s-2016-09-01

A ffordA ble housing’s funding fA ilure

Tweakers, cop scandals and political feuding: How the tiny Delta town went from Mayberry to Twin Peaks

06 fA ll film preview!

by Graham Womack • page 14

20 booze, threesomes A nd regret

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Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

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Volume 28, iSSue 20

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thurSday, September 1, 2016

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newSreView.com

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EditoR’S NotE

SEPtEMBER 1, 2016 | Vol. 28, iSSuE 20

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29 Our Mission: To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Editor Rachel Leibrock Associate Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Arts & Culture Editor Janelle Bitker Assistant Editor Anthony Siino Editorial Services Coordinator Karlos Rene Ayala Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Alastair Bland, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Willie Clark, Deena Drewis, Joey Garcia, Cosmo Garvin, Blake Gillespie, Lovelle Harris, Jeff Hudson, Dave Kempa, Jim Lane, Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Patti Roberts, Ann Martin Rolke, Shoka, Bev Sykes, Graham Womack Editorial Intern Jeremy Winslow

38 Design Manager Lindsay Trop Art Directors Brian Breneman, Margaret Larkin Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Marketing/Publications Design Manager Serene Lusano Marketing/Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Contributing Photographers Lisa Baetz, Darin Bradford, Kevin Cortopassi, Evan Duran, Luke Fitz, Jon Hermison, Shoka, Lauran Fayne Worthy Director of Sales and Advertising Corey Gerhard Sales Coordinator Joanna Graves Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Olla Swanson, Joy Webber, Kelsi White Advertising Consultants Angel De La O, Stephanie Johnson, Matt Kjar, Paul McGuinness, Wendy Russell, Manushi Weerasinghe Director of First Impressions David Lindsay Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Daniel Bowen, Heather Brinkley, Allen Brown, Mike Cleary, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, Rob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Garry Foster, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Greg Meyers, Aswad Morland,

67 Kenneth Powell, Gilbert Quilatan, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Jonathan Taea N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Associate Editor Kate Gonzales N&R Publications Writers Anne Stokes Senior N&R Publications Consultant Dave Nettles N&R Publications Consultants Elena Ruiz, Julie Sherry President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Director of People & Culture David Stogner Marketing/Promotions/Facilities Manager Will Niespodzinski Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Project Coordinator Natasha vonKaenel Director of Dollars & Sense Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Dargitz Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Specialist/HR Coordinator Courtney DeShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Interns Holly Gerhard Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano, Jonathan Schultz System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

04 05 06 13 14 20 23 25 30 38 40 47 53 67

STREETALK LETTERS NEwS + beaTS ScoREKEEpER FEATuRE SToRy ARTS&cuLTuRE NighT&dAy diSh + off MeNu STAgE FiLm muSic + SouNd adVice ASK joEy ThE 420 15 miNuTES

coVER dESigN ANd iLLuSTRATioN By BRiAN BRENEmAN coVER phoToS By dARiN BRAdFoRd

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Sit down, stand up Football, is there anything more American?

Certainly, grown men pummeling the hell out of one another for points and big money feels like a very red, white and blue pursuit.

Why, then, are some so enraged by Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem at games? If you support free speech then his decision to sit is about as American as it gets.

In an interview with NFL Media, the San Francisco quarterback linked his choice to the Black Lives Matter movement. “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” said Kaepernick, who is biracial. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”

Many supported his choice, but, not surprisingly, there was also harsh backlash.

Donald Trump, the would-be arbitrator of making America great again, suggested in a radio interview that Kaepernick “should find a country that works better for him.”

Similar sentiments echoed in my social media feed: “He’s rich, what does he know about oppression?”

“He’s not even that black.” “Political correctness wins again.”

Supporting Kaepernick’s right to sit out the national anthem isn’t about being politically correct. It’s about supporting his freedom of expression, whether you agree with him—regardless of whether you think he’s “too rich” or “not black enough.”

Any flag-waving patriot who argues otherwise either doesn’t get it, or chooses only to honor that freedom if it suits his or her own beliefs.

Those who don’t stand up for Kaepernick’s right to sit are the only ones guilty of being un-American here.

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“I thInk I Should have a Star on the Walk oF Fame.”

asked on k street:

Who should get a star on the Sacramento Walk of Fame?

Mir anda Lit tLejohn

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Jessica Chastain. If you’re going to have somebody that gets a star on a walk of fame, it should be someone who’s good at their craft and what they do and she’s a great actress. ... she’s a good representation of Sacramento.

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Mark S. Allen. He knows Sacramento, and he’s dope.

He got in trouble for that DUI, and he’s on, what?

News10 now? He’d be a great person to have a star on K Street or wherever. So he’s one, I think, for sure.

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Yannick staheL I don’t think he’s from Sacramento. I don’t think he has anything to do with Sacramento, but The Mentalist, Simon Baker. I think The Mentalist would be a good person, because he’s a funny, funny criminal detective.

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I think I should have a star on the Walk of Fame, because I do a lot for the community. I volunteer at the Front Street Animal Shelter, and at Kaiser Permanente.

It would be good if it were broken up into categories. … I would recommend Joe Serna, because he had a reputation of bridging the gap between disadvantaged communities and politicians.

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Marissa aLLen public affairs specialist

Rick Adelman. He coached the Sacramento Kings during what was their greatest era in my lifetime. They almost beat the Lakers, and they should’ve beat the Lakers.

Email lEttErs to sactolEttErs@nEwsrEviEw.com

Convenience of race Re “Art, race and money” by Janelle Bitker (SN&R Feature Story, August 25): How convenient that you want to be equal now that whites have built such a nice world to live in. Whites created the decloration of independense [sic], we were the majority that fought and created most of the rights you enjoy (I’m a decorated vet), we have more dead in wars than all others combined, we have built the country, the roads, the ships, the aircraft, the majority of the military, the vast majority of the legislators. ... When will you minorities actually pony up and do your part? Have the guts to answer these thoughts you low-life piss-ants who are belittling white people. Tell me that to my face.

Michael crisMan s acr am e nt o

Art blind Re “Art, race and money” by Janelle Bitker (SN&R Feature Story, August 25): It isn’t that the Sacramento

arts market is keeping militant black artists out of the market; it’s that there isn’t a market for militant black art in Sacramento.

Not that I don’t applaud these folks making the art that they

wish to produce, but the fact is that you can’t force other people to buy it or sell it for you. The art that’s popular around here is reflective of the landscapes of our beautiful region. No one cares about the race of someone who produces a beautiful image of the Sacramento River.

Peter Finn Sacramento

Big surprise Re “Endangered Children” by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R Beats, August 18): It looks like SN&R is blaming the victims, i.e. frontline social workers, who might be among the very few who are sincerely committed to helping endangered children. Thanks to county and state officials and the sorry state of our civilization, they can’t.

The only thing surprising about the story and the committee’s report is that since 2015, so

few children have been killed.

I really, really, really did not expect SN&R come across like a bunch of tax-dodging Republicans and the passionless bureaucrats who support them.

J.O. Daunt Davis

Where’s the money?

Re “Homeless and in hiding”

by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R News, August 25): The city website notes [Sacramento Steps Forward] is responsible for all the initiatives to end homelessness in Sacramento. If they can’t even get a phone number on a business card right, I have to question their commitment. Last year alone, the city of Sacramento spent 13.6 million on homelessness.

Where did it all go?

Kris Rogers Sacramento

ONLINE BUZZ

On the BreAkup Of A mAkeshift hOmeless CAmp: If they kept it on the lowdown that long, why take it away?

Juli Oates v ia Fa c e b o o k

@SacNewsReview

On Diversity anD sacraMentO art: Public art should not be complicated and neither should the application and acceptance process. Art is a reflection of life and if black art makes whites uncomfortable then their art piece is worth exploring.

Sounds to me like SMAC needs to be diversified first before tackling the division of funds for all artists (especially minorities).

sunshine Jenkins v ia Fa c e b o o k

Facebook.com/ SacNewsReview

@SacNewsReview

online Buzz contributions are not edited for grammar, spelling or clarity.

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09.01.16 | SN&R | 5

Sacramento’s Habitat for Humanity has been working on getting one more family into an affordable house in north Sacramento.

The trust fund bust Sacramento’s affordable housing strategy slows to a halt, just as critics predicted

by Scott thomaS anderSon

An extended version of this story is available at www.newsreview.com /sacramento.

Raheem F. hosseini contributed to this report.

6 | SN&R

Rob Kerth remembers the surreal feeling that followed the destruction.

It was a grimy afternoon in the 1990s.

Then-Councilman Kerth was fighting a losing battle to keep his North Sacramento district from sliding further into blight.

Standing on Harris Avenue, Kerth watched as the city crews working for him obliterated six condemned houses.

“It was hot, and the wind was blowing, and dust and debris were just swirling through the air: It looked like a scene from The Twilight Zone,” Kerth recalled. “Those six houses that were torn down that day were part of 600 homes demolished in my district during | 09.01.16

the time I was on the city council.”

More than 18 years after Kerth witnessed the razing, Sacramento’s Habitat for Humanity built six new dwellings on the same street. For Kerth, it was a sign.

He’s now working as the group’s CEO, leading a charge against the housing insecurity that hangs like a cloud over countless families in Sacramento.

But his challenges are legion.

According to the California Housing Partnership Corporation, a housing policy research group, the county needs more than 59,000 affordable rental homes to effectively house the region’s lowestincome residents. The same report shows

sc o tta @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

the region’s lowest income families are now spending 62 percent of their earnings on housing costs alone. Paths to rising out of homelessness are even fewer.

Housing advocates predicted this would happen back in 2014, when they implored city and county leaders not to weaken policies for building affordable units—a dual approach heralded as a gold standard by many experts. Back then, developers were required to set aside a certain amount of their projects to build homes for workingclass residents and those living paycheck to paycheck. Despite universal opposition from groups representing the marginalized, officials swapped out their policies

Photo BY BRIAN BRENEMAN

for a low-bottom tax on developers that represents local government’s only avenue to creating affordable homes.

According to an SN&R analysis of the data, the experiment has been a documented failure.

The dust-up in 2014 centered on whether the city and county would quit making developers slate 15 percent of any residential project as affordable units. Despite protests, both jurisdictions switched their mandates from project-percentages to modest fees charged per square foot, with the money tucked away in funds aimed at assisting low-income developments built with federal and state grants.

Sacramento County now tells builders to simply shell out $2.61 per square foot for its fund. Ditto for the city of Sacramento, at $2.58 per square foot.

Advocacy groups warned two years ago that dropping the hardwired decrees to build affordable housing would limit real dwellings going up in exchange for theoretical ones in the future.

Moreover, developers lobbied hard to pay as little fees as possible. Darryl

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camp limbo Rutherford, executive director of the Sacramento Housing Alliance nonprofit, cites an internal study indicating developers would need to contribute between $9 and $12 per square foot to keep pace with the level of housing built under the previous 15 percent rule. When Rutherford showed up to county meetings about the change, the fee some developers wanted the supervisors to pass jarred him.

“There were people from the development community who were trying to draw a line in the sand at $1 per square foot,” Rutherford recalled. “Our organization drew its own line in the sand at $9 per square foot. We were hoping that the compromise elected officials passed would at least be somewhere in between, like, at $4.50 or $5.

Instead, it ended up being half of that.”

District 5 Supervisor Don Nottoli also believes the fee the county switched to was too low. “I thought it wasn’t enough to achieve the housing we need,” said Notolli, among the only politicians in the region to vote against the move.

The conclusions he and Rutherford came to independently now appear prescient.

In an interview with SN&R, officials from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, or SHRA, said its housing ordinance trust fund helped create 482 affordable units during the nine years the county made builders follow the 15 percent rule. That means the fund assisted in building roughly 54 low-income units a year. Since county leaders switched to a fee only, the same fund has helped build roughly 24 units a year, representing a 55.6 percent plunge in affordable housing for the unincorporated county.

SHRA Assistant Director of Finance Christine Weichert said all 48 units built between 2014 and 2015 were part of the Arbor Creek Family Apartments on Elk Grove Florin Road near the edge of Sheldon.

“When you look at the figures around the fund now, the question is, ‘What does that really help us with?’” Nottoli said.

But some action is better than no action, which is what the city of Sacramento has achieved since changing its percentage requirement to a fee.

Between 2000 and mid-2015, the city’s 15 percent requirement caused 1,559 affordable units to rise, according to SHRA records. But since it was enacted in 2015, officials from the city of Sacramento’s Community Development Department acknowledge that the replacement fee hasn’t resulted in any new affordable housing units.

That is: zero.

“We haven’t collected enough funds from the residential side,” explained Greg Sandlund, an associate planner with the city. “One reason is that the housing market has been slower than we’d hoped when our approach was changed.”

Sandlund added, “When we have money, we’ll use it.”

Rutherford doesn’t dispute that residential construction is at a standstill in the city, though he strongly disagrees with Sandlund’s predictions about how much revenue the new model can net in the future.

“The bottom line is they need to get that fee up,” Rutherford stressed.

To make matters a little more confusing, both the city and county have alternative affordable housing trust funds that collect fees from commercial developers, which have existed since 1989 and 1990, respectively. But according to SHRA’s annual reports for 2015, those funds have also lost momentum.

be $10,000 toward each house—about 5 percent of the cost for an individual project.

“It’s a piece of the puzzle,” Kerth told SN&R. With less money coming into the city and county housing trust funds, and developers no longer being required to integrate affordable homes into their projects, Sacramento is quickly accelerating out of range for the very people that made it one of the most diverse places to call home.

As groups like Habitat work to fill the affordable housing gap, low- and mediumincome families are getting no reprieve from Sacramento’s rental landscape. A report from RentRange, a rental market intelligence firm, suggested that in 2015 Sacramento had the second highest year-toyear rent increase in the nation.

Nottoli stresses that options for people falling into the “extremely low income” category are even fewer, since the revised housing policies no longer account for these residents whatsoever. According to the it’s a searing summer day in north U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Sacramento as Kerth inspects Development, the term applies to the newest Habitat for people earning 30 percent or Humanity house being below the area’s median hammered together income. In Sacramento, at the corner of Since it was enacted that translates into a Calvados Avenue family of four with a in 2015, the replacement and Fairfield Street. combined income of fee hasn’t resulted in any From this sector $24,300 a year. of the city—Kerth’s new affordable housing “The extremely childhood neighborlow income houses units. hood—all the way were a concern for That is: zero. south to Florin Road, me when [the county’s Habitat has been trust fund] changed,” making home ownership Notolli said. “There was a reality for hardworking no provision for that in the Sacramentans priced out of the new ordinance.” market. A few streets away from where he The latest numbers from Sacramento stands is the home his organization built Steps Forward, the main public-private for a single mother who works as a medical partnership for housing the region’s hometechnician. Before Habitat stepped in, she less, supports that concern: Of the nearly was living in a garage with her children 3,500 homeless people that Steps Forward after her husband was killed in a random act has assessed for housing services over an of violence.

18-month period, ending in June, only 6 Stories like that are rarely told, but Kerth percent—approximately 209—were actually and his Habitat team know them well. placed indoors, whether through temporary They also know that helping similar rapid rehousing assistance or permanent people is about to get harder now that housing support.

Habitat just lost the bond revenue from the In some cases, the wait for affordable Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund housing stretches more than two years, Act of 2006, which expired this year. The said Bob Erlenbusch, executive director of organization is now staring at a $75,000 the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End budget shortfall for every single affordable Homelessness. house it builds.

“I mean, they’re trying their best,” That’s where the strength of the city’s Erlenbusch said of Steps Forward. “You affordable housing trust fund matters. can have all the [homeless outreach] navigaSacramento officials have agreed to give tors in the world, but if you don’t have some of its money to Habitat. For the anywhere to navigate them to …” moment, Kerth said, the allotment will He doesn’t complete the thought. Ω

“May” didn’t know whether to clean or pack, so she did both, collecting her belongings near a bush in the disheveled lot that had become a way station for more than a dozen homeless people.

Five days earlier, police visited the makeshift encampment, just off a busy thoroughfare in south Sacramento, and told the 19 people here what other cops had said times and places before: They’d have to move along, or face arrest.

Once again, a large homeless encampment found itself in an anxious race against time, only no one knows how much is left.

(Because they’re trying to avoid drawing complaints to authorities, SN&R agreed not to name the individuals or disclose their exact location.)

On August 24, city police officers notified the camp that its occupants would have to leave. That kicked off a frantic few days in which two activists called, texted and emailed Sacramento Steps Forward, pleading with the region’s lead homeless agency to provide the people with an alternative to re-relocating or being cited for violating city laws against “unlawful camping” and storing property on private lands.

Navigators visited the site on Friday and Monday, according to Shirley K. Smith, a principal consultant with SKS Communications, a public relations firm that handles Steps Forward’s media requests.

Smith said that nearly half of the 19 clients “may qualify for and be offered emergency housing options within the next few days.”

Navigators were still assessing the other half.

May says she doesn’t plan on being homeless the rest of her life. Once she obtains an ID, she wants to find a job, work her way back indoors. That story is common here. In the meantime, no one can say whether the tightknit camp will be allowed to remain as its occupants navigate an unfamiliar process. Outlaws by their mere existence, they find themselves in a precarious detente that could end at any time.

“At the moment, we’re just on edge. At any moment, we can fall,” May reflected. She asks if the city and county will ever allow a tent city for people like her, with no other place to go. “So my words [are], ‘would there be hope?’”

No, says her neighbor.

“Never,” he said. “And that’s the truth. And you know it.”

Maybe. But it made her bow her head and cry anyway.

(Raheem F. Hosseini)

boardwalK booze bias Old Sacramento’s wink at bygone saloon days is getting more authentic now that alcohol can be served on its rustic sidewalks again.

For years, restaurants in the historic district had little reason to extend their ambiance outdoors due to a decades-old prohibition banning beer, wine and liquor from being served along the westernstyle boardwalks.

Old Sac was the only part of the city where dining hubs faced this handicap. According to Urban Design Manager Bruce Monighan, Old Sacramento’s business district was first established by the city’s housing redevelopment agency in the 1960s.

Monighan’s team recently drafted an ordinance to toss the old policy, as long as Old Sacramento’s restaurants are pouring the drinks in defined areas on the boardwalk. “This only applies to bona fide eating establishments,” Monigham told a city council committee, “not clubs or bars.”

The city council approved the ordinance last week.

(Scott Thomas Anderson)

09.01.16 | SN&R | 7

Transgender advocates rallied at the Capitol last month as part of an effort to preempt a ballot struggle.

Photo by LaureL rosenhaLL

Transforming opinion A new campaign aims to educate Californians on transgender rights

by LaureL rosenhaLL

this story was produced by CaLMatters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media outlet covering California policies and politics.

One after another they stepped to the podium telling stories of liberation through transformation. There was the man, in suit and bow tie, who once played college basketball on a women’s team.

There was the woman, in a red lace dress, who said attaining a female physique was like “holding a prize in my hand.” Gone were the anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide that came with living in the male body that didn’t match her spirit.

The stories they shared at this press conference last month outside the state Capitol were part of a broader statewide effort to make Californians more familiar with transgender people and the discrimination they say they face.

Similar events have already taken place in Los Angeles, San Jose and

8 | SN&R | 09.01.16

San Francisco, with more planned for Fresno, Palm Springs and San Diego.

Videos about Californians who changed their gender are featured on a website, and a media ad campaign is in the works. The $1.2 million Transform California campaign is attempting to sway public opinion long before Californians might ever vote on any ballot measure that could restrict rights—like access to bathrooms and locker rooms—now granted to people whose gender identity doesn’t match the sex on their birth certificates.

Call it preventative politics.

Conservative groups have tried twice in recent years to put a measure on the California ballot that would require people to use facilities based on their assigned sex at birth. Both efforts fell

short, but proponents are undaunted.

One goal of Transform California’s publicity effort: build resistance now.

“It’s easier to reach people when you’re outside the crucible of a ballot measure campaign,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of the gay rights advocacy group Equality California.

His organization and the Transgender Law Center in Oakland, leaders of the Transform campaign, are inspired by lessons learned after California voters approved Proposition 8 in 2008. That measure outlawed same-sex marriage in the state, but was overturned by the courts—and a later U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalized same-sex marriage in every state.

“Both with Prop. 8 and with [an ordinance] in Houston, they got on

the ballot and you had a very short amount of time to move communities,” Zbur said. “We know that progress is not something that is short term. It is gradual and long term, and it requires meeting people where they currently are in all the various communities in California.”

Approximately 1.4 million U.S. adults—about 0.6 percent—identify as transgender, according to a recent study. Transgender rights have become the latest flashpoint in America’s culture wars. Earlier this year, North Carolina enacted a law requiring people to use public bathrooms that correspond to the gender on their birth certificates, essentially banning transgender people from restrooms that sync with their transformed identities.

The Obama administration then directed every U.S. school district to allow students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identities—a directive that 13 states promptly filed suit to challenge. On August 21, a federal Texas judge blocked that directive with a temporary injunction.

The final resolution may be up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has temporarily blocked a Virginia court order allowing a transgender student who identifies as a boy to use the boys’ bathroom at school. On August 21, a federal Texas judge blocked that directive with a temporary injunction, claiming it violates Title IX, the federal education law that prohibits discrimination based on sex.

The issue has also been playing out on a global stage: For the first time, transgender athletes who competed in the current Olympics were allowed to join teams that fit their identities. In California, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill in 2013 allowing transgender public school students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identities.

Supporters said it would reduce bullying, but opponents warned it would invade the privacy of the majority of students who are used to single-sex toilets and showers.

“If the problem is that you’re not comfortable, how is it a solution to make the other 98 percent share that same intense discomfort? That’s just not logical,” said former Assemblyman Tim Donnelly, R-Twin Peaks. Opponents, via the group Privacy for All Students,

The Transform California campaign aims to sway public opinion through personal stories.

PHOTO BY LAUREN ROSENHALL

tried to put a referendum on the ballot opposite of the national sentiment—in to overturn the law. Election officials fact, 52 percent of California voters determined that the effort lacked enough support the state policy allowing students valid signatures. The group tried another to choose the bathroom that best suits tactic in 2015—proposing an initiative them, according to a USC Dornsife/ to expand the gender restrictions to Los Angeles Times poll earlier this bathrooms in any government buildyear. That was a huge increase from ing—but that effort also failed for lack the 43 percent who favored the idea of signatures. just three years ago. The poll Privacy for All Students also found that people hasn’t given up: It’s who personally know a arguing in court transgender person are “Progress is not that it has enough far more supportive something that is signatures to force of bathroom access: short term. It is gradual a referendum on 62 percent of the school facilities those who knew a and long term, and it law, and recently transgender person requires meeting people.” persuaded a judge supported the law, to order local compared with Rick Zbur elections officials to 44 percent support executive director, Equality release signatures for among those who did California. its lawyers to review. If not have a transgender the group prevails, it aims friend or acquaintance. to put the referendum on the “Doing these type of ballot, perhaps in 2018, said spokescampaigns around different cities woman Karen England. will … help enlighten other folks who “We are confident that when it don’t necessarily know that there are comes to the issue of locker rooms and trans folks, or that they know trans restrooms and private facilities that the folks,” said Leon Burse, the Sacramento people are on our side,” said England, man who once played on a women’s who’s talking about the issue at Christian basketball team. “We are people just like youth conferences and encouraging everybody else.” Ω churches to register new voters. “We believe it is an invasion and we will win at the ballot box.”

Learn more about Transform California at More Californians now favor open www.transformcalifornia.com. bathroom access than oppose it, the

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Price of a blown whistle Sacramento attorney endured hardship after calling out ‘worst-run’ state agency

by John Flynn

one-person-layoff had never happened and would Seven years ago, Kathy Carroll watched her do little to address their supposed financial troubles. boss lie.

Pope then launched his own investigation into On August 6, 2009, Carroll was working as an Carroll. In addition to minor complaints about her attorney for the California Commission on Teacher attitude, he alleged that she had sexually harassed Credentialing. The CTC decides whether teachers CTC committee member Barbara Kilponen. Janssen who have been accused of crimes should have their fired Carroll on November 29, 2010, based on credentials revoked. At the time, Carroll knew Pope’s accusations. of more than 10,000 complaints that hadn’t been But at trial, Siegel said Pope’s central claim investigated. But her supervisor, Mary Armstrong, wilted under scrutiny. “[Kilponen] had some told the commission that there was “little” backlog at any given time, according to a trial brief provided disagreements with the plaintiff, but there was nothing sexual,” Siegel noted. “So it just showed to the

by Carroll’s attorney, Dan Siegel. jury that all of these explanations they came up with In December 2009, Carroll blew the whistle on to try to justify her firing were, frankly, bullshit.” the CTC—and was later fired.

In April 2011, the Bureau of State Audits As she fought her termination in a Sacramento confirmed all of Carroll’s allegations. State Auditor County courtroom, her attorney says Carroll Elaine Howle called the CTC one of the “worstspent the next several years battling poverty run” state agencies she’d ever investigated. and joblessness. On August 10, Carroll Shortly after, Janssen, Armstrong and won a $3.1 million civil judgment.

Pope resigned.

But her fight isn’t over. And her CTC spokesman Joshua Speaks story—recreated from the trial “She lived in claimed that the backlog occurred brief, a state audit and interview poverty for six mostly due to furloughs and with Siegel—hints at why more hiring freezes caused by the people don’t come forward years.” recession. Compounding this, when they witness wrongdoing.

Dan Siegel the cases had been kept on paper, Carroll feared for the safety attorney for Kathy Carroll meaning many got lost, misplaced of students in California’s or forgotten. public schools. Backlogged cases After the blistering audit, the CTC detailed teachers who had been digitized its documents, formalized fair accused of kidnapping and rape, kissing hiring procedures and doubled the number of students, exposing them to pornography and cases it reviews and resolves. In 2014, a follow-up forwarding them white supremacy propaganda. audit declared a near-complete turnaround. The Months or years could pass before cases were CTC will appeal the $3.1 million verdict, claiming it resolved. And some teachers went to other schools had justification for Carroll’s termination. after being fired because the state never revoked While Siegel said he was “thrilled” with the their credentials. outcome, he feared it might obscure how Carroll In January 2010, the trial brief states, Carroll suffered for her whistleblowing. alerted CTC Director Dale Janssen of her concerns.

“She lived in poverty for six years,” he said.

Janssen then paid private investigator Elizabeth “She hasn’t been able to find a job. She can’t pay Ison $24,000 to investigate Carroll’s claims. Ison discredited Carroll and concluded Armstrong hadn’t her heating bill for her house. She’s got a car sitting in her driveway that she hasn’t driven for a couple lied. So Carroll sent her report to then-state Sen. years because she can’t afford the insurance.”

Darrell Steinberg, who requested a formal audit of Now the mayor-elect of Sacramento, Steinberg the CTC. sympathized with the losses that accompanied her Carroll’s attorney later argued successfully victory. “Sometimes, the amount of the verdict is in court that the decision led to her eventual impressive,” he said. “But it doesn’t speak to what termination. the person went through.” Ω During the state’s audit, the CTC’s Janssen, Armstrong and Assistant General Counsel Lee Pope planned to lay Carroll off, using economic reasons to justify the decision, according to the An extended version of this story is available at www.newsreview.com/sacramento. trial brief. But that move raised red flags as a

SN&R

Pokémon Go has stirred local headaches since debuting

by Jeremy WinsloW

jer em yw @ n e w s re v i e w . c o m

*VP dū

Anatolia is quiet today, free of the hundreds of Pokémon Go fiends who clogged the Rancho Cordova suburb’s streets last month hunting a rare character: Dratini, which evolves into Dragonite, one of the strongest Pokémon in a popular game that has led to everything from fender benders to armed robberies in the Sacramento area.

Since it was released July 6, Pokémon Go has become a mobile gaming phenomenon by turning regular reality into a colorful arena where fantastical creatures can be sought out. But because players must scan their mobile devices as they navigate the physical world, they’ve become easy bait for criminals and the cause of avoidable accidents.

On July 22, two Pokémon Go players were robbed at gunpoint while sitting in a car at an Elk Grove park around 1:15 a.m. A couple of days earlier, a distracted player walked into the window of Midtown’s Crepeville, cracking it. And for two weeks last month, Anatolia became such a draw that the Rancho Cordova Police Department was flooded with complaints about increased traffic, distracted driving and late-night gatherings.

Anatolia resident Aaron Combs says he was walking with a friend one Saturday morning, and counted “about 77 cars” being driven by people whose eyes were glued to their phones. “In total, I’ve seen some 1,000 cars come through here,” he said. “I’ve never called the police in my life. Since Pokémon Go, I’ve called four or five times. The drivers block driveways, crowd the streets and hang around parks all hours of the evening. I have three kids and I didn’t let them outside while this was going on.”

According to an email from assistant police chief Lt. Kate Adams, officers “issued citations and educated Pokémon [Go] users on the frustrations of the community and applicable vehicle code violations.”

“A total of 56 citations have been written,” she added.

Noah Powell, administrator of a Pokémon Go Facebook group in Sacramento and a local musician, bemoaned the traffic and litter some gamers were causing. “I’m amazed at what’s happened,” he said. “You know, we still need to play our part in society and respect where we go, even if it’s not our own home.”

As of July 29, Dratini was no longer hiding out in Anatolia.

Game developer Niantic has made updates that seem to coincide with community complaints about how Pokémon Go has inconvenienced those caught up in its appeal. No longer do Pokémon “nests” remain in certain areas for long periods of time.

Instead, both common and rare Pokémon move from location to location, forcing players to move with them.

That has helped nongamers. But has that hurt the game’s popularity? The Sacramento Bee reported last week that the multitudes who spent weeks chasing Pokémon through Old Sacramento were now virtually gone.

Powell remains a fan. “It’s bringing people together, getting people outside, creating new friendships with people—there’s an inherent social element to Pokémon Go,” he said. “I know people who have lost weight because of Pokémon Go.” Ω

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Game daze

09.01.16 | SN&R | 11

Where are the candidates?

Unprecedented low candidate turnout in local elections by jeff vonkaenel

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This November, when Sacramento-area voters are ready to chose who should oversee their schools, their cities and their utility company, they will face an unusual problem: low candidate turnout.

The school board elections are the worst. There is not a single contested school board race in Sacramento City, San Juan or Folsom Cordova Unified School Districts. According to the Sacramento Bee, this has not happened in more than 20 years.

Running for Sacramento City Council, Eric Guerra was unopposed.

City Council members Allen Warren, Steve Hansen and Larry Carr had only nominal opposition and all won more than 50 percent in the primary, thus avoiding a November election.

Across the river, longtime West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon is staying in office, with no opposition.

Meanwhile, so are SMUD board members Nancy Bui-Thompson and Rob Kerth.

Even in the races where there are two candidates, many have already been decided. The challengers will not be able to raise enough money to run a serious campaign. Doris Matsui and John Garamendi will be returned to Congress.

Ken Cooley, Jim Cooper and Kevin McCarty will return to the Assembly.

Are Sacramento residents just really satisfied with the way the schools and local government are currently being run? I doubt it.

The lack of local candidates, especially viable candidates, is a problem.

Without candidates and without a community discussion of vital issues, how can we make the best decisions about how to run our schools and government?

I am not surprised that citizens are not stepping up to the plate. The process of running for office thoroughly sucks.

je ffv @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

First, there’s the money. The amount of money needed to run for office is obscene. Two years ago, $200,000 was spent in Sacramento City Unified School District races. Close to $2 million was spent in the recent Sacramento mayor’s race. Is it any surprise that no one wants to challenge the incumbents this time around? Who wants to make all those fundraising phone calls?

Secondly, campaigning sucks. If you decide to run for office, if past history is any guide, the campaign will likely go negative. A large chunk of your opponent’s war chest will be used to convince voters that you are some sort of monster.

Roger Dickinson was unfavorably linked to the deaths of children under the care of the Sacramento County Child Protection Agency. Darrell Steinberg was attacked in a series of mailers attempting to tie him to corruption and incorrectly accusing him of being anti-farmworker. Who needs this kind of grief?

And as if this wasn’t bad enough, the elected then have to serve. While the job is interesting and it must be cool making important decisions, the meetings are long and often very dull. I once told then-Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Niello that he was doing the work of God, because after taking my young daughter to a Regional Transit meeting, she told me that it was even more boring than church, something that she had previously thought was impossible.

Possibly dull, but vitally important.

The lack of candidates in this year’s election is a clear danger sign. And this is the point in the column where I would hope to offer a solution.

But I do not have an idea to throw into the ring. The incumbent wins again, for lack of an opponent. Ω Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.

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An IndieGoGo campaign to establish KuTZ Fm, a free-form radio station, reached its goal of $7,500 with the help of an anonymous donor who ponied up $1,000 and then promised to add an additional grand if the donations reached $6,500 by Friday, August 26. As of press time, the campaign had nearly reached the $8K mark.

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Freeport Bakery made a very simple decision to honor a customer’s wishes by creating a cake that depicted a pink dress-wearing Ken doll. That effort garnered them international acclaim—but only after angry customers left hundreds of angry comments on the bakery’s Facebook account. Supporters rallied to praise the so-called “Trans Ken Cake” and the bakery—and bury the negative comments. As of Tuesday, the bakery’s Ken post had more than 5,000 likes. In a follow-up post, Freeport Bakery thanked followers for the worldwide love and announced plans to sell related T-shirts, with proceeds going to help LGBT youth.

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A police helicopter shone a spotlight over downtown Sacramento early Monday evening. According to the City of Sacramento’s Helicopter Notifications log, the air unit was assisting ground officers apprehending a nude person in the area. Strangely enough, the suspect’s August 29 arrest comes on the week of the one-year anniversary of City Council’s approval of a city code officially banning public nudity, making it a misdemeanor incurring a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

Sister Crayon’s signing to Warner Bros. came with the announcement of a new name. Now known as rituals of mine, the band’s first single “Ride Or Die” made its Spotify debut last Friday and by Monday had been streamed more than 58,000 times. According to Spotify data, a majority of those plays came from New York City. Interestingly, Sacramento’s plays didn’t even make the top 5.

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Peace Corps Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month Special Information Session: “Service in Latin America” Tuesday, September 6 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Colonial Heights Library 4799 Stockton Blvd.

Sacramento, California 95820

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Hispanic descent and those who served in Latin American will share inspirational stories of service and discuss how you can make a genuine difference volunteering in communities abroad.

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How far will you go?

855.855.1961 | www.peacecorps.gov 09.01.16 | SN&R | 13

Tweakers, cop scandals and political feuding: how a tiny Delta town went from Mayberry to Twin Peaks

Isleton’s last stand

BY GRAHAM WOMACK • PHOTOS BY DARIN BRADFORD

T

he dilapidated trailer sat in front of the suspected drug house, transients living inside.

In Sacramento, such a problem might be addressed with a call to the police or city. But this was Isleton, which hasn’t had a police department since 2012 and where the beleaguered local government couldn’t do much beyond ask the property owner that the trailer be removed.

So one resident did the kind of thing that happens a lot in this remote Delta town on the southern edge of Sacramento County: He took matters into his own hands.

One night in the past couple of years, the resident backed up his truck, hitched the trailer to it and took off. The story goes that while the resident was pulling out of town, freaked-out methamphetamine users were bailing out of the suddenly very mobile home.

The trailer wound up on Jackson Slough Road on Isleton’s outskirts.

When Gerry Zink, the city’s public works director at the time, got word of the trailer’s location, he hauled it to a gated area at Isleton’s sewage ponds so the tweakers wouldn’t retake it. Six months or so later, the trailer burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances.

Problem solved, Isleton style.

14 | SN&R | 09.01.16

In a tiny city that’s been broke for years, crazy capers sometimes rule the day. Some of these schemes have crippled Isleton in years past. Today, the city is nearly insolvent, with dwindling public services and resources, standing on the brink of bankruptcy or disincorporation.

But old habits die hard.

Now, even the mayor believes that Isleton should just give up, call it quits as a city and relinquish all control—and its very identity—to the county. “We’re on the bubble,” said Mayor Mark Bettencourt. “How much longer do you want to run on that knife’s edge?”

He’s not the only one asking that question.

Located along a bending tributary of the Sacramento River, Isleton is a speck hanging on to a map for dear life and losing its grip. The city still has its loyalists, residents who glimpse new opportunity and remember the city’s storied past, when it was referred to as the “Little Paris of the Delta.”

But the years haven’t been kind to that memory and the small town stands

at a crossroads: Suffering wounds both cosmic (the recession) and self-inflicted (we’ll get to those in a moment), the city of Isleton is a tweaker trailer being dragged to the dump.

Can its leaders stop feuding long enough to take the wheel?

Isleton’s many deaths The city’s two main drags are Main Street and Second Street, which jet off in opposite directions parallel to the levee as one comes into Isleton off Highway 160. They’re rowed with gold rush-era storefronts and clapboard homes in various states of disrepair: chipped, rotting wood; exposed and rusted metal sidings; warped, swollen garages; and lazy, leaning telephone poles. Eerily quiet, even on weekends, it’s as if some natural disaster has chased out most of the townsfolk.

Longtime city residents say it wasn’t always this way.

“Now it’s very quiet and almost seems like a ghost town,” said Jean Yokotobi, president of the Isleton Chamber of Commerce. “But in ’63, you still had a

This is Mayberry gone bad. Or maybe this is just what Mayberry would devolve into in real life: Sheriff Andy Taylor contracted out, Aunt Bee persecuted by town gossip, Barney Fife a grand jury investigation waiting to happen.

The lonely bridge into town: Isleton’s population has dropped more than 70 percent since its heyday in the 1960s, according to the city’s chamber of commerce president.

on page 17

reclaimed the festival in 2007, and took it out of town for good the following year.

Today, the Crawdad Festival operates in Tehama County.

“There was no choice,” Charli Hand told SN&R. “We didn’t have the money.”

Hand still runs a card room and realestate office in Isleton, and hopes the city can rebound. “Isleton used to be just like Mayberry,” she said.

Locals say that a lot. But this is Mayberry gone bad. Or maybe this is just what Mayberry would devolve into in real life: Sheriff Andy Taylor contracted out, Aunt Bee persecuted by town gossip, Barney Fife a grand jury investigation waiting to happen.

Nowhere is this more evident than with the Isleton Police Department.

If the retreating asparagus and crawdads cost Isleton its cultural cache, they also leeched the city of crucial revenues.

The general fund shrank to a measly $1,285 in 2012, which in turn left the city vulnerable to bizarre gambits and seedy scandals. In January of that year, either the city or the state stopped paying the

and Training certification, so Hinrichs asked the sheriff’s department to take over, according to a May 10, 2013, news report.

Two weeks later, CBS13 quoted an anonymous source accusing Councilwoman Elizabeth Samano, a Larsen ally, of selling drugs. Speaking to SN&R, Samano denied the accusations and claimed they originated from a woman living near one of her rental properties, whose story she says was coached

by Adams.

“He was able to befriend a lady who lived across the street who was willing to say whatever,” Samano said.

Asked if he could recall the drug accusations against Samano, Adams initially denied it. Pressed further, he told SN&R, “I heard allegations, but it was just from the public. I had nothing to base it on, nothing to go forward on, nothing.”

The Isleton Police Department was no longer functioning by September 1, 2012, which is when the sheriff’s department took over, CBS13 reported. Today, the city outsources its public safety for approximately $200,000 a year. About half of that is covered by a state grant.

Discount law enforcement had other costs, though. At a May planning commission meeting, one resident noted Isleton’s “nests of tweakers … [who] steal everything that’s not nailed down,” though another local resident claimed that crime had actually dropped by half between 2013 and 2015.

The sheriff’s department didn’t fulfill multiple public records requests seeking crime statistics in Isleton. According to statistics compiled by the California Department of Justice, only two violent crimes were reported in 2014, the most

“Isleton’s last stand” continued

vibrant agriculture industry here. You had several canneries. You had ag workers.

The population went up to about 2,500.”

1963 was the year that Yokotobi arrived. Those were the boom times.

Settled in the 19th century, the city boasted one of the West Coast’s first Chinatowns. Now the city is more like Chinatown, the 1974 classic about humanity’s existential futility.

Isleton used to be the asparagus capital of the world, specializing in a white variation on the crop, which grew well in the city’s sandy soil. But then technology changed, and the industry retreated in the 1950s. In time, the canneries left, too.

It’s also been years since the Crawdad Festival drew thousands of tourists to Isleton on an annual basis. Started in 1986

by Ralph and Charli Hand, the couple began losing money on the festival and turned it over to the city in 2005. In 2006, with the city and chamber of commerce jointly hosting the festival, $12,000 in deposits went missing, according to a 2008 investigation by Sacramento County’s grand jury. The Hands

department’s workers’ compensation insurance. Stories differ on why this happened.

Dave Larsen, who was both the city manager and city attorney at the time, told SN&R that the state compensation insurance fund canceled Isleton’s policy due to accumulating back debt. Larsen says he tried to negotiate a payment plan with the state and a bailout loan from the county, but was unsuccessful on both fronts.

Others, such as current City Manager Dan Hinrichs, say Larsen mismanaged funds. The council fired Larsen in April 2012, and Larsen subsequently sued the city for wrongful termination and defamation; both sides agreed to a confidential settlement this year.

Hinrichs was appointed to replace Larsen just in time for a series of scandals.

First, Hinrichs recalls, a repossession agent called to ask about a cache of guns a previous police chief allegedly hadn’t paid for. Then, in early May 2012, Hinrichs placed interim police Chief Steve Adams on administrative leave, after Adams reportedly posted on Facebook that he wanted to tell the media of problems in town. A police officer had already resigned after allegedly getting caught having sex with his mistress in a squad car.

The day after Adams went on leave, a different officer attempted to shoot a dog fighting another dog, according to a CBS13 report at the time. Hinrichs told SN&R that the officer missed, with the bullet ricocheting off a curb and striking a bystander’s leg. The department already lacked firearm training and was in danger of losing its state Peace Officer Standards

09.01.16 | SN&R | 15

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“Isleton’s last stand” continued from page 15

recent year for which data was available.

That year also saw 23 property crimes, half as many as were reported in 2013.

But the Delta area is a hot zone for illegal marijuana grows, according to an August 23 grant acceptance request filed by the sheriff’s department, with the department uncovering 25 hidden grows last year in a 10-mile radius of dense cornfields. The department’s marijuana task force also seized 77 firearms and made 78 arrests, the form states.

Still, the city’s unsafe reputation persists.

Many Main Street storefronts are boarded up and vacant, as are the former police station and one bank. The city’s population is circling the drain at approximately 800, give or take. Today the general fund collects roughly $500,000 a year, compared to a city debt that has reached $1.6 million.

Residents Dave and Julie Amma aren’t optimistic that things will improve.

When Dave Amma first met his wife a few years ago, he would tell her how great the city once was, how the Crawdad Festival drew 30 people to his home during those Father’s Day weekends.

Julie Amma remembered hearing about how people hopped between five busy bars in Isleton.

“It sounds like everybody would have fun and gather and spend,” she said. “It sounds like those days are long gone.”

City officials are still willing to gamble that that’s not the case.

It takes a Village

threatening to auction certain lots outside Sacramento Superior Court on August 24, an action that Hinrichs said was postponed two weeks.

These threats appear to be empty ones.

Tearing down the homes “would be a terrible mistake,” Hinrichs wrote. Instead, the end goal is to have the finance company come in and take over completion of the houses. “It will be a hassle with these people, but that is not unusual when dealing with developers,” Hinrichs added.

KLD representatives and a company attorney didn’t return phone messages seeking comment. Adham Sbeih, CEO of KLD’s litigious lender, Socotra Capital, told SN&R his firm remained optimistic regarding the development.

But not everyone is pulling for the project. “I just think they were not built to complement a historic town,” Yokotobi said.

Flat broke and frantic

filing charges, but reported Larsen to the California State Bar Association for conflict of interest allegations.

In a report it released in June 2011, the grand jury concluded that “the city of Isleton was highly vulnerable to a seemingly lucrative proposal, and that DAG exploited that vulnerability.”

It wouldn’t be the last time.

Today, the city has its fiscal hopes wrapped up in Village on the Delta.

KLD faces ongoing litigation from its Sacramento-based lender, Socotra Capital, after allegedly defaulting on a $3.48 million construction loan from 2015 to make the requested improvements. In an April 5 letter to Hinrichs, KLD representative Sidney B. Dunmore acknowledged the “unanticipated delays,” but contended they had more to do with “funding issues” than “dereliction on the part of KLD.” Be that as it may, the city has gotten tired of waiting for its long-deferred dream to be realized, of a housing subdivision that could double Isleton’s population and boost its plummeting tax base.

One house made it into escrow this summer, only to fall out, with the city unwilling to issue final permits or a certificate of occupancy. In his August 23 report to the council, Hinrichs wrote that the city would “red tag” the unfinished homes for a second time in about a year, indicating substandard work and at least the possibility of demolition. Posted notices also went up at the development site in recent weeks,

on page 19

The semi-built homes still need, among other things, staircases, sewer hookups and landscaping. The city has given KLD multiple extensions, but work has come to a standstill, say city officials.

Additionally, as many as 15 of the homes have suffered additional damage since they were erected.

“We are also certain that there are squatters living in those houses,” Hinrichs wrote in an August 23 report to the city council.

That wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen at this site.

Before KLD entered the picture, the city allowed a marijuana grow operation to set up shop and begin cultivating inside the stalled subdivision.

On the heels of a recession that hit the small delta town particularly hard, around late 2010, Delta Allied Growers made Isleton an offer it couldn’t refuse.

The marijuana growers assured city officials their operation was legally above board, and promised the city as much as $600,000 in revenue that first year, as well as jobs for 50 people. Isleton’s annual deficit hit $488,181 that year, so the prospect of digging out of that hole seemed like fortune finally smiling on the hard-luck hamlet.

Enter the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, which convened a criminal grand jury investigation into whether city officials violated state and federal laws concerning marijuana cultivation. The D.A. ended up not

DeJack’s Country Store is one of the few businesses left open in town. The shop is more like a bodega or mini-mart, with a small selection. Some locals make the drive to the Costco in Lodi to stock up on provisions and only patronize DeJack’s if necessary. On a recent trip, the store’s owner, Jack Chima, introduced himself as a member of the planning commission and explained there would be no council meeting next door that evening at City Hall, as the city’s website indicated.

The website hadn’t been updated in years.

Forced volunteerism is common here, with unpaid membership on the city council and planning commission.

Glenn Giovannoni serves on the planning commission, owns a local storage business and could be Isleton’s next mayor. Giovannoni and three other candidates are running for the city council in November: incumbent Councilwoman Pam Bulahan; longtime volunteer firefighter Dean Dockery; and resident Paul Steele, who, according to photographer Victoria Sheridan’s website, organized the Spam-throwing contest at the Isleton Spam Festival in 2014.

The five-member council will appoint the next mayor.

“I was raised in this community so I have a big heart for it,” Giovannoni said.

“I’ve always thought Isleton had great potential—and it still has great potential.”

There are people still fighting for Isleton’s survival as a city, but they have different ideas about what could reinvigorate the town.

Samano wants a focus on small

“Isleton’s last stand” continued

Eighteen homes built several years ago stand empty and incomplete, facing each other across a barren divide. Some lack exterior staircases, with loose boards lying in dirt. Inside, the rooms are dirty, the floors unfinished. Red tags underline the shoddy state, three-story vessels in danger of being torn down.

Welcome to the Village on the Delta, Isleton’s latest hope and misstep.

Located on the town’s edge at the Highway 160 entrance, the subdivision is embroiled in litigation and a stalemate between the developer that inherited this project and the city that needs it to survive.

In the early 2000s, the city approved this 300-plus home development. Original developer Del Valle Homes started construction before the 2008 recession hit and the company went under. A different developer, KLD Ventures LLC of Roseville, assumed control in January 2013, but is struggling to get the first crop of 18 houses sold before moving forward with the rest of the subdivision.

Isleton Mayor Mark Bettencourt thinks it’s time his historic Delta city disincorporates and lets the county take over.

09.01.16 | SN&R | 17

PA I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T

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Since our doors first opened in 2007, FreeStyle Clothing Exchange has provided a place to recycle your style, refresh your wardrobe, and inspire others to reinvent themselves. As a recycled fashion company, it is our mission to make our community aware of the positive effects that recycling fashion can have on the

Red Plaid shirt by Thread Supply Distressed Tee by Signature Eight Black Fringe Backpack by Culture Riot Black Wrap choker by HCB Stone Washed Skinny by Judy Blue Lace-Up Heel Sandal by Bella Marie

18 | SN&R | 09.01.16

environment around them and remind others that the things they no longer want still have value.

Black Cap by Vera Camo Jacket by Anorak Blue Plaid shirt by Thread Supply Denim Skinnies by Judy Blue Brown Booties by Qupid

“Isleton’s last stand” continued from page 17

“I’ve always thought Isleton had great potential—and it still has great potential.”

The city’s great hope at boosting its revenue and population—Village on the Delta—stands unfinished years after it was begun.

businesses and a ban on franchises.

Chima would like to attract a manufacturing concern to headquarter in Isleton, to distribute goods throughout the region. Giovannoni and Yokotobi want a renewed emphasis on cultivating a tourist economy, while Hinrichs envisions developing an artist community, similar to Sausalito’s, and is excited by a couple relocating from Oakland to start a beertasting room on Main Street.

“Open your business here,” Hinrichs pitched. “You’ve got cheap rents. The crime problem that we have—it’s not 100 percent [taken care of], but it’s under control. I’m told by the deputies that the crime’s no worse here than it is anywhere else in the Delta.”

Still, one can’t help notice what’s missing here.

Across the street from DeJack’s, the Isleton Fire Department has just one paid employee, a part-time chief who also works for the contract paramedic service in town, Medic Ambulance. The city is able to keep an ambulance in Isleton by letting its medics crash for free at the fire station.

In June, local voters approved Measure B, a half-cent sales tax estimated to raise $91,000 to make the chief full-time, purchase much-needed equipment and maybe hire another parttime employee. City officials have also discussed placing another half-cent sales tax on the November ballot to bolster the general fund.

But these are patchwork fixes for a much deeper problem that not everyone

thinks can be solved. Zink, the former public works director who retired last year, called Isleton “a pretend city.”

“I talked with the mayor,” he said. “I told him why I left. That was one of the reasons. You never had enough tools, you never had enough equipment. It was always inadequate what you had to really go out there. You need another couple people, but the funds aren’t there.”

The mayor agrees.

“We’re doing them an injustice right now with the levels of services that we’re providing,” said Bettencourt, who isn’t running for re-election in November. “I believe the county can provide a better service.”

That’s easier said than done.

A sinking ship?

Inside a drab, white conference room located beside City Hall, consultant Ken Dieker said he had good news for Isleton’s elected officials: It would actually cost too much money for the poor city to declare bankruptcy or disincorporate.

“You absolutely are on the razor’s edge of being able to survive,” Dieker told the city council and a small gathering of residents on July 9. “Absolutely. But you’ve made progress.”

With a general fund deficit shrunk down to a manageable $13,000, Dieker counseled Isleton’s finest minds to stick it out and rein in unnecessary spending.

Almost on cue, that’s when things fell apart once again.

Councilwoman Samano asked how the city’s estimated debt of $1.6 million

figured into this rosy projection. Dieker couldn’t immediately say.

Commissioner Chima wanted to know whether the deficit amount could change before the budget was finalized.

Dieker figured a swing of $5,000, perhaps $10,000.

Commissioner Giovannoni, calling the numbers soft, walked out on the presentation, returning later.

After the meeting, Bettencourt acknowledged his colleagues’ skepticism.

“They don’t believe what we’re telling them,” he told SN&R. Mistrust is a given in Isleton, where years of mismanagement and infighting have fostered an air of straight-up dysfunction. But the stakes have rarely been higher.

While Dieker reiterated the grand jury’s 2008 conclusion that disincorporation would be a costly, time-consuming process, the jury did recommend the city explore that option if it couldn’t provide necessary services to its residents.

If it couldn’t get its act together, in other words.

Perhaps Isleton’s biggest cheerleader, Yokotobi thinks that day won’t come without an irreversible reckoning. “I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere unless it disincorporates,” she said. “We need new blood in here.”

But disincorporation is no quick fix, no magic bullet. It would mean representation by a handful of officials who live outside the area, primarily Sacramento County Supervisor Don Nottoli, whose district encompasses six unincorporated areas and

Glenn Giovannoni planning commissioner

four cities, including Isleton.

“The problem is Don Nottoli, who’s done a great job of representing our area, he’s only one of five votes,” Hinrichs reflected.

Nottoli says he and his colleagues want to help, in whatever form that’s possible.

“There certainly is a willingness by our board to, I think, not just … help the city get on its feet, but stay on its feet,” he said.

That aid has had its limits, though.

The county has declined Isleton’s loan requests for years, Hinrichs said. Here, things are always precarious, the next fight never that far off. Prior to the July 9 council meeting, Hinrichs told SN&R he was going to publicly censure Samano for creating a hostile work environment.

He backed down, and ended up reading a general statement that didn’t name her. Councilwoman Bulahan, a rival of Samano’s, kept echoing what Hinrichs said while Samano sat stone-faced.

Given the stakes, it was a weird meeting. The city is on life support, and its caretakers can’t stop bickering. That kind of drama is why Bruce Pope retired. The city manager before Hinrichs and Larsen, Pope checked out in 2011.

“There’s a lot of conflict for the city,” Pope said. “You have people coming to council meetings, coming to my office screaming and hollering, fire department out of control. … I don’t need this kind of stuff. Semiliterate assholes.”

Forget it, Jake. It’s Isleton. Ω

Raheem F. Hosseini contributed to this report.

09.01.16 | SN&R | 19

Felicity Jones in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Fall in SN&R’S FILM cRItIcS pRevIew the SeaSoN’S MoSt pRoMISINg FILMS

by danie l b a r ne S & J im lane

W

hat a terrible summer! We saw unabashed hate speech, institutional tyranny and tin-hat conspiracy theories collide to create an almost complete disintegration of the American social fabric. And that was just people tweeting about Ghostbusters! Thankfully, we’re almost past the superhero cape-strewn dog days of summer and into awards season, where most films are forced to project at least a pretense of quality. In order to prepare, SN&R film critics Daniel Barnes and Jim Lane have each selected their five most anticipated films of the next few months.

toM haNkS, cRItIcaL buzz aNd the FoRce Sully (September 9): After J. Edgar, Jersey Boys and American Sniper, this is the fourth Clint Eastwood-directed film in a row that deals with the myth of an American legend (or the legend of an American myth, if you prefer). Having already tackled the government, celebrity and the military, Sully concerns itself with civilian heroism, covering the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson” incident in which airline pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) safely landed a malfunctioning aircraft on the river. mancheSter by the Sea (november 18):

This drama starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams garnered a lot of critical buzz coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, but all I care about is that Manchester by the Sea is the first film directed

by Kenneth Lonergan since 2011’s doomed but brilliant Margaret.

The 135-minute running time of Manchester is less imposing than the three-hour-long Margaret, but Lonergan’s gift for unsparing emotional honesty and novel-like construction will almost certainly remain intact.

la la land (december 16): Whiplash director Damien Chazelle returns with this unapologetic movie musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, playing young creatives brought together by struggle and torn apart by success. The film is also supposed to be a love letter to Los Angeles (fans have spent the past year slavering over a still of Gosling and Stone jitterbugging through Griffith Park), so hopefully Chazelle has invested La La Land with an exuberant melancholy reminiscent of early Alan Rudolph.

Nate Parker in Birth of a Nation

rogue one: a Star WarS Story (december 16): One year ago, barely a decade removed

from the hell of the prequels, I couldn’t imagine ever wanting even one more Star Wars movie, let alone one a year until the end of time.

But that’s the magic of J.J. Abrams’ generally acceptable The Force Awakens—it hit the reset button while still forging strong connections with the original three, yet didn’t set a bar too high for subsequent

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Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in La La Land

Better than candy See hOMeGrOWn

25

nerd’S paradiSe

See cOOLhUntinG

29

aMerica’S kid See FiLM

38

BOOzy threeSOMe See aSk JOey

47

D a n i e l b a r n e S’ a n D J i m l a n e ’ S f a v o r i T e f i l m S o f T h e y e a r ( S o f a r) films to clear. Godzilla director Gareth Edwards helms this side story, set between Episodes III and IV.

Silence (December): This pick rides on a wing

and a prayer, since Martin Scorsese’s reportedly 195-minute epic starring Liam Neeson and Andrew Garfield as Jesuit missionaries in 17th-century Japan probably hasn’t locked in a final cut yet (the film was originally slated for a 2015 awards season release). But when a long-gestating passion project from the greatest living director is at stake, it can’t hurt to hope for a Christmas miracle.

The half-year in review

—Daniel Barnes

Ambition, mind-benders And Jennifer LAwrence The birTh of a naTion (ocTober 7):

Writer-director-star Nate Parker’s retelling of Nat Turner’s 1831 slave rebellion was a hit at Sundance and is getting major buzz. In a year when Hollywood’s diversity (or lack of it) has been under fire, Parker’s timing in completing his seven-year project couldn’t have been better. The audacious irony of Parker appropriating the title of Hollywood’s original Klan-loving blockbuster (still the most controversial movie ever made) was a brilliant stroke, implying both ambition and counteraction.

arrival (november 11): I’m nervous about

this one, but curious. Ted Chiang’s Nebula-winning “Story of Your Life” short story is a mind-and-time-bender about alien contact that defies filming; previews suggest that director Denis Villeneuve and writer Eric Heisserer have remolded it closer to Independence Day. Still, Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) has a good track record, if Heisserer not so much (Final Destination 5, 2011’s The Thing); maybe the trailers are just a come-on and Chiang’s story is still there. Anyhow, we’ll have Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.

billy lynn’S long halfTime Walk (november 11): Reviews of Ben Fountain’s debut

novel suggest that it’s nothing less than a Best Years of Our Lives for the Iraq War. I hope I have time to read it before director Ang Lee’s movie comes out, but even if I don’t—hey, it’s Ang Lee. I’d follow him just about anywhere.

allieD (november 23): It’s Casablanca in 1942,

and Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard meet and fall in love on a mission to assassinate a Nazi officer. With Robert Zemeckis directing a script by Steven Knight, can they banish the ghosts of Bogart and Bergman? Probably not, but with luck, this one will be worth waiting for.

PaSSengerS (December 21): Another (poten-

tial) science-fiction think piece, with Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt as deep-space explorers on a 120-year journey whose suspended-animation system malfunctions and wakes them up 90 years too soon. Adam-and-Eve parallels are obvious, and I hope director Morten Tyldum and writer Jon Spaihts don’t hit us over the head with them. I want to see where, if anywhere, this star trek takes us.

—Jim lane

Waking nighTmareS

1.

Only Yesterday: A bit of a cheat, since this richly detailed animated masterpiece from Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata was made in 1991, but the film only received an American release this year thanks to GKids. Only Yesterday is as delicate as Yasujirô Ozu, as powerful as Akira Kurosawa, as possessed as Kenji Mizoguchi and as hauntingly beautiful as any film ever made.

2.

Three: This genre-hopping blast from prolific Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To works as part solemn morality play and part gonzo white-knuckle thriller, part huge-hearted ensemble dramedy and part pitiless three-hander, with an almost unbearable escalation of tension that explodes into one of the most insane action sequences you’ll ever see.

3.

The Witch: Robert Eggers’ unsettling “New England Folk Tale” only improves on re-watch, presenting a pre-industrial world so wracked with hypocrisy and repression that consort with the devil becomes the only sensible feminist option. A soul-withering, vaguely sexual slow creep in the vein of Under the Skin, The Witch feels authentic both as Pilgrim anthropology and as a waking nightmare.

4.

Krisha: Another excellent movie about the nightmare of family, only written and directed by and starring an actual family. Insanely talented rookie director Trey Edward Shults remakes his 2014 short film with this low-budget gut punch of a Thanksgiving weekend, using his parents’ house as the location and enlisting most of his family as actors. It sounds like a Sundance torture chamber, but the film has energy and style to burn.

5.

Love & Friendship: Whit Stillman’s first foray into adaptation is an absolute delight, an intelligently dizzy and refreshingly wordy take on Jane Austen’s novella Lady Susan. There is an almost perfect overlap between the sensibilities of Stillman and Austen, to the point that all of Stillman’s previous films now feel like reverse-engineered Austen adaptations.

—D.B.

hey, The WizarD of oz floPPeD, Too

1.

The BFG: Yes, it flopped at the box office; so what? The Wizard of Oz bombed in 1939, but its day finally came, and so will The BFG’s. A finer movie this year is simply not possible. And while I’m on the subject, I’ll take this opportunity to apologize to Steven Spielberg and the late Melissa Mathison for all those family audiences who passed up their brilliant fantasy in favor of Ice Age: Collision Course and The Secret Life of Pets.

2.

Eye in the Sky: This was an examination of the moral conundrums of 21st-century warfare and the sometimes cold calculations of collateral damage, all disguised as a white-knuckle thriller—and it succeeded on both counts. It was the kind of thing you’d expect if Alfred Hitchcock and George Bernard Shaw had decided to make a movie together.

3.

The Jungle Book: There was still more Disney than Kipling, to be sure, and this nominally live-action remake was actually computeranimated except for Neel Sethi as Mowgli (in a remarkable debut performance for a 12-year-old working alone in front of a green screen). Still, there were undercurrents of menace that harked back to old Rudyard, and if some parts were too unsettling for small children, they could take heart from seeing young Sethi braving them right there on the screen.

4.

The Nice Guys: Writer-director Shane Black scored with a terrific companion piece to his underrated 2005 film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling made a hilariously profane team as two bottom-feeders in 1970s L.A. trying to unravel a convoluted murder mystery. Black’s ending was a little messy, but it left the door open for a franchise, and I say bring it on.

5.

Finding Dory: The gang at Pixar, especially Andrew Stanton (he of the Midas touch), did it again with a sequel that, like Stanton’s Toy Story 2, enriched and enhanced the original. Exhilarating, breathtaking and irresistible, this was perfect entertainment.

—J.L.

09.01.16 | SN&R | 21

22 | SN&R | 09.01.16

FOR ThE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 1

Sacramento Greek Festival FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, THROUGH SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Now in its 53rd year, the annual Sacramento Greek Festival shines a blue-and-white tinted light on all things Mediterranean. With a menu that CULTURE includes saganaki (savory cheese), the traditional gyro, keftethes (Greek meatballs) and much more. $5; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday at the Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J Street; www.sacramentogreekfestival.com.

—EDDIE JORGENSEN

The Soul Train Ride FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 Roll up your right bell-bottom leg and bust out the big-hair-friendly helmet, because Bike Party Sacramento’s September ride pays homage to everyone’s favorite funky variety show: Soul Train. Same rules apply as always: Pack your trash, don’t get smashed, ride straight BIKES and don’t hate. Free; 7 p.m. at the California Automobile Museum, 2200 Front Street; www.facebook.com/BikePartySacramento.

—DAvE KEMPA

Chalk it Up! SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, THROUGH MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

A FILM FESTIVAL FOR THE TIMES

The city’s annual fundraiser for children’s arts eduction takes place over Labor Day weekend this year, and it’s the perfect excuse for everyone to act like kids again (yeah, even FESTIVAL your iPad-addicted kid). There will be food trucks, live music, a beer garden. Free; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fremont Park, 1515 Q Street; www.facebook.com/chalkitupsac.

—DEENA DREwIS

Sacramento Free Day of Yoga MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

H

eads up, film buffs: It’s that time of year again, and for its 17th rendition, the Sacramento Film & Music Festival is getting heady. This year’s featured programming is rife with films that revolve around nuanced social issues, and many have strong ties to the history of the region. Short films and fun will abound, of course, but if you want to catch the heavy hitters, consider the following: On Tuesday, September 6, opening night kicks off with a screening of America is Still the Place, a feature based on the true story of Charlie Walker and the 1971 oil spill in the Bay Area. The complex story is rooted in the context of the black contractor at work, who eventually made off with $375,000, and is set against the racism and environmental politics of the time. The screening starts at 7:30 p.m.

and will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.

Wednesday, September 7, features two important and documentaries: At 7 p.m., In the Parlor: The Final Goodbye is local filmmaker Heidi Boucher’s examination of families who opt to provide death care for their loved ones rather than hire funeral professionals to prepare the bodies—it’s unorthodox, fascinating and moving. Following at 9 p.m. is Political Animals, which documents the achievements of California’s first four openly gay legislators and the impact their work had on the eventual passing of gay marriage.

To close things out on Sunday, September 11, documentarian Claudia Katayanagi examines the isolation centers that existed inside Japanese internment camps during World War II and how these precursors to

Guantanamo Bay are rarely covered in mainstream history books; A Bitter Legacy screens at 1 p.m.

To be sure, plenty of lighter fare can be found: The popular 10X10 Challenge, wherein 10 local filmmakers have 10 days to make a 10 minute film on a secret theme, will be taking place per usual, as will numerous screenings of narrative short films and Sac Music Scene, a music-centric collection of shorts that takes place at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Most screenings will take place at the Jean Runyon Theatre inside the Memorial Auditorium (1515 J Street).

All-day passes as well as single-showing passes are available for $10-$15. Check www.sacfilm.com for a complete list of ticket and pricing information.

—DEENA DREwIS ILLUSTRATION BY MARGARET LARKIN

No more excuses as to why you haven’t been getting enough downward dogs in; all over the city and beyond, yoga studios are inviting FITNESS you to take a class for f-r-e-e (normally around $20 a spot). Fourteen studios are participating, including popular Midtown spots such as It’s All Yoga, but residents of Roseville, Davis, Folsom and Granite Bay will also have access. Free; times and locations vary; www.sacramentofreedayofyoga.com.

—DEENA DREwIS

One More Time With Feeling THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 “What happens when an event occurs that is so catastrophic that you just change?” musician Nick Cave asks in the trailer for his new documentary One More Time With Feeling. The film will have a one-dayonly screening the day before the release of his 16th FILM studio album, Skeleton Tree. Folks will not only get an early glimpse of the music, but see behind-the-scenes footage and interviews of its making. $20; 9 p.m. at Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive; (916) 442-0985; www.nickcave.com.

—AARON CARNES

09.01.16 | SN&R | 23

other people anything but Don’t chase Drinks make Don’t chase Drinks make more interesting. drinks and dreams. other people other people anything but anything but Everyone is We’ll take care more interesting. more interesting. drinks and dreams. drinks and dreams. interesting here. of the drinks.

Everyone is Everyone is We’ll take care We’ll take care interesting here. of the drinks. interesting here. of the drinks.

OPEN NOW AT THE CORNER OF 15TH & L STREET OPEN NOW AT THE CORNER OF 15TH & L STREET

OPEN NOW AT THE CORNER OF 15TH & L STREET

24 | SN&R | 09.01.16

IllustratIons by saraH Hansel

Cheesy, meaty goodness MeAtloAf sAnDwich, ink eAts AnD Drinks Meatloaf is one of those dishes that stands on its own; combine it with grilled, Parmesan-crusted sourdough, and you have a recipe for a certified food coma. Ink’s meatloaf sandwich ($13) has all of the right components: beef and pork smashed together to form the baked loaf, crispy onion strings, melted cheddar cheese, just a little bit of ketchup and the crunch from the Parmesan bread. It’s served with french fries, but I recommend substituting them for the mac ’n’ cheese ($1.50). And I doubly recommend putting the mac ’n’ cheese inside the sandwich. 2730 N Street, www.inkeats.com.

—JereMy winslow

Leather in your cocktail?

Dirty MeAns, sADDle rock

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

Fancy tacos

by Janelle Bitker

The arena cometh: First, there was La Venadita, then Nixtaco, and now you can add El Rey to your fancy taco list.

El Rey just opened at the historic Oschner Building at Seventh and K streets: the first restaurant—well, besides the incredibly short-lived Triple Double—to focus on serving patrons of the Golden 1 Center.

That means the hours are flexible.

Generally, El Rey will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. If there’s a concert or a game on a Sunday, though, El Rey will open. The kitchen hours also might change depending on demand after events.

Similarly, the space can adapt to whatever vibe suits whatever

jan el l e b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

is happening at the arena: LED lighting can switch to purple for Sacramento Kings games and there’s also a deejay booth sandwiched between two bar areas.

“The idea isn’t to turn into a nightclub by any means,” says general manager Elliott Ames. “It’s to keep the mood going.”

The interior looks modern with some rustic touches, such as an exposed brick wall and distressed wood panels. There’s some funk, too: shiny plastic, floral-print booth seating and bright turquoise and violet accents, for example. Then again, more than a dozen flat-screen televisions almost override those touches with a sports bar feel.

Ames says it’s important for El Rey to appeal to both the hip

Midtown crowd as well as those driving in from Roseville to see Maroon 5. That effort to please everyone—be contemporary but also approachable—extends to the food and drinks as well.

Cocktails focus on mezcal and tequila, with lots of fresh juices and herbs. The food menu is primarily made up of tacos, which cost $3.50-$5 for one. Among the more unusual offerings from chef Bryce Palmer: shrimp with a spicy peanut salsa ($4.25), crispy duck carnitas with cilantro creme ($4.50) and chorizo with thin, crispy french fries and pickled onions ($3.75). Other playful dishes include black bean hummus ($7), a bacon-wrapped hot dog ($10) and a chocolate taco ($9) stuffed with Gunther’s ice cream. Palmer tries to source ingredients locally, such as the tortillas, which come from La Esperanza.

El Rey is primarily owned by Trevor Schultz, who also runs Barwest and Crawdads on the River, and he’ll open two more concepts in the Oschner Building, including Irish pub Malt & Mash. Ω

This new Midtown restaurant seems ripe for some Portlandia-esque mockery. A Gold Rush era-themed joint with a leather-infused bourbon cocktail? Throw in a handlebar mustache and the whole thing feels pretentious. In the glass, however, Saddle Rock’s Dirty Means ($9) is silky, with a bite; it gets its oomph from Thai chili and peanut oil. A more sophisticated palate could likely pick up on whatever nuances a hunk of aged leather brings; for the rest of us it just makes for a zingy, slow sipper. 1801 L Street, Suite 60; www.facebook.com/SaddleRockBar.

—rAchel leibrock

Snack on these JuJubes Before I moved to California, I thought jujubes were fruit-flavored candies. Why they’re named after Chinese dates, who knows? Actual jujube fruits grow on deciduous trees rather than palms. They’re small and hard, with a center pit and a flavor like tart apples. Ziziphus jujuba has a short early fall season in California. Ripe fruits are reddish brown. Once they’re dried, they become a gorgeous deep red and they’re good for snacking. You may find Vietnamese smoked jujubes or Indian pickled versions.

They’re also used medicinally in many Asian cultures.

—Ann MArtin rolke

09.01.16 | SN&R | 25

Ingredients matter Freshly Battered Always Crunchy

superb

Burger • Fish & Chips 8399 Folso m Blvd, St .4 | S ac r am e n t o , 9 5 8 2 6 | 9 1 6 . 3 8 1. 2 0 2 0

The food court’s pricey side

by Ann MARTin Rolke

The Red Alcove

for much less at the grocery on the other side of the building.

We tried getting take-out for lunch one day, but it’s not available. As the only customer, we 10971 Olsen Drive in Rancho Cordova, figured service would be prompt, and it was. An (916) 400-3252 order of lumpia ($10) arrived quickly with 10 pieces http://theredalcove.com of piping hot slim rolls and a dish of neon-orange Dinner for one: $23 - $30 sauce. It’s unusual to find Filipino food at a Korean Good for: dinner before grocery shopping restaurant, but they seemed well-fried if not particuNotable dishes: spicy pork butt, daikon banchan larly flavorful.

A tabletop menu advertised a variety of “stone pot” rice dishes (dolsot bibimbap) for lunch ($12.99 to 14.99). We tried the vegetable version, which To visit Koreana Plaza is to fall into a wonderland isn’t necessarily vegetarian; be sure to ask if of culinary oddities. You can buy almost anything: you’re concerned. It’s a generous portion, with a Russian mayonnaise, live frogs, frozen durian or variety of mix-ins and a fried egg on top of crusty, 20 kinds of soju. sizzling rice. Ours included seaweed, sliced turnip, Koreana Plaza sits like an oasis of plenty in a julienned carrots and zucchini, among others. half-empty shopping center off Zinfandel Drive.

Stir it all together with the fiery gochujang-based With more than 80,000 grocery items, it draws sauce. While filling and piping hot, it seemed a bit expats of all nationalities to buy favorite foods and overpriced for rice and vegetables. kitchen supplies from their homelands. Specialty At some Korean barbecue spots, you cook your shops line the food court while an enormous flatown meat tableside, but we barely touched the screen television looms over the tables. tongs before our efficient server swooped Byong Joo “B.J.” Yu opened in. She expertly wielded a large tray Koreana Plaza in 2003 and has been of prepared ingredients while deftly We barely adding to it ever since. In 2012, he switching out the grill grate three bought the surrounding shopping touched the times during dinner. center and last fall revealed another The meats got almost carameltongs before our addition: the Red Alcove, a Korean ized as they cooked, with saltyefficient server barbecue restaurant. sweet nuances from their marinades.

The Red Alcove, just past Blue swooped in.

The pork butt, ordered “spicy,” barely Corner bubble tea shop, differs from registered as such, although its thinthe other prepared foods on offer there ness made it ultra-tender. Lots of grilled as a full-service restaurant. While you can vegetables and banchan added flavor, though. order noodles, dumplings or bento boxes in the We particularly liked the pickled daikon and chilifood court, the Red Alcove has a limited barbecuedressed cucumber chunks. focused menu.

On both of our visits, Red Alcove had few Unlike all-you-can-eat restaurants such as Oz customers compared to the crowds in the food Korean Barbecue nearby, where you pay $18.99 to court. While service was quick and very friendly, 22.99 per person, the Red Alcove prices seem high it’s hard to compete with a $9.99 bento box of because they begin at $22.99 for a single protein meat, rice, veg and noodles available immediately. and move upward rapidly. A combo platter for two, It’s also hard to compete with the same ingrewith pork, beef and chicken plus vegetables, salad dients for much less money in the same building. and soup is $50.

You’re paying a premium for use of the grill and Granted, that combo platter could feed helpful servers. Is it worth it? For my money, I’d three—although additional soup and rice would choose a place with more variety, like Oz, or skip cost extra. Order a drink each and you’re lookthe Red Alcove for some bubble tea and noodles ing at a fairly pricy meal that could be bought in the food court. Ω

HH

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26 | SN&R | 09.01.16

FRESH & Homemade

COOKING

Beer festivals forever Drink beer this weekend and next weekend—and every day in between, since you’ll probably want to build up your tolerance. Start with Yolo Brewfest, a small tasting festival on Main Street in Woodland with more than 30 breweries—mostly local, plus some cider- and meadmakers—on Saturday, September 3. A $35 ticket—available at http://yolobrewfest. com—gets you unlimited tastes. Follow that up with the second annual California Craft Beer Summit, an epic event for all levels of beer nerds. Industry folks will love meeting legends such as Sierra Nevada’s brewmaster or Russian River Brewing Co.’s founders at panel discussions Friday, September 9, and Saturday, September 10, at the Convention Center (1400 J Street).

Then, more than 165 breweries will take over Capitol Mall starting at 3 p.m. Saturday for the largest beer tasting event in the state. Tickets for the full summit cost $239, or just attend the festival for $60. More at www.californiacraftbeer.com.

—Janelle Bitker

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By Shoka Who started the misconception that vegans don’t eat gluten? Is it because of Beyoncé’s three-week vegan cleanse to lose weight a few years ago that got confused with the gluten-free weight-loss diet fad?

I’ve been to dozens of bakeries, restaurants and stores inquiring if an item on offer is vegan, and the response is often, “There’s no gluten in it.” Translation: The employees selling those products do not know what the words “gluten” or “vegan” mean. To be

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clear, gluten is protein from wheat.

Wheat is a plant. Vegans are people who eat only plants. So let’s educate the folks at the places we patronize—without being patronizing.

When the answer is about gluten and not animal products, respond positively: “Since gluten is protein from wheat and vegans only eat plants, gluten is fine for vegans.

But are there any animal products in this dish? Because I’m not OK with eating animal products.”

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Allman Brothers tribute band (in the back 40 amphitheater), 7-11 pm

ILLUSTRATION BY MOMO-DeARY

Tales of the everynerd

Hell yeah in PraiSe of Profanity There’s more to profanity than shock value and offensiveness, argues Indiana University professor Michael Adams. His latest, In Praise of Profanity (Oxford University Press, $17.95), offers a whole shitload of good reasons to curse, and from his perspective, our taboos on profanity are a massive oversimplification. Profanity serves as more than just a style or class marker, BOOk he argues, although it does both of those things very damn well. But profanity also serves as a marker of tribes and attitudes—and we all know someone who can’t curse to save their freaking life, while at the same time, there’s that friend who is so creative that any attempt to match it is doomed to permanent failure. The way that swearing builds relationships and adds emotional emphasis, he writes, is crucial to community building. For example, we all know exactly what is meant by “Donald fucking Trump,” right?

—kel munger

Indulge that fantasy artmix: crocker-con Can’t make it to SacAnime but still want to indulge in your Sailor Moon dress-up fantasy? This month’s ArtMix will get you your fix and then some with a costume contest and dance-off, venEvEnT dors, live performances, local comic book writers and artists in attendance, and of course, drink specials. $5-$10; 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday, September 8 at the Crocker Art Museum, 216 O Street; www.crockerartmuseum.org.

—Deena DrewiS

Sacanime SacAnime started way back in 1986 as a comic book show and has since evolved into a conference with minor-yet-thrilling celebrities, like Dante Basco, the guy who played Rufio in Hook and the entire cast of Power Rangers Turbo.

In addition to the usual crush of vendors and autoPOP CULTURE graph signings, there will be super niche events like Kpop Battles, where you and your closest friends recreate a K-Pop music video and compete against other faux K-pop groups.

One of the big events of the conference is the Starlight Ball, which goes down Saturday night at 9 p.m. Semi-formal or formal dress is required, and you can even take a dance workshop ahead of time.

There’s also an artists’ gallery where you can check out animeinspired pieces, including this year’s digital art winners such as MomoDeary’s anime space girl (pictured), featured on the conference’s admissions badge this year.

The conference runs from Friday, September 2, through Sunday, September 4, at the Sacramento Convention Center (1400 J Street) and the Sheraton Grand Sacramento (1230 J Street). One day tickets start at $20 and fullweekend passes are $50. Visit www.sacanime.com for more information.

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—Deena DrewiS

09.01.16 | SN&R | 29

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B Street’s beyond A sneak peek at the theater’s 2016-2017 season

by Bev SykeS

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Jack Gallagher will return to the B Street Theatre in February for a new one man show.

Patrons of the B Street Theatre are in for an unusual treat for the upcoming 2016-17 season— this year they actually know what shows they are going to see. Typically, the theater’s faithful buy season tickets with no clue as to what shows will be presented because the shows are chosen during the season’s run.

“We have built a very good relationship with our patrons,” said Buck Busfield, the theater’s producing director.

“We don’t announce our season ahead of time because we like to be flexible,” he adds. “If a hot new play suddenly becomes available, we can present it right away instead of waiting until the next season. Our patrons trust us.”

But with the prospect of a new theater, currently under construction at 27th Street and Capitol Avenue, the company is planning ahead.

“We’re going to become a little less nimble,” Busfield said.

That, in turn, means more advance planning.

While exact dates have yet to be announced for most of the productions, the season’s itinerary is set.

“We actually already have the rights to all the shows for our upcoming season,” he said.

And what a season it is. The Mainstage series kicks off in October with The Lion in Winter, the 1966 James Goldman tale that inspired the hit TV series Empire. The year is 1183 and the location is the court of Henry II, hosting his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and his mistress for Christmas dinner. What could possibly go wrong?

Expect the B Street version to be comedic in tone and dramatic in action.

Photo courtesy of B street theatre

$2.50 Cafe Colonial : $10 value for $3.50 Cafe Lumiere: $15 value for $7.50 Cali Slice: $25 value for $12.50 Drewski’s Hot Rod Kitchen: $15 value for $7.50 Doyle’s Taproom: $25 value for $12.50 El Jardin Mexican Restaurant: $20 value for $8 Broadway Coffee Co.: $5 value for

October will also see a new play by Joseph Rodota.

Chessman is the story of robber, kidnapper and rapist Caryl Chessman 12-year battle to avoid execution, and Gov. Pat Brown’s moral struggle as to whether to grant him clemency. It is scheduled to run October 13-22.

December brings back, not surprisingly, A Christmas Carol, as seen through the twisted mind of Busfield, wearing his playwright hat. In this version, Ebenezer Scrooge is tired of the whole “redemption” story and wants to free himself from the role he has been forced to play for the last 173 years.

In 2017, Becoming Dr. Ruth debuts in January and tells the incredible story of the world’s best known sex therapist, from fleeing the Nazis as a young girl, becoming a sniper for the Haganah in Jerusalem, then an immigrant to America and having to make it as a single mother, and finally a pioneering radio and television sex therapist.

One of Sacramento’s favorite funny men, Jack Gallagher, is set to return for another original play in February. Concussed discusses, in humorous fashion, the effects concussion injuries have on the brain.

In April, rounding out the Mainstage productions, comedians Stephanie Altholz, Amy Kelly and Tara Sisson will present the world premiere of Treatment.

The theater’s Family Series has some promising options, too, starting with October’s staging of The Garden of Rikki Tikki Tavi an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s story of the lovable mongoose.

The production opens October 1 and is recommended for kids ages 6 and up.

Robin Hood, adapted by B Street regular Jerry Montoya, is also recommended for ages 6 and up and opens November 19.

For older kids—ages 10 and up, to be exact—there’s Going West: The Story of the Transcontinental Railroad, set to open February 25.

Finally, the kids’ season closes with Junie B. Jones is not a Crook. It opens April 22 and is suitable for kids ages 5 and up. Ω

Learn more about the B street theatre’s current and upcoming seasons by visiting www.bstreettheatre.org or by calling (916) 443-5300.

Now playiNg

3

Every Brilliant Thing

B Street Theatre regular David Pierini serves as storyteller, stand-up comic (and emcee) of this one-man show about a young man’s relationship with his depressed mother.

He responds by creating a list of “brilliant things” to highlight the brighter side of life. This subject matter notwithstanding, this is a frequently funny and (on the whole) uplifting monologue, with some audience participation thrown in. Th, F

8pm; Sa 5pm and 9pm; Su 2pm; Tu 6:30pm; W 2pm and 6:30pm; Through 9/18. $23-$35.

2711 B Street; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreettheatre.org. J.H.

4

A Grand Night for Singing

Any night is a good night for the music of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, especially when the tunes are presented as lovingly and well as they are in this Fair Oaks Theatre Festival production.

Deane Calvin proves herself to be an excellent chanteuse interpreter of these tunes. The remainder of the cast—Joe Hart, Jonathan Blum, Zane Boyer, Corey Winfield, Brittni Proffitt and Leann Frazier—acquits

1

themselves nicely, too. F, Sa, Su 8pm. Through 9/18. $12-$18. Fair Oaks Theatre Festival, Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre, 7991 California Avenue in Fair Oaks. (916) 966-3686; www. fairoakstheatrefestival. com. J.C.

4

The Last Lifeboat

The drama set on the ill-fated Titanic focuses on the ship’s builder, J. Bruce Ismay.

Amidst the catastrophe, he takes an empty seat on a lifeboat (1,500 others perished)—and then is vilified as a coward, because he didn’t “go down with the ship.” The play poses the intriguing moral question: What would you do in the same situation? F, Sa 8pm.

Through 9/10. $12-$54. Main Street Theatre Works, 1127 N. Main Street in Jackson. www.mstw.org. J.H.

5

Satchmo at the Waldorf

Th 2pm and 7pm, F 7pm, Sa 8pm, Su, Tu, W 1pm. Through 9/17. $26-$38. B Street Theatre, 2727 B Street; (916) 443-5300; www. bstreettheatre.org. P.R.

Short reviews by Jim Carnes, Jeff Hudson and Patti Roberts

In this Terry Teachout production a curtain is pulled back to reveal Louis Armstrong as a complex character who traveled a tough road through poverty, discrimination, segregation, the music business, mobs and ultimately acceptance, though even that was

2

3

FAIR

GOOD

FOUL

marked with controversy. Actor Jahi Kearse embodies Armstrong, and takes us along Satchmo’s journey that started as a son of a prostitute in New Orleans through a five-decade musical career that. The talented Kearse gives a memorable one-man, three-character show—portraying not only Armstrong, but two men in the musician’s life he had complicated relations with—his white music producer Joe Glaser, who had dubious business tactics, and Miles Davis, who was both a friend and a critic.

4 WELL-DONE

5 SUBLIME– DON’T MISS

“Who you calling ‘swampy’?”

PHOTO COURTESy OF RUNAWAy STAGE

Go green Start with a green swampy ogre, and add a smartass donkey a persnickety princess, a lovesick dragon, an attitudinal gingerbread Man, a short and evil lord, some mice and some pigs. Bring them all together and make a Disney movie! And make it a love story! That’s how we got those Shrek movies, and eventually, the Broadway musical. In this Runaway Stage production, there’s also a live orchestra. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; $18. Runaway Stage, 24th Street Theatre, 2791 24th Street; (916) 207-1226; www.runawaystage.com.

*VP

C A S T BES dū

N a B s a p ¿ © © Â ° §

SN&R

—Patti RobeRts

09.01.16 | SN&R | 31

32 | SN&R | 09.01.16

A Special Advertising Supplement to SN&R

Hop down to hood!

SEPTEMBER 2016

Discover the intimate family hops farm right in our backyard pg 36

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exclusive happy hour deals at your favorite taprooms! pg 34 & 35

09.01.16 | SN&R | 33

DOYLE’S PUB AND TAPROOM 312 E. Bidwell St., Folsom doylespubandtap.com 916-983-8277

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FEATURED THIS MONTH • One Hitter Tuberfest, Lagunitas Hopped-up antiquious Achtoberfest lager • Wham, Glam, Thank You Fam!, Ale Industries Nutty brown ale with caramel and roasted chocolate • Eskimo Brothers, Tilted Mash Brewing Coffee milk stout

locations this month for

EVENTS

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34 | SN&R | 09.01.16

• SN&R Tap Map Happy Hour Extra $1 off draft beer with mention of Tap Map! Thurs, 9/1 and Fri, 9/2, 3-7 p.m.

Mon, 9/5, 5 p.m.-12 a.m.

SPOTLIGHT Check out Yolo Brewfest!

Sat, 9/3, 3-6 p.m., VIP Hour 2-3 p.m.

Heritage Plaza and Main Street in Woodland Gen. Admission: $35, VIP: $45 Yolo Brewfest will feature 30+ breweries, cideries and even a meadery, with local gourmet restaurants, a cigar lounge and live music and entertainment. Must be 21+ years old to enter. yolobrewfest.com

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ON THE COVER:

Last year’s Friends on the Farm Dinner, hosted

by Track 7 at Hood Hops Ranch. Track 7's annual Friends on the Farm Dinner features limitededition beers for guests and dinner on Hood Hops Ranch. Read about the farm on page 36.

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3747 W. Pacific Ave., Ste. F, Sac (Curtis Park) 826 Professor Lane, Ste. 100, Sac (Natomas) track7brewing.com 916-520-4677 (HOPS) • White Stout Brewed with TCHO cacao nibs and Chocolate Fish Coffee (avail. 9/2) • Sukahop NE-inspired IPA Hazy with fruity/juicy hops (avail. 9/7) • Bloomer’s Cut IPA Hopped with Amarillo, Cascade, Mosaic and Citra (avail. 9/13) • Mr. Chimpo IPA Piney hop and pineapple and citrus aroma (avail. 9/13)

EVENTS • SN&R Tap Map Happy Hour 15% of Growlers To-Go Tue, 9/6, 3-9 p.m.

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DEVICE BREWING COMPANY 8166 14th Ave., Ste A, Sacramento devicebrewing.com 916-737-2739

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• SN&R Tap Map Happy Hour Friday, 9/16, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

A Special Advertising Supplement to SN&R

09.01.16 | SN&R | 35

A Special Advertising Supplement to SN&R

A place on the farm Track 7's annual event taps into ag roots

T

Geoff Scott and Ryan Graham co-own Track 7 Brewing Co.

PHOTO BY ANNE STOKES

rack 7 co-owner and cellmaster Geoff Scott fondly remembers playing on his uncle’s ranch in Hood, about 20 minutes south of the capital city on the delta.

As a boy, the Sacramento native rode (and fell from) horses, fed pigs and picked fruit from the orchard.

Scott, 38, still visits the ranch for family gatherings — and now also for business.

His uncle, Tom Ceccarelli, began growing hops around the same time Scott, along with his wife Becca and co-owners Ryan and Jeanna Graham, opened Track 7 Brewing Company in 2011. The brewery sources a variety of hops, including Cascade — a popular type of hop — from Hood Hops Ranch and several other growers. “[We were] really fortunate that Geoff’s uncle has a local Cascade ranch, where the hop does particularly well in this climate,” says Ryan Graham, Track 7’s brewmaster and co-owner. “We use it every year and the beers come out fantastic.”

In adding this crop to his ranch, Ceccarelli joined a long history of hops farming in the Sacramento region — a major source of

hops prior to Prohibition. With just over an acre of hops, Ceccarelli doesn’t strive to meet mass market demand. He supplies Track 7, Drake’s Brewing Company and other area breweries.

TRACK 7’S FRIENDS ON THE FARM DINNER WILL GIVE THE BREWERY’S EXTENDED FAMILY THE CHANCE TO DINE ON THE SOIL WHERE FRESH HOPS ARE GROWN. Geoff Scott and Ryan Graham typically use processed, pellet hops to brew Track 7 beers. But once a year, when it’s time to harvest the flowers toward the end of summer, the brewery’s employees visit the

BY KATE GONZALES

ranch for the unorthodox team-building exercise of picking hops right off the vine.

They bring the fresh whole hops back for special beers with a bright, fresh flavor.

In September, the extended Track 7 family, including staff and customers, will gather at Hood Hops Ranch for Track 7’s annual Friends on the Farm Dinner.

The event will feature rare Track 7 beers — including one or two made with the fresh Hood hops — dinner prepared

by Executive Chef Tom Schnetz of La Venadita, and local wine and coffee. It’s a unique chance to get an up-close look at the hop farm.

“It’s nice land,” Graham says. “I hope Geoff keeps it in the family for another generation.”

Scott says he’d like to raise his three children (one set of twins and a third due in October) on the family ranch. He pictures them fishing, driving tractors and exploring the way he once did. “You don’t get [that] necessarily in the city.”

To purchase tickets to the Friends on the Farm Dinner, visit friendsonthefarm.brownpapertickets.com.

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Morris from America It’s even scarier when you imagine them all speaking German.

4

N E W S R E V I E W.C O M This low-key gem from This is Martin Bonner director Chad Hartigan arrives just in time to redeem an entire summer’s worth of crass and mindless destruction at the multiplex. Teenage actor Markees Christmas stars as Morris Gentry, an aspiring rapper and typically hormonal 13 year-old boy who moves to Germany with his ex-footballer father Curtis (a revelatory Craig Robinson) following the death of his mother.

As Curtis tells Morris, they’re “the only two brothers in Heidelberg,” and the usual pitfalls of pubescence are magnified by Morris’ outsider status in the culture and with the language.

The kids, tutors and youth center supervisors treat him like a criminal at worst and an exotic at best, and even when Morris forms a friendship with a bad-news older girl named Inka (Carla Juri), she just uses him to piss off her uptight mom.

Although she treats him poorly, inviting him to a rave only to prank him in front of her friends, Morris grows hopefully infatuated with Inka. Her attention runs hot and cold—she’ll ignore him one moment, cozy up the next and then straight out of the Jawbreaker song “Chemistry,” some older guy with a motorbike picks her up after school. The smitten Morris gets more and more involved with a hard-partying older crowd, putting additional burden on an already strained relationship with his father.

Morris from America isn’t shy about rolling around in genre tropes—it manages to be a fish-out-of-water story, a coming-of-age story and a slice-of-life all at

by DAnIel BArnes

once—but it rarely comes across as false or forced.

Credit Hartigan for transcending the potential highconcept fuzziness of the premise by keeping the film grounded in authentic moments of adolescent angst and longing.

There is a clunky early scene where Morris wanders into a museum and imagines patrons, paintings and sculptures bopping along to the music in his head, but luckily Hartigan doesn’t pursue that sort of overt preciousness the rest of the way. Instead, the humiliations and heartbreak suffered by Morris feel pretty universal and relatable without sacrificing the specificity of his situation or the film’s overall genial nature.

The relationship between Morris and Curtis is the heart of the film, and their scenes feel fresher and less familiar than the teenage crush stuff. At its best, Morris from America is simultaneously empathetic and unflinching, as in the duet of scenes in which a frustrated and besotted Morris makes out with his pillow, while his equally isolated father dials a phone sex line.

Christmas may get the title role here, but Robinson absolutely owns every one of his scenes.

Generally known as a comedic actor from TV shows like The Office and films like This is the End, Robinson gets his meatiest movie role to date, and he doesn’t waste the opportunity. He gets a long and crucial monologue toward the end of the film that is one of the most compelling and honest pieces of film acting you’ll see all year. Ω

It rarely comes across as false or forced.

38 | SN&R | 09.01.16

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1

Ben-Hur

Gen. Lew Wallace’s venerable novel takes a vicious beating in this fourth film version, with one of the worst screenplays ever written in English (by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, grown men who should have known better); a director, Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer) who hasn’t made a good movie yet and evidently doesn’t know how; a hero (Jack Huston) with very little trace of the screen presence that runs through his famous family; and a villain (Toby Kebbell) who appears equally destined for oblivion. (Morgan Freeman, as an Arab horse-breeder changed to an African because, well, they got Morgan Freeman, blows them both off the screen just by showing up.) The story is shredded to the bare bones, then the bones picked clean of drama and common sense. Even the chariot race is ho-hum. J.L.

3

Equity

A Wall Street investment banker (Anna Gunn) strives to put together an IPO for a burgeoning tech company, while struggling to overcome the stigma of another IPO that she supposedly blew earlier in the year. Briskly directed by Meera Menon and smartly written

by Amy Fox, Sarah Megan Thomas and Alysia Reiner (Thomas and Reiner also play key roles, as Gunn’s assistant and a federal investigator, respectively), the movie is slick, well-crafted and fascinating in a watch-all-the-sharks-eateach-other way. There’s the usual drawback of these masters-of-the-universe movies: The ordinary folks in the audience get nobody to identify with; everyone in sight is either amoral, ineffectually honest, ruthlessly venal or some combination of the three. The variation on the theme here is that so many of them are women. J.L.

3

Hands of Stone

Writer-director Jonathan Jakubowicz unreels the story of Panamanian boxer Roberto Durán (Edgar Ramírez) and his personal and professional relationship with veteran trainer Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro). The template Jakubowicz is working from is obviously Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (underlined by De Niro’s presence), but neither Jakubowicz’s story nor his filmmaking technique has that kind of power; the movie subsides into a pattern of rise-andfall-and-rise-again familiar from countless boxing movies from Body and Soul to Rocky and beyond. Still, it’s well-mounted and well-acted by a cast that includes Rubén Blades as Durán’s manager, Usher Raymond IV as Sugar Ray Leonard, John Turturro as a shadowy Mafia figure and Ana de Armas as Durán’s wife (making the most of a spotty and underwritten role). J.L.

4

Hell or High Water

This is another Bechdel test-failing, steak-and-eggs genre picture from Starred Up director David Mackenzie, with another lean and hard-boiled script from Sicario screenwriter Taylor Sheridan. Chris Pine and Ben Foster star as West Texas bank robber brothers, the former a lifelong straight arrow trying to pay off a debt, the latter a loose cannon career criminal. Jeff Bridges is the gruff Texas ranger on their trail, a grizzled widower on the verge of retirement, all too eager to stave off his inevitable appointment with the rocking chair. All of the performances are strong, with Bridges especially nailing a tailormade part, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that this is essentially No Country for Old Men without the existential poetry. Hollywood used to turn out solidly constructed, midsized genre films like this by the score, but now they’re so rare that Hell or High Water practically seems like a unicorn. D.B.

3

Mechanic: Resurrection

Expert hit man Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham), who specializes in making his killings look like accidents, is forced out of retirement when his girlfriend (Jessica Alba) is kidnapped by an old adversary (Sam Hazeldine)

He only has eye for you.

4

Laika CEO Travis Knight makes his feature directing debut with Kubo and the Two Strings, an ambitious stop-motion fantasy adventure about a would-be storyteller repressed by a “cold, hard, perfect” father figure. This is where it should be noted that Laika is owned by Travis’ father Phil, a co-founder of Nike and one of the richest men in the country. I’m not sure how to apply that information, which pretty much sums up everything good but not great about Kubo. It feels like the film could (or should) be deeply personal, but it’s also a nonspecific tangle of cultural and thematic threads, with too much clutter and not enough urgency. The whole of Kubo ends up less satisfying than the sum of its set pieces … but what jaw-dropping set pieces! Kubo takes your breath away every few minutes, even as it keeps dropping more rules, back stories, explanations and stories within stories into the mix. D.B.

who wants three underworld competitors dead. The script by Philip Shelby, Tony Mosher, Rachel Long and Brian Pittman is clumsy and far-fetched, the direction by Dennis Gansel uninspired, but somehow the movie manages to be a guilty pleasure. As Statham demonstrated with his hilarious turn in the Melissa McCarthy gem Spy, there’s something about his humorlessness that is itself amusing. Plus, the elaborate Rube Goldberg contraptions he uses to carry out his contracts are oddly satisfying. Tommy Lee Jones and Michelle Yeoh add big-name cameos. J.L.

3

Morgan

A “risk management consultant” (Kate Mara) arrives at a scientific lab to evaluate her company’s latest secret experiment: an organism generated from artificial DNA that, in only five years, has developed to the point where it looks for all the world like an 18-year-old woman (Anya Taylor-Joy)—but one as volatile and unpredictable as nitroglycerin.

The movie has a good cast—Rose Leslie, Toby Jones, Michelle Yeoh, Paul Giamatti—though Mara and Taylor-Joy have the most to do and make the strongest impressions. There’s a sleek and sterile look to it that makes it cold and slightly repellent, but it holds our interest, albeit without building much suspense. Director Luke Scott telegraphs the climactic twist in Seth W. Owen’s script so clearly that we almost ignore it, thinking it’s just a red herring. J.L.

3

Southside with You

Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers play young Michelle Robinson and Barack Obama in this slight but sweet offering from first-time writer-director Richard Tanne. The film follows the future FLOTUS and POTUS on their first date in the summer of 1989, although Michelle is adamant from the beginning that it’s not a “date,” fearful that dating an entrylevel associate at her law firm could be viewed as “tacky.” Over the course of a day, the chain-smoking Barack gradually wears down Michelle’s resistance, with each giving the other a glimpse into their inner fears and desires, as well as a vision of the towering people

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they would become. They go to an art gallery, they have a picnic in the park, they get ice cream, Barack gives a speech in a church—it’s so respectful I could barely keep my eyes open, but first-rate performances from Sumpter and Sawyers pulled me through. D.B.

3

Suicide Squad

3

War Dogs

At this point, even the most die-hard comic book movie apologists would have to admit that the superhero genre is stuck in a rut. The genre demands reinvention, but for all of the chest-beating swagger and style of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, the needle hardly even flinches. A screenwriter turned director who excels at stories of violent group dynamics (Fury; Sabotage), Ayer probably squeezes the most disreputable fun into this PG-13 film as he was allowed. Yet all of the symptoms of the disease are still present: a surplus of origin stories, supervillains with nebulous motivations, and a choppy plot forced to serve too many masters.

Suicide Squad spreads so thin that it only makes time for one layer of character development, even for the characters we actually come to care about. There is so much universe-building and overexplaining that the movie frequently forgets to have any fun. D.B.

In the early days of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, two 20-something slackers, Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill) and David Packouz (Miles Teller) hustle their way into the international arms business, making hundredmillion-dollar deals between bong hits and lines of coke. Todd Phillips’ direction is typically jerky and unsubtle, but his script (co-written with Steven Chin and Jason Smilovic, from Guy Lawson’s Rolling Stone article and subsequent book) follows the facts of Diveroli and Packouz’s true story fairly closely. And that’s enough—the mind-boggling chutzpah of these two sleazeballs (plus Hill and Teller’s strong performances) keep us watching in fascination. Packouz (who plays a bit part) comes off as more sympathetic, suggesting that he cooperated with the filmmakers more than Diveroli did. J.L.

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SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3

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Brotherly pop The Color Wild on pranks, Vacaville and the City of Trees festival

by Rebecca Huval

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The Color Wild has been working up to this momentum for years. The three brothers originally started playing music together as a classic rock cover band—when they were just lads.

The precocious musicians played Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard and the Rolling Stones live at Vacaville’s harvest festivals and Christmas parties.

No matter how big they make it, they hope to stay in the place where it all started.

“I love Vacaville,” Jaden says. color me good.

“It’s the best big, little town in the world. Everyone’s so close.”

Jesse, meanwhile, appreciates the town’s worldclass restaurants.

With the utmost seriousness, Jesse Crosson, 22, jots “I’m a big Taco Bell guy, and I find comfort in down the set list for his band’s biggest venue to knowing that I can reach Taco Bell within a mile of date, Hollywood’s legendary Whisky a Go Go. any direction,” he says.

Meanwhile, his bandmates of the Color Wild are As the Color Wild ascends, the brothers hope trying to sabotage him—because they’re his little to someday buy their mother her dream house in brothers. Drummer Jaden Crosson, 17, attempts to Vacaville. Until then, the Crossons and Haden are learn heavy metal by blasting a double bass pedal. “pumped” for City of Trees, Jesse says.

Lead vocalist Kyle Crosson, 20, holds down a loop“To see our name on a poster with Weezer ing synth on the electric piano for several minutes. and Panic! at the Disco is ridiculous to “We were having a stupid war, and it us,” he says. was right in Jesse’s ear,” says the only “We have our things that we do, non-Crosson, lead guitarist Josh our day jobs and stuff,” Hansen Hansen, 20.

“This band is says, “but this band is everything, Aside from honing its indie everything, and and we’re trying to take it as far electro-pop sound, the Color as we can.”

Wild’s main mission? we’re trying to take it With so many disciplined “Me or Jaden or Kyle just as far as we can.” hours of practice, Hansen has irritate Jesse,” Hansen says, become an “honorary Crosson,” adding that they’ve blasted air Josh Hansen Jesse says. That, and they’ve horns and screamed to wake him guitarist, the Color Wild pranked him. He, too, has awoken up on the tour van. to the sounds of screaming and air “I get startled easily, and they horns—with less satisfying results. love it,” Jesse says. “It’s terrible.”

“For some reason, whenever they scream in Vicious pranks aside, these Vacaville my ear, it peacefully wakes me up,” Hansen says. natives are a jolly bunch, and it shows in their Kyle playfully glares at him. “It’s ’cause you’re music. Their merry contagion will appear on cuddling with our cat.” Ω the local stage at the City of Trees festival on Saturday, September 10—alongside headliners Weezer, Panic! at the Disco and Phantogram—and it’s sure to get bodies moving. Danceable synths twinkle in the upper registers, reminiscent of Passion Pit. Kyle belts in a pop-punk style, often harmonizing with Jesse in a crisp, focused tone Check out the Color Wild at the City of trees festival on Saturday, that recalls Jimmy Eat World.

September 10, at Bonney Field, 1401 Arden Way. tickets are $54.50. More “We try to do something that’s just weird or out on the band at www.thecolorwild.com. For more on the festival, visit of the ordinary that you wouldn’t hear on the radio,” www.cityoftrees.com.

Jesse says.

21+

40 | SN&R | 09.01.16

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Punk party: Sacramento’s favorite punk sisters of Dog Party released

Motown, renewed: Century Got Bars grew up in Detroit, and the emcee says Motown was a unifying force when she was growing up. No matter what, Motown was the soundtrack at home, and it brought generations together.

That’s why she created The Motown EP: a tribute to her hometown—and a free gift to get folks in Sacramento grooving this summer.

Produced by fellow Sacramento rapper Mahtie Bush, the five-track EP utilizes samples from Motown hits to create an old-school, feel-good vibe. It’s a prime match for Century’s smooth, dynamic flow, though the mixing could use a little more polish in some places.

Century’s raps also cleverly play off of the Motown selections. On “It’s a Shame,” she and Marianna Sousa discuss police brutality, human trafficking and homelessness while Young Pulse’s “Got To Be A Shame” echoes in the background.

On “Can’t Stop Me,” Century recounts a romance while Diana Ross & the Supremes provide the bookends with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Hit it at http://century1.bandcamp.com.

dū

—Mozes zarate

a new record last month, and it’s the darkest one yet.

And, OK, Dog Party’s darkest is still not exactly doomy, but ’Til You’re Mine demonstrates a distinct shift from 2015’s Vol. 4. While the latter was full of bubble gum pop-punk—upbeat, sunny, irreverent—the new album, also on Asian Man Records, feels edgy, grungy and hard-hitting. It also marks the band’s first album release with Dog Party’s members as two certified adults, with guitarist Gwen Giles at 20 and drummer Lucy Giles at 18. Fitting, then, that some lyrics show new depth.

Still, the basics remain: powerpop meets indie punk, with simple structures, a zippy pace and a classic sensibility, recalling Bikini Kill, the Ramones and the Buzzcocks.

Fittingly, there’s a badass cover of Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl,” full of fiery, angry energy that seems like Dog Party’s logical next progression. Then again, maybe clues to the future actually sit with ’Til You’re Mine’s closer, the playful, 20-second jolt “Caffeine.”

Either way, sounds like fun.

a psBaN §° Â ©©¿

After curfew: If you happened to be a student, the August 23 show at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub was, at the very least, a creative study break on a Tuesday night. At best?

An impressive midweek show. Four bands delivered indie and retrofitted pop rock to a crowd of 50 or so folks, likely vampires or just working people defying their bedtimes.

Sounds of Satellites opened, its tone further down to earth than the band name suggests. Much further.

Not spacey at all, in fact. More like earnest-as-hell suburban indie rock, with a dash of emo. The Orange County four-piece was fun to witness with its dramatic lunges and stumbles on the heavier parts, and in the moments where guitars and drums just whispered, heart-sinker monologues from the band’s vocalist. The music and lyrics of “Late,” a song about the death of a close friend’s father, sliced particularly deep.

Tire Iron, a Sacramento troupe, followed with rock licks and rhythms harkening back to the 1960s and ’70s, easy to pick up on a first impression. The singer, in a good way, lightly reminded me of John Fogerty, and the guitar work of Creedence Clearwater Revival, only grungier and heavier.

Next, Death Party at the Beach offered ’80s surf melancholia, with light guitar hooks and punchy bass riding new wave nostalgia. The band continued its live set staple and rocked a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” A dance party ensued, the crowd busting moves that also belonged to that decade.

Last was the Good Fortune, a local indie-pop band. Picture warm, John Mayer-esque blues guitar and vocals. R&B lovemaking beats. A pillow of dreamy synth. At times dazed and soothing, and sometimes awake, upbeat and funky.

The Good Fortune’s keyboardist jokingly protested when the crowd pleaded an encore.

“But it’s a school night,” he said over the mic. After all, we were somewhere in between Tuesday and Wednesday at that point. The band obliged another song anyway.

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Spacewalker

Stevie Wonder

Race to the Bottom

Deborah Cox

Blue lamp, 8 p.m., $10

Harvey’s OutdOOr arena, 7 p.m., $99.50-$249.50

Local electronic artist Spacewalker envisions a world far unlike our prescribed reality. Her discography is a continuum of boundarybreaking explorations in genre, from electronica beats to cyberpunk ethos. In her limitless pursuit of free thinking, her latest project will rewrite the dress code for a night on the town. She’s launchElECTRoNIC ing the Cosmic Cantina, an interstellar pajama dance party with the help of Hobo Johnson, Michael Ray and So Much Light. Dress like it’s a “Netflix ’n’ Chill” night, but be daring enough to take that onesie to the bar. Remember, if you wear your PJs, entry is only $5. 2708 J Street, www.facebook.com/interstellarbeats.

Stevland Hardaway Morris, a.k.a. Stevie Wonder, set the bar impossibly high when he released Songs in the Key of Life in 1976 on the Tamla imprint via Motown R&B Records. And while double albums were commonplace during the raucous and utterly harmonious ’70s, this tworecord set also included a bonus 7” for those who needed just a little more. Often imitated yet never duplicated, Wonder has proven his skills at multiple instruments and always features a live band to make heads explode in rapture. Highway 50 Stateline Avenue in South Lake Tahoe, www.steviewonder.net.

Old irOnsides, 8 p.m., $5

20tH and k streets, nOOn, $10

Local powerhouse rock quartet Race to the Bottom got their start over a decade ago when guitarist Joe Whitworth demoed some tunes in his home in Fallon, Nevada. After relocating to Sacramento and going through several lineup changes, the group has really honed its aesthetic, which brings to mind the meaty, driving rock ’n’ roll sound of the ’90s. The most recent addition to the group is vocalist Art Barrera, formerly of RoCk Latin alt-rock band Cambio De Piel.

His intense vocal work—a combination of Chris Cornel and Robert Plant—is exactly what this group always needed. 1901 10th Street, www.racetothebottommusic.com.

—eddie JOrGensen

—aarOn Carnes

After a couple of stints on Broadway in recent years, Grammy-nominated R&B singer Deborah Cox is headlining the 29th annual Sacramento Rainbow Festival benefiting local LGBTQ causes. She’ll be joined

by Kym Sims, whose ’90s dance-pop R&B has come full circle and sounds kinda fresh, plus Detox of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame and Randy Jackson-produced identical quadruplets Fourever1. All of which is to say it’s gonna be a raucous, rainbow-filled dance party on the street, and you’d be remiss to spend your holiday-weekend Sunday doing anything tamer. 2000 K Street, www.facebook.com/ SacRainbowFest1.

—Blake Gillespie

—deena drewis

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42 | SN&R | 09.01.16

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Mondo Deco

Honey C

Eugene Ugly

Whiskerman

The Torch club, 8 p.m., $6

harlow’S reSTauranT & nighTclub, 7:30 p.m., $17-$20

Mondo Deco is Sacramento’s band of glamrock misfits reviving that pop-driven rock ’n’ roll sound of the early ’70s with bouts of funk, soul and R&B. Influenced by bands ROCK like the Stooges, the Flamin’ Groovies and also the grandiosity of Prince, Jeremy Greene (vocals-guitar) formed Mondo Deco in 2009 and has since worked meticulously to perfect the sound and overall aesthetic of the music with bandmates Kolton Kammerer (vocals-guitar), Billy Ewing (drums) and Shawn Tindall (bass). Greene says the band will finish its second full-length album in October, with plans for an official release later this fall. 904 15th Street, www.facebook .com/mondodecomusic.

naKed lounge, 8 p.m., $5

Toronto rapper Honey C is on tour fresh off the release of her new single “Coconuts.”

Raised in French-speaking Quebec and of Cambodian descent, Honey C learned English as a child by watching 106 and Park and listening to Tupac lyrics. Tyga discovered the artist back when she was in high school, after she uploaded RAP a “Rack City” freestyle on YouTube under her early moniker, Honey Cocaine.

Check out the playful single “Can’t Sit With Us,” a sample of the iconic lunch-table diss from the movie Mean Girls, and I can all but guarantee you’ll be compelled to join her loyal cult fans Thursday. 2703 J Street, https://twitter.com/queenhoneyc.

—STeph rodriguez

Sophia’S Thai KiTchen, 9:30 p.m., $5

In May, indie rockers Eugene Ugly put out Hug Machine, a collection of three catchy, morose-yet-impudent songs they promised were part of a larger album to be released in August of this year. The Boca Vampires is about “family, isolation, alien InDIE-ROCK abductions, cults, murderous children, drugs, cats, Utah,” and other stuff, according to their Bandcamp page. Alas, it turns out people are going to have to wait until November for The Boca Vampires. In the meantime, Eugene Ugly are doing some live shows, so everyone can just calm down. And most likely, they’ll even play more than those three songs. Probably. 1111 H Street, www.facebook.com/eugeneugly.

—dave Kempa

The Whiskerman collection complicates genre norms. There are quiet, raw folk songs but also rock ’n’ roll ballads, symphonic feats and raucous celebrations for a barefoot dance hall. Singer-songwriter Graham Patzner, who also dabbles in violin, piano and guitar, can belt with soul like a gospel star or crackle like a smokey fire. Throw in a sitar, cello and mandolin for good measure—and maybe some ’60s SOUL/ROCK psychedelia—and you’ve got the sort of creativity you’ve hoped for from the Bay Area but have been worried about losing because, you know, tech. 129 E Street, Suite E, in Davis, www.whiskerman.com.

—Janelle biTKer

—amy bee

ALL AGES WELCOME!

1417 R Street, Sacramento, 95811 • www.aceofspadessac.com FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 VIVE 92.1FM PRESENTS:

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Coheed And Cambria Sold Out! Drive By Truckers Simple Plan Machine Gun Kelly Hopsin Devin Townsend Project & Between The Buried & Me Beartooth Eric Hutchinson Steve Vai Halestorm with Lita Ford Opeth Yellowcard Young The Giant Sold Out! Aaron Lewis Bad Religion Sold Out! Attila Post Malone The Wonder Years & Real Friends Colt Ford Crown The Empire Flosstradamus Cherub For Today The Dirty Heads Siruis XM’s Faction Presents: Pennywise Queensryche Yelawolf YG Chris Robinson Brotherhood Brothers Osborne Kidz Bop Kids Y&T Puddle of Mudd

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL DIMPLE RECORDS LOCATIONS AND WWW.ACEOFSPADESSAC.COM 09.01.16 | SN&R | 43

THURSDAY 9/1 BADLANDS

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

List your event!

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.

FRIDAY 9/2

SATURDAY 9/3 Spectacular Saturdays, 10pm, call for cover

#turnup Thursday, 9pm, no cover

BAR 101

101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505

Thursday Comedy Open Mic, 7:30pm, call for cover

WORKING MAN BLUES BAND, 9:30pm, call for cover

BLUE LAMP

Cosmic cantina, 8pm, $5-$10

BROKEN, ANARCHY LACE; 8pm, $10

SUNDAY 9/4

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 9/5-9/7

Sunday Tea Dance and Beer Bust, 4pm, call for cover

Trivia, 6:30pm M; Open-mic, 7:30pm W, no cover

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

Club klymax male exotic revue, 8pm, call Good vibes, 10pm, call for cover for cover

THE BOARDWALK

PROBLEM, 7pm, $20-$25

KUBLAI KHAN, JESUS PIECE, MALEVOLANCE; 6:30pm Tu, $12-$14

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314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384

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ARTY, 10pm, $10

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FACES

Everything Happens dancing and karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

Absolute Fridays dance party, 9pm, $5-$10

Party Time dance party with Sequin Sarudays drag show, 9:30pm, $5-$12

FOX & GOOSE

MARTY COHEN & THE SIDEKICKS, 8pm, no cover

ADAM BLOCK, NATALIE CORTEZ, JACKSON GRIFFITH; 9pm, $5

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2000 K St., (916) 448-7798 1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

Sunday Mass with heated pool, drag show, 2pm, no cover

Want to be a hot show?

Mail photos to Calendar Editor, SN&R, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 or email it to nightbeat@ newsreview.com. Be sure to include date, time, location and cost of upcoming shows.

Open-mic night, M, call for cover

1603 J St., (916) 476-5076

GRACIANO’S SPEAKEASY 1023 Front St., (916) 321-9480

Westcoast poker league, 6:30pm, no cover

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

Karaoke happy hour, 7pm, no cover

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366

HARLOW’S

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693

EDM and karaoke, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5 Open-mic night, 7:30pm M, no cover; Pub quiz, 7pm Tu, no cover

GOLDFIELD TRADING POST Hey local bands!

Big Mondays happy hour all night, M; Karaoke, Tu; Trapicana W

Late night R&B, 9:30pm, call for cover 8 TRACK MASSACRE, 9pm, $5

R&B neo soul &open mic, 9:30pm, call for cover

Jazz jam with Reggie Graham, 6:30, call for cover Trivia night, 7pm Tu; Bingo, 1pm W; Paint night, 6:30pm W, $25

BRANDED, 9pm, $5

CHARLES BRADLEY & HIS EXTRAORDINARIES; 8pm, $40

TRACY CRUZ, BAKARITHABRIDGE, ADRIAN & STACI; 9pm, $15-$20

ONE LEG CHUCK, CHAD WILKINS, DYLI; 5:30pm, $6-$8

Punk & rock ’n’ roll, 10pm, no cover

DJ Deleo, 10pm, no cover

Top 40 dance, 10pm, no cover

TELL THE WOLVES, SAGES, GHOST PARADE; 7pm, $8-$10

KINDRED THE FAMILY SOUL, 5:40PM, $35-$40; LUCIANO, 9pm, $20-$25

THE HIDEAWAY BAR & GRILL 2565 Franklin Blvd., (916) 455-1331

HIGHWATER

Heavy mondays, 10pm M, no cover; Tussle, 10pm Tu, no cover;

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LUNA’S CAFE & JUICE BAR

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M, $10; Open Mic Comedy, 8pm Tu, no cover

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Sept 02 WORKING MAN BLUES BAND Sept 09 ANDREW CASTRO Sept 23 TODD MORGAN Sept 24 SCOTTY VOX Sept 30 SHOTA oct 01 FARHEAD oct 07 LIZ DELISE oct 08 ERIN & THE PROJECT oct 22 ORION WALSH oct 28 SCOTTY VOX oct 29 DEBBIE WOLFE Nov 05 JASON D THOMPSON WWW.ZUHGLIFEPRESENTS.COM

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Midtown Moxies burlesque, 9pm, $10

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Live band karaoke, 8pm Tu, call for cover

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Press Club Fridays with DJ Rue, call for time and cover

Pop 40 with DJ Larry, 9pm, no cover before 10pm

INSTAGON, 5pm, $7; Sunday Night Dance MICAH SCHNABEL, 8pm M, call for Party, 9pm, call for cover cover; LARVA, 9pm Tu, $7

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Begrime Exemious with Crawl Tuesday 8pm, $8-$10.

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REVOLVER, STEAL THIS BAND; 8pm, $5

WRVTH, UNDERLING, WASTEWALKER; 8pm, $10

PHOBIA, NOMADS, COLOMBIAN NECKTIE; 7pm, $12-$14

BEGRIME EXEMIOUS, CRAWL; 8pm Tu, $8-$10

STONEY’S ROCKIN RODEO

Country DJ dancing and live band karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 8pm, $5-$7

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 8pm, $5

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

Country DJ dancing, 8:30pm W, $5-$10

TORCH CLUB

Acoustic with X-TRIO, 5pm; BLUE LOTUS, 9pm, $5

PAILER & FRATIS, 5:30pm; STEVE ROTH BAND, 9pm, $8

KATE AFFNEY 5:30pm, call for cover; AFRO FUNK EXPERIENCE, 9pm, $8

Blues jam, 4pm, no cover; FRONT THE BAND, 9pm no cover.

MICHAEL RAY, 5:30pm Tu, $5; BIG IRON, 9pm W, $5

1517 21st St., (916) 704-0711 1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797

All ages, all the time

Larva with Vandalaze Tuesday 9pm, $7.

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ACE OF SPADES

1417 R St., (916) 448-3300

CAFE COLONIAL

Open-mic, 9pm, no cover

3520 Stockton Blvd., (916) 736-3520

THE COLONY

3512 Stockton Blvd., (916) 718-7055

SHINE

Open jazz jam, 8pm, no cover

1400 E St., (916) 551-1400

Print ads start at $6/wk. www.newsreview.com or (916) 498-1234 ext. 5 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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Midtown Out Loud Open Mic, 8pm W, no cover

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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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by JOEY GARCIA

@AskJoeyGarcia

REAL PEOPLE, REAL DESIRE, REAL FUN.

Close range, long distance If my girlfriend is distant, what is the best thing to do? And, after I do whatever you suggest and nothing changes, is it best to leave the relationship? She goes into these periods where she doesn’t call or text. If I text, she barely responds.

How do I keep her from pulling away?

You can’t control her rhythm of withdrawing from the relationship; only she has that power. If she suffers from a mental health problem, like depression, she may not grasp why she pulls away. It’s also possible that she’s not well-schooled in love, so when things go sideways in a relationship, she handles that hurt by avoiding you. It’s a passiveaggressive way of signaling suffering.

By hiding she avoids responsibility for addressing her feelings and for growing toward her higher self.

Be clear that your girlfriend’s withdrawals are intended to inflict pain on you, and they do. If you haven’t told her how much it hurts when she goes away, she might not realize the amount of harm she’s doing. That doesn’t mean you should tolerate her behavior. It does mean that you must accept that her brain is stuck on a connect-withdrawal loop. Nothing will change until she acknowledges her problem and commits to communicating honestly and directly.

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gets. Maybe it was a slobbery free-for-all that seemed great because it was different that your usual sexplay with your boyfriend. But please don’t tell me that you’re one of those people who imagines she can inspire a gay man to switch his sexual preference. If that’s your plan, back away from your best friend. He deserves a pal who respects the boundary that he is hammering into place.

I have tried to get my boyfriend to communicate with me, but it doesn’t work. He doesn’t talk. It’s lonely to be in the same house with someone who won’t connect or share his feelings. How do you know when you are sacrificing too much in a relationship?

Your girlfriend’s withdrawals are intended to inflict pain on you.

My boyfriend, my best friend and I had a half-naked drunken make-out session in my boyfriend’s car after a party. My boyfriend is not attracted to my best friend (a guy) but I am. He’s gay but we’ve always flirted and played around for fun.

I want more. My best friend doesn’t, of course. When I try to drop a clue, he says, “I’m never getting that drunk around you again. It was disgusting, right?” No! Not disgusting. What do I do?

Swear off booze? The thing about being blitzed is that it taints your memory. So maybe the threesome wasn’t as good as it

Communication is a relationship essential; it’s not a perk. If you yearn for a man who opens his heart, mind and soul to you, and your man has tried and is not able, isn’t it an act of love to accept his limitations?

You might be alone for a while, and you might be lonely at times. But when you connect with a man who can meet you at all levels, you’ll wonder why you put up with crumbs for so long. Ω

MedItAtIoN of tHe Week “If anyone ever boos you off stage, that is simply applause from ghosts,” says Sharon Needles, drag queen. Do you take other people’s opinions seriously?

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 Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email askjoey@newsreview.com.

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Every time I take the kids downtown or anywhere for a nosh we have to walk through clouds of pot smoke. I get such a contact high it borders on a panic attack. I’m not saying it should go back to the old days where we sneaked into alleys, but is there any way to promote responsible, considerate consumption?

—M. H. On behalf of all public pot smokers everywhere, let me say: Sorry?

I mean, I get it. Most cities in California these days don’t really try to enforce laws against using marijuana in public, because then they would have to write hundreds of tickets per day and nothing else would get done.

However, I think your claims of getting a “contact high” from walking through pot smoke are a bit specious. Studies have shown that while contact highs are real, they generally happen during a “hotbox” session, meaning a closed environment like a car or a small room. (Chefs and cooks can tell you about hotboxing the walk-in freezer. Smoked meats, indeed.)

Walking down a well-ventilated street with a bit of pot smoke shouldn’t give you the munchies or any of the other symptoms of cannabis use. As to your kids: Yeah, well, maybe this is a good time to talk to them about marijuana and how some adults like to use it to relax, like wine or beer. Paint it as another silly thing that adults do, like paying $6 for toast or complaining about small nuisances in a big city. I mean, if someone is sitting in their own home, blowing their pot smoke out the window, they aren’t breaking any laws, but they are sending the aroma of weed out to the general population. But I will tell the cannabis users to be more careful.

How’s this: To all the pot users, please try to be cognizant of where you consume. Avoid smoking weed in high-traffic (heh) areas, especially areas where there are lots of children. Perhaps you should hotbox Maybe this is a your car instead of doorways.

good time to talk to them about marijuana.

Hey, I am trying to learn more about the upcoming medical marijuana regulations?

You know anything?

—B. Prepped They are still plugging along. In fact, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (they are the boss agency for the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation) has just announced a series of community stakeholder meetings to discuss proposed regulations and to give people a chance to chime in on what they think these new laws should contain. The details are too many to list here, so check out this link: http://tinyurl.com/cannabiscultivation. And for more information on the Medical Cannabis Cultivation Program in general, go here: www.cdfa.ca.gov/is/mccp.

The regulations don’t have to be ready until January 2018, so don’t expect anything to get done too quickly. I applaud the CDFA and the BMMR for taking the time to listen to people in the industry. Hopefully, they will put some great regulations into place. Ω

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ne of the more unique tools I’ve ever encountered, the Invisidab was introduced last year by Berner (aka Gilbert Milam Jr.), a San Franciscobased rapper, entrepreneur, family man and marijuana enthusiast. Invisidab looks and acts exactly like an asthma inhaler, shooting out a CO2-metered mist containing a low dose of 3.5 mg THC. The aerosol emitted by Invisidab is coarser than smoke or vapor, delivering more medicine on every puff and ensuring that the medicine gets absorbed directly into the body rather than getting exhaled or burned off. It’s one of the most efficient medicine delivery systems on the market, and the compact size and authentic design make it an industry leader in discretion as well. In terms of price, it will set you back around $100.

In order to use Invisidab, just shake the product vigorously, and after discarding the first puff, tilt your head back, press

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It’s one of the most efficient medicine delivery systems on the market.

But although Invisidab may be a game-changer in terms of efficiency, discretion and invention, it’s hardly a game-changer for people with sensitive lungs or an aversion to inhalation. True to its name, Invisidab produces a nearly invisible aerosol mist, but it attacks the lungs and throat like a dab. That’s one of the reasons that Berner warns not to take more than four puffs in an hour or 10 in a day.

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FRee will aStRology

by Willie Clark

by rOb brezsny

FOR THE WEEk OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 ARIES (March 21-April 19): Truth decay is in its

early stages. If you take action soon, you can prevent a full-scale decomposition. But be forewarned: Things could get messy, especially if you intervene with the relentless candor and clarity that will be required for medicinal purification. So what do you think? Are you up for the struggle?

I understand if you’re not. I’ll forgive you if you simply flee. But if you decide to work your cagey magic, here are some tips. (1) Compile your evidence with rigor. (2) As much as is humanly possible, put aside rancor. Root your efforts in compassionate objectivity. (3) Even as you dig around in the unsightly facts, cherish the beautiful truths you’d like to replace them with.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Are you willing to

lose at least some of your inhibitions? Are you curious to find out what it feels like to cavort like a wise wild child? If you want to fully cooperate with life’s plans, you will need to consider those courses of action. I am hoping that you’ll accept the dare, of course. I suspect you will thrive as you explore the pleasures of playful audacity and whimsical courage and effervescent experiments. So be blithe, Taurus! Be exuberant! Be open to the hypothesis that opening to jaunty and jovial possibilities is the single most intelligent thing you can do right now.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): What’s the current

status of your relationship with your feet? Have you been cultivating and cherishing your connection with the earth below you? The reason I ask, Gemini, is that right now it’s especially important for you to enjoy intimacy with gravity, roots and foundations. Whatever leads you down and deeper will be a source of good fortune. Feeling grounded will provide you with an aptitude for practical magic. Consider the possibilities of going barefoot, getting a foot massage or buying a new shoes that are both beautiful and comfortable.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A woman in the final

stages of giving birth may experience acute discomfort. But once her infant spills out into the world, her distress can transform into bliss.

I don’t foresee quite so dramatic a shift for you, Cancerian. But the transition you undergo could have similar elements: from uncertainty to grace; from agitation to relief; from constriction to spaciousness. To take maximum advantage of this blessing, don’t hold onto the state you’re leaving behind—or the feelings it aroused in you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In one of my dreams last

night, a Leo sensualist I know advised me to take smart pills and eat an entire chocolate cheesecake before writing my next Leo horoscope. In another dream, my Leo friend Erica suggested that I compose your horoscope while attending an orgy where all the participants were brilliant physicists, musicians and poets. In a third dream, my old teacher Rudolf (also a Leo) said I should create the Leo horoscope as I sunbathed on a beach in Maui while being massaged by two sexy geniuses. Here’s how I interpret my dreams: In the coming days, you can literally increase your intelligence by indulging in luxurious comforts and sensory delights.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Play a joke on your

nervous anxiety. Leap off the ground or whirl in a circle five times as you shout, “I am made of love!” Learn the words and melody to a new song that lifts your mood whenever you sing it.

Visualize yourself going on an adventure that will amplify your courage and surprise your heart.

Make a bold promise to yourself, and acquire an evocative object that will symbolize your intention to fulfill that promise. Ask yourself a soulshaking question you haven’t been wise enough to investigate before now. Go to a wide-open space, spread your arms out in a greeting to the sky and pray for a vision of your next big goal.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Illuminati do

not want you to receive the prophecy I have prepared for you. Nor do the Overlords of the New World Order, the Church of the SubGenius, the Fake God that masquerades as the Real God or the nagging little voice in the back of your head. So why am I going ahead and divulging this

oracle anyway? Because I love you. My loyalty is to you, not those shadowy powers. Therefore, I am pleased to inform you that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to evade, ignore, undermine or rebel against controlling influences that aren’t in alignment with your soul’s goals.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): The dictionary says

that the verb “to schmooze” means to chat with people in order to promote oneself or make a social connection that may prove to be advantageous. But that definition puts a selfish spin on an activity that can, at least sometimes, be carried out with artful integrity. Your assignment in the coming weeks is to perform this noble version of schmoozing. If you are offering a product or service that is beautiful or useful or both, I hope you will boost its presence and influence with the power of your good listening skills and smart conversations.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you are

attuned with the cosmic rhythms in the coming weeks, you will be a source of teaching and leadership. Allies will feel fertilized by your creative vigor. You’ll stimulate team spirit with your savvy appeals to group solidarity. If anyone can revive droopy procrastinators and demonstrate the catalytic power of gratitude, it’ll be you. Have you heard enough good news, Sagittarius, or can you absorb more? I expect that you’ll inspire interesting expressions of harmony that will replace contrived versions of togetherness. And every blessing you bestow will expand your capacity for attracting favors you can really use.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The fictional

character known as Superman has one prominent vulnerability: the mineral kryptonite. When he’s near this stuff, it weakens his superpowers and may cause other problems. I think we all have our own versions of kryptonite, even if they’re metaphorical. For instance, my own superpowers tend to decline when I come into the presence of bad architecture, cheesy poetry and off-pitch singing. How about you, Capricorn?

What’s your version of kryptonite? Whatever it is, I’m happy to let you know that you are currently less susceptible to its debilitating influences than usual. Why? Well, you have a sixth sense about how to avoid it. And even if it does draw near, you have in your repertoire some new tricks to keep it from sapping your strength.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It’s quite possible

you will receive seductive proposals in the coming weeks. You may also be invited to join your fortunes with potential collaborators who have almost fully awakened to your charms. I won’t be surprised if you receive requests to share your talents, offer your advice or bestow your largesse. You’re a hot prospect, my dear. You’re an attractive candidate. You appear to be ripe for the plucking. How should you respond? My advice is to be flattered and gratified, but also discerning. Just because an inquiry is exciting doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Choose carefully.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Would you like to

become a master of intimacy? Can you imagine yourself handling the challenges of togetherness with the skill of a great artist and the wisdom of a love genius? If that prospect appeals to you, now would be a favorable time to up your game.

Here’s a hot tip on how to proceed: You must cultivate two seemingly contradictory skills. The first is the capacity to identify and nurture the best qualities in your beloved friend. The second is the ability to thrive on the fact that healthy relationships require you to periodically wrestle with each other’s ignorance and immaturity.

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.

Twisted art They float, they flick, they fly and most of the time, they just pass us by. And then, well, they either get swallowed by the vastness of the sun … or just pop on their voyage up.

But for some, the rubbery colored spheres that the rest of us lay people call balloons, can be a source of art and entertainment. And that’s the case for David Gonzales, owner of Twist N Shout Balloons. SN&R caught up with Gonzales to talk about latex, penis hats, and of course, butterfly wands.

How did you get into balloons?

I got into balloons during college at Sac State. I have a friend of mine that started a balloon company down south, and he had a contract with Farrell’s [Ice Cream Parlour], so when Farrell’s moved up here in Sacramento about three years ago, that’s when I got started and I had a lot of practice in that restaurant.

Was it something you were doing through school or through the restaurant?

PHOTO BY LUKE FITZ

Largest thing you’ve made out of balloons?

No … it’s not through school, it’s just kind of who you know. I didn’t realize that my friend put up an ad on Craigslist, and so when I saw it I couldn’t help but respond to it because at the time I was working another job I didn’t like and I figured that balloons is a lot of fun; it’s like bartending but for kids. You got a lot of options and the possibilities seemed endless so I couldn’t pass up the offer.

The largest thing I’ve made was, it was a humongous hat. And I didn’t even intend for it to be a hat. I was practicing a weaving pattern to make like a fabric out of balloons. And after four hours of doing this weaving pattern I tied it all together and it came out to be a really huge hat. …

Most of the things I make are, they’re like smaller things, like two to 20 balloons is what I usually use. For that one hat, I had to have used over 100 balloons. Yeah, it was a big hat.

Did you have any experience with balloons prior?

Are these regular balloons or are they special art balloons?

No, I had no experience with balloons prior to that. I never thought of being a balloon artist. I was going to school for photography and before I started going to school for photography. … I’m a musician, like drums is my main instrument, and I was those two things prior to being a balloon artist.

How do you learn the performance aspect?

It really helps to be in a apprentice position because you have someone there to show you the trade. So that’s where my friend came in. He introduced me to balloons and got me started with Farrell’s, and so I had a lot of practice in there and I was, on a regular night, I’d be entertaining for over 60 families a night. Yeah, so I got to know people really well as a balloon artist.

Yeah, they’re specialized latex containers.

So, it’s intended to be twisted. They inflate in length and they don’t necessarily expand like the round ones. So, they are a specialty balloon. If anyone wants to get into balloons I would suggest just going to an actual like balloon store and avoid the ones at grocery stores. Most people tell me that they’ve gotten those balloons at grocery stores and other like party novelty places, and those, they’re not the best quality.

Weirdest things you’ve been asked to make?

The adults are always like, “Hey, put a penis on my friend’s head!” You know, weird things like that. I like doing the weird ones that throw people off, stripper hats.

Like, I’ll make like a stripper pole hat and then I’ll put like a little balloon lady hanging down on the pole and I’ll give her a little

bikini and that usually gets a good laugh.

And Viking helmets. I like making Viking helmets, those are fun.

Are there certain shapes that people tend to request a lot?

Yes … boys tend to like the blue and green colors. The girls tend to like the purple and pink colors. So, within those colors boys and girls really like, or the boys like swords, hats … they like jetpacks. … for the girls, they really like butterfly wands, ladybugs. … The unicorns are a big one.

But then the kids are always crossing those barriers all the time. Like, a girl will want a sword, and I think that’s awesome.

And there’s a boy that wants a butterfly wand, and that’s just as awesome.

Do you have any favorites you like to make?

I’d have to say it’s the jetpacks. The jetpacks really throw people off because, I think when people do balloon creation, balloon animals, they’re thinking, “Oh, it’s a one balloon sword, one balloon dog”—you know, just like the very basics of balloon twisting. But with balloons, you can make whatever you want and you don’t necessarily have to hold it. You can wear it. It could be interactive with the crowd. There’s a unicorn that I make that’s a full body piece, so you slip it over your waist and it looks like a unicorn—it has the mane, and it has the attachment to the mouth so you can hold and steer it. Ω Learn more about balloon hats at www.twistnshoutballoons.com.

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