba or tapioca balls. Boil the boba in water until they’re thoroughly soft. In a large cup, add the boba, then stick the tofu pudding on top, and fill the rest of the cup with crushed ice. That’s it. Optional: Add some boiled peanuts for extra flavor and a little bit of texture. Bonus: It’s vegan. —Jonathan Mendick
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Managers versus leaders I got promoted. I know I should be excited but I’m secretly terrified. I am seriously competent in this industry but I don’t know how to manage people. Most employees here are older than me and upset about the changes senior management has instituted. I like the changes but don’t know how to get others over their anger and disappointment. I need help! by Joey ga Your first step is to decide who rcia you are: a leader or a manager. That choice will drive how a s k j o e y @ne w s re v i e w . c o m your organization runs every day. The right choice can Joey also create a fast-moving trajectory is reading Ramona for your personal and professional Ausubel’s A Guide to success. Consider this wisdom from Being Born. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by business consultant Seth Godin: “Leadership is not management. Management is about manipulating resources to get a known job done. Managers manage a process they’ve seen before, and they react to the outside world, striving to make that process as fast and as cheap as possible. Leadership is about creating change.”
Do not sabotage your sanity or prolong your grief by investing romantic feelings into a friendship.
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Write, email or leave a message for Joey at the News & Review. Give your name, telephone number (for verification purposes only) and question—all correspondence will be kept strictly confidential. Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email askjoey@ newsreview.com.
There’s a shift underway in business culture, away from a factory model (silos of information, machine mentalities, paycheck stability but no personal agency) into a tribe (mission-driven creativity, flexibility in decision making, a habit of honoring authenticity, an engaged and innovating company culture). Choose your direction by thoughtfully reflecting on this question: Do you want to cling to the past or midwife the future? If you opt to be present in every moment and live into the future, write this Godin quote on a 3-by-5 card and place it somewhere you can see it daily: “Leaders have followers and managers have employees.” Yes, that means the authoritarianstyle of management, in which adults are treated like children who must be told what, when and how to do things, doesn’t belong in the 21st century. Learn instead to hire great people and inspire them to do their
best for the greater good. Focus on finding the right fit for each person in your care. Be someone people want to engage with, someone who celebrates innovation that positively transforms individuals and society. Make your company a location so desirable that you receive resumes daily for jobs that are not open. One last thing: You need a mentor. Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer at Facebook, cautions against asking someone you admire but don’t know. In her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, Sandburg suggests approaching someone you have interacted with professionally with a specific question for which you desire advice. If they respond, write back to express gratitude for the insight. Approach this person again at another time to ask for their input about a new situation. But don’t expect to be parented. Let mentoring experiences arise naturally as needed. P.S. Congratulations on your promotion! I am a 59-year-old man who has lost focus after bankruptcy, the death of my two sisters from chronic illnesses, and the death of the love of my life from liver failure due to drinking after 22 years together. Last March, I was reunited with a former co-worker that I had feelings for but never expressed because she was married and I was committed. She says we can only be friends. I told her that maybe in time we could be together. I know she is in a bad way because of her ex. Your thoughts? Respect her refusal. Do not sabotage your sanity or prolong your grief by investing romantic feelings into a friendship. Hey, control is the opposite of love, so don’t imagine that your love for her should change her mind. In the absence of the romantic partner you long for, in the face of the losses you have experienced, what kind of life will you create for yourself? That’s the most important relationship right now: you and your life. Ω
Meditation of the Week “The wise man knows how to run his life so that contemplation is possible,” wrote the French philosopher Gabriel Marcel. Is there room for reflection in your mornings?
Let’s hear it for the boys 4
Five Women
Jersey Boys Oh, what a night! It is almost like December 1963 when Nicolas Dromard, Keith Hines, Hayden Milanes and Drew Seeley take the stage in an incredible by Jim Carnes simulation of the Four Seasons pop group in Jersey Boys. The Broadway Sacramento production of the Tony-winning musical plays through November 22. Jersey Boys, like the movie of the same name that was recently in theaters, is meant to tell the true story of four young hooligans from the streets of New Jersey who, beginning in 1960, became one of the greatest American pop groups of all time. That rise was achieved through a lot of hard work, plenty of loud arguments, a little help from the mob—and, oh yes, some great music.
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This production of Alan Ball’s comic play about five reluctant bridesmaids at a wedding they all hate—think Steel Magnolias, with younger women and more sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll—benefits greatly from the chemistry between the actresses: Stephanie Hodson, Amber Marsh, Kellie Yvonne Raines, Rebecca Scott and Katie Walton. It tackles some serious subjects—slut shaming, sexual abuse, homophobia—but generally goes for the lighter laughs, with direction by Sean B. O’Neal, a fellow who knows a thing or two about generating laughs. F, Sa 8pm. Through 11/22. $15-$20. Resurrection Theatre at the California Stage, 1723 25th St.; (916) 223-9568; www.resurrection theatre.com. K.M.
Kate: The Unexamined Life of Katharine Hepburn
When playwright Rick Foster and actress Janis Stevens team up, watch out. Better yet, just sit back and watch. And marvel. Stevens took Foster’s Vivien, about actress Vivien Leigh, all the way to New York—something she’s sure to do again with their latest collaboration, Kate: The Unexamined Life of Katharine Hepburn. Even Meryl Streep sometimes gets caught “acting.” Not so Stevens in this remarkable character study making its world premiere at the Sacramento Theatre Company. There isn’t an ounce of artifice in her portrayal. Stevens knows this character and has lived this life. She and Hepburn are not that dissimilar—both being strong, remarkable women. For this outstanding production, in addition to Foster and Stevens, there’s director Peter Sander, lighting designer Ron Madonia and costumer Gail Russell. The play takes place on New Year’s Eve in 1999, when a 92-year-old mostly wheelchair-bound Hepburn is alone except for her helper, the periodically summoned Mr. Rotterdam (Marty Parker). Foster rightly sets Kate in the final act of Hepburn’s life, affording the ability to reflect upon the highs and lows of a long career—and revealing some secrets that the notoriously private woman had kept to herself. We learn about her accomplished parents, about her older brother’s tragic death, and her relationships—professional and sometimes otherwise—with actors Montgomery Clift and Warren Beatty, billionaire Howard Hughes, and the love of her life, Spencer Tracy. Stevens’ expression lightens and darkens in these rambling recollections according to Hepburn’s like, dislike or mistrust of the subject. She seems to truly be reveling in the remembrance. Although this play looks back, Hepburn was reluctant to dwell on what had been. “Forward, always forward,” she said. “The past is shit.” But sometimes we can’t shake that “shit” and it makes us who we are.
4
Hay Fever
PHoTo By JoaN MarCUS
This production of Hay Fever is being marketed as “blissfully bad behavior,” and it’s an apt description. We’re introduced to an English family of self-obsessed artists and intellectuals: Dad writes
Jersey Boys, 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; $38-$153. Broadway Sacramento at the Community Center Theater, 1301 L Street; (916) 808-5181, www.broadway sacramento.com. Through November 22.
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The Jungle Book
This witty adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling classic by Davis-raised playwright Briandaniel Oblesby is a thoughtful-yet-active and entertaining all-ages family show. The colorful puppets and masks (by Rachel Malin) and alluring “jungle” set were created with cleverly repurposed and recycled materials. F 7pm,
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Sa 2pm & 6pm, Su 2pm. Through 12/6. $6-$20. Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd.; (916) 960-3036; www.bigidea theatre.com. J.H.
SUBLIME–DoN’T MISS
Short reviews by Jeff Hudson and Kel Munger.
PHoTo By CLEFTCLIPS
The story begins a little shakily, not unlike the teenaged Frankie Valli’s voice. But by the time the group finds its sound with 1962’s “Sherry,” Milanes (as Valli) has found his, too. From that point on, he’s as Frankie as they come, and Dromard (as Tommy DeVito), Hines (as Nick Massi) and Seeley (as Bob Gaudio) establish themselves as grounded, believable characters. Barry Anderson (as over-the-top fop Bob Crewe) completes the hit-making team that created a string of hits, including “Walk Like a Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “My Eyes Adored You” and so many more. This could easily have been just another jukebox musical—and one could certainly do worse than choosing the Four Seasons to build one around—but two-time Tony Awardwinning director Des McAnuff and book writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice use Gaudio’s music and Crewe’s lyrics to tell a real story: one of a rise to fame because of (and sometimes in spite of) human nature and all that life can throw at us. Ω
Mod fashion meets rock music.
novels, and Mom’s an actress of a certain age, reluctant to acknowledge that she has offspring who are marriageable young adults. The cast—community actors (some with a good deal of experience)—does pretty well, transporting us into a bygone age of manners and assumptions. Th, F, Sa 7pm; Su 2:30pm. Through 11/23. $15. Third Space, 946 Olive Drive in Davis; www.arttheater.org. J.H.
The cardigan stays in the picture.
Stand-up tragicomedy Described recently by the New Yorker as a “deadpan comedian of the driest vintage,” Tig Notaro is most famous for the simultaneously hilarious and devastating set she performed a few days after finding out she had breast cancer (a diagnosis that came closely on the heels of her mother’s death). Louis CK declared it one of the “handful of truly great, masterful standup sets” he’d ever seen and made it available for download on his website. As you might guess, Notaro kind of blew up after that, maintaining that discomfiting tone with a recent show in which she took off her shirt in reaction to catcalls from the audience to reveal scars from her double mastectomy. It’s a rare talent, making comedy out of intensely personal tragedy, and Notaro brims with it. Tig Notaro, 8 p.m. Monday, November 17; $20. Assembly Music Hall, 1000 K Street, http://tignation.com.
—Jim Carnes
—Deena Drewis
Kate: The Unexamined Life of Katharine Hepburn, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday; $15-$38. Pollack Stage at Sacramento Theatre Company, 1419 H Street; (916) 443-6722; www.sactheatre.org. Through December 14.
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Low wattage Beyond the Lights In Beyond the Lights, it’s not easy to figure out what writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood is driving at. Is she subtly satirizing the glitzy shallowness by Jim Lane of a pop-music business where anybody who can carry a tune (and some who can’t) can have a shot at what passes these days for superstardom? Or does she want us to believe that the pleasant, amiable young woman at the center of her movie really is the wonder of the age?
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C A N T E E N S A C . C O M | 1 5 0 1 1 6 T H S T. | 9 1 6 . 3 8 2 . 9 1 9 6
Cue Kevin Costner.
1 Poor
2 Fair
3 Good
4 Very Good
5 excellent
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Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who starred in the historical drama Belle in 2013, plays Noni, a young singer on a meteoric career path in the United States. We first meet Noni in her native England at the age of 10, when she’s played by India Jean-Jacques. Noni’s mother Macy (Minnie Driver) has entered her in a local talent contest, where the girl sings Nina Simone’s “Blackbird” a cappella. Macy is affronted and furious when her daughter comes in second to a perky little blonde tap dancer, and she orders Noni to leave her runner-up trophy in the parking lot so Macy can run over it with her car as they drive away. “Do you want to be a runner-up,” she snarls, “or do you want to be a winner?” Even in this early scene, it’s hard to figure out how we’re expected to respond. The fact is, as much as Prince-Bythewood tries to make that tap dancer look ridiculous, Noni’s lucky to have done as well as she did. Without the thrumming drumbeat that drives Nina Simone’s version of “Blackbird,” the song isn’t much of a showcase even for a great voice (like Simone’s). Does Prince-Bythewood agree with Macy that Noni was robbed? Or are we supposed to recoil at the spectacle of a stage mother who flies into a soreloser rage when her little girl doesn’t triumph on her first time in the game? Things clear up a bit in in the next scene, when the movie comes down on the side of recoiling at Mum. It’s years later, and Noni is a young woman now, making a name for herself in a series of videos with a rapper named Kid Culprit (Richard Colson Baker). As Noni and Culprit accept an award for their video titled
(with an irony that may even be intentional) “Masterpiece,” the troubled look on her face goes unnoticed by everyone from her mother/ manager on down. So it’s a surprise to everyone when Noni perches drunk on the balcony rail of her 15th-floor hotel suite in Beverly Hills, threatening to jump. Noni is hauled back by Kaz (Nate Parker), the Los Angeles cop assigned to work security guarding the door of her suite. The suicide attempt is passed off as an accident. (“Never mix champagne, a hotel balcony and platform heels,” Noni chirps at a morningafter press conference.) Kaz, dubbed “Hero Cop” by the media, gets his 15 minutes of fame. For us in the audience, those 15 minutes drag out to 116, and there’s the rub. Beyond the Lights stretches its tissue-thin story beyond the limits of its appealing young stars or the acting prowess of Minnie Driver or Danny Glover as Kaz’s father. It’s a movie that takes place in a universe where a mother cares less about her daughter’s cry for help than the rent-a-cop, and where that rent-acop can find true love with a star who, in the real world, wouldn’t even notice what color his uniform is. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is pretty and appealing, Nate Parker is hunky and appealing, Minnie Driver is intense, Danny Glover is solemn and dignified, and nothing is unexpected.
Beyond the Lights stretches its tissue-thin story beyond the limits of its appealing young stars. So, should we take Beyond the Lights at face value, even its mid-movie jaunt to Mexico where the young lovers enjoy a brief reprieve from the glare of the spotlight? Is Noni a genuine once-in-a-blue-moon talent—or is this a satirical comment on the pop-music hype machine? Personally, I’m as suspicious of a glossy, flashy movie about the gloss and flash of showbiz as I am of comic-book movies made by billion-dollar entertainment conglomerates about the evils of billion-dollar corporations. Beyond the Lights is, in fact, a throwback to a movie so old that Gina Prince-Bythewood has almost certainly never seen or even heard of it: The Hard Way (1943), in which Ida Lupino was the iron-willed stage “mother” driving her modestly-talented kid sister (Joan Leslie) to stardom as a way out of poverty for them. Ω
by daniel barnes & JiM lane
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Before I Go to Sleep
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A woman who, as a result of a traumatic injury in her past, awakes every day to amnesia (Nicole Kidman) and tries to slowly piece together her former life with her husband (Colin Firth), relying on the assistance of her doctor (Mark Strong)—but are they really who they seem to be? And is she? Written and directed by Rowan Joffe (from a novel by S.J. Watson), the movie is short on surprises. With only three characters (plus a very few others that shouldn’t be spoiled) there are only so many ways the story can go. Still, for all that, suspense is strong thanks to Joffe’s steady pacing and an unsettling, menacing atmosphere. Thanks also to fine performances from the three principals—especially Kidman, understandably nervous and twitchy, afraid to turn every corner, wondering if she’s turned it before. J.L.
3
Big Hero 6
A Marvel comic book reconfigured to look and sound like an animated McDonald’s commercial, Big Hero 6 is still the most tolerable film to be released under the Marvel banner in years, even if the superhero origin story stuff is the least interesting piece. The film takes place in the futuristic, East-West hybrid city of San Fransokyo, and the story follows a 13 year-old computer prodigy named Hiro Hamada, who forms a bond with an inflatable robot after his brother’s death. Despite a chaotic narrative that bloats the running time to nearly two hours, Big Hero 6 is a colorful and fast-paced entertainment, easily watchable and easily forgotten, like a shiny new toy that isn’t much fun to play with. It is preceded by the six-minute Feast, an enchanting Disney short that offers all of the warmth and soul that Big Hero 6 lacks. D.B.
5
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“MR. MURRAY IS A JOY TO WATCH.”
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Trippy ...
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Dear White People
The Good Lie
Fleeing the Sudanese Civil War in 1987, a group of children walk 700 miles to a Kenyan refugee camp; 13 years later, now grown into young adults (Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, Kuoth Wiel), they are allowed to emigrate to the U.S., where a Kansas City employment agent (Reese Witherspoon) tries to find them work while they try to adjust to their new lives. Written by Margaret Nagle and directed by Philippe Falardeau, the movie suffers some narrative awkwardness in the early scenes, but rights itself in time and goes on to build quiet power through artful understatement. Witherspoon is top-billed (and probably helped get the picture green-lighted), but the real stars are Oceng, Duany and Jal,
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Interstellar
BRILLIANT ON SO MANY LEVELS
‘‘
Christopher Nolan has earned enough trust and respect to make the dark, thematically ambitious and potentially difficult films that studios usually avoid like the plague, and on the scale of his choice. Based as much on the success of his rabbit-hole actioner Inception as his money-in-the-bank Batman movies, he even got Paramount to back his moony and assaultive three-hour space epic Interstellar. Rather than liberating Nolan, however, the ability to make big-budget movies that aim to do more than sell souvenir soda cups has weighed on him like a divine task, and each film has become more dreadfully self-important than the last. Interstellar is a nonstop barrage of teachable moments, simultaneously bloated and rushed, and crammed with more topical detritus than a Lee Daniels film. There is no shortage of visual spectacle here, but Interstellar flirts with big ideas and weighty themes only to avoid probing beneath their surfaces. D.B.
.’’
BETSY SHARKEY,
‘‘SENSATIONAL! NOT QUITE LIKE ANYTHING YOU’VE SEEN AT THE MOVIES.” STEVEN J. SNYDER,
Writer-director Justin Simien’s impassioned but wishy washy Dear White People follows four black students at a fictional Ivy League college as they struggle to reconcile their personal and racial identities. Over the course of a semester, a simple housing dispute turns into a campuswide conflict that forces people to choose sides, even against their nature, and finally erupts into a racially charged riot. With its brash and topical take on black college life, interracial love, and race riots, Dear White People has drawn comparisons to Spike Lee’s 1980s-era output. That’s valid if simplistic, but the film’s self-righteous leanings and easy targets make it play more like the love child of Higher Learning and PCU. Simien shoots satirical buckshot, missing as often as he hits, and the clunky framing device is pure amateur hour, yet he also displays an attention to character complexity that shows genuine promise. D.B.
4
“A TRIUMPH.” - Peter Debruge, VARIETY
Birdman
A washed-up movie star (Michael Keaton), hoping to scramble out from the shadow of the Birdman superhero blockbusters he made 20 years ago, tries to mount his own Broadway adaptation of a story by Raymond Carver, but everything seems to go wrong—starting with the fact that Birdman has infected his own unstable personality. Director and co-writer Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu’s movie invites comparison with the ultimate has-been-nut-cast-movie-star picture, Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd.—and amazingly, it holds up under the comparison, thanks to Iñárritu’s brilliantly surrealistic technique, the can’t-look-away messy state of the protagonist’s head, Keaton’s tautly pugnacious performance, and an equally strong supporting cast (Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Amy Ryan, etc.). J.L.
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WHIPLASH BiRDMAN “IT’S ELECTRIFYING.” - Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE
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who portray with poignant clarity the hope, frustration and confusion of immigrants in a strange new land. J.L.
3
Laggies
Sam Rockwell has appeared in about a dozen features since 2009’s Moon, which was not a great film but probably remains his most iconic screen role. While I have not seen all of his post-Moon films, I am certain that Rockwell’s performance was the best part of every single one. Being the best part of pleasantly forgettable films has become an unfortunate cottage industry for the diversely talented Rockwell, and after last year’s pleasantly forgettable The Way, Way Back, he is once again the best thing about Lynn Shelton’s pleasantly forgettable Laggies. Keira Knightley plays a disaffected, overgrown adolescent who hides out with a sympathetic teenager (Chloe Grace Moretz) in order to avoid dealing with her boyfriend’s marriage proposal. As the girl’s father, Rockwell casually and dismissively steals scenes, almost as though the film’s attitude of wistful insouciance is utterly beneath him. It is, of course. D.B.
3
Nightcrawler
A former petty thief (Jake Gyllenhaal) launches himself on a career as a freelance video “journalist,” stalking street crimes and accidents and selling what he shoots to the desperate news director of a low-rated L.A. TV station (Rene Russo). Gyllenhaal and writer-director Dan Gilroy create a compelling portrait of a slick hustler straight out of What Makes Sammy Run?, prowling the garish neon mean streets instead of the studios of Hollywood, willing to stoop to anything, even murder. Fascinating to see how far journalism has fallen since the heyday of Watergate and All the President’s Men—or even 1987’s Broadcast News. This world is populated mainly by bottom-feeding sociopaths and the moral idiots who enable them, with only feeble protests of integrity from the sidelines, easily quashed and ignored. J.L.
3
On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter
The 1971 motorcycle documentary On Any Sunday was a rare landlocked effort from filmmaker Bruce Brown, best known for his surfing films like The Endless Summer. On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter comes from Bruce’s son Dana Brown, who has already followed in his father’s footsteps with The Endless Summer II and Step Into Liquid. This new-fangled version is retrofitted for the era of Red Bull, an official producer and unofficial spirit animal, with the focus more on extreme
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sports junkies and tatted-up family men than on motocross racers and poetic loners, but the main draw is still the gorgeous slow-motion photography. It’s a good-looking and wellpaced film, probably irresistible to motorcycle enthusiasts (although I was the lone audience member at a weekend matinee show), but there is very little connecting these disparate vignettes other than corporate synergy and an unwavering enthusiasm for the sport. D.B.
3
St. Vincent
4
Whiplash
‘‘MICHAEL KEATON SOARS.’’ LOU LUMENICK,
Sixteen years removed from Rushmore, Bill Murray could play the curmudgeonwith-a-heart-of-fool’s-gold role in his sleep. It’s to his credit that Murray is wide awake and close to great in Theodore Melfi’s St. Vincent, especially since the script is loaded with enough tranquilizing indie-quirk tropes to take down Dan Aykroyd. Murray is Vincent McKenna, an acerbic, alcoholic slob who earns extra cash by babysitting the precocious, bullied child of his new next-door neighbor (Melissa McCarthy, somehow the only person not overacting here). Very little rings true in St. Vincent—not the boy, not the pregnant Russian prostitute played by Naomi Watts, not Terrence Howard’s bookie, and not the ending that is almost literally removed from Rushmore. Yet for all of his clowning, Murray gets under this character’s skin like a deer tick, bringing a lot of soul to a film that can’t match him. D.B.
In the propulsive and persistent Whiplash, writer-director Damien Chazelle takes a trope familiar to sports movies and boot camp films—the imperious coach/drill sergeant who horsewhips a raw but promising athlete/soldier into shape— and drops it into an East Coast music conservatory. Miles Teller gives another strong performance as Andrew, a hyperdriven jazz drummer languishing in second chair. Andrew catches the eye of Fletcher, the martinet conductor of the school’s most prestigious band, a black-clad, fire-breathing demon played by J.K. Simmons. Fletcher torments his student musicians with a level of vile emasculation unseen since R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket (“weepy willow shitstack” is one of Fletcher’s least offensive invectives), and Andrew endures the abuse in order to pursue greatness. Teller and Simmons don’t cut corners, even when the script does, and while Chazelle frequently seems to be fetishizing sadism, the lightningfast tempo forgives a few off-key notes. D.B.
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Great online expectations Electronic musician Daniel Trudeau received a digital call to creativity and answered with a new full-length Pregnant album Two years ago, Daniel Trudeau received a weird, cryptic email. Someone—or something—named John Raw needed help committing suicide from the by Janelle Bitker digital world. Trudeau, the brain behind the decade-long j a ne l l e b @ electronic music project Pregnant, was immene w s re v i e w . c o m diately inspired. And that email became the basis for Pregnant’s newest album, John Raw, which drops Friday, November 14 on the Crash Symbols label.
PHOTO BY LAURAN WORTHY
Who is John Raw? That’s a layered question. Let’s start with something slightly simpler: Who sent that first email? A person? A spambot? Trudeau originally thought it to be spam. But the email seemed too deep and detailed. He searched for John Raw online and found no trace. He called out to his friends on Facebook to see if anyone had heard of the figure. “That’s what’s so mystical and serendipitous—I don’t think anyone else got this email,” Trudeau says. At the time, Trudeau had finished some instrumental tracks but lacked lyrical inspiration. His last three albums, Life Hard: I Try, Poetry Mills and Inconvenience, had all been deeply personal during a challenging breakup. “I often think a close friend sent the email—it was just so perfect for me,” he says. “Or like, is this an email from my future self? It was just so meta.” John Raw’s current reality is complicated. He has an email address—johnrawraw@gmail.com —if anyone wants to help with his digital suicide. He also has Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. Trudeau created those accounts as part of the greater project—he wanted the mystery on multiple platforms. Here are some knowns: John Raw will carry 13 tracks; Molly Raney, a.k.a. Poppet, who began collaborating with Pregnant last year, will sing on one song; the instrumentation will still show Trudeau’s John Cage-inspired noise-electronica, but with bandmate Daniel Ramirez’s hip-hop-based, electronic grooves; and, finally, John Raw will be available for free for one month on Crash Symbol’s Bandcamp page.
ALLE Y K AT Z PRESENTS
Safety first?
Download Pregnant’s new album John Raw starting Friday, November 14, at www.crashsymbols. bandcamp.com.
SAT. NOV. 15 | 6PM 2019 O ST | 916.442.2682 30 | SN&R | 11.13.14
Read John Raw’s original email at www.newsreview.com/ sacramento/ pageburner/blogs.
But the album is so much more than an album. It’s an experimental art project that bridges different mediums and—just maybe— different realities. There’s already a trippy music video for the track “One Duo,” which takes place inside a digitally-rendered house. And there’s a 20-minute film documenting the existence—or nonexistence—of John Raw around the world. Trudeau recruited more than 20 artists—from France, Russia, Japan, China, New York, Atlanta—to create scenes of the shadowy figure. Let’s go back to that first email. It starts like this: “I am John Raw. I am an intern at presence. My existence is a test that will display the symbiotic experiences of lives that can co-mingle within two social experiences/lives.” John Raw then went on to define a few terms. “One Duo” means a person who lives physically and digitally. “Buried in the Garden” is someone completely submerged in the Internet. “Kid Need” is the physical world. John Raw is “Buried in the Garden” and wants to experience “Kid Need” and therefore requires the help of “One Duos.” Trudeau is a “One Duo” and sought the assistance of other “One Duos,” those 20 other artists, to fabricate John Raw in the physical world so that John Raw can die in the digital world.
Trudeau would not have been able to fabricate John Raw in the physical world without the digital world. Ultimately for Trudeau, this whole project is about the Internet. Friends often dismiss it as a cesspool of self-indulgent, time-wasting pointlessness. But Trudeau would not have been able to fabricate John Raw in the physical world without the digital world—there would have been no email, there would have been no network of international artists to contact. “The Internet is so random but at the same time, it doesn’t need to be a big random mess,” he says. “There’s meaning to be derived from it.” Ω
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Big venues, small approaches (and turnout) Arena blues: When I told friends about my destination last Tuesday night—the Black Keys concert at Sleep Train Arena—I got a lot of initially excited responses. Like, “Awesome! Love the Black Keys!” followed quickly by, “Wait, arena? Really?” The Ohio-born duo of guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney did, indeed, pack Sleep Train on election night. But for some reason, the casual listener doesn’t think of the Keys as being arena-level famous. It all arguably started with the band’s sixth record, Brothers, which nabbed the Keys three Grammy Awards. The 2011 follow-up, El Camino, went platinum in the United States and double-platinum in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, winning a few Grammys as well. The band’s latest release, Turn Blue, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Many credit this dramatic rise to the Keys’ partnership with producer Danger Mouse, which started in 2008. But the band’s sound hasn’t exactly stayed stagnant since then, either. Turn Blue saw the Keys enter psychedelic territory in a subdued fashion—groove-driven, thematic, cohesive and devoid of any real hit singles. Rolling Stone called it the band’s best yet. Fans were definitely stoked, and the set was filled with hopelessly catchy, crowd-pleasing hits—“Gold on the Ceiling,” “Howlin’ For You,” “Everlasting Light,” “Tighten Up”— and even brought out the band’s debut album with “Leavin’ Trunk.” My favorite song all night was the grungy, slightly psychedelic “Strange Times” off Attack & Release, a welcomed break in pace. The audience’s favorite was, obviously, the Keys’ smash hit “Lonely Boy.” It was the perfect high-inducing song to end on. But then the Keys came back for a strange encore with two slow-burning tracks off Turn Blue. The high dissipated, slightly salvaged by an acoustic-to-electric version of “Little Black Submarines.” Auerbach didn’t say much beyond “Thank you” and “Come on, Sacramento” a couple times. There were lights and some video—mostly blue-tinted, obviously—but the biggest visual effect was merely a curtain falling down. To reveal, ahem, more lights. Despite achieving that arena level, the Black Keys do not make a great arena band. Arena rock in general is just so boring unless you’re standing front-and-center. No matter how BEFORE
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great the music sounded, arena shows require more infectious energy, more spectacle, more production value. Especially when you’re spending $80 for general admission. The rock band ethos, however, requires a no-frills show. The two don’t line up. —Janelle Bitker
jan el l eb @ne w s re v i e w . c o m
Energetic piano: Classical music has long proven to be one of the biggest draws at the Mondavi Center since its 2002 opening. Season ticket holders get the first crack at seats, which means many events are often sold out or nearly at capacity before the general public can even attempt to go. Last Wednesday’s show with Jeremy Denk was his first solo appearance here after accompanying renowned violinist Joshua Bell. The turnout for the event was much less than expected, but those in attendance were treated to a playlist well-worth the price of admission. Arguably, Denk is already a household name in the classical world for his wonderful interpretations and boundless energy. With little fanfare, he introduced his first number without a microphone and launched headfirst into a set that included classical pieces by the greats, such as Schumann, Mozart and Beethoven, as well as two other equally compelling pieces. From the opening notes of Joseph Haydn’s “Sonata in C Major, Hob.XVI:50” to his thoughtprovoking interpretation of Brad Mehldau’s “Sonata,” Denk played with an unmatched fervor that could be felt across the half-empty auditorium. Sidenote: Jazz pianist and composer Mehldau will also grace the Mondavi Center on Thursday, December 4. Tickets are still available. Mondavi’s setup for Denk was minimal, though appealing. He was dressed in a sleek black suit, matching the black Steinway & Sons piano with gold trim. The only other visual stimuli on the stage were four sets of plants placed equal distance apart at each corner of the stage. Even for a Wednesday night and a light turnout, Denk proved he deserves to headline venues as esteemed as the Mondavi Center. His playing was exuberant and exciting; mesmerizing and titillating. The only thing missing, of course, was you—and maybe a couple hundred more concertgoers. —Eddie Jorgensen
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PUBLISH DATE: 11/13/2014 11/23 Sturgill Simpson 11/24 Avi Buffalo ART DUE: 11/1016 - November 11/25 Busdriver - November 14 SLICK RICK THE RULER CONTENT: PUNCHLINE 11/28 Lil Debbie 8PM • $20 ADV CASEY ABRAMS SIZE: 1.87” X 5.67” 11/28 The Purple Ones (Prince Tribute) 5:30PM • ALL AGES $15 ADV 11/29 Mary346-4000 Youngblood ART PRODUCTION: TANK DESIGN (415) X225 11/29 The Cheeseballs NOTES: - November 14 -
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11/30 Karen Lovely 12/01 Jackie Gage 12/02 Chris Robinson Brotherhood 12/05 Goapele 12/06 Andy McKee 12/06 California Honeydrops 12/08 SZA 12/11 Jim “Kimo” West 12/11 Black Uhuru 12/12 Hot Buttered Rum 12/13 Dilated Peoples
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14FRI
14FRI
15SAT
15SAT
Shaun Slaughter’s Birthday Smooth Cruise
Razorblade Monalisa
Ana Moura
Deltron 3030
LowBrau, 9 p.m., no cover Summer’s very much gone and most people have already broken out the parkas that SOFT ROCK were sitting in a box in their garage. For bros still in denial, however, here’s another chance to break out some Sperry Top-Sider boat shoes, aviators and white pants; Shaun Slaughter’s Birthday Smooth Cruise at LowBrau features Adam Jay and the birthday man himself spinning soft-rock hits and rarities from the likes of Lionel Richie, the Doobie Brothers and Hall & Oates. Bonus: the Movember mustache you’re already working on fits the theme, too. And the party’s rounded out by LowBrau’s tasty sausages and beer. 1050 20th Street, Suite 100; www.lowbrausacramento.com.
—Jonathan Mendick
Starlite Lounge, 10 p.m., $6 With song titles like “Blood For Dracula,” “Alien Nation” and “Only the End of the World Again,” it’s pretty obvious that the members of local quartet Razorblade Monalisa are pretty big sci-fi and horror fans. What’s more, they are big fans of ’70s goth and post-punk groups like Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division and Gary Numan. And their two obsessions make a nice fit. They give the music a dreamy, dark and theatrical vibe with horror-movie references in the lyrics. They’ve been at this since ROCK 2000, and are releasing their latest album, Ignition/Fade, this Friday. It’s for people who love all things dreary— but with a driving rock edge. 1517 21st Street, www.razorblademonalisa.com.
—Aaron Carnes
Crest Theatre, 8 p.m., $30-$55
Center for the Arts, 8 p.m., $36-$46
Fado has been compared to American blues and gypsy music and there are certainly hints and traces of both, but it is music unlike any other. Ana Moura embraces the history of this music from Portugal that is mournful and hopeful, melancholy with an FADO undertone of light. Moura cites Joni Mitchell as her favorite songwriter and her cover of Mitchell’s “A Case of You” is hauntingly beautiful. Moura’s sound can be loosely compared to early Tracy Chapman—both have powerful voices that never overwhelm the music or the stories. Moura’s vocals blend with traditional Portuguese instruments and one can understand their meanings even without understanding the Portuguese language. 1013 K Street, http://anamoura.com.pt.
In the year 2000, Deltron 3030 released its self-titled, narrative debut, in which Deltron Zero fought evil corporations in the galactic year of 3030. It was an intricate, geeky rap opera, and Deltron 3030 became a cult favorite in the alternative hip-hop scene. Now the supergroup—emcee Del the Funky Homosapien, producer Dan the Automator, deejay Kid Koala—is on tour supporting its second album, Event 2, which was released last year to mixed reviews. That doesn’t really matter though. What matters it that the venue is transforming into an open dance party with a solo Koala set and 16-piece orchestra. HIP-HOP Yep, a 16-piece orchestra. 314 West Main Street in Grass Valley, www.deltron3030.com.
—Trina L. Drotar
—Janelle Bitker 1000 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
FOR TICKETS TO ALL SHOWS VISIT AssemblyMusicHall.com For Rentals or Private Parties please contact AssemblyMusicHall@gmail.com
sat nov 15 @ 8pm The Siren Show
Tig Nataro mon nov 17 @ 8pm
Fortunate Youth thu nov 20 @ 6:30pm the expanders | thrive | two peace
james cavern & the council
fri nov 21 @ 7pm
Upcoming ShowS nov 28 kreayshawn / kehlani nov 29 the holdup
wed nov 26 @ 7pm
iconoclast robot, dlrn, the good, samaritans
32 | SN&R |
11.13.14
16SUN
16SUN
17MON
20THURS
Magic Bronson
Slick Rick
Unleash the Archers
Christopher Cross
Witch Room, 8 p.m., $8
Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 9 p.m., $20-$25
With fuzzy bass, bumpin’ beats and expressive vocals, Magic Bronson ought to be friendly to stoners and dancers alike. But it’s tough to nail down the Magic Bronson sound. The Los Angeles-based duo fuses lots of genres together—indie rock, hip-hop, reggae, punk—into a catchy, mid-tempo synth-pop. Frontman Michael Nicastro and producer Matthew Lieberman have been performing together for a couple of years now—while building a steady following—but they just dropped their debut full-length, Wildlife, a couple of weeks ago. Take ELECTRO-POP a listen to “Fences,” an infectious, hook-laden track reminiscent of Gorillaz. San Francisco nu-soul singer-songwriter and TBD Fest alumnus 8th Grader opens the show. 1815 19th Street, www.magicbronson.com.
Hip-hop formed from street party music in the late ’70s and evolved into hit singles on radio and MTV in the ’80s. One of the groundbreaking HIP-HOP commercial artists was Slick Rick, who started in 1983 with the Get Fresh Crew (with beatbox extraordinaire Doug E. Fresh) and went solo in 1988. He put out some extremely important hip-hop albums that proved he was a clever storyteller, but his recordings also brought nuanced beats, weaving subtle variations in background samples through the course of each song. “Children’s Story” was his biggest hit, but “La Di Da Di,” got even more well known when Snoop Dogg covered it on 1993’s Doggystyle. 2708 J Street, www.ricktheruler.net.
—Aaron Carnes
The Colony, 7:30 p.m., call for cover
Crest Theatre, 7:30 p.m., $40-$55
By the time Vancouver’s melodic metal exports Unleash The Archers reach the town of Sacramento, they will already have been on the road for the better part of the month playing places as far reaching as Guadalajara, Cabo San Lucas, Seattle and Mexico City (as part of the Hell & Heaven Fest). Fronted by the talented Brittney Slayes and supported by the vocal-guitar arsenal of Grant Truesdell and Andrew Kingsley, UTA METAL shows no signs of slowing down. Rounding out the bill are Dire Peril, Salythia and Graveshadow. It may be a school night, but you will most definitely kick yourself in the ass if you miss this one. 3512 Stockton Boulevard, (916) 718-7055, www.facebook.com/UnleashTheArchers.
During the 1980s, you’d be hard pressed to not hear a Christopher Cross song on the radio. The man was a veritable hit machine who sang in the higher registers and defied his larger frame. From hit movie songs like ROCK “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” to the ode to living large “Sailing,” Cross came at the perfect time. Yacht Rock was practically conceived when “Ride Like the Wind” hit the airwaves and crushed many Billboard records. While his other colleagues like Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins also became superstars traveling the same path, let’s just say Cross made some massive publishing money and didn’t need to use coupons ever again. 1013 K Street, www.christophercross.com.
—Eddie Jorgensen
—Eddie Jorgensen
—Janelle Bitker
Ace of SpAdeS friday, november 14
1417 R Street, Sacramento, 95814 www.aceofspadessac.com
All Ages Welcome!
friday, november 28
mAriAchi el bronx
AtillA
tijuana panthers - pounded by the surf
crown the empire - like moths to flames - sworn in
wednesday, december 3
the birthdAy mASSAcre
thursday, november 20
the lAcS dry county drinkers
Down
12/12
Johnny Marr
12/13
Fmlybnd & Wild Wind
12/14
Easton Corbin
12/16
Blood On The Dance Floor
12/18
The Grouch & Eligh
12/19
E-40
12/20
Latin Christmas Show
friday, december 5
01/27
The Expendables
dAnce gAvin dAnce
01/28
Silverstein
02/11
Hozier
02/19
August Burns Red
04/09
Apocalypitca
04/13
Milky Chance
04/15
Reverend Horton Heat
thursday, december 4
murS/mondAy m-theory - k-ottic
saturday, november 22
Arden pArk rootS
jeezy
christian rashawn - call bear gang - black sky - gatlin
secrets - alive like me defeat the low - wolf & bear
element of soul - riotmaker - hero’s last mission - a mile till dawn
presented by
tuesday, november 25
iSSueS
saturday, december 6
i killed the prom queen - ghost town - marmozets - nightmares
SOON
12/07
new years day - the red paintings - awoken shadows
friday, november 21
COMING
trAin mat kearney
TickeTs available aT all Dimple RecoRDs locaTions anD aRmaDillo RecoRDs, oR puRchase by phone @ 916.443.9202 BEFORE
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nov 21 HUMBLE WOLF
(VIDEO PREMIER SHOW)
NOV 29 ANDREW CASTRO & XOCHIT Dec 5
FUNKY 16 CORNERS
Dec 6
FOURSOCKS
Dec 12 SIMPLE CREATION TRIVIA MONDAYS @ 6:30PM TACO TUESDAYS $1 TACOS, $2 CORONAS OPEN MIC WEDNESDAYS SIGN-UPS @ 7:30PM KARAOKE THURSDAYS @ 7:30PM
w w w. n e w s r e v i e w. c o m
NOV 15 ISLAND OF BLACK & WHITE
Gift certificates to local merchants for up to 50% off
Nov 14 THE SOUL SHINE BAND
101 MAIN STREET, ROSEVILLE 916-774-0505 · LUNCH/DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK FRI & SAT 9:30PM - CLOSE 21+ FACEBOOK.COM/BAR101ROSEVILLE
food. drink. music. fun. sacramento singer/songwriter
Winter Showcase COMING SOON IN early 2015 4 artists each night will compete for your vote to win cash prizes and recording time. Winner will be announced at the end of the series. Get the inside scoop on the showcase #KUPrOSSSSS
New Food & Drink Specials Daily: Sunday & Monday – Industry Nights
Happy Hour: 3-7pm Tues- Fri , Sat Late Night 8pm-Close
live music every Fri & Sat
11.14 sea legs 11.15 dogfish 11.21 hot city 11.22 deswingin’ 11.28 sandra delores band 11.29 trio las cruces
916.440.0401 | 1217 21st st. sacramento, ca kuproscrafthouse.com
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SN&R | 11.13.14
SN&R
Sponsored by Skip’s music & P.O.L. Society
Gift certificates to local merchants for up to 50% off
LIVE MUSIC
NIGHTBEAT ASSEMBLY MUSIC HALL 1000 K St., (916) 341-0176
BADLANDS
THURSDAY 11/13
FRIDAY 11/14
Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover
Saturday Boom, 9pm, call for cover
BAR 101
Karaoke, 7:30pm, no cover
THE SOUL SHINE, 9:30pm, no cover
ISLAND OF BLACK AND WHITE, 9:30pm, no cover
Trivia Night, 6:30pm M, no cover; 7:30pm W, no cover
BLUE LAMP
1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400
Skratchpad Sacramento, 8pm, call for cover
Reggae w/ DJ Wokstar and guest deejays, 9pm, $3
BEERLORDS, ATOMBOMB; 4pm, $5; THE SCRATCH OUTS, THE LIVING A SOUND OF THUNDER, DIRE PERIL; 8pm DEADS; 4pm, $7
Open mic, M; MOODIE BLACK, COOLZEY, BELLY BELT; 8pm Tu, $10; Trivia, 8pm W
THE BOARDWALK
AYE TEE, CAM, FRIDAY NIGHTZ,
BIG SCRAP, MOBB$ BABY ENT, GSB, TEXACALI; 8pm, call for cover
CENTER FOR THE ARTS
314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384
TONY FURTADO, MARK JOHNSON, BILL EVANS, JOHN REISCHMAN; 7:30pm, $25
DELTRON 3030, 8pm, $36-$46
THE COZMIC CAFÉ
Open-mic, 7:30pm, no cover
ANNE ROOS, DOUG ADAMS; 8pm, $8
1016 K St., (916) 737-5770
Trap and dub deejay dancing, 10pm, call for cover
Panic City, DJ Elements, 9pm, call for cover
DIVE BAR
Deuling Pianos, 9pm, no cover
FACES
Kamikaze Karaoke, 9pm-2am, no cover
Hip-hop and Top 40 Deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10
’80s deejay mixes, 2-7pm; Hip-hop and Top 40 Deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10
FOX & GOOSE
STEVE MCLANE, 8pm, no cover
DANDELION MOON, HOME BY DARK, KALLY O’MALLY; 9pm, $5
BRIGHT FACES, GARBLE, THE POLYMERS; 9pm, $8
594 Main St., Placerville; (530) 642-8481
DISTRICT 30
1022 K St., (916) 737-5999 2000 K St., (916) 448-7798 1001 R St., (916) 443-8825
2326 K St., (916) 441-2252
DJ Shaun Slaughter, 10pm, call for cover
GROOVE THANG, 9pm-midnight, $5
MACH 5, 9pm-midnight, $5 BRAD WILSON, 6:30pm, $15; MIDNIGHT PLAYERS, 10:15pm, $12
HARLOW’S
ELLIS PAUL, STEVE POLTZ; 7pm, $25-$30
CASEY ABRAMS, 7pm, $15-$65; WONDERBREAD 5, 9pm, $12
LUNA’S CAFÉ & JUICE BAR
Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2
PAT HULL, OLIVIA AWBREY, MARTIN PURTILL, ALICIA LOPEZ; 8pm, $5
MIDTOWN BARFLY
Panik: deejay dancing w/ Angels of Kaos, 9pm-2am, $5
NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN 1111 H St., (916) 443-1927
RAT STOMP, FUKU & THE DEADLY VENOMS; 8:30pm, $5
RUBY JAYE FRADKIN, SANDRA DOLORES, MOLLYMAWKS; 8:30pm, $5
OLD IRONSIDES
10th Street Sessions, 8pm, no cover
REVOLVER, THE ENLOWS, THREE ACT TRAGEDY; 9pm, $8
ON THE Y
Karaoke, 9pm, no cover
VITIATE, AWAITING THE APOCALYPSE, ENSLAVE THE CREATION; 8pm, $5
1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931 1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779
1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504 670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731
Top 40, Mashups, 9pm, no cover
DJ Club mixes, 10pm, no cover
PINE COVE TAVERN
BLAQUELISTED, 8pm, no cover
502 29th St., (916) 446-3624
SOLSA, 9:30pm, $10
PJ’S ROADHOUSE
REBEL PUNK, 9pm, call for cover
3443 Laguna Blvd., Elk Grove; (916) 226-2625 5461 Mother Lode, Placerville; (530) 626-0336
POWERHOUSE PUB THE PRESS CLUB
Swing dancing lessons, 7:30pm Tu, $6; Salsa lessons, 7:30pm-midnight W, $5 Jazz session, 8pm M; CEDRIC JOHNSON, DIANA CAMPOS; 8:30pm W, $5
Open-mic comedy, 9pm, no cover
Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover
Open-mic, 10pm-1am Tu, no cover; Trivia, 8pm W, no cover
PINS N STRIKES
614 Sutter St., Folsom; (916) 355-8586
FOLSOM PRISM, 10pm, call for cover
ELEMENT OF SOUL, 10pm, call for cover
FRANK HANNON, 10pm, call for cover
GRANT URIAS GALA, VAL STARR; 3pm, call for cover
2030 P St., (916) 444-7914
SELF DEFENSE FAMILY, CREATIVE ADULT, Top 40 w/ DJ Rue, 9pm, $5 WILD MOTH; 9pm, $12
Top 40 w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9pm, $5
Sunday Night Soul Party, 9pm, $5
DEATH IN JUNE, 8pm W, $20
SHADY LADY SALOON
TYSON GRAF TRIO, 9pm, call for cover
ELEMENT BRASS BAND, 9pm, no cover
ALEX JENKINS, 9pm, no cover
DJ Ezra, 9pm Tu, no cover; HARLEY WHITE JR, 9pm W, no cover
1409 R St., (916) 231-9121
Want to be a hot show? Mail photos to Calendar Editor, SN&R, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 or email it to sactocalendar@ newsreview.com. Be sure to include date, time, location and cost of upcoming shows.
Karaoke, 9pm, no cover
DJ Scene, DJ Oasis, 9pm-2am, $15
Top 40, 9pm, no cover
LOS STRAITJACKETS, 7:30pm W, $17.50-$20
SLICK RICK, 9pm, $20-$25
HEATH WILLIAMSON, 5pm M; Karaoke, 9pm Tu; Open-mic, 9pm W, no cover
DJ Eddie Edul, DJ Jason Davis, 9pm-2am, $15
PARLARE EURO LOUNGE
Trivia night, 7:30-9pm Tu, no cover
KIERSTON WHITE, KEVIN AND ALLYSON SECONDS, JOHN MORELAND; 8:30pm, $7
THE PARK ULTRA LOUNGE 1116 15th St., (916) 442-7222
Trivia night, W, call for cover
Goth, darkwave, industrial, electronic deejay dancing, 9pm-3am, call for cover
TONY FURTADO, MARK JOHNSON, BILL EVANS; 8pm, $25
13 Main St., Winters; (530) 795-1825
Industry Night, 9pm, call for cover
Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M; Openmic comedy, Tu; Comedy night, 8pm W
THE PALMS PLAYHOUSE
1009 10th St., (916) 448-8960
Karaoke, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5; DJ Alazzawi, 9pm W, $3
Dragalicious, 9pm, $5
Open-mic, 7:30pm M; Pub Quiz, 7pm Tu; Northern Soul and Cornhole, 8pm W
DJ Whores, 10pm, no cover
HALFTIME BAR & GRILL
5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366
Hey local bands!
DJ Crook One, 10pm, call for cover BUCK FORD, 9pm, no cover
1603 J St., (916) 476-5076
Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo, and a link to your website. Go to www.newsreview.com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.
NIGHT VERSES, WITH WOLVES, ARTCLS, EMERY, THE CLASSIC CRIME, ARTIFEX THE STALKING DISTANCE; 7:30pm, $20 PEREO, MERCEDES AVE; 7pm W, $18-$20
GOLDFIELD TRADING POST
2708 J St., (916) 441-4693
Mad Mondays, 9pm M, call for cover
TONEBENDERS, 7pm, no cover
228 G St., Davis; (530) 756-9227
THE GOLDEN BEAR
Sin Sunday, 8pm, call for cover
STELLAR, BILLY MANZIK; 9pm W, no cover
G STREET WUNDERBAR
List your event!
MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 11/17-11/19 Tig Notaro, 8pm M, $20
Tipsy Thursdays, Top 40 deejay dancing, 9pm, call for cover
9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 J FRESHA; 8pm, call for cover
Los Straightjackets 7:30pm Wednesday, $17.50-$20. Harlow’s Instrumental rock
SUNDAY 11/16
2003 K St., (916) 448-8790 101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505
Georgia Rain 8:30pm Thursday, $5-$7. Stoney Inn/Rockin’ Rodeo Country rock
SATURDAY 11/15 The Siren Show presents Game On, 8pm, $15-$25
CASPA, THE OTHERS; 9pm, $12.50
SOL COLLECTIVE
UNDIVIDED, TH3 SAGA, TEAM ZOE, MISSION, IZREAL; 7pm, no cover
2574 21st St., (916) 832-0916
STARLITE LOUNGE
HUMBLE WOLF, 9pm, call for cover
1517 21st St., (916) 706-0052
GOLDBOOT, STATIONARY, DUPLX; 8:30pm, $7
BILL MYLAR, 5:30pm, no cover
SWIM, OUTLINED, ANIMISM; 8pm, call for cover
STONEY INN/ROCKIN’ RODEO
GEORGIA RAIN, 8:30pm, $5-$7
Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover; $5 after 8pm
Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover; $5 after 8pm
Country dance party, 8pm, no cover
Comedy open-mic, 8pm M; Bluebird Lounge open-mic, 5pm Tu, no cover
TORCH CLUB
X TRIO, 5pm, no cover; RED’S BLUES, 9pm, $5
PAILER AND FRATIS, 5:30-7:30pm, no cover; R.J. MISCHO, 9pm, $8
DANIEL CASTRO, 9pm, $8
Blues jam,4pm, no cover; WORLDS FINEST, 8pm, $5
SEAN LEHE, 8pm Tu; Open-mic, 5:30pm W; EARLS OF NEWTOWN, 9pm W, $5
WITCH ROOM
THE CROISSANTS, THE BUK BUK BIGUPS, MOM, NIGHT NURSE; 8pm, $6
BE FOREST, TENNIS SYSTEM, DESARIO; 8pm, $7
MAGIC BRONSON, 8TH GRADER; 8pm, $8
WILD ONES, RADIATION CITY; 8pm Tu, $7
1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797
1815 19th St., www.witchroomsac.com
Open-mic, 8pm M, call for cover
All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES
MARIACHI EL BRONX, TIJUANA PANTHERS, POUNDED BY THE SURF; 7pm, $18
1417 R St., (916) 448-3300
SHINE
1400 E St., (916) 551-1400 BEFORE
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NEWS
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CEDRIC JOHNSON, DIANA CAMPOS, LAUREN LONGMIRE; 8pm, $5
FEATURE STORY
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GILLIAN UNDERWOOD AND THE LONESPANGLER, DREW TABOR, SOME DOVES, HAIR OF THE DOG; 8pm, $5 CONNOR HORMELL; 8pm, $5
A RT S & C U LT U R E
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AFTER
Open jazz jam w/ Jason Galbraith & Friends, 8pm Tu; Open-mic, 7:30pm W
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Heat Up Your Night On RedHot TRY
Print ads start at $6/wk. www.newsreview.com or (916) 498-1234 ext. 5 Online Phone hours: M-F 9am-5pm. All ads post online same day. Deadlines for print: Line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Adult line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Display ad deadline: Friday 2pm
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SN&R | 11.13.14
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*Nominal fee for adult entertainment. All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication. The N&R assumes no financial liability for errors or omission of copy. In any event, liability shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by such an error or omission. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.
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IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING WITH US, PLEASE CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338.
Full body massage • Deep tissue • Swedish • Hot stone • Hot oil • Back walking 9am-10pm 7 days a week
30
/30min
1700 Fulton at Arden Way, Sacramento
40
/60min
The
WaWa Massage
BODY
This is a model
els
Combination Massage Open Daily 10am - 10:30pm Walk-Ins & Couples Welcome
GOOD DAY SPA Sacramento 95823
BEFORE
Massage Kea
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7271 55th St. #D
All Credit Cards Accepted
NEWS
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fe a t u re
s t or y
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★ Cottage Way Arden Way
MASSAGE THERAPY
Accupressure Deep Tissue sweDish
A R T S & C U L TU R E
2860 Florin road Sacramento 95822 daily 9am-9pm 916.231.9498 |
AFTER
916.722.7777
29-jet spa • Body shampoo • By appt.
GREEN JADE
This is a model
❤
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Ann, CMt
El Camino
2548 Cottage Way - Sacramento 916.568.6888 - 10am–10pm daily
New Massage Therapist $ OFF w/ ad 5
Flamingo Massage 2264 Fair Oaks Blvd #102 Sacramento 95825 (916) 646-1888
$80+
Friendly, Skillful Massage Therapists
This is a model
916.395.7712
9aM-9pM Daily
Deep Tissue - Swedish - Back Walking Gift Certificates available
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Violet Massage 3260 J St #A Sacramento 95816 (916) 442-1888
❤
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Chinese Massage - Walk-in - Appt.
This is a model
❤
❤
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30 min = $30 60 min = $40 (foot & body combo)
We accept:
*this is a model
$30 - 30 MIN | $40 - 60 MIN | $60 - 90 MIN
TanTric Massage
Open 7 days a week 10AM-11PM
• 7 Days a Week 10am–10pm • Sauna & Shower Available • Free Chinese therapies • Reflexology • Deep Tissue • Swedish
9:30am–10pm Daily 1714 16th Street Sacramento, CA 95811
1 hour or more. Reg. $40/hour
AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338.
5 OFF
916.449.8888
❤
$
• Swedish Massage • Deep Tissue Massage • Pain Relief • Backwalking • Chinese Therapies • Shower Available • Walk-ins Welcome
Midtown Sacramento, by either the city or county in which they are operating in in95816 order to 916-8 Between K St. & L St. run51-11 a printed 18 advertisement.
$
New Opening
Vibrational 5 OFF
A1 Feeling
11275 Folsom Blvd. #201 • Rancho Cordova
NEW STAFF!
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300 Glenn Dr. Folsom, CA, 95630 916-817-6508 S p e c i a l
Coupleses di All massage advertisers are required916.448.5315 to provide News & Review a & Laome! lc Fashion e Mass age w current valid business license or somatic establishment 1116 24th St permit issued
THE BEST MASSAGE YOU CAN GET
481-1192 OPEN MON-SAT 8-6 • SUN 9-4
Open
• Additional Parking in Rear
NEW MASSEUSES!
Call for details Good at Fulton location only
mon-fri 10am-10pm sat-sun 11am-9pm
3401 FREEPORT BLVD #5 SACRAMENTO CA 95818 916-326-5600
MASSAGE THERAPISTS These are m od
swedish hot stone deep tissue back walking chinese therapies shower available
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MASSAGE THERAPISTS
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Use your smart phone QR reader for more specials
M-F 7:30 -5:30 Sat 8 -4 sacsmog.com Bring in any competitor’s smog check coupon and we will match it - plus give you an additional $5 OFF
$
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IF w/repairs YOU ARE INTERESTED ADVERTISING WITH US, at time of INservice. $ 120) CLASSIFIEDS most cars. AT 916-498-1234 EXT. 1338. PLEASE(reg CONTACT For renewal reg. only. Call for details.
this is a model
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$
We offer complete automotive service & repairs
EMISSIONS DIAGNOSTIC
Ethan
3175
$
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OIL
CHANGE
80
SMOG CHECK
|
ANNA
MASSAGE • Thai • Swedish • Showers Available • Walk-ins Welcome
• Gift Certificates Available M-F 9am-9pm Sat/Sun 11am-9pm Closed Wednesdays
916.429.7270
1355 Florin Rd, Ste.13 Sacramento, CA 95822
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WHAT’S INSIDE: The 420 39 Capital Cannabis Map 47 Heavenly Edibles 50
5 GRAMS
$
4 GRAM 1/8THS STARTING AT $20 8 GRAM 1/4S STARTING AT $40 WIDE VARIETY OF CLONES 5 JOINTS FOR $20 14 NEW KINDS OF WAX
HORIZON COLLECTIVE
3600 Power Inn Rd Ste 1A | Sac, CA 95826 | 916.455.1931 November 13, 2014
Open 10am - 7pm 7 days a week
Find dispensary listings online at newsreview.com/sacramento
America proves its love for marijuana Hey Ngaio. Is weed still winning? —Hank Hermit Are you kidding? All weed do is win! Last week, Oregon, Alaska and Washington, D.C., all voted to legalize marijuana for adults. Florida came very close to passing a medical-marijuana law with 58 percent of the vote. You would think that would be enough, but Constitutional amendments in Florida need 60 percent to pass. I still BEALUM count it as a moral victory. by NGAIO First, I would like to congratulate and thank all of the activists that spent years and countless hours to get the Oregon law passed. Anthony Johnson, Lee a s k420@ ne wsreview.c om Berger, Paul Stanford, Madeline Martinez, Anna Diaz, Russ Belville, and the hundreds of other activists, you all kick ass. Well done. This is how the law will work: Adults 21 and older may legally possess up to an ounce of marijuana and have up to 8 ounces in the house. They can also grow four plants. They can also give (not sell!) up to an ounce of cannabis to another adult. That part of the law starts in July 2015, but I am pretty sure the police won’t go on some sort of lastminute marijuana possession arrest spree between now Of course, this means and then. When legalization hit Washington, most of the that California people that had been arrested must be next. for marijuana had their charges dropped. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission has until January 2016 to come up with rules and regulations for the recreational cannabis industry. Cities can still decide to ban recreational pot shops, but some cities have already passed laws imposing a “sin” tax on weed sales (Oregon generally has no sales tax) in anticipation of Proposition 91’s passing. Way up in Alaska, home of the Matanuska Thunderfuck Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento (a really great regional strain. I would put it up there with comedian, activist the Yeager from Southern Oregon and Three Kings from and marijuana expert. Humboldt County), voters passed Measure 2, and now Email him questions they can possess an ounce and grow up to six plants (three at ask420@ newsreview.com. adults). They are creating some sort of marijuana commission to oversee regulations. The tax is $50 per wholesale ounce. Eight hunnert dollars per pound sounds a little high to me, but maybe pot is cheaper in Alaska. I guess an extra $6 on an eighth of legal grass is a small price to pay. Out in the Chocolate City of Washington, D.C., Measure 71 won with almost 65 percent of the vote. That’s what’s known as a landslide. Now residents and visitors to the nation’s capital can possess up to 2 ounces (I guess you need more weed in D.C. because politicians) and three plants. There is a caveat: The District of Columbia needs congressional approval on laws like this. Congress stalled D.C.’s medical-marijuana law for 10 years. So this is maybe not a great time to have the largest Republican majority in Congress. Of course, this means that California must be next. We are currently in fifth place. Everyone start planning for 2016. It’s not that far away, and you are probably stoned, so you should be more proactive. Ω BE EF FO OR RE E B
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Bring in any competitor’s coupon* and we’ll beat it by $5 * That is CA Medical Board Standards Compliant. Must present competitor’s ad. Some restrictions apply.
VOTED 3RD BEST 420 PHYSICIAN IN SAC! ’14
420 MD
MEDICAL MARIJUANA EVALUATIONS
FALL COMPASSION SPECIAL
39 49
$
$
RENEWALS
NEW PATIENTS
Must bring ad. Limit one per patient. Some restrictions apply.
Must bring ad. Limit one per patient. Some restrictions apply.
916.480.9000 2 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU
2100 Watt Ave, Unit 190 | Sacramento, CA 95825 | Mon–Sat: 10am - 6pm 2633 Telegraph Ave. 109 | Oakland, CA 94612 | 510-832-5000 Mon–Sat: 10am - 6pm | Sun: 12am - 6pm
RECOMMENDATIONS ARE VALID FOR 1 YEAR FOR QUALIFYING PATIENTS WALK-INS WELCOME ALL DAY EVERYDAY 420 MD OPERATING IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE MEDICAL BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
YOUR INFORMATION IS 100% PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT ONLINE 24/7 AT
www.420MD.org
FE EA AT TU UR RE E S ST TO OR RY Y | | A AR RT TS S& &C CU UL LT TU UR RE E | | A AF FT TE ER R | | 11.13.14 11.13.14 F
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39 39
420
cannabis Thc Fruitridge 6666
expires 11/26/14
BY APPOINTMENT
ONLY WWW.TAKECARE420.COM
TEXT OR LEAVE A MESSAGE AT:
SN&R | 11.13.14
$5 off
any purchase* when you bring a friend *Ask for Details
$35 cap on all waxes
$10 cap on all buds
*Can’t be combined with other offers. One coupon per person, per day. Expires 11/19/14.
I
Ku
Indica
Kushy
9/10 Potency
Ps Pinesol
Relaxing Appetite Stress
This classic OG phenotype relaxes the mind & body
6666 Fruitridge Rd, Unit C 916.476.4431 •
www.916THC.com
Open 9:00am to 8:00pm 7 days a week
Ask to join our mobile VIP club! Fruitridge
★
Power Inn Rd
|
(9333)
916.572.5215
OPEN MON-SAT 11AM-6PM
40
or
w/ this coupon while supplies last.
65th St Expy
$100 $125
855.979.WEED
Golden-Hero
expires 11/26/14
$5 off
any wax*
✂
$45
✂
$25
experts
Safe, Professional, Compassionate.
’14
The next step in medicinal cannabis
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE
Now that you have received your physician’s recommendation for medicinal cannabis, what’s the next step? The specialists at Abatin Wellness encourage you to come by and see for yourself. We provide ample parking and safe access to our clean and secure, state-of-the-art facility. Our staff delivers professional and compassionate patient care in a secure environment. We screen all of our medicine to ensure it is free of pesticides, molds and bacteria. We also test our medicine for its cannabinoid potency levels and always carry CBD rich varieties. We offer a wide variety of strains that fit into every patients’ medicinal criteria and budget. We take great pride in knowing that our minimally-processed, minimally-handled medicine is right for you.
Abatin Wellness, the next step in medicinal cannabis.
2100 29TH STREET 916.822.5699 WWW.ABATINSACRAMENTO.COM
BEFORE
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Simply the BeSt Winner 4 years in a row! ’13
’13
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Best medical marijuana clinic - Sacramento News and Review Readers’ poll ’13
’13
’13 ’14
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Will mAtCh ANy lOCAl CliNiC pRiCe With COpy Of theiR Ad thAt iS CA mediCAl BOARd StANdARdS COmpliANt Get AppROved OR NO ChARGe! 24/7 verifications! hipAA Compliant 100% doctor/patient Confidentiality
dOWNtOWN SACRAmeNtO
2015 Q Street, 95811 • (916) 476-6142 OPEN Monday through Saturday 11am to 6pm • CLOSED SUNDAY valid through 12/13/14
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CUSTOMER APPRECIATION SPECIAL
BUY ONE 1/8 GET ONE FREE
TH
NOV. 13 - NOV 20
$35 CAP 1/8THS
FREE GRAM
$10 ALL TOP SHELF GRAMS
FREE GRAM
FOR NEW PATIENTS + PRE-ROLL
FOR REFERRAL PATIENTS + PRE-ROLL
SAFE ACCESS 916-254-3287 SAFE CAPITOL COMPASSION
BEFORE
Norwood
Northgate
Kelton
Main Ave
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NEWS
135 Main Avenue • Sacramento CA, 95838 Open Mon thru Sat 10AM–7PM // Sun 12PM - 5PM
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Voted Patients’ Choice
AMC
ONLY AT
CC101
Alternative • Medical • Center
H I G H E S T M E D I C I N A L S TA N D A R D S
4 G 1/8 T H S O N A L L H I G H E R T I E R S
HIGH TIMES CANNABIS CUP WINNER
FREE SHAKE! Buy an eighth, get a gram of shake free
HIGHEST THC | HIGHEST CBD
*While supplies last
BEST FOR PTSD | CHRONIC PAIN | INSOMNIA TEXT CC101 TO 71441 FOR A FREE GIFT ON YOUR NEXT VISIT
Expires 11/19/14
From 12pm - 5pm Expires 11/19/14 Ask for details
DISCOUNT FOR SENIORS & VETERANS
Har
var
dS
t
1220 Blumenfeld Drive, Sac, CA
me
nfe
ld D
r
★
Arde
I-80
nW ay
Fee
(1 Min From Arden Mall) | 916.564.1100 OPEN Mon-Sat 10am to 9pm | Sun 10am to 6pm
Blu
S Watt Ave
Florin Perkins Rd
Power Inn Rd
Rd SACRAMENTO, CA | 916.387.6233 ✪ Elder Creek MON-SAT 10AM TO 9PM | SUN 11AM TO 8PM | www.cc101sac.com
with any $30 donation
$5 OFF!
Te x t A M C t o 4 0 6 9 1 t o r e c e i v e a c o u p o n f o r a h o u s e warming gift! Join a VIP club & get a free gift.
CC 101
6435 FLORIN PERKINS ROAD
FREE PREROLL/ EDIBLE
Dr
W
N S
E
@alternative_medical_center
Get Your Recommendation! North Of Hwy 50 @ Bradshaw & Folsom Blvd ReNewalS
40 $50
Photo ID Available for $15
$
Sacramento’s #1 source of
w/ couPoN exP. 11/19/14 SNR
- Mon-Sat 10am-6pm
New PatieNt
- Physician Evaluations - 24/7 Online Verification
w/ couPoN exP.’13 11/19/14 SNR
’13
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Text CloudNine to 71441 for a FREE GIFT when you become a member of our collective! ON A BUDGET? We have $5 budget grams and $10 grams that fit every budget! COME IN AND SEE WHY OUR PATIENTS KEEP COMING BACK:
- Cultivators Welcome
’13
9719A Folsom Blvd. Sacramento, CA 916-822-5690 • www.cannmedical.org
Friendly Knowledgeable Staff | Quality Clones | Edibles | #1 CBD shop in Sacramento Fruitridge Rd
✪
S Watt Ave
’13
caNN-Medical 46
- Walk-Ins / Appts
Routier
50
’13
Florin Perkins Rd
’13
Bradshaw
Blvd om s l o F
High CBD medical cannabis products
Sun 11am-5pm
5711 FLORIN PERKINS RD
916.387.8605 | 10AM–8PM 7 DAYS A WEEK
OVER 40 STRAINS
DOCTOR’S ORDERS
CO-OP
4 GRAM 1/8THS FROM ANY SHELF
EXP 11.19.14
$5 OFF ANY CONCENTRATE GET $10 OFF ANY OUNCE
EXP 11.19.14
QUALITY! SELECTION! SERVICE!
EXP 11.19.14
PLUS...
NEW PATIENTS RECEIVE A FREE GIFT EXP 11.19.14
4 GRAM 1/8THS | WAX STARTING AT $10
FREE PRE-ROLL & HASH
VIP Text Club
WITH ANY PURCHASE! STARTING 11/03 (WHILE SUPPLIES LAST)
FREE GRAM OR EDIBLE
1704 MAIN AVE | SACRAMENTO, CA 916.564.2112
For complete menu & more specials visit DOCTORSORDERSRX.COM MON-SAT 10AM
TO
9PM | SUN 10AM
TO
6PM
RALEY
Join & get a gift, discounts & more. Text Doctors to 71441
FOR NEW PATIENTS AND REFERRALS! MAIN
515 BROADWAY, SACRAMENTO CA 95818 (916) 222-2366 OPEN MONDAY - SAT 10AM - 7PM www.515BROADWAY.com
BELL
@DOCTORSORDERSRX
CAPITAL CANNABIS MAP DISPENSARIES
1 515 Broadway 2 A Therapeutic Alternative 3 Abatin Wellness Center 4 Alpine Alternative 5 Alternative Medical Center 6 CC 101 7 Cloud 9 8 Collective Efforts 9 Delta Health & Wellness 10 Doctors Orders 11 Florin Wellness Center 12 Golden Health and Wellness 13 Green Solutions 14 Highlands Health and Wellness BEFORE
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15 Horizon NonProfit Collective 16 House of Organics 17 Northstar Holistic Collective 18 River City Phoenix 19 Safe Capitol Compassion 20 SAS 21 THC 22 Two Rivers Dispensary
DOCTORS
1 420 Med Evaluations 2 CannMedical 3 420 MD
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FREE 1/8 S A T U R D A Y
S P E C I A L
TH Attention Veterans
WITH ANY $40 MIN DONATION
Register now for the 1st Annual
Cannot be combined with other offers. Strain determined by HHWC. Expires 11/19/14.
CLOSE TO FOLSOM, FAIR OAKS & ROSEVILLE
SHINGLE
SPRINGS’
HOTTEST
COLLECTI
“LUV LUV A VET” Event | Feb 2015 Free goods, services and medicine for qualified patients*
VE
*no medicine on site of event
Great selection of quality concentrates
New patient specials! MUNCHIE MONDAYS: TOP-SHELF TUESDAYS: WAXY WEDNESDAYS: HASHTAG THURSDAY: FREE J FRIDAY: SUNDAY FUNDAY:
BUY ANY 2 EDIBLES GET 1 (free of equal or lesser value) ALL $50 1/8THS CAPPED AT $40 BUY 3 TOP-SHELF FULL MELT FOR ONLY $90 ALL BUBBLE HASH IS ONLY $15 PER GRAM GET A FREE JOINT WITH ANY $10 MINIMUM DONATION 4 GRAM 1/8THS ALL DAY
4020 DUROCK RD, STE 1 • SHINGLE SPRINGS, CA • (916) 757–0980 OPEN MONDAY – FRIDAY 10AM TO 8PM SATURDAY 10AM TO 8PM • SUNDAY 10AM TO 6PM
VOTED
T S E B GRAM O R P S D R A PATIENT REW
Scan the QR Code to score a freebie from Two Rivers
For questions, registration & sponsorship info:
9 1 6 . 7 6 1 . 0 1 2 3 | l u vav e t h e a l t h @ g m a i l . c o m
FREE HALF 1/8 WHEN YOU BRING A FRIEND*
TH
Buy 3 1/8ths get 1 FREE*
20% off
any edible*
10% off
any concentrate* *ExP. 11/19/14. CANNOT BE COMBINED W/ ANy OThER OFFER.
TWO RIVERS WELLNESS
315 NORTh 10Th STREET SACRAMENTO 916.804.8975 TWORIVERSSAC.COM
new patient specials & GiFts! 1404 28th Street | 916.469.9182 Corner of 28th & N, Midtown Sac Open 10am-9pm 7 days a week www.GreenSolutionsSac.com
/TWO_RIVERS /TWORIVERSSAC OPEN 7 DAyS A WEEk 9am – 9pm 48
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*$50 min don. exp. 11/19/14
/greensolutions420 /greensolutionsmidtown
35
$
TOp SHELf 1/8THS 10 TOp SHELf GrAMS
$
SuNDAy SpEciAL: 4G 1/8THS (one per patient)
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NEWS
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1030 Joellis Way, Sac
Arden Way
STORY
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A RT S & C U LT U R E
r
Arden Mall
ld D Joellis Way
me
HOURS: 9am–9pm everyday
F E AT U R E
Select choice, one per patient, while supplies last. Expires 11/19/14.
GOLDEN HEALTH & WELLNESS 160
*Doctor’s recommendation & CA I.D. required
BEFORE
concentrate with any $40 min.don.
Scan to join our club & get a free gift coupon & future savings
3015 H Street Sacramento, CA 916.822.4717
frEE ½ gram
Ask how to join our Mobile Vip Group. Join & get rEWArDED!
nfe
“I could not be any happier with this dispensary. Having been to countless dispensaries up and down the coast, I had accepted the general “feel” that these businesses have. After one visit here, it is clear that the bar has been raised. A Therapeutic Alternative is by far the nicest dispensary in terms of service, quality, and care for the patient. I would expect to have to pay quite a premium for this type of service, however, pricing is competitive with even the cheapest dispensaries in the area. Do yourself a favor and visit this dispensary, this is the type of place needed to make progress in changing the social stigma of cannabis and its culture. I would actually take my parents here to show them what cannabis was all about, and I have never been able to say that about any other dispensary I have visited. A+++”
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916.646.6340
Monday–Saturday 10am–8pm Sunday 10am–6pm
80
Blu
The New Standard
NEW pATiENT GifTS
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Photo by Skyler Smith
free gram
Heavenly Sweet carries more than 125 different edible goods, distributed at dispensaries throughout Northern California.
with donation of $35 or more
*free gram is house choice.
offer not valid with any other offers or discounts exp 11.26.14
loneblse c now availa
top-shelf outdoor: $ 35 per 1/8th limited time only:
grams @ $5 - $10 1/8 th @ $25
2416 17th street 916.231.9934 | deltahealthwellness@gmail.com sacramento, ca 95818 | 9am-9pm daily
Has Medical Marijuana iMproved Your life?
Capital Cannabis Guide is looking for stories of people whose lives have been positively impacted by the use of medical marijuana. Contact editor Michelle Carl at michellec@newsreview.com to share your story.
BOUTIQUE R U O T K C O BL 50% off!
g boutiques*
hosted by
saturday, november 15, 11am-3pm 11am-11:15am 11:15am-11:45am 11:50am-12:20pm 12:25pm-1:00pm 1:00pm-1:30pm 1:40pm-2:10pm 2:20pm-2:50pm
Meet & Greet Midtown Arts Collective 2508 J street rire Boutique 2522 J St. Suite A Identity Boutique 2600 J street French Cuff Consignment 2527 J Street Sugar Shack Boutique 2425 J Street Marcas Boutique 2313 K Street Freestyle Clothing exchange 2101 L Street
*how to get 50% off at the boutiques:
Purchase discounted gift certificates from SN&R rep Olla. These will be available on site at the stores.
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The Edibles Angel Local baker brings consistency to cannabis treats
C
shop. st yle. save.
in at participat
by Mike Blount
MARCAS
anna Butter. Cannabis cinnamon rolls. Canna-Bliss dark chocolate. These are just a few of the treats made by Heavenly Sweet. Currently, Heavenly Sweet makes more than 125 different edibles, including cannabis butter, ice cream, pizza, coffee and bread. The local company bakes, packages and distributes edibles infused with cannabis to more than 25 dispensaries throughout Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco, Stockton and Tahoe. Many medical marijuana patients prefer edibles to smoking cannabis because the effects last longer and are stronger. After visiting a dispensary six years ago, Heavenly Sweet owner Sheila D. saw a need for consistency in edible potency, which is a common problem for many patients. Though she had been selling regular confections for 17 years, she had never thought about baking with cannabis until that visit. “The first time I visited a dispensary and looked at the edibles, I was shocked and disappointed,” Sheila says. “There were labels that said ‘pretty strong’ and ‘5x,’ but I didn’t know what that meant. I thought I could do so much better.” All of Heavenly Sweet’s edibles start with a uniform amount — 18 milligrams of cannabis equals one dose — and use the same crop from a single harvest. Recipes are made in small batches to maintain quality and consistency, and all of Heavenly Sweet’s products feature
a label with the exact dose. There are also two lines of products for patients who need higher doses called “Not for Rookies” and “Experts Only.” Sheila says the company’s goal is to make a product patients want that is worthy of their hard-earned money.
“ I wanted to do something better for the patient. I wanted to take out a lot of the guesswork and make a consistent product.” Sheila D., owner of Heavenly Sweet
“I wanted to do something better for the patient,” Sheila says. “I wanted to take out a lot of the guesswork and make a consistent product. We know what our finished product is going to turn out like every time. Patients should expect nothing less.” Heavenly Sweet distributes about 2,000 products every week, but some of the goods they make are only seasonal. Sheila says her company is always trying to stay on top of current trends. This fall, she’s making ginger snaps and pumpkin bread. She also experiments with new recipes, such as treats made from Boo Berry cereal.
Capital Cannabis Guide coverage is sponsored by its advertisers. This content was produced by the Custom Publications division of News & Review.
by Alex HeRnAndez
ARIES (March 21-April 19): We all have
addictive and obsessive tendencies. They are fundamental to being human. So the challenge is not to eliminate them—that’s not possible—but rather to harness them. If you hope to keep them from dragging you down, you must work hard to channel them into activities that enhance your life. How are you doing on this score, Aries? Are you chronically dependent on drugs, gambling, sugar, or chaotic relationships? Or are you, instead, hooked on the courage you summon when you face your fears and the willpower you invoke as you free yourself from your limitations? Now is an excellent time to upgrade your addictive and obsessive tendencies.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Our
planet’s most abundant mineral is called bridgmanite. It’s an amalgam of iron, magnesium, silicon and oxygen. Until recently, no one had actually seen it because it lies so deep underground it can’t be reached by digging tools. Scientists have only known about it from studying how earthquake waves moved through it. That changed in the last few years, when two mineralogists found bridgmanite in an ancient meteorite. They were able to analyze the nuances of this basic mineral for the first time. I predict a comparable development for you, Taurus. In the coming months, you will become more familiar with a core part of you that has always been a mystery. The revelations may occur with the help of an influence that resembles a meteorite.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Some
conspiracy theorists are paranoid that aliens or government agencies use radio waves to try to control their minds. They wear tinfoil hats to protect themselves from the evil transmissions. But a recent study shows that this protective headgear has an effect that’s opposite to what it’s supposed to. In fact, it actually amplifies the intensity of radio frequencies, making it even more likely that mind-control signals would work their dastardly magic. This problem probably does not apply to you, but I suspect you are suffering from a comparable glitch. An approach you’re pursuing or an attitude you’re cultivating is having an impact contrary to what you imagine. Now is an excellent time to make adjustments.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): I can’t
remember the last time you’ve had as much artistic freedom as you have now. It’s as if life has given you a slew of wild cards and X-factors to play with. You don’t have to answer to the past as much as you usually do. You are less beholden to the demands of duty and the constraints of karma. Here’s the best perk: You have been authorized by both the higher powers and lower powers of the cosmos to fall in love. With whom? With what? Everyone! Everything!
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): For much of
its history, the United States claimed ownership of the ocean within 3 miles of its coasts. That changed in 1988, when the federal government declared that hereafter it would have sovereignty over the ocean as far as 12 miles from land. With that action, American territory increased dramatically. I invite you to consider a comparable expansion in the coming months, Leo. Seize more space. Seek further privileges. Ask for a bigger piece of everything.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Poland’s most renowned ghost hunter is frustrated. Having invested a fortune in spectral detection equipment, Piotr Shalkevitz finds that there are fewer and fewer spooks to investigate as the years go by. I’m not qualified to speak about whether or not the whole world is experiencing a decline in the ghost population. But I’m confident that this is exactly what is happening for you, Virgos. Recently, the haunted elements of your life have begun to dissipate. And in the next eight months, I expect that you will be freed from most, maybe all, of the ghosts and pesky demons that attached themselves to you once upon a time.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “To improve
is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often.” Winston Churchill said that, and now I’m passing it along to you—with one caveat. I don’t expect you to be perfect, and never will. To shoot
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for perfection is risky. It may set up unrealistic expectations that lead to bad mental hygiene. It tempts you to avoid messy experiences, some of which might be essential to your growth. So I will offer a revised version of Churchill’s maxim for your use: If you want to improve, you must change. If you want to keep improving, you must change often. And the coming months will be prime time for you to keep improving and improving and improving.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Sex is like
pizza,” said comedian Mel Brooks. “Even when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.” That’s a generalization, of course. I’m sure you can think of times in your past when mediocre pizza and mediocre sex were just plain mediocre. But work with me on the overarching principle, Scorpio: Some of the finer things in life just can’t be spoiled. They are always at least moderately pleasurable and interesting and lucky—and usually more than just moderately so. According to my reading of the astrological omens, your immediate future will be filled to the brim with these finer things.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Ancient people knew about Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn because all of those planets are visible to the naked eye. From the second millennium B.C. until the late 20th century, only three additional planets were found: Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. (Pluto was later reclassified as a dwarf planet, however.) Then in 1992, astronomers began to locate planets orbiting other stars. On one spectacular day in February of 2014, NASA announced it had identified 715 new planets. I foresee a similar uptick for you in the next seven months, Sagittarius. Your rate of discoveries is about to zoom.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): When Evan Lattimer’s 92-year-old father died in 2007, she inherited his large collection of odd relics. It included a cigar smoked by W. C. Fields, Greta Garbo’s driver’s license, Abraham Lincoln’s shaving mirror, a bearskin coat owned by General George Custer and Napoleon Bonaparte’s penis. Many items turned out to be quite valuable to collectors. One eager bidder offered to buy the famous genitalia for $100,000. I suspect that in the coming months, you will experience events that have some resemblances to this story. For example, the legacy you receive may not be what you expected, but could turn out to be more useful than you imagined.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Here’s
your assignment: Get more organized and purposeful about having fun. Think harder about what makes you feel good, and plan more aggressively to bring those feelgood experiences into your life. In offering these prescriptions, I’m not advocating irresponsible hedonism. Not at all. In my view, you will become a better servant of those you care about by boosting your commitment to pleasure. You will carry out your duties with more aplomb and effectiveness. Raising your joy quotient is actually a formula for becoming a better human being.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The
Appalachian Mountains span 1,500 miles from Newfoundland to Alabama. They are the seventh longest range in the world. And yet they have shrunk over the eons. Their average height is 3,000 feet, but when they were young they were probably twice that high. What happened? There has been constant erosion caused by rivers, glaciers, wind, tree roots, lichens and oxidation. Rain and condensation have also played a role because when water freezes, it expands, creating a wedging force. I propose that we make what has happened to the Appalachians a symbol of what’s possible for you in the next eight months, Pisces. Through steady, small actions, you can significantly grind down a mountainous obstacle.
You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785. And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com. |
F E AT U R E
PHOTO BY LISA BAETZ
by ROb
For the week of November 13, 2014
STORY
Beauty and the brains When Marlena Stell uploaded her first tutorial to her Makeup Geek YouTube channel five years ago, she had no idea just how much her life as a music teacher in Michigan would change. The videos, which recreated celebrity makeup looks and offered honest (sometimes brutal) cosmetic reviews, quickly gained a cult following. From there Stell launched a website and online forum and, eventually, decided to create her own cosmetics brand. After tinkering in various labs, she released a line of products that include lipstick, eye shadow and blush. Sales skyrocketed and Stell hired a staff. Now the entrepreneur, who moved to Natomas in 2010, sells products to customers around the globe, and Makeup Geek was recently included on an impressive list—Inc. 5000 2014: The Fastest-Growing Private U.S. Companies (coming in at No. 1,348). Stell, who continues to film videos for her million-plus subscribers, plans to open a chain of retail stores with the first shop scheduled to open in Natomas in early 2015. The beauty guru chatted with SN&R about local charms, the ’90s and bad lip liner.
What will your store be like? Really cool because it’s not just a retail store. It’ll also be a play area, so when customers come in, on one side of the room will be different stations with products that they can play with and another corner will have TV screens and books, so if people want to try out different looks they can flip through to get ideas. If there’s enough room I hope to add a little man cave with a Playstation, TV and some couches.
What inspired that idea? I want it to be a different experience, almost like a place to hang out. If they find something they like they can buy makeup, but I don’t want people to just come in and feel like they have to buy a lipstick. We are all about education. Whenever [someone] buys a product from us, I do a video showing how to use it and to show which shades go well with different hair, skin and eye colors. That way they have the education to back up their purchase and know how to use the product.
Of all places to move … why Sacramento? I was born and raised in Vacaville, and I have friends and family in Sacramento. I wanted a city that wasn’t too huge, so I could have room to grow and live and not have to worry about excess traffic. I fly so much for my company … and this city has an amazing airport. I can just drive for 10 minutes and hop on board and go. You are literally just a drive or plane away from where you want to go. It’s just a good compromise between city and suburban and seemed like a good fit for me. |
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Do people recognize you here? All the time. It’s crazy because it happens a lot in Sacramento and I never thought it would because this city isn’t too big—I never expected there to be this many people here who are into makeup, but it happens a lot!
Why a makeup line? When I’d make videos, I was basically promoting all these different brands like Mac and Nars for free. They weren’t paying me anything and I was selling tons of product for them just from them being mentioned in my videos. I needed to think of something to support myself … and I thought I could really make a really great makeup line. So I started researching different types of labs [and] started with just the eye shadows and then kind of built off of that.
Why do you think it’s been so successful? Because I love makeup so much. My favorite part of my job is creating product because I love it so much that I know exactly what I’m looking for. I can say to myself, “I would really love to create a blush that’s smoother and doesn’t have talc,” [and] since I have played with makeup so much, I know what’s missing in other brands’ products.
What are you currently working on? I’ll be really excited to get the lip products going because I have some cool ideas for unique colors and textures. I also have some duo chromes [eye shadow], too. They’re pigments that reflect two or three colors, depending on which way the light hits it. It’s such an easy look because you can literally |
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pat it on the lid and it looks like this complex blended look when all you did was just slapped it on.
Do your YouTube subscribers help think of new products, colors or formulas? Yes, it is really amazing because it’s almost like a viewer’s brand of makeup. I just posted a video about the new foil shadows and asked my viewers what they want to see. I’ll ask them and say, “What colors do you guys want?” I even have some of my viewers give ideas for names for some of the products.
Anything about makeup you don’t like? One trend that has really started driving me crazy is the drawing outside of the lip line. I’m talking about when your lip line is halfway up your nose! You can do it a little bit ... but when it’s so far outside that it is obvious it’s fake, it drives me crazy!
Go-to makeup look right now? It’s funny because I never thought I would say it but it’s the ’90s lip colors. That kind of brownish mauve color that was so popular then. It’s coming back in style and at first I was all, “Awww, no.” … but after playing with it I’ve really come to embrace it. Ω Meet Marlena Stell at the 10 Steps to Starting Your Dream Business seminar at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, November 16, at the Four Points by Sheraton Sacramento International Airport, 4900 Duckhorn Drive. Tickets are $180 and 100 percent of the proceeds benefit the Batten Disease Support and Research Association. Visit https://bit.ly/1FWzAE9 for more information.
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