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by Raheem F. hosseini

Page 13 Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

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EditoR’S NotE

auguSt 30, 2018 | Vol. 30, iSSuE 20

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Creative Services Manager Christopher Terrazas

Editorial Designers Maria Ratinova, Sarah Hansel

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.

Interim Editor Rachel Leibrock News Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Managing Editor Mozes Zarate Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Copy Editor Steph Rodriguez Calendar Editor Maxfield Morris Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Brad Branan, Rob Brezsny, Skye Cabrera, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Maia Paras Evrigenis, Joey Garcia, Kate Gonzales, Becky Grunewald, Howard Hardee, Ashley Hayes-Stone, Jeff Hudson, Rebecca Huval, Jim Lane, Ken Magri, Rachel Mayfield, Michael Mott, James Raia, Patti Roberts, Steph Rodriguez, Shoka, Stephanie Stiavetti, Dylan Svoboda, Bev Sykes, Graham Womack

Eat. Drink.

Be Merry.

Repeat.

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31 Publications Designer Katelynn Mitrano Web Design & Strategist Elisabeth BayardArthur

Ad Designers Catalina Munevar, Naisi Thomas Contributing Photographers Karlos Rene Ayala,

Kathleen Caesar, Mike Cleary, Tom Downing, Marty Fetterley, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Kelly Hopkins, Julian Lang, Calvin Maxwell, Devon McMindes, Greg Meyers, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Viv Tiqui

N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Associate Editor Laura Hillen N&R Publications Writers Anne Stokes, Rodney

Stephanie Stiavetti, Ken Magri, James Raia

Orosco

Advertising Manager Michael Gelbman Sales & Production Coordinator Victoria

Caruso, Joseph Engle, Elizabeth Morabito, Traci Hukill, Celeste Worden

Smedley

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Advertising Consultants Taleish Daniels, Mark Kates, Michael Nero

Director of First Impressions/Sweetdeals Coordinator Skyler Morris Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Assistant Lob Dunnica Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam,

Marketing & Publications Consultants Steve

President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Director of People & Culture David Stogner Nuts & Bolts Ninja Norma Huerta Project Coordinator Natasha vonKaenel Director of Dollars & Sense Debbie Mantoan Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Hansen Accounts Receivable Specialist Analie Foland Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

Beatriz Aguirre, Rosemarie Beseler, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Daniel Bowen, Heather Brinkley,

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STREETALK LETTERS NEwS GREENLiGhT FEATuRE SToRy ARTS & CuLTuRE DiSh STAGE FiLM MuSiC CALENDAR CApiTAL CANNAbiS GuiDE 43 ASK joEy 47 15 MiNuTES CovER DESiGN by SARAh hANSEL CovER phoTo by KARLoS RENE AyALA

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Last month revealed a new trend in journalism.

First, The New York Times unveiled a new website that boasted a modern look with crisp design and plenty of “white space”— aka content-free elements intended to give the site breathing room. A few days later, The Sacramento Bee also debuted a website design that followed the same aesthetic.

Each publications’ home page also had another thing in common: Both are now largely void of bylines—those names above an article that identify the reporter(s) who wrote it.

While The New York Times kept home page bylines for its opinion pieces, The Bee opted to eliminate them almost entirely. To be clear, you can find the reporter’s name on both sites if you click through any link—they’re just no longer visible on the main page.

(Full disclosure, I worked for The Bee from 1999-2009 before getting laid off).

In a letter to readers, The Times explained that this new design is meant to mimic the paper’s mobile platform; the mobile home page has long been byline-free.

“We love to boast about our writers, their backgrounds and expertise, and the risks they take to deliver the news,” the letter explained. “This is why we are moving toward placing their head shots and backgrounds on the article page.”

But bylines aren’t just about boasting, they’re also about transparency and accessibility. Online journalism has mostly amplified those two elements, making it easy for readers to immediately know who wrote a story and how to contact that person.

In a time when there’s so much dangerously false information floating around the internet—and not of the so-called “fake news” variety that a certain occupant of the White House likes to complain about— this transparency and accessibility is more critical than ever.

Let’s hope more newspapers don’t follow suit.

—Rachel leibRock r a c h e ll@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

5th Annual Mile-Long Montgomery Street Yard Sale

VOTE FOR US!

SAturdAY, SepteMber 1St 2018, 8AM-2pM From Mug Shots coffeehouse extending to Sank park, locals will have their goods out 8am-2pm. throughout historic downtown, sidewalk sales continue. 10am shops open offering specials for the day!

Find us on 1217 21st St • 916.440.0401 | www.KuprosCrafthouse .com

What’s in a name?

downtownorovilleriverfrontdistrict.com

there will be all kinds of treasures to be found and shops to discover.

08.30.18 | SN&R | 3

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“I’m alWays creatIve When I get on my sax ...”

Asked on R stReet:

What’s your latest creative endeavor?

Ahdeesh singh

kevin olson

RenAldo CRooks

student

retired

saxophonist

I did a couple paintings.

Last week, it was lips; gold lips with flowers coming out. Just for fun.

My creative endeavor is redoing my kitchen at my house, but I’m more of the labor part. I leave the creativity to the experts— the designers and my wife.

I’m a musician, I play tenor saxophone and I have a band called Midtown Jazz.

I’m always creative when I get on my sax, because whatever comes out is what comes out.

JACqueline CRooks CEO, Irresistibles

We started a cooking business, Irresistibles. We bake gourmet cookies and we sell that at the farmers market in Folsom on Saturdays. We are working to try and get them in grocery stores.

shAhRiAR neJAd

k ARi kR AmeR

project manager

culinary operations manager

Probably helping [with] the restoration, finding the artists to do the restoration of the Tower Records mural on 7th and K [streets]. … That was pretty interesting learning about the restoration of murals and what that takes and finding out the history.

I’m working with a start-up culinary company in Chicago, so we’re trying to create a modern Bento box to kind of take away for lunch, and do a kids’ and adult version.

I’m … doing some recipe development and monitoring the chefs.

08.30.18 | SN&R | 5

Paid Advertisement

STIGMA CREATED THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET Dr. Neil Flynn

Story by Richard Alcala Being on medication assisted treatment (MAT) should not be

Opioid Facts:

looked down upon by everyone!

People who are doing and working to be better with their addiction shouldn’t have to hide the fact that they are on a medication that HELPS them.

Over 200,000 Deaths Since 2000

Just like a diabetic who needs the insulin, medication is not frowned upon because everyone knows, hey, this person needs this medication!

People should not have to hide their medication i.e., take names off the prescription bottle, make hidden pockets to hide it in, keep in different containers, anything and everything to keep it a secret!

This is the behavior of an addict, not of a person who is getting

waiver).

It’s a fact that people lose their jobs because the employer finds out that they are on buprenorphine or Suboxone. Or the employer has a non-disclosure clause in their employment agreement. Case by case issue. Or military zero tolerance?

In this case we should have legislation where all people on a MAT would be protected from losing their jobs.

The current Americans with Disabilities Act and MAT only protect after the fact and needs to be updated to today’s standard of care.

With all the publicity around the opiate crisis, a ripple effect is accruing now. There is a shortage of medication at pharmacies,

key to someone being accepted for doing the right thing.

as well as medication being on back order. Patients must wait

just as strong as the heroin addiction itself.

We have over 500 patients here at Transitions Clinic. Dr. Neil Flynn is the Medical Director.

Everyone is trying to and succeeding at getting better. Taking control of their lives. But at the same time, they are hiding this dirty little secret. The pressure on them is tremendous, they worry about

sometimes two or three days before they get it. This is a problem when you’re out of medication and may go into a withdrawal.

Pharmacies should keep in stock at least one month’s worth for patients.

Prior Authorization (PA) for insurance coverage should be a simple standard as should same-day approval for all patients.

We find that doctors, especially pain doctors, are over-reacting

someone finding out, loosing their jobs, or kids, or being pulled over

to not prescribing and cutting long-term pain control patients off

for an old ticket and being thrown in jail. Being treated differently by

the medication. Also, there is now a shortage of DATA 2000 waiver

pharmacists and doctors who in many cases are the ones who got

certified doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners all of

them addicted to pain pills in the first place.

whom can be certified.

Again, education on all levels. My job here as clinic manager is to

Over 100 People Die Every Day

need this medication and get more doctors certified (DATA 2000

better by being on a medication. Education on all levels again is the The Stigma around the opiate crisis is so powerful, it’s

Over 64,000 Deaths Since 2016

The VA should also step up and take care of all veterans who

Getting education started sooner in medical, pharmacy and

protect my patients and to make sure they get all the help they need

pharmacy technicians’ schools is very important. All should have it in

to succeed. I have met some great organizations, all of which are

their criteria.

trying to do their best in this opiate crisis. I have also met Supervisor

On the other hand, life-saving techniques need to be a standard.

Phil Serna, Assemblymen Kevin McCarty, Mayor Darrell Steinberg,

CPR and NARCAN should now go hand in hand. Teaching people at

all of which have been to our clinic and understand the need for

this early age can save more lives. Again, education on all levels is

buprenorphine and Suboxone treatment. They have seen firsthand

the place to start. The opiate crisis and drug addiction are not going

how it works and the results of the people taking it. We have met

away soon. It is part of our lives and we all must deal with it. Like it

and educated some police hoping to educate them all. This is not a

or not.

drug! It is a medication!

Transitions Clinic is run by Dr. Neil Flynn, Medical Director, and has been helping people recover from opioid addiction for over 9 years. Their dedicated staff helps to train doctors in the area so that they can open even more clinics like Transitions.

6 | SN&R | 08.30.18

Transitions Clinic 3647 40th St Sacramento, CA, 95817 (916) 452-1068 transitions.drflynn@gmail.com

Email lEttErs to sactolEttErs@nEwsrEviEw.com

A better environmental solution?

Re: “Welcome to California” by Alastair Bland (Feature, August 16): Ya gotta laugh at the lengthy article. You want to clean up the air, lower the air temperature and drop the CO2 readings? Close all the drive thru’s in California for a month and see the difference! Bonus will be getting the overweight folks a little exercise!

lou Meyer S acr a m e nt o v i a s act ol et t er s @ n ew s r ev i e w . c o m

Some good gloom and doom Re: “Review: We’re Gonna Be Okay at B Street Theatre” by Patti Roberts (Stage, August 16): The characters and time frame [were] kind of eerily relevant to the current time.

I agree with the review. The play had me engaged the whole time, although sometimes [it was] depressing with all the doom and gloom discussions.

Having done a little set work myself, the change in sets was phenomenal, although I noticed the floating chairs were at different levels and I could see

the original hole for the bomb shelter between the throw rugs in the second act while they were in the shelter. Not an easy set change to pull off in 15 minutes. Great job done by the cast and crew!

Jeff Kaplowitz Carmichael via newsreview.com

A burning nope Re: “Burning Man’s hope in the unknown” by Jessica Santina (Feature, August 23): I wouldn’t go to these events even if I got a free ticket. randee tavarez Sacramento via facebook

A wasteland

landmass sits above permafrost.

Trapped in this frozen soil and vegetation is more than twice the carbon found in the atmosphere.

As fossil-fuel burning warms the Earth, this ground is thawing, allowing microbes to consume buried organic matter and release carbon dioxide and shorter-lived methane, which is 25 times as potent a greenhouse gas as CO2.”

Excess damage

Re: “Moving numbers” by Scott Thomas Anderson (News, August 23): Any water taken out of the American should be charged a tax to fix the damage done by dredges in the area. The contractors providing the concrete materials for Folsom and Nimbus were allowed to dredge the areas for gold leaving a wasteland.

Bil willard arden arcade via twitter

Re: “Welcome to California”

by Alastair Bland (Feature, August 16): National Geo published a new finding two days ago that the layer of soil in the arctic that usually freezes and insulates permafrost, and the carbon it contains, isn’t freezing in some places. Apparently this causes permafrost to release a ton of greenhouse gases: “Nearly a quarter of the Northern Hemisphere’s

*Inhaled corticosteroids and a “LABA” (long-acting beta agonist) with or without Spiriva© (tiotropium). Additional eligibility criteria apply.

andrew weStrope Sacramento via facebook

read more letters online at newsreview .com/sacramento.

@SacNewsReview

Facebook.com/ SacNewsReview

@SacNewsReview

916-281-2262 AlliedClinical.org 08.30.18

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illustration by sarah hansel

Undoing Covered California State officials, health policy activists fight myriad attempts

by Donald Trump to sabotage the Affordable Care Act

by Graham Womack

Len Finocchio picked a rough time to go into business for himself.

Finocchio, a 55-year-old health policy consultant who lives in Santa Cruz, pays $555 a month for a Bronze, highdeductible Kaiser health insurance plan he obtained via Covered California.

Though the state’s health marketplace announced July 19 that rates would rise 8.7 percent on average next year, Finocchio falls into an even more expensive bucket: Due to his age and the Covered California region he lives in, which has just 27,000 enrollees and a higher average amount of risk among 8 | SN&R | 08.30.18

these people, Finocchio’s rates are slated to go up 16 percent next year.

That’s about $88 more a month.

“That’s a ton of money,” Finocchio said.

If only Finocchio knew seven years ago what was in store for him.

Finocchio served from 2011 to 2013 as associate director of the state’s Department of Health Care Services in Sacramento, helping to implement Medicaid provisions of the Affordable Care Act in California. It seems brutally ironic that a law Finocchio helped usher into being would be

adversely impacting his life in 2018.

But Finocchio, like a lot of people, didn’t count on the presidency of Donald Trump.

Since his election in November 2016, President Trump and his officials have made one decision after another to sabotage the Affordable Care Act. Though an effort to repeal and replace the act fell short in the U.S. Senate last year by one vote, quieter attacks from the administration remain ongoing.

While state officials have tried various methods to push back, people like Finocchio are left to consider if

they’ll be priced out of the marketplace and forced to get jobs that offer health insurance.

“I consult and I make decent money consulting, but it’s very inconsistent month-to-month,” Finocchio said. “I feel very vulnerable and exposed with the way premiums are going.”

Many people have reason to feel this way.

If nothing else, Trump has been exactly as advertised when it comes to health insurance. The former reality television star ran for president with a promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and took executive action hours after his inauguration to direct federal agencies to stop enforcing the act.

While this move was largely symbolic, Trump has taken numerous other actions since then to undermine the act. These actions include: ending cost-sharing reduction payments last year; supporting junk insurance plans; and, perhaps most notably, signing a tax cut bill that eliminated the mandate that people purchase health insurance or pay an IRS penalty.

“The ACA is stuck in purgatory,” Jonathan Oberlander, a PhD in political science from Yale University, wrote in a July 25 piece for the New England Journal of Medicine, “beyond comprehensive repeal but subject to a war of attrition that jeopardizes its gains.”

This war seems like it could conceivably destabilize the ACA enough to collapse it, particularly if Trump manages to win reelection in 2020.

Granted, there’s a question of what will last longer, the scandal-plagued Trump administration or the embattled ACA. But Dave Jones, California’s insurance commissioner, isn’t particularly optimistic for the ACA’s chances.

“I am hopeful … but I also know that President Trump is doing everything he can, both legally and illegally, to undermine it,” Jones told SN&R. “It’s why we’re going to continue to have to be very vigilant and strong in our opposition to his efforts and why we need continued public engagement and protest and opposition against what he’s trying to do.”

The federal government still wields much power, though. While California has a state-based marketplace, which allows a certain degree of self-determination, the exchange

Dems’ money grab see neWs

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From aFghanIstan WIth love see greenlIght

12

beats

mItIgatIon lItIgatIon

utilizes federal funds. Anthony Wright, executive director for consumer advocacy coalition Health Access California, estimated that a full ACA repeal would have cut $25 billion to $50 billion.

While it would take an act of Congress to fully repeal this funding, midterm elections in November remain very uncertain. If Republicans pick up enough votes to mount a successful repeal in both the House and Senate, California could face tough choices to make up the federal funds.

“That’s just not the kind of money you can raise otherwise,” Wright told SN&R. Wright added, “Twenty-five billion dollars is more than California spends on all of prisons, all of higher education and all of parks combined.”

Meanwhile, rates have already increased because of Trump. Jones said that rates for Silver plans last year were 12.4 percent higher than they they would have been because of Trump’s actions. These rates, he said, will rise again next year.

Finocchio noted that Covered California set its recently-announced rates amidst uncertainty that the Trump administration might look to end risk adjustment payments.

The immigrant community has also faced uncertainty around health insurance, with a Trump presidency that has emboldened hateful rhetoric toward immigrants and increased border enforcement and deportations.

Liza Thantranon, regional counsel for health for Legal Services of Northern California, has seen her office get an influx of heart-wrenching phone calls from people it serves.

“We’ve definitely seen a lot of fear from from the immigrant community about reaching out to apply for MediCal,” Thantranon said. “Even if they are actually eligible, they’re really afraid to apply.” various efforts are underway in California to push back against the Trump administration on health policy, if slow and incrementally.

On July 26, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced that his office would join 12 other states in suing the U.S. Department of Labor over a rule that, according to a release, “allows employers nationwide to group together as Association Health Plans

(AHPs) and offer junk health plans that broader health policy change in evade ACA coverage requirements and California, such as establishing a mandate consumer protections.” or implementing single-payer coverage, Covered California Executive could take time. An effort to establish Director Peter Lee said the lawsuit is single-payer coverage, Senate Bill 562, one of more than a dozen Becerra has died in the state assembly last year. actively participated in.

“I believe that eventually California “We appreciate that the attorney and the rest of the United States will general has been mindful that protecting have a Medicare-for-all program the Affordable Care Act in many ways because of the simple economics associnow depends on sort of state action,” ated with it,” Jones said. “We spend Lee told SN&R. far more of our GNP on health care in Where other states have been the United States as compared to at the mercy of the federal any other industrialized government in regard to nation which has single the Affordable Care payer.”

Act, Californians But Jones enjoy some added, “We’re protections not there yet beyond having and we need a state-based to continue to marketplace. advocate.”

When the Advocates Trump could include administration frontrunner sought to cut gubernatorial the enrollment candidate Dave Jones period for the Gavin Newsom, California insurance commissioner marketplace to six who has spoken weeks, California positively of maintained 12 weeks. universal health care.

In addition, there’s the Jen Flory, a policy role of navigators, who help advocate for Western Center sign up people for health insurance on Law & Poverty in Sacramento, noted who might not be able to sign up with that Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent budget a broker. While nationally this funding included a one-time $5 million contrihas been cut by more than 85 percent, bution from the state’s general fund to navigator funding has been largely establish a commission to look at how preserved in California. The same goes a single-payer might be established in for Covered California’s marketing the state. budget, which saw 90 percent cuts Flory said that while it would be nationally. preferable to have federal dollars to Other changes at the federal level do this, California is large enough have been harder to repel in California. to have a single-payer system of its Wright noted that when Covered own. She noted how in the United California announced its 8.7 percent rate Kingdom, England and Wales have one increase recently, nearly half the increase health-care system while Scotland and was attributed to the elimination of the Northern Ireland each have another. health coverage mandate within the GOP “If you look at the population of tax bill.

Scotland, it’s much smaller than the “If you have less people buying into population of California,” Flory said. coverage, that means those that are still But there’s a force beyond Trump there are a smaller and sicker pool,” that could outlast him and perhaps post Wright said. a greater threat to single-payer impleWright said states such as Vermont, mentation in California.

Maryland and New Jersey have indi“I don’t think the insurance compavidual mandates. Jones said support for nies will take a single-payer challenge a mandate in California would have to lying down,” Flory said. Ω come from the state legislature. Wright noted that there wasn’t a bill for this in the legislature this year, though a mandate got discussed during the budget process.

“President Trump is doing everything he can, both legally and illegally, to undermine it.”

Years before thumb drives, Sacramentans knew “USB” as an acronym for the “urban services boundary.” In the county’s 1993 general plan, the USB was established as “the ultimate boundary of the urban area.” Now, it’s at the root of the latest clash between local developers and environmentalists.

Earlier this year, the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCo, approved a project that would add 1,156 acres of farmland to the city of elk grove’s sphere of influence.

The commission’s 4-3 decision brings Elk Grove one step closer to potentially annexing the area just east of State Route 99 for development. According to the project application, Elk Grove “has no remaining large unplanned blocks of land available for longterm planning and future growth within its boundaries.”

Jim Pachl, legal chair for the Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter, doesn’t accept that rationale. He claims that there are over 4,000 acres of vacant city land already zoned for urban development.

“Are we going to confine the development to the USB,” Pachl asked, “or are we going to bust the boundary?”

LAFCo’s February approval favored the latter. In May, LAFCo denied reconsidering its decision. A month later, five groups—Environmental Council of Sacramento, Sierra Club, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk, Habitat 2020 and Friends of the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge—filed a petition for the Sacramento Superior Court to issue a writ of mandate and overrule laFCo’s findings.

If the court deems LAFCo’s approval valid, regional planning efforts could be disrupted.

LAFCo’s executive officer declined to comment about the commission’s findings, citing the litigation. (Kyler Alvord)

bIkIng For equalIty A coalition of bicyclists, riding from Seattle to San Diego, stopped in Sacramento last week to advocate for marginalized americans. As the Trump administration has imposed harsh rhetoric and policies against vulnerable communities, the Journey2Justice riders pushed for a fuller vision of equality.

“Even a great deal like the DREAM Act divides our community because there’s winners and losers,” said Youngwon Han, a staff member for the National Korean Service and Education Consortium, which organized the ride. “The DREAM Act only protects undocumented young folks and it does have a ‘bad immigrant, good immigrant’ narrative. So it doesn’t protect our families. And Congress people always try to use the Dreamers as a ‘bargaining chip.’”

Han said his organization traveled to Washington D.C. last year to try to convince legislators to pass the Dream act after President Trump rescinded President Obama’s executive order granting legal status to the children of undocumented immigrants if they met certain criteria.

But the lack of Congressional action convinced Han that they needed to expand their vision. In their mission statement, the J2J riders state they want to create broader paths to citizenship for all non-citizens, including undocumented immigrants, as well as draw attention to communities of color, whose “full rights to citizenship are often denied.”

After spending the night of August 22 at the friary of st. Francis Church, the riders spoke to students at the school next door, then started biking again. They had a long way to go. (John Flynn)

08.30.18 | sN&R | 9

California Common Cause, the California Public Research Institute, Indivisible and Democratic central committees from Fresno to Glenn counties.

Trent Lang, president of the California Clean Money Campaign, leads protestors from across California in a rally against AB 84 at the Capitol on August 14. photo by Scott thomaS anderSon

Blue rift ‘Dark money’ bill pits Democratic leaders in the state Capitol against rising grassroots movement

by Scott thomaS anderSon

Did top-ranking Democrats in the state house just declare war on the California Democratic Party? That question was in the air mid-August, after two Democratic state senators voted to move forward a bill co-authored by the speaker of the Assembly, one that critics describe as the biggest rollback of campaign finance reform in a decade.

In doing so, the two senators, the speaker and veteran Democratic Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, ignored deafening protests from party leaders, along with some 50 Democratic clubs and central committees and most good governance organizations in the state.

Now the controversial bill is heading for floor votes in the Assembly and Senate, pushing more elected Democrats to jump in a fight over the future of the party.

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s c o t t a @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

When Daraka Larimore-Hall walked out of the state house August 14, he needed a cigarette and a few moments to calm down. Larimore-Hall is the vice chair of the California Democratic Party. He had just made an impassioned plea to the State Senate Standing Committee on Elections and Constitutional Amendments to kill Assembly Bill 84.

The measure, he argued, would take Democrats in the opposite direction from the will of the people. Larimore-Hall then watched two Democratic senators ignore him in the committee hearing to push AB 84 forward.

But those veteran politicians weren’t just ignoring Larimore-Hall and the California Democratic Party; AB 84 also faces adamant opposition from the California League of Women Voters, the California Clean Money Campaign,

Authored by Mullin, the bill allows the Assembly speaker, the Senate president pro tem and both minority leaders in the two chambers to create new leadership party caucus committees, organizations that would be allowed to accept campaign contributions of up to $36,500, which is eight times the legal limit for individual candidates. The bill also permits those caucus committees to move unlimited funds toward campaign expenditures for candidates within each leader’s respective party.

The ability for legislative leaders to financially circle the wagons around their allies led California League of Women Voters Deputy Director Dora Rose to call AB 84 “an incumbent protection act.”

Rose was one among those protesting on the Capitol lawn August 14 an hour before testimony began. During the hearing, Mullin had zero experts or witnesses speaking in support of his bill.

“The reality is elections in California are enormously expensive,” Mullin pointed out. “To get your message out, it is increasingly expensive, and until we come up with another way, like public financing, we have to fundraise to get elected and stay elected.”

Mullin also stressed his bill requires campaign finance disclosure forms to be filed more often.

But Larimore-Hall countered that AB 84’s modest gains in transparency could have been done without creating four new avenues for corporations and special interest groups to channel money to legislative leaders. “You know, the Democratic Party isn’t known for being always in lockstep,” Larimore-Hall said at the hearing, “but for a party that has been at each other’s throats for the last year … this bill has unified the party more than anything I’ve seen.”

Larimore-Hall also noted that, though the state party can currently accept donations at that $36,500 limit, it has officially banned contributions from big oil, the private prison industry, charter schools and tobacco corporations. That won’t necessarily be the case with the four new caucus committees. “We made those decisions, tough as they are … because of overwhelming pressure from our grassroots activists,” Larimore-Hall told committee members. “It was a democratic decision. AB 84 would allow [legislative]

leadership to sidestep that democratic decision.”

Yet committee member Robert Hertzberg, a San Fernando Democrat who’s been a legislator since 1996, expressed skepticism about leaders in the Assembly and Senate being bound to what he called “factions” in their parties, especially in an era of Democrats vying against Democrats in California’s open primaries.

“Have you thought about this impact?”

Hertzberg asked. “We’ve felt it in terms of what we could or could not do in trying to support people we care about. … I know of a couple of members who weren’t endorsed because they got in a beef with certain elements of the party. … Doesn’t [legislative] leadership have the right to support those people?”

Hertzberg also questioned what was wrong with allowing the new caucus committees to accept up to $36,500, since both state parties do that now. Nicolas Heidorn, legal director for Common Cause California, had a response.

“The party doesn’t make laws, you guys make the laws,” Heidorn testified.

“Having the increased size of an eight-fold donation to a legislative leader who does make laws, and has more influence than anyone else in this body to make laws, that’s the difference. The value of the contribution goes way up, and as the value goes up, the possibility for undue influence goes up.”

Not long after Heidorn’s comment, Democratic committee member Connie Leyva of Chino announced she was supporting AB 84 because of the beating some in her party recently took at the hands of shadowy super political action committees. “This might be a way to fight back,” Leyva said of AB 84.

The committee voted 3-2 to forward the bill, with Democrats Henry Stern and Benjamin Allen voting against it. As he left, Larimore-Hall told SN&R, “This isn’t over.”

He was right. On Monday, the bill was punted to the inactive file at the request of Democratic Sen. Bill Monning of Culver City, essentially neutralizing it for the year.

For Amy Champ, the District 4 delegate of the state Democratic party, it was the victory her side needed. She said Leyva and Hertzberg’s support for 84 is an example of what spurs cynicism in potential voters. “I think what was surprising is the amount of power they’re comfortable protecting, in a really open way,” Champ said. “They’re in that building to do a job, not focus on getting more and more money.” Ω

Q: WHAT IS

Escalating hostilities Federal immigration agents ambush undocumented immigrant inside Sacramento courtroom

A:

?

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to felony counts of conspiring to commit a crime Yovanny Ontiveros-Cebreros walked into and transporting or selling methamphetamine, Sacramento County’s courthouse last week a free online court records show. In 2016, a misdemeanor man meeting a legal obligation. The undocumented domestic battery conviction got him 30 days on the 38-year-old departed in handcuffs, a prisoner of the Sheriff’s Work Project and three years on formal Trump administration’s war on California. probation.

This is believed to be the first time the Ontiveros-Cebreros is currently residing in the president’s deportation force has arrested an main jail downtown on a federal immigration hold. undocumented immigrant inside a Sacramento On Monday, Pacheco was still upset about what courtroom, rattling the state capital and serving as a unfolded. reminder that Donald Trump enjoys showy displays “These ICE guys had no uniform, no insignia. of power.

Ontiveros-Cebreros was facing one federal count They just looked like a couple of guys off the street,” Pacheco told SN&R. “They were trying of possession of a controlled substance intended to blend in. They were trying to look like criminal for sale, online court records show. Following his defendants; they looked worse than the defendants.”

August 22 arraignment in Sacramento Superior Pacheco noted that there’s only one door in and Court, attorney Charles Anthony Pacheco said two out for defendants who are not being held at the men who were “dressed like bums” approached the jail, so his client wasn’t an escape risk. Pacheco bar that separates members of the public from court contended the ICE agents approached the officers and defendants, and announced bench “to make a spectacle.” they were U.S. Immigrations and Infiltrating courtrooms has farCustoms Enforcement agents there “These reaching consequences, Pacheco to arrest Ontiveros-Cebreros on a ICE guys had and immigration experts say. federal warrant for illegal reentry Immigrant communities are into the United States. no uniform, no already reluctant to participate “That was 14 years ago,” insignia.” with the criminal justice system Pacheco said. “He’s been here because they fear bringing 14 years.”

Charles Anthony Pacheco unwanted attention to themselves That doesn’t matter to ICE. criminal defense attorney or members of their community.

Shortly after Trump took office, he The surprise apprehension of put the agency under revised marchOntiveros-Cebreros comes amid ongoing orders to arrest every undocumented ing protests outside of a federal immigration immigrant it encounters in the United States. building on Capitol Mall, and follows a mini-pattern ICE responded by going on the offensive, staking where top officials come to the state most opposed out schools, churches and other “sensitive locato their policies and instigate conflict. In March, tions,” a sharp departure from policies implemented it was Attorney General Jeff Sessions announcing during the Obama administration. a federal lawsuit aimed at California’s so-called Last March, California Chief Justice Tani G. sanctuary legislation during an appearance in Cantil-Sakauye made a public plea for federal Sacramento. officials to rein in immigration agents from “stalkPacheco says the Judicial Branch of California, ing undocumented immigrants in our courthouses to which oversees the nation’s largest court system, make arrests.” Instead of heeding that request, last needs to develop a policy regarding ICE agents in week’s arrest is another example that Trump feeds court. Until that happens, the local attorney says he his grudges with political opponents. already knows what he’s going to tell future clients.

Prior to his arraignment, Ontiveros-Cebreros He’ll tell them there are legal consequences for had posted $115,000 bail, Pacheco says, meaning missing court appearances. his client was not in custody when he appeared for “But if you show up, this is going to be the a scheduled morning arraignment. Pacheco says he consequence as well,” he added. Ω showed up early for court as he typically does to review paperwork and found no warrants associated with his client.

Web extra: An extended version of this story is available at In 2002, Ontiveros-Cebreros was sentenced to newsreview.com/sacramento. five years in state prison, after pleading no contest

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From Afghanistan, art for all

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I have never been to Afghanistan. But now, on the Sacramento News & Review’s exterior, the hope and spirit of this war-torn country is brilliantly displayed in a stunning mural by Shamsia Hassani.

Recognized as Afghanistan’s first female street artist, Shamsia spent six days at our building painting her mural of a woman with long hair blowing in the wind playing a gigantic piano-like guitar over a sea of buildings while bats fly around the foggy sky.

Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for women. And it’s even more dangerous for a female street artist breaking social norms. She told us that in Afghanistan, when she’s painting on the street, she’s scared all the time and must watch out for potential harassers. As a result, she’s learned to paint quickly, because often she only has a small window of time to complete her work.

Shamsia told us that while the woman in her mural has no mouth, the musical instrument is her voice, speaking strongly and powerfully. The ram’s horns on each side of the woman’s head are for protection. And the bats flying around in the sky represent the many bad things in the world that she faces. She says she hopes her art will inspire others, especially women, and give people a more complex and positive picture of Afghanistan.

Shamsia told us that the reason she paints outside is because not everyone can go to museums, so she likes to take her art to the people. She wants her art to be seen by everyone.

I love the Crocker Art Museum and go regularly. But now I’ll see art every day when I park in our parking lot, just as I see many Sacramento murals on a daily basis.

We are so grateful to David Sobon and his Wide Open Walls (WOW)

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

project. This year, WOW added 40 more murals to Sacramento’s walls. He is slowly transforming the streetscape of our town. David has worked tirelessly to make this happen. Sacramento has received much national and international recognition for our murals, which make our city a more beautiful place to live.

Our building is an old, 19,000-square-foot former supermarket on Del Paso Boulevard that stood vacant for many years. With help from former City Councilmember Sandy Sheedy, the City of Sacramento and Sacramento Redevelopment Agency, we bought the building and remodeled it as a green building on a budget. We are proud of our building and love being here in North Sacramento, where we have been warmly welcomed over the last eight years.

My role in our building remodel was to encourage my wife and longterm business partner, Deborah Redmond. My role in the mural project was also only supportive. Our tenant, the Council for American Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley, raised the funds to bring Shamsia to the United States. We are grateful.

It was inspiring to meet Shamsia and her husband, Haroon Noori.

We admired her bravery. We were impressed by her artistic vision. Over six days, we had the privilege to get to know a determined, quiet woman whose art shows the power of a woman with a voice to stand up against what is bad in the world.

We are honored to have her mural on our wall. Ω

Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.

‘What happened to our brother?’

Missed warnings, a jailhouse assault and an alleged cover-up—how one faMily’s search for answers revealed systematic cracks at the sacraMento jail by raheem F. hosseini • r a heem h@ new sr evi e w . c o m

C

lifton Harris’ siblings didn’t know what to expect when they heard their brother could come home.

Harris had been in jail more than a year for an assault case that was culminating in Sacramento Superior Court.

In July 2016, a jury convicted Harris of what prosecutors described as a vicious attack by a career felon too volatile for the outside world. Lawyers spent months debating whether the 61-year-old Oak Park man should spend his remaining years behind bars.

While in custody, Harris filed numerous grievances about his treatment inside the jail. Harris, who was gay, claimed guards taunted him with homophobic slurs and encouraged inmates to beat him up in exchange for improved housing conditions. Harris, who had cancer, accused jail medical staff of malpractice and neglect. As his condition worsened, Harris despaired, telling relatives, his public defender and jailers that he would be dead soon.

“It’s getting worst [sic] monthly,” he wrote in one grievance dated March 2017. “Falling while writing at night hurts.

Messing on my self 3 times more a week hurts. But I can barely get a change of clothes.”

Inmate welfare groups say Harris’ story is not unique. It’s just invisible.

“Someone once said a society is judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable, including prisoners,” said Aaron J. Fischer, a litigation counsel at Disability Rights California. “That has always rung true to me.”

But it hasn’t always rung true here.

Over the past decade, the main jail in particular has been subjected to numerous injury and wrongful death lawsuits, grand jury investigations and private consultations picking apart everything from a barbaric intake process to how inmates are released at all hours of the night. In a class action lawsuit filed last month, DRC and the Prison Law Office condemned conditions within the county jail system as inhumane and unconstitutional, especially for those living with disabilities, illnesses and psychological disorders.

Harris fell into each of those categories. So did the man who would end his life. But the lawsuit arrived too late for either of them.

In July 2017, almost one year after the jury’s guilty

Clifton Harris’ loved ones hold a photo of the man they remember, before addiction and jail claimed him.

Photo by Karlos rene ayala

verdict, Jacqueline Brown got a phone call asking if she wanted to take her brother home. The call came from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, which runs the main jail. There had been an incident, a sheriff’s employee told Brown. Harris was in the hospital. The employee didn’t provide details. But if Brown agreed to the county’s terms, Harris would be released.

The vague offer troubled Brown. She punted. She learned

Harris’ whereabouts and alerted her siblings. At UC Davis Medical Center, five sisters and two brothers filed into the hospital room.

Sister Cathy Lester describes what happened next.

“We didn’t know what they were talking about until we go to the hospital and saw this man that they call our brother,” she recalls.

Clifton Harris had been beaten beyond recognition. Metal wires hinged a reconstructed jaw. A tracheal tube hissed air into a

seeping hole. A brain monitor probed for activity and found none.

A year later, his family still has the same question. Lester, the eldest, speaks for the group: “What happened to Clifton Harris? What happened to our brother?”

“what happened to our brother?”

continued on page 14

08.30.18 | SN&R | 13

“What happened to our brother?” continued from page 13

‘The drug was calling him’ Born September 3, 1955, Cliff Harris didn’t enter this world a hard case. The son of a preacher father and school counselor mother, Harris arrived as part of a second wave of 10 children in the Oak Park household.

Lester remembers her younger brother being out of the closet as early as middle school. Despite this being the late 1960s and the generalization that homosexuality is more taboo in African-American culture, Lester doesn’t remember Harris’ sexual orientation being an issue. Outspoken and outgoing, Harris was also not one to be trifled with, his siblings say.

“Cliff was a fighter,” says sister Deborah Lester. “He stood his ground.

For whatever he believed in, he stood his ground.”

Harris graduated from Sacramento High School in the early ’70s. A brief flirtation with community college didn’t last. Harris navigated young adulthood as the world spun around him. In the early ’80s, crack cocaine infiltrated his neighborhood. It was a pestilence, slow at first but sweeping and indiscriminate. Harris’ niece Monique Smith remembers having a street-level view. Neighbors shut their blinds. Popular kids became closet-smoking zombies, hustlers or both. Good homes rotted from the inside.

“It changed like that,” Smith says with a snap of her fingers. “You had to make a choice: Were you going to be on drugs or were you going to be a square?”

Like hundreds of predominantly black neighborhoods in America, Oak Park in the ‘80s was an unwilling testing ground for racially inequitable drug laws. It was a frog in steadily boiling water. Maybe Harris didn’t notice the change in temperature, but those around him did. They say his behavior mutated. His mind raced. Words scrambled out of his mouth. They didn’t always make sense. Crack turned an already protective brother who had trouble backing down into an ill-tempered prowler impatient for his next score.

“It was as if the drug was calling him,” Lester says. “That was basically his downfall.”

Harris fell for a while. He caught his first felony robbery conviction in 1984, the same year the main jail was built downtown. He became a semi-regular lodger there, and both adapted to and rebelled against the jail’s rabid internal politics and rigid hierarchy.

During one stint in 1993, after being arrested for sticking a knife to a man’s throat and stealing $53, Harris drew eight 14 | SN&R | 08.30.18

since 2009, the number of jail inmates diagnosed with mental disorders has

more than doubled , even as the overall jail population has declined.

In 2016, more than

30 percent of the over 2,000 inmates at the main jail had mental health issues, according to a grand jury report. roughly a quarter were on antipsychotic drugs.

hours on lockdown. His offense? Having Harris treated his new life like a salvage extra pairs of jail-issued underwear and operation. He became a regular at Calvary socks in his cell. That same year, he spent Christian Center, hitching rides or walking three days in solitary after wrestling with to the North Sacramento church to attend an inmate over a dispute about the “toilet men’s meetings, including one devoted phone.” Harris said the inmate threatened to recovery. Harris followed in his late him after he refused to bail out his latrine father’s footsteps. He called himself a so the inmate could holler through the pipes deacon, a man of God, and served meals at female inmates. to people living on the same streets that “I’m not going to say I didn’t swing on he once did. He reconnected with family, him,” Harris reportedly told a jail investigiving informal sermons while tutoring his gator at the time, according to an internal nieces and nephews how to bait a fishing disciplinary report. “He started the fight tackle or stay upright on a bicycle. He over the fact that I would not use my toilet scolded them to look upon his long age in to talk to some females for him.” the wilderness as a cautionary tale.

Harris was in solitary again four months “He didn’t want them to end up like later for unclear him,” Lester says. reasons when a “My brother different inmate wasn’t an angel, attacked him but he had a big from behind over heart,” she adds. another toilet “But he had phone dispute, turned his life disciplinary around.” records show.

Then According Christmas Eve to several incar2015 spun it right ceration experts, back around.

Harris and other The inmates were being punished sysTem with the kind of Lorenzo Jesus extreme isolation Mays has been that could only in the main jail Cathy Lester exacerbate their for eight years on mental declines. a felony murder Out in the allegation that world, the vicious cycle of committing crimes he has yet to stand trial on due to an intelto feed his addiction continued. Convictions lectual disability. For nearly all that time, the followed in 1999, 2002 and 2004. In 2006, 35-year-old has been in solitary confinement, Harris pleaded no contest to two felony the class action complaint states, where he’s counts of assault with a deadly weapon experienced auditory hallucinations, suicidal after police say he dragged an old classmate thoughts and a Vitamin D deficiency due to outside his home and started cutting up his the lack of natural light. chest with a knife until the victim promised to Mays is one of the five class plaintiffs get money from his mother’s house. Instead standing in for an inmate population that the man phoned police and Harris earned four spans approximately 3,800 between the years in prison. main jail and its sister facility on the After his release, Harris was in his outskirts of Elk Grove. mid-50s and finally ready for a change, One of the architects of the lawsuit his siblings say. An out-of-state stint at says there’s a simple reason that you a Mississippi correctional work program should care. gave Harris some of his self-worth back, “Mistreatment of prisoners actually Lester says. does a disservice to the public,” he said “When he came back, he came back a in an interview. “What I mean by that is different person,” Lester says. “He was free.” when you place people with disabilities

“We didn’t know what they were talking about until we go to the hospital and saw this man that they call our brother.”

Yet the jail’s inpatient psychiatric unit topped out at

18 beds for a population that spans approximately

3,800.

and mental health conditions in decrepit conditions without adequate care, the vast majority of these people will soon be our neighbors again.”

But reason doesn’t survive in solitary confinement. The jail’s version of segregated housing is a central component of the class action lawsuit against the county.

Ironically, five expert opinions solicited by the county are now providing the strongest indictments.

In June 2016, corrections expert Eldon Vail found the jails so dangerously understaffed that the result was a system operating “in a state of near perpetual emergency.” That translated into the overuse of solitary confinement “both for the mentally ill and the non-mentally ill.” His prognosis was so bad that Vail predicted federal litigation on the conditions inside “would likely be successful.”

The jail’s abnormal approach to isolating difficult inmates is called T-Sep, for “total separation.” According to a May 2017 assessment from James Austin, a nationally recognized expert on mass incarceration, T-Sep is “unique to Sacramento County,” not just for what it’s called but how it’s used as a catchall for unruly inmates, those needing protection and those with severe psychological issues. A review of the main jail’s T-Sep population in January 2017 determined that 74 percent of the 172 inmates required some level of mental health treatment. Meanwhile, many of the interviewed T-Sep inmates told Larkin’s team they were given no formal explanation why they had been stockaded in small, single cells for all but three hours a week, or informed how they can request a move to less restrictive housing.

The perils of being placed in solitary confinement, no matter what it’s called, aren’t theoretical.

Since 2016, at least nine people have perished inside the local penitentiaries, an SN&R review of media releases and coroner records has found. In 2016 alone, 10 inmates attempted suicide, according to a Sacramento County grand jury report.

Two were successful.

Much of this is a capacity issue, the experts say. Since 2009, the number of jail inmates diagnosed with mental disorders has more than doubled, even as the overall jail population has declined. It’s currently

estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of the local inmate population experiences mental health issues.

Yet the jail lost half of its psychiatric staff during the economic downturn and hasn’t really recovered.

“As the experts have shown, this is one of the most dangerously understaffed jails in all of California,” Fischer said.

Fischer says the Sheriff’s Department has actually been receptive to that feedback.

“Our impression is that they’re committed to improvements in a meaningful way,” he said. “The Board of Supervisors holds the money bags.”

And it’s reluctant to open them up given the estimated costs of improvement.

“This settlement proposal would require at least $50 million annually in operating costs with capital costs that could exceed $160 million,” Board of Supervisors Chair Susan Peters said in a statement released by the county. “Accepting these demands would require us to make drastic reductions in all of the services the County offers, which would have catastrophic consequences on the General Fund and a devastating effect countywide on our residents’ quality of life.”

Pitting law-abiding citizens against jailbirds has been an effective public relations strategy in the past, and remains pretty bankable in Sacramento. But federal court judges, including the ones who threatened to take over California’s unconstitutionally overcrowded prisons last decade, insist on

thinking of prisoners as human beings—even when they’re accused of violent acts.

His final trial It was a few minutes shy of 2 a.m. on December 24, 2015.

Police found the man on the ground in a residential neighborhood in South Sacramento. “C.L.” sat on the corner of Mangrum Avenue and Hogan Drive, beneath outstretched tree limbs and surrounded by one-story homes with curved front yards and chain-link fences. He was a bloody mess, according to a Sacramento Police Department narrative. A laceration along C.L.’s forehead had clotted into a large hematoma and his lip was torn. There were puncture wounds in his calf and other scratches on his arms and legs.

C.L. told police he had accepted a latenight invitation to “chill” at Harris’ home.

The two were doing just that in Harris’ bedroom when something happened. Only the two men know what that something was, and neither of them are talking.

(Efforts to contact C.L. through Facebook were unsuccessful, so SN&R is only using his initials.)

Both C.L. and Harris would accuse the other of making an unwanted pass that prompted conflict. C.L. told police that Harris flew into a violent rage after he rebuffed him. C.L. said Harris attacked him with a screwdriver and sicced his pitbull-bulldog mix onto him. The police

report recorded injuries to C.L.’s arms, legs and scrotum that were consistent with dog bites.

Harris told police he simply told C.L. to leave his bedroom and didn’t know how the man got injured. On the ride out to the jail, the police report states, Harris allegedly posed a question: “Did he tell you the real reason I sicced my dog on him?”

The officers asked why. Harris said he didn’t want to say any more.

Shortly after his arrest, fate dealt Harris another blow. In January 2016, he was injured in a jailhouse brawl, internal records show. While being treated for a broken arm and other injuries, it was discovered that Harris had small-cell lung cancer. He was rehoused in the medical ward, which ostensibly provides aroundthe-clock care. But the wing is understaffed and jail is not the ideal place to treat debilitating illnesses.

While dealing with the effects of his diagnosis and treatment, Harris had trouble steering clear of the bulls. Jailers wrote him up for not rising for counts, for coughing up phlegm, for being “blatantly disrespectful” after complaining that a deputy cuffed up his recently healed arm too tight and criticized his slow shamble to the courtroom.

“So now I gotta walk the way you want me to walk mother fucker?” Harris said, according to the deputy’s report.

He was punished with lockdown and full restrictions.

His case, meanwhile, was hard-fought. Harris’ public defender successfully showed that all of C.L.’s injuries came

Since 2016, at least nine people have perished inside the local penitentiaries.

Built in 1984, the Sacramento County Main Jail is a 12-story high rise that juts out of downtown.

photo by Anthony RAmos

from the dog and contended that it only attacked C.L. in defense of its owner. The jury was partially swayed, but convicted Harris of two felony assault crimes and one count of depriving the victim of his freedom. Harris already had three prior strike convictions on his rap sheet. Prosecutors considered him a frequent-flier who had been given plenty of chances. This time they wanted him sent up for the rest of his life.

The guilty verdict arrived July 15, 2016.

As the judge thanked the jury for performing its sacred duty and recited the required legalese, Harris made an utterance.

According to jail reports, he said, “Can we hurry up so I can kill myself?”

For the comment, Harris was gowned in a bulky, blue safety suit and locked in a window-encased classroom where potentially suicidal inmates are put when there isn’t room in the psychiatric inpatient ward.

After three hours in the fishbowl, a psych evaluator cut Harris loose.

tHe cellmate On March 20, 2016, officers arrived in a quiet neighborhood on Clay Street and found Shelly Allen dead inside her home.

The 49-year-old woman had suffered “traumatic injuries,” according to a media release at that time.

About 15 hours after that Sunday morning discovery, Willie Fred Roberson was arrested in an alley just down the street on a seemingly unrelated felony vandalism charge. According to the charging document from the city attorney’s office, Roberson also had an eight-month-old warrant for his arrest on city code violations—namely being in a public park after dark and remaining in a children’s playground while not supervising children. Roberson was inside the county jail for those minor offenses when detectives working the Allen murder decided they liked Roberson for it. It’s unclear why. Police would only reveal that they believed Roberson knew the victim.

Sgt. Vance Chandler, a department spokesman, told SN&R that access to the case file had been sealed even from him.

“You picked a good one,” he said.

Online court records show Roberson has a criminal record dating back to at least 1993, when he was convicted of felony burglary. In the ensuing years, he picked up more convictions—for making criminal threats, domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon and others. The DA’s office filed an amended complaint last month alleging that Roberson murdered Allen with a metal pipe and a “stabbing instrument.”

As the case slogged through continuances and court-ordered psychological evaluations to determine whether he was mentally competent to stand trial, Roberson cultivated a reputation within the county jail.

“what happened to our brother?”

continued on page 17

08.30.18 | SN&R | 15

building a

HealtHy S a c r a m e n t o

From the Ground Up

by Edgar SanchEz

Rubie Simonsen found her calling as a child, in her grandmother’s lush gardens.

The little girl spent countless hours playing among miniature roses in front of her grandma’s home, and by herbs in the backyard. Before long, the rambunctious youngster had a strong bond with dirt and the beautiful things that grow on it.

It was only natural, then, that in 2016 Simonsen began her studies to become a farmer.

After graduating from that program two years ago, Simonsen, 27, is now teaching 10 adults to be ecologically-sensitive farmers at a new academy in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood that calls itself 252 Evolver.

Consisting of 10 evening workshops spread over five weeks, the program is sponsored

by The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities initiative.

Training for future farmers needs to be in a big city to make farming more accessible in urban areas, Simonsen said.

Besides making the academy tuition-free, The Endowment pays for the trainees’ books and other equipment.

Ranging in age from 25 to 55, each arrived with a connection to gardening or farming, or had an interest in a “regenerative future,” according to Simonsen.

Stephanie Robinson likes the academy.

She’s converting her 1/4-acre lot in suburban Carmichael into a sustainable herb/vegetable farm and needed guidance in how to turn it into a business.

“Since part of this course is giving back to this community, I know I’m surrounded by other folks who want to do good in the world,” said Robinson, a clinical herbalist and the Communications/ Engagement Manager for the Sacramento Tree Foundation. “We’re building a support network to lean on.”

“Some are looking at leaSing property from School diStrictS or taking over vacant lotS.” rubie Simonsen Facilitator for 252 Evolver, which aims to rootaspiring ag entrepreneurs through a fiveweek intensive focused on regenerative farming and building resilient communities

Rubie Simonsen is teaching a group of 10 urban farmers how to respect the land with the 252 Evolver.

Photo by Edgar Sanchez

developed plan for operating a farm-based business for a year.

The program has a potent lineup of guest speakers. Among the first was Dominic Allamano, who spoke to students on a recent Monday evening about how most people today are not active participants in the food systems, and now are simply “consumers.”

“Some are looking at leasing property from school districts or taking over vacant lots” for their enterprises, Simonsen said, adding that all graduates also will do one-year, part-time internships at area farms. Their $15-an-hour wage will be paid by The Endowment.

He told the trainees they have a chance to change that.

While profits can be elusive for new farmers, the graduates will enjoy other benefits, such as becoming stewards of the land, Simonsen said.

After graduating in mid-September, each class member will leave with a self-

Your zIP code shouldn’t predict how long you’ll live – but it does. Staying healthy requires much more than doctors and diets. Every day, our surroundings and activities affect how long – and how well – we’ll live.

Health Happens in Neighborhoods. Health Happens in Schools.

Health Happens with Prevention.

paid with a grant from the california endowment 16 | SN&R | 08.30.18

BuIldINg HEalTHY COmmuNITIES In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state.

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“whaT happened To our broTher?” continued from page 15

According to an internal report, a law enforcement web application used to track “known” persons indicated Roberson “had been assaultive towards custodial officers.”

There was a place inside the jail for inmates like Roberson. It was called “T-Sep.” Harris would end up there, too, as he came into conflict with his jailers about the quality of medical care he was receiving inside.

His attorneys had successfully motioned to have the judge in his case removed and were exploring options for a retrial. Harris was trying to hold on long enough to see that day.

The oft-written-up inmate became a prolific writer himself, submitting grievance letters, also called kites, in an attempt to improve the conditions of his care. They covered a spectrum. He found the nursing staff disrespectful. He wrote a grievance. His cell was an ice box.

He wrote a grievance. The staff shut off his intercom. He wrote a grievance. He was left drenched in his own filth when the chemo induced uncontrollable bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. He wrote a grievance.

His printed kites received neatly typed responses from the patient grievance coordinator. They mostly concluded the same way: “This review indicates your assessed medical needs are being met appropriately in accordance to current policy.”

He received this response even after a bad batch of meds inflated his head to twice its size in February 2017. His sister Deborah Lester visited him, and remembers a disfigured man on the other side of the visitation glass struggling with the jail phone. She drew in her breath and thought of an old Cher movie.

“I cried all the way home,” she said.

“Because all I could see was the [1985 film] Mask.”

Harris was written up for being verbally abusive toward the medical staff.

He was placed in T-Sep, which the class action lawsuit describes as a concrete sensory deprivation chamber with “no fresh air or natural light, no clocks, and no method to track time.” He spent all but 30 minutes a day there. The light bar went out. He wrote a grievance. He received a response.

“As discussed with you numerous times, Your custody history has been reviewed by the classification officers and you have been classified as T-SEP,” Sgt. Scott Hufford wrote. “Your cooperation with Deputies and Medical staff is vital to providing timely professional services on the medical floor. We realize there

“This is one of the most dangerously understaffed jails in all of California.”

AAron J. fischer litigation counsel, Disability Rights California

are many challenges associated with being incarcerated. We will assist you in any capacity within the scope of our duties. Your cooperation would greatly be appreciated.”

He was eventually moved back to the medical pod, but didn’t stay there long.

Harris was getting desperate. According to a March 2017 grievance, he had trouble staying on his feet. He was falling. He had been put on nine different medications, none of them effective, some of them disastrous. He felt his mortality loom and made a confession: The tough O.G. from Oak Park could no longer take care of himself.

“I’ve been a Level IV over 15 years and I’m used to looking out for me,” he wrote. “I need a [cellmate] … to help make sound decisions how to get the [illegible] up without busting my head open. At least talk to me please.”

This time they listened. Harris was transferred to the less restrictive outpatient psychiatric pod, a clustering unit for inmates who aren’t deemed an immediate risk to themselves or others. His request for a cellmate was heeded. Officials selected someone who had recently come off T-Sep status as well. The inmate’s name was Willie Roberson.

Harris and Roberson had shared the cell for eight days.

How and why they were paired up is unclear, but likely occurred through the jail’s internal assessment process, which also suffers from chronic understaffing, says Fischer, one of the attorneys behind the class-action lawsuit.

Harris’ siblings contend their brother, in his weak and vulnerable state, shouldn’t have been housed with a violent homicide suspect who had a documented record of assaulting staff.

“He shouldn’t have been put with a lifer,” said brother Michael Lester, who has also done time in the county jail.

Harris’ attorney agrees.

“It showed a certain indifference, or at least insensitivity, to what could happen to him,” said Mark Merin, who filed a federal claim against the Sheriff’s Department on behalf of Harris.

Back inside 304, Roberson sat cuffed up on his bed. More officers arrived and scoped the mess. Deputy Robinson followed protocol. He escorted Roberson to the medics, who tended and x-rayed lacerations on the knuckles of his right hand and a small cut on the bottom of his right foot. While kicking his cellmate in the mouth, Harris’ teeth got in the way.

Medics cleared Roberson. Robinson led him away. He advised Roberson of his Miranda rights. Roberson said he

“whaT happened To our broTher?”

continued on page 19

Clifton Harris’ siblings didn’t know how badly their brother had been injured until they visited him in the hospital. photo courtesy of Jacqueline Brown

The aTTack First-year Deputy Christopher Vagadori was alone in the main jail’s control room on 3 East when he noticed an inmate had pressed his emergency button. It was Roberson over in the outpatient psych pod. He said he was having a problem with his cellmate. Roberson sounded calm, Vagadori thought. Probably a verbal tiff.

The rookie officer got on the comms and told the deputies assigned to 3 West to check it out.

Three minutes later, Deputy Robert J. Robinson was first to arrive from across the hall. He clocked trouble through the small window in the heavy door. He told Control to buzzer the lock. The jailer pried open 304 to find the walls and floor smeared in blood.

Robinson spit a backup request into his radio mic and eyeballed the scene. At his feet: inmate Harris, splayed on his back, unresponsive, white fragments and viscera pooling around a battered face. Sitting on the top bunk: inmate Roberson, shaking and talking fast.

The deputy marked the time: 0808 hours, June 16, 2017.

08.30.18 | SN&R | 17

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understood. He claimed self-defense. He told Robinson that the 61-year-old who puttered around on a walker was going to rape him. He said Harris threw a roll of toilet paper at him, pulled down his pants and started to masturbate.

The story kept changing. The one constant was that Roberson admitted he was the one who punched and stomped Harris.

Harris kept getting up, he said.

It’s unclear how long Harris lay unconscious on the cell’s floor. According to records of the internal investigation and summaries of staff accounts reviewed by SN&R, the jail was understaffed that day.

Roberson’s emergency request is logged at 8:08 a.m.

A UC Davis Medical Center emergency room report shows Harris arriving 40 minutes later.

The injuries were gratuitously severe.

Neurosurgeons inserted a brain-pressure monitor. It gave off bad news. Doctors took their patient off sedatives to evaluate cognitive function. There was none.

“His brains were beaten like scrambled eggs,” Cathy Lester said. “That’s what we were told.”

The af TermaTh Lester and her siblings didn’t learn that Harris had been brutally attacked for more than two weeks, until July 3, 2017. That’s when Harris’ sister Jacqueline Brown received the strange call asking if she wanted to take her brother home and prosecutors notified Harris’ public defender that they’d be seeking a “compassionate release” immediately after the Fourth of July.

Instead of granting a compassionate release, a judge agreed to a separate request from the DA’s office to knock his bail down to $1,000.

One week after Harris’ family learned he was in the hospital, he was bonded out by a mysterious benefactor. The person who paid his bond worked for George Hills Company Inc., the county’s primary handler of liability claims.

In short, the Sheriff’s Department, DA’s office and George Hills—three entities that receive funding from the county—successfully made it so Harris was no longer a county expense. If you’re wondering if this happens often, Merin says it doesn’t.

“This was unique in the annals,” he said.

While the county may have been in a hurry to erase Harris from its ledger, his family was still trying to piece together what happened.

At the hospital, Harris’ loved ones struggled to recognize him. The body handcuffed to the gurney had gray skin. Staples zippered its skull closed. Its pulse whispered. Their hearts sunk.

“This is from the dark ages,” Lester said. “I know I left there understanding that.”

Doctors were precluded from telling the family how Harris had been injured. All they could tell them was that he would never get better. Harris wasn’t their next of kin; he was county property, an inmate of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. Hence the armed sentries making sure Harris didn’t escape.

“Brain-dead lying in the bed. And they said, ‘You understand we have to do that because he’s

our prisoner,’” Lester said. “And I said, ‘You know what? If he can get up and run, I want to see it. I be glad.’ I didn’t take any offense to that.”

But she does take offense to the notion that Roberson acted alone, especially after the DA’s office declined to file charges against him for the assault due to “insufficient evidence,” said DA spokesperson Shelly Orio. Orio said the DA’s homicide bureau chief is reevaluating the case to see if homicide charges are warranted.

Harris died March 2. His death was initially posted on the county coroner’s website, but is no longer available. An autopsy has still not been completed, county Coroner Kimberly Gin told SN&R on Monday.

The sum total is that no one has been held responsible for the death of Clifton Harris. The lack of accountability has corroded the family’s trust in the official story.

“This has to be a cover up,” Lester said. “It has to be a cover up.”

Without answers to their questions, they’ve speculated their own. They suggest deputies may have had a direct hand in Harris’ death.

Merin’s lawsuit claims the Sheriff’s Department is responsible, but in a different fashion. The civil rights attorney’s claim asserts Harris’ “catastrophic injuries” were a direct result of Sheriff Scott Jones and his department’s “failure to protect him from a known threat.”

Merin has received so many jail and hospital records through the discovery process that he’s enlisted the family’s help in combing through the material. He’s provided documents to extended family members, asking them to crowdsource the investigation and flag aspects they find of note.

Each of the siblings has a unique role in the investigation, informed by their lived experiences and place in the familial pecking order. Patricia is the hostess, the home she inherited from their mother serving as family headquarters. Deborah is the skeptical one, sizing up the reporters and scrutinizing their agendas from behind dark sunglasses. Michael is the streetwise one, drawing from his own experience in county jail to question why it took so long for paramedics to reach his brother. And Cathy is the encouraging big sister, steering the conversation and commending those around her for making incisive contributions.

“You’re doing an awesome job,” she tells Michael, as he struggles to find words to describe what happened to their brother.

Together they pore over hundreds of pages of documents, pick apart grainy surveillance videos and exchange theories about a mystery without simple answers. For the large, tight-knit family, which has anchored this part of Oak Park as it’s been shaped by outside forces for generations, it’s a conspiracy and a calling.

“He stayed alive for a reason,” Cathy Lester says of her brother Cliff. “He needs for us to tell the injustice.” Ω

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B r r u BB

This guy can funny.

Photo courtesy of JosePh LLanes

A

lot of TV shows rely on gently eroding viewers’ standards before they get hooked—instead of the usual mediocrity, Bill Burr’s animated show F is for Family drops audiences into a harsh, vulgar world.

In the show’s first season, there’s a scene where Frank Murphy, the main character voiced by Burr, secretly sabotages his wife Sue’s career because he wants her to keep their household running smoothly. There’s no whiff of instant karma for Frank—there’s not even a hint of remorse or guilt you’d expect in a regular sitcom.

It’s a classic move from Burr’s stand-up repertoire, where he blindsides the audience with some abhorrent stance before he gets where he’s going. It’s his trademark, but seeing it animated really hits home. Sue, voiced by Laura Dern, eventually finds out and takes the job, but Frank doesn’t seem to have learned a lesson. If he’d gotten away with it at the expense of his wife, he’d be happy.

There’s a lot of these ethically sketchy situations, including violence and emotional abuse, presented in a strangely neutral light.

It’ll leave you asking, “In this day and age, are these kinds of stories acceptable? Am I allowed to laugh at the jokes while there’s bad things happening?”

Those questions won’t be answered, and the show lets the audience figure out what lessons they should take. If you consider yourself politically correct, the show isn’t always an easy watch—but behind the laughs, there are critiques of society and some oddly compelling stories that make you think.

Burr often manages to do that, whether he specifically plans it or not. SN&R chatted with him about his comedy, his agenda (or lack of one) and some other nonsense we found funny.

is for

By maxField morriS

ma x fi e l d m@ n e ws r e v i e w. com

Bill Burr’s built a career on hard-to-swallow comedy 20 | SN&R | 08.30.18

See Bill Burr’S STand-up aT 8 p.m. on Friday, SepTemBer 7 aT The Thunder Valley ouTdoor amphiTheaTer, 1200 aThenS road in lincoln. TickeTS are $42.95-$94.95 .

obviously you’re making people laugh a lot, but do you also think you’re making people reconsider the bubbles they’re living in?

No. No, I think people think for themselves. I just make people laugh, that’s all I do. … I mean, my jokes are good, but I can’t make people think things that they didn’t already kind of think. Y’know, I’m not a hypnotist, I’m a comedian. i feel like you call out the typical thinking people have though. you called out both Trump and clinton in this last special.

Yeah, if I was in L.A., I would make fun of Hillary, and if I would go to Oklahoma, I would make fun of Trump. But other than that, where’s the fun of it?

To do Hillary jokes in Oklahoma is boring, and to do Trump jokes in L.A. is equally boring. Y’know, some of these daytime talk shows, that’s what they have to do, and I always feel bad for the host. At some point, he or she must want to put them in another direction just to break up the monotony of “Wooo!” “Yaaay!” the whole time, y’know? do you feel like F is for Family is supposed to challenge people at all?

Mm-mm. It’s just supposed to make 'em laugh.

But we don’t dumb down anything we want to do. There’s a lot of times they’ll be like, “Do you think they’ll get that?” and then I’ll be like, “Well if they don’t, they’ll look it up.” Not like it’s that deep, but every once in a while we’ll do a reference, like there’s a reference this year to a jazz drummer from way back, one of my favorite drummers, Joe Morello, we use in a joke. Someone was like, “I’m concerned no one is going to know who Joe Morello is.” I’m like, “Well, that’s my concern, which is why I’m doing the joke, because people should know who he is.”

¡Si, maS!

See DiSH

22

Cap Stage’S upComing playS See Stage

Have you wanted to do a cartoon for a while?

No, I just ended up doing a cartoon because we were beginning what we’re in right now, which is this phony “everybody pretending that they care,” “everybody pretending that they don’t have any issues.” It’s just this weird thing, like nobody wanting to get unliked on a social platform. So everybody then had to start behaving in this way where everything is so serious, everything is labeled, and you’re supposed to be totally open-minded unless someone thinks differently than you. Then you evidently go out and try and ruin their career. That’s what the Left has become, which is kinda funny to me. Which is how a lot of things become—a lot of things, they start out with a good goal and then it becomes McCarthyism.

So, what it was, I was doing stories about my family onstage that were getting laughs my entire career, then all of a sudden, it was getting sympathy rather than laughs. Like, “Oh, you poor dear!” And when I was just pitching shows, y’know, whenever I tried to do the humor that I grew up with, I just found a lot of, “Oh, but this will encourage kids to do this,” “Oh, what does this say about this people,” “This group will feel this way.”

One day I was just walking my dog and it just dawned on me: What if I just animated my childhood stories? … And it’s something if you animate the exact same story that you were talking about, the same people that groaned or felt bad now are free to enjoy it, which is fun.

F is for Family, i don’t want to say that it’s hard to take, but there’s a real kind of violence and also a lot of laughing going on.

Well, that’s kind of how life is. It is hard to take.

And there is a lot of stuff that goes on that you want to look away and then there’s other stuff that you just laugh at. I mean, I’m actually going to take that as a high compliment that that was the reaction you had to it. I mean, that is weird. A lot of that stuff has made me who I am, but on the same token, I’m correcting a lot of it, hopefully, with my kids. if there was a government department called the Comedy Force, would you join it?

No. That sounds like there would be a lot of meetings and extra shit that I have to go to that I don’t want to do. I like being at home with my family.

Do you eat at McDonalds a lot?

I can’t eat there any more. I ate there—they should have my picture on the wall. A signed headshot. That was my spot, man. … That billions and billions served? I put a dent in that number.

24

utterly Swingin’ in SaC See muSiC

“There was nothing better than getting

hammered and going to McDonalds afterwards.”

B i ll B u r r comedian

Did you ever look at a sponsorship?

No, but I can tell you, I like the double cheeseburger, I like the quarter pounder second. I love ordering a bunch of it, and at the end, when they go, “Will that be all?” I always throw in another cheeseburger. That’s a favorite of mine.

I love their french fries, and I loved it back when it was that pink slime. There was nothing better than getting hammered and going to McDonalds afterwards. Y’know when you listen to Billy Crystal talk about baseball when he was a kid?

My version of that, the tone that Billy Crystal gets in his voice when he talks about going into Yankee Stadium and watching Mickey Mantle, I have the same love and melancholy because it’s over now. About when I think back to getting hammered and going to McDonalds. I fucking loved it. And I swear to god, looking back, I would be eating like close to 3,000 calories. … I know it’s bad for you, but it’s perfect drunk food.

School is starting back up, do you have any advice for kids?

Yeah, talk to the pretty girl. What do ya got to lose?

Who would you want to play you in a biopic?

Clint Howard.

Do you have any new catchphrases you want to go viral?

Uh… I don’t think you can do that on purpose. I didn’t know I had anything that went viral.

That’s not a great catchphrase.

What, what I just said there? (Laughs.) OK: It is until it isn’t. That’s what I’ve learned in my life: It is until it isn’t. Ω

27

CHalk it up! Can't be StoppeD See CalenDar

28

Wise beyond her years Madison Cunningham silenced the crowd with just a few notes, matching her black electric guitar in an off-the-shoulder dress last Tuesday night at the Mondavi Center. the 20-year-old opened for the punch brothers, the famed country-classical quintet.

Cunningham was a combination of melody gardot and norah Jones, wrapping her smooth voice around the crowd. She played with no band, just her lyrics and electric guitar, though at times they seemed like one in the same. Her first song was “When Love Loves Alone” from her second album Love, Lose, Remember, which released March of this year. Her next song was one of her latest releases, “Beauty Into Cliches,” with powerful lyrics such as, “They combed sense through her hair / straightening out her curls.”

Though all of Cunningham’s songs were captivating, the most powerful was “I Close My Eyes,” a song about Madison Cunningham a conversation with singer-songwriter her past self. She told the crowd just before beginning it, “if i could go

“I really care about the content people think about when they hear good music.”

back in time and listen to my younger self, i’d like to know what she has to say.”

Cunningham’s guitar playing is full of solos and complexities you might imagine coming from an older musician, tackling more than the struggles of young, failing love that we hear from other singer-songwriters her age. While her music goes deeper in its discussion of beauty, truth, religion and reflection, her songs and experiences are still quite believable. We can hear it in her voice—Cunningham has a wise, old soul.

When I asked about her lyrics, she said, “lyrics are the part i slave over the hardest. I really care about the content people think about when they hear good music.” When I asked about her lyrical creativity, she referred to Joni Mitchell. “She gave herself permission to write about almost anything.

It was like reading a diary of hers.”

Cunningham ended her set with her latest single “All At Once,” a too-cool, angsty tune, and “Something to Believe In” singing “Dreams are born to grow or to die / and tear and spring again in the Summer air.” These lyrics may reflect Cunningham’s experience making her way into the music industry, and her never-ending dream to write, play and perform beautiful music.

Cunningham is on tour through the fall with the Punch Brothers. Listen to her on iTunes and Spotify.

—Maia Paras EvrigEnis

08.30.18 | SN&R | 21

illuStration by Sarah hanSel

Japanese sweet treats MoChi, osaka-ya

The Braised Short Rib Bowl features tender ancho short ribs on a bed of brown rice, topped with bell peppers, pickled onions and cotija cheese.

There aren’t many original Japanese confectionaries (or wagashi shops) left in California. So, what are the odds that we have one here in Sacramento?

Very good, actually. Those meandering downtown in search of something sweetly interesting should stop into Osaka-Ya, where they’ll find a colorful selection of mochi (small, sweet cakes made out of glutinous, rice flour), daifuku (mochi dumplings filled with sweet, bean paste) and manju (filled, steamed cakes).

Osaka-Ya’s been making fresh mochi treats ($1.50) since 1963, and their flavored snow cones are also a neighborhood favorite. 2215 10th Street, osakaya-wagashi.com. —sTephanie sTiaveTTi

photo by Stephanie Stiavetti

Mas margaritas, por favor

by STephanie STiaveTTi

Mas Taco Bar

1800 15th Street, Suite D; (916) 706-1330 Good for: Strong drinks, hearty bites Notable dishes: Shrimp Ceviche, braised Short rib bowl

$$$

Mexican, Midtown

Midtown’s R Street Corridor is known for its hipsterific bars and restaurants, catering to the young and hungry generation who have developed an adventurous palate and a penchant for eating out. There’s a formula restaurateurs can follow to create a millennial hit: global flavors, small plates, an outdoor patio, and a diverse alcohol and craft beer menu.

Mas Taco Bar has it all. Its bright and airy space sports a fantastically colorful bar, complete with eclectic hanging lights and accompanying brightly colored wiring.

There’s a decent beer selection with a handful on tap that includes a few locals. The remainder are a mix of artisan and mainstream varieties in cans or bottles. The cocktails are strong and well-crafted, though many of them lean sweet— some to an overwhelming degree. My Horchata-Colada ($11) was sweet but still passable within the context of the drink. The Watermelon Basil Margarita ($10, $8 during happy hour) was perfect on a 104-degree afternoon, but the pink-sugar rim sent it into gag-worthy sweetness. Margaritalovers in a group (or singles wanting to get seriously f’ed up) can order 32-ounce goblets called the Margaritas Gigantes ($23-$26), guaranteed to have you stumbling down R Street in a joyful summer stupor.

The food menu at Mas Taco Bar offers a solid selection of tasty dishes, with a few confused misses. The Braised Short Rib Bowl ($8.75) was surprisingly healthy and deeply satisfying with tender, slow-braised ancho short 22 | SN&R | 08.30.18

ribs nestled in a bed of brown rice and topped with pickled onions, chopped bell peppers and a dusting of cotija cheese.

The Shrimp Ceviche ($10, $5 during happy hour) was soul-quenching on a hot summer day with cooked shrimp, avocado, tomato, cucumbers, onion and a generous splash of lime.

The Americanized street-style tacos were hit or miss.

I enjoyed the Pork Belly ($3.75), Butternut Squash ($3), and Drunken Chicken ($3), but I was underwhelmed by the Chicken Chorizo y Papas ($3.75), Beer Batter Fish ($3.75) and Bahn Mi Shrimp in a steamed bun ($3.75). The pricing was surprising, given how light some tacos were on filling.

The chips and guacamole ($8) saved the tacos I wasn’t stoked on because everything improves tenfold when smothered with a heaping tablespoon of freshly made guac.

A few other items on the menu seemed … confused. The Mas Fries ($10, $5 during happy hour) are a favorite starter, but it’s an awkward construction of french fries covered with marinated steak, cilantro crème, onions guacamole and roasted red peppers. It tasted good, but the fries made me want to eat it with my hands, while the chunks of steak languished at the bottom of the bowl because, well, how are you supposed to pick up steak with a french fry? Tortilla chips would have made the dish a lot easier. The Black Bean Stew ($6) was equally awkward—literally a bowl of spiced black beans that you’re supposed to eat with a spoon—it also cried out for chips, which is how I ate it.

With its prime location, good flavor and strong drinks, Mas Taco Bar makes for a joyful R Street experience. It’s a win for anyone looking to consume mass amounts of food and liquor, especially during happy hour (weekdays 3 p.m.6 p.m.) when the most popular menu items reduce in price substantially. Ω

Plant-based pick-me-up Chunky Monkey, badfish Coffee & Tea You’re hungry. You’re tired. You’re in Orangevale. If you’re on the verge of an all-out crash, visit the new Badfish Coffee & Tea for a pastry and a cup of local Chocolate Fish Coffee. Better yet, try the Chunky Monkey smoothie ($7), a perfect blend of chocolate, banana, peanut butter, maca root, and plant protein complete with a full shot of cold brew coffee (made in one of those ice-drip brewers that look like it came out of a mad scientist’s lab). It’s got everything you need: protein, potassium, carbs and caffeine. It’s also 100 percent vegan, so everyone can take full advantage. Savvy children of the ’90s will also appreciate the Sublime reference in the name. Tell me, are you a badfish, too? 9346 Greenback Lane, Suite 3; badfishcoffee.com. —sTephanie sTiaveTTi

The V WoRd

Save it for later Tomato season is the most delicious season. But the versatile red fruit won’t ripen on the vine forever. Luckily, the Hanna and Herbert Bauer Memorial Community Garden in Woodland is offering two free classes on preserving tomatoes to make home garden harvests and farmers’ market hauls last year-round. The first class on Wednesday, September 12 will cover the basic methods for canning tomatoes, sauce and salsa. The second class on Wednesday, September 19 is all about dehydration and freezing. Both classes, taught by University of California Cooperative Extension Master Food Preservers of Yolo and Solano Counties, are at 5:15 p.m.-6:30 p.m. in the garden at 137 N. Cottonwood Street in Woodland (behind the Yolo County Health & Human Services Agency Bauer Building), so dress and hydrate accordingly. Participants need to preregister at least one day before the class by contacting David Linebarger at (530) 666-8429 or David.linebarger@ yolocounty.org. Happy (longer) tomato season! —shoka

SO MUCH

illustration by mark stivers

FLAVOR

dRiNk

Toast of the town A guide through Amador County wine country

by Laura Ness

Plymouth on Historic Highway 49 was originally a camp for quartz-mining during the gold rush. Now, its modern day pilgrims are wine tasters and fairgoers.

Plymouth also happens to be the seat of the Amador County Fairgrounds where fun wine events, like Four Fires in May, are held annually. Whether it’s a buttery chardonnay or fruit-forward barbera, wine varietals are aplenty in Plymouth. SN&R toasts to the end of summer with a guide to upcoming wine-tasting events complete with tips on where to eat and where to stay in beautiful Amador County.

Downtown Plymouth Sip & Stroll: Businesses along Historic Main Street will host the first in a series of Sip & Stroll events on Friday, September 14 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Live music will entertain wine-lovers from one end of town to the other with plenty of opportunities for sips of wine and even beer tastings. Interactive and local art, street-bites and crafty vendors will also make appearances.

Barbera Festival: Wine aficionados should also check out the eighth annual Barbera Festival on September 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Plymouth’s Terra d’Oro Winery, where 60 producers of the deep-colored vino will pour alongside delicious fare from local chefs with live music and unique crafts to boot.

Amador Farmers’ Market: Every Thursday in September, downtown Plymouth comes alive for the Amador Farmers’ Market from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the McGee Park on Main Street. Locals and visitors alike

can shop for produce and crafts while wine-tasting and noshing on bites from friendly vendors.

Wine to savor: Prospect Cellars (9506 Main Street) is a family owned winery that’s really forging a new path in the region. For six generations, the Lubenko family has tended to rows of vineyards that produce zinfandel grapes among other varieties. Be sure to also try Prospect’s exemplary petite sirah and barbera.

Off the beaten trail: Wander over to Amador 360 (18590 Highway 49), a local tasting room for area boutique wineries that may not have a tasting room on-site. Here, wine enthusiasts will taste the bounty from Fiddletown Cellars, Fate Wines and Los Portales.

Try Iberian beauties like monastrell and tempranillo under the Los Portales label from the Borjon family.

Taste and stay: Wine goes best with a delicious dinner and the upscale fare at Taste restaurant (9402 Main Street), is a bastion of culinary excellence curated by owners Tracey and Mark Berkner. Taste is also the proud recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, a title given to restaurants that feature at least 90 selections. Feast on mushroom cigars, exquisitely prepared fish, masterful lamb and vegetarian options, accompanied by a wealth of wines by the glass. Mondays feature a three-course chef’s prix fixe dinner, and corkage is also waived at lunch on Fridays. At the end of the tour through Amador County, stay awhile longer. Spend the night next door at Rest (9372 Main Street). You’ll be glad you did.

The beds are divine. Ω

Hot pot

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Now playiNg

ReviewS

5

Bootycandy

Fall’s new beginnings

by Jeff Hudson

Anthony D’Juan directs an outstanding cast in this audacious, semiautobiographical play about growing up gay and black in America. It’s outrageously funny and likely to offend more than a few. Contains adult themes and sexual content, including nudity.

Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm. Through 9/8;

1 foul

$12-$22; Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd. (916) 960-3036, bigideatheatre. org. J.C.

5

that eerily parallels present

day. Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 5pm & 9pm, Sun 2pm, Tue 6:30pm, Wed 2pm & 6:30pm.

Through 9/9; $28-$47; Sofia

We’re Gonna Be Okay

A clever, compelling and often amusing production set in 1962 during the daunting days of the Cuban Missile Crisis that provides an intriguing look at a moment in history

Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts, 2700 Capitol Ave.; bstreettheatre.org. P.R.

short reviews by Jim carnes and Patti roberts.

2

3

4

fair

gooD

Well-DoNe

5 suBliMe– DoN’t Miss

Photo courtesy of the harris ceNter for the arts

Capital stage has big things in store for their audiences this year. Big things. for information and tickets, check out capstage.org or call (916) 995-5464. capital stage is located at 2215 J street in sacramento.

Capital Stage just launched its new 2018-19 season.

The season is titled “#SearchingForAmerica,” and features recent plays focusing on contemporary issues by “American and hyphenated-American playwrights,” according to producing director Michael Stevenson. Stevenson describes the plays he’s picked for the coming season (all Sacramento premieres) as “a theatrical road trip in search of who we are and where we are going.” It aims to explore the questions, “Do we still share the same culture? Is there common ground we can find?”

Here’s a quick overview of what’s on offer: August 29-September 30. The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe. This dramatic comedy (a 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist) depicts a girls indoor soccer team discussing everything under the skylights as they warm up before their game each week.

October 17-November 17. Sweat by Lynn Nottage. Set in a Rust Belt town, a diverse group of factory workers shares drinks, secrets and laughs.

But layoffs, picket lines and impending poverty begin to divide the group, leading to tense conversations. This script won Nottage her second Pulitzer Prize in 2017.

November 28-December 30. Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. A revival of Cap Stage’s popular holiday show from last season. The story features characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, in a sort-of sequel to that famous English novel from the early 1800s.

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Photo courtesy of caPital stage

January 23-February 24. Slowgirl by Greg Pierce. A quiet, two-character drama about a reclusive former lawyer living in the Costa Rican jungle who gets an unexpected visit from a 17-year-old niece he barely knows. They find they’re both getting over upsetting episodes in their lives.

March 13-April 14. Vietgone by Qui Nguyen.

A raucous, sometimes racy comedy set in 1975, featuring recently arrived refugees who survived the fall of Saigon, adjusting (with some difficulty) to life in America. The plot follows them through scenes in an Arkansas refugee center and an unlikely road trip on a motorcycle. It’s based loosely on the lives of the playwright’s parents.

May 1-June 2. The Other Place, by Sharr White. A successful neurologist in her 50s confronts dilemmas including aging, a cheating husband seeking divorce and the onset of an illness whose nature eludes her grasp … all seen through the central character’s eyes. This drama with a bit of scientific subtext enjoyed a successful Broadway run.

June 19-July 21. The Roommate by Jen Silverman. A comedy with a dark edge, this play explores the lives of two middle-aged women—they meet after a divorce, and the former wife finds she needs a roommate.

Surprises send the story in unexpected directions, as the play explores how midlife attempts to reroute one’s life can go awry. Ω

Celebrate the life and music of Whitney Houston.

Remembering Whitney When certain singers pass on, there’s a worldwide recognition of how many of their songs have become soundtracks to our lives and times. We just experienced that with Aretha Franklin, as tributes showcased so many of her tunes familiar to the general public as well as her ardent fans. Whitney Houston is in this category as well, and this week the Harris Center for the Arts is presenting The Greatest Love of All: A Tribute to Whitney Houston, starring Belinda Davids, a well-celebrated singer who does justice to Houston’s legacy with the help of a live band, backup vocalists and dancers. Among the hits will be “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “Greatest Love of All,” “How Will I Know,” “One Moment in Time” and “I Have Nothing.” Tue 7:30pm and Wed 7:30pm; $28-$68; Harris Center for the Arts, Folsom Lake College, 10 College Parkway in Folsom; (916) 608-6888; harriscenter.net

—Patti RobeRts

fiLm CLiPS

Idol curiosity

2

Alpha

Twenty thousand years ago, a teenage member of a hunter-gatherer tribe (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is grievously injured and left for dead. He not only survives but forms an uneasy alliance with a wolf (also wounded); in time, human and canine bond in the archetypal boy-and-his-dog story.

Give director Albert Hughes (who co-wrote with Daniele Sebastian Wiedenhaupt) an A for ambition, but a C for cornball achievement.

As a piece of prehistory, the movie is maybe a cut above One Million Years B.C., but with cheesier visual effects. Smit-McPhee and his co-star get upstaged by the Canadian and Icelandic scenery. The superfluous Native American dialogue comes with equally superfluous English subtitles—but at least the subtitles may keep the smart alecks in the audience from supplying their own sarcastic translations. J.L.

1

Juliet, Naked Rose Byrne and Chris O’Dowd may be dating, but both seem to only have eyes for the magnetic Ethan Hawke.

4

I really must get around to reading some Nick Hornby; people keep making delightful movies out of his books—High Fidelity, About a Boy, Fever Pitch, and now Juliet, Naked.

Rose Byrne plays Annie, curator of a small museum in a seaside English town. “I may look like a nice English lady in a sensible cardigan,” she tells us in voice-over, “but these days it’s a thin veneer, and it’s starting to crack.” The most seismic crack is caused by Duncan (Chris O’Dowd), her boyfriend of 15 years, and his obsession with Tucker Crowe, a once-influential 1990s American rocker who quit the music scene in the middle of a gig and hasn’t been heard from in 20 years. Since then, Crowe has dwindled to the focus of a loyal internet cult with Duncan as its high priest; from his basement shrine to the singer, Duncan spends his time online, swapping guesses with like-minded fanboys about what Crowe is up to these days and dissecting every detail of Crowe’s “seminal” album Juliet.

When a bootleg CD of acoustic demos for the album, called Juliet, Naked, turns up, Duncan and the others post ecstatic reviews, naturally.

But Annie posts her own take, calling it “a naked attempt to squeeze a few more quid out of a longdead career.” Duncan is affronted, but Crowe isn’t; he emails Annie: “Bingo. You nailed it. I couldn’t have explained it better myself.”

Is this really Crowe? It is. Cut to Pennsylvania, where Crowe (Ethan Hawke) is living in the garage of his ex-girlfriend’s and trying to be a good father to his 6-year-old son Jackson (Azhy Robertson).

Jackson is his last chance for parenthood; he has

by DaNiEL BaRNES & Jim LaNE

by Jim LaNE

j i m l @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

four other offspring he barely knows, by three other women. An email correspondence, bordering on flirtation, springs up between Tucker and Annie, two people whose lives, for different reasons, have not gone the way they liked.

When Duncan has an affair with a colleague, Ros (Lily Brazier), it’s all Annie needs to kick him out of the house. Meanwhile, Tucker’s daughter Lizzie (Ayoola Smart), who happens to live in London, has a baby. New-grandpa Tucker and Jackson fly to London for the occasion, and Tucker suggests that he and Annie meet. But a heart attack upon arrival lands Tucker in hospital, leading to a horrifying family reunion as his bed is surrounded by bitter exes and children who are strangers, with Annie squirming on the sidelines.

Juliet, Naked has an amiable aimlessness that may keep it from landing a solid bullseye, perhaps because of the three-handed adaptation

by Evgenia Peretz, Jim Taylor and Tamara Jenkins. But director Jesse Peretz (Evgenia’s brother) smooths out the wrinkles, allowing the movie to draw a nervous, energetic charm from Byrne’s performance—she manages somehow to make Annie simultaneously humdrum and luminous—and the interplay among Byrne and her co-stars. O’Dowd especially shines, giving Duncan and his pathetic obsession a perverse dignity in the face of his idol’s scornful dismissal of it.

So what else has Hornby written? I can hardly wait. Ω

1 2 3 4 5 Poor

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excellent

A-X-L

A teenage motocross racer (Alex Neustaedter) bonds with a robot dog, an escapee from a government contractor that is developing canine weapons for the military.

As ridiculous as it sounds, that summary of this dim teen romance/sci-fi hybrid is more credible than the finished product. Writerdirector Oliver Daly expanded his script from a seven-minute short, but the added 93 minutes were too much for him. Didn’t anyone notice that the story made no sense, that it was just remnants of Short Circuit, E.T., WarGames and other better movies, strung together more or less at random? What did the movie’s 10 producers actually do? Despite the money and effort lavished on the CGI pooch, the only redeeming feature is some good racing footage in the opening scenes—about seven minutes’ worth, come to think of it. J.L.

3

BlacKkKlansman

3

Crazy Rich Asians

3

Happytime Murders

In the late 1970s, the first AfricanAmerican police detective in Colorado Springs, Colo. (John David Washington) goes undercover to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan, with a white colleague (Adam Driver) stepping in for face-to-face meetings. Detective Ron Stallworth’s memoir is adapted by Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and director Spike Lee into an alternately harrowing and hilarious melodrama that often cleverly mimics the style of “blaxploitation” movies from the era when it takes place. It’s entertaining and angrily thought-provoking, with Lee at the top of his game—even if he can’t stay off the soapbox and piles on too many endings. The closing scenes, tying the resurgent Klan to the Charlottesville riots and Donald Trump, may be what helped the picture win the Grand Prix at Cannes. J.L.

A Chinese American college professor (Constance Wu) flies to Singapore with her boyfriend (Henry Golding) to meet his family, little suspecting how wealthy he is—or what a severe examination she’s in for at the hands of his “crazy rich” relatives. Director Jon M. Chu and writers Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim adapt Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novel into an engaging, eye-filling tour of Singapore’s upper crust. Chu’s career has been a tad uneven in the past, but he shows a sure hand here, drawing fine performance from a large ensemble—especially Wu, Golding, Awkwafina (as Wu’s college chum) and Michelle Yeoh (Oscar-worthy as Golding’s imperious mother).

The movie falters with a trite, groan-inducing ending that would sink most movies, but a reservoir of goodwill gets us over that late bump in the road. J.L.

murders of the stars of a 1980s kiddie show, uneasily reunited with the cop (Melissa McCarthy) who was his partner before he was kicked off the force. The premise may sound like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but don’t bring the kids to this raunchy, doggedly profane spoof of film noir. Director Brian Henson seems determined to shake off the shadow of his late father Jim by going hard-R adultsonly, aided by Todd Berger’s cleverly derivative script. The puppet work is brilliant, the jokes (however tasteless) are often funny, and McCarthy and Barretta have a strong chemistry. Maya Rudolph all but steals the show as Barretta’s faithful gal Friday. J.L.

3

McQueen

2

Mile 22

3

Puzzle

Ian Bonhôte directs this serviceable documentary about British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, a boundarypushing artist and provocateur who committed suicide in 2010, one day before his mother’s funeral. McQueen mostly takes a straightforward approach in documenting McQueen’s short life (he was only 40 years old when he died), using archival footage and recruiting his former friends and collaborators to paint a mostly spotless portrait of an extremely complex person. Born in London as Lee Alexander McQueen, he quickly ascended to the top of the fashion world, starting his own label in his early 20s, taking over Givenchy and gaining notoriety for his singular designs and shock-heavy theatricality.

Bonhôte structures the film around a handful of keystone runway shows, including the infamous “Highland Rape” collection, while also waving away any criticism of McQueen. While entertaining enough, McQueen feels more like an attempt to protect the estate than to understand the man. D.B.

The leader of an elite strike team (Mark Wahlberg) is assigned to get an “asset”—a police officer with sensitive information (Iko Uwais)—out of an unnamed Asian country. Written by Lea Carpenter and Graham Roland and directed by Peter Berg with his usual loutish flailing, the movie consists of scenes of indigestible exposition inserted at intervals into a numbing series of high-bodycount shootouts covering several square miles of urban territory and room-wrecking battles of martial arts (the laconic Uwais is dizzyingly good at the latter). The result is a low-class Mission: Impossible wannabe, brutally effective in its way (with “brutal” being the operative word), and culminating—spoiler alert!—in a complete bummer of an ending, with the good guys completely fooled and the bad guys triumphant. J.L.

As a producer, Marc Turtletaub has been cranking out one drippy and formulaic indie film after another since 2004, but the jumbled Puzzle is only his second stint in the director’s chair. Like so many drippy and formulaic indie films before it, Puzzle centers on a repressed and depressed person and their quirky obsession, and most of the movie’s pieces feel like they were borrowed from other boxes. Only a couple of likable actors keep the film from completely falling apart. Kelly Macdonald stars as the repressed and depressed Agnes, a sheltered Catholic housewife with a clueless husband and two growing sons ready to leave the nest. Ever since her debut role in Trainspotting, Macdonald has always been a welcome onscreen presence, and Puzzle offers the actress maybe her meatiest movie role yet. She finds the honesty amongst the inauthenticity of the script, even when her Scottish accent peeks out. D.B.

In an L.A., where puppets live side-byside with humans (albeit as despised second-class citizens), a puppet private eye (performed by Bill Barretta) investigates the

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Peace, love and punk The Swingin’ Utters return with a brand new record and new-ish lineup

by Kate Gonzales

I was a junior in high school when I felt let in on a punk rock secret.

The song was “Smoke Like A Girl,” about people who “measure the width of the world before jumping into it.” In a show of true teenage friendship, the coolest girl I knew—who would ditch school in her van held together with shoelaces and luck— included the song on a mix tape. She had hand-scribbled titles onto a DIY J-card from bands I’d never heard: “Don’t Eat Stuff Off the Sidewalk” by The Cramps, Descendents’ “Clean Sheets.” A couple songs into side A was the Swingin’ Utters.

Formed in the late 1980s, the Santa Cruz-born, San Francisco-raised band helped redefine punk when some had pronounced the genre dead. Their albums alternate from hard-and-fast punk tracks, to acoustic ballads to Oi!-style chant-alongs. The vocals of its two founding members—Johnny “Peebucks” Bonnel’s in-your-face yell and Darius Koski’s often gentler, sometimes raspy voice—are an enduring staple.

“As long as we can make cohesive records and songs and it all kind of blends together, then we’re good,” said vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Koski.

The band’s newest album, Peace and Love, comes out August 31. In three decades of playing together and in side projects, of taking a break and a few lineup changes, Koski said they’ve never felt pressure to find or maintain a certain sound.

Koski was 19 when the Utters formed. A classically trained musician, he picked up a guitar around 15 with an appreciation for all kinds of music.

“Every genre’s got something that’s worth listening to,” he said. The original members approached music similarly. “We

Photo courtesy of AlAn snodgrAss

Hey, there’s plrenty of room for anarchy and good times, apparently.

all listened to such a crazy array of music that we all just kind of bonded on it.”

Punk anchored their sound.

In 1995, The Streets of San Francisco earned the band “Best Debut Album” from the Bay Area Music Awards and landed them a spot on the inaugural Vans Warped Tour. They were touring a ton, and Koski said that’s when they drew their largest crowds.

“Those are some of my best memories of us touring as the band,” Koski said.

“We’d drive all night, sleep in whatever parking lot the show was in basically. … I don’t think we’d be able to do something like that now, but when you’re in your 20s, it’s just super fun.”

A wannabe novelist in a past life, Koski said he’s found the less effort he puts into writing, the better.

“Usually stuff that comes really quickly to me are the better lyrics,” he said. “When I start working on them, for me, they get shitty.”

The peppering in of their heartfelt stuff—slower acoustic songs, with violin and accordion sometimes layered in—sets the Utters apart in the punk genre. Koski writes many of the band’s songs (Bonnel and guitarist Jack Dalrymple also write) and for years the band was his outlet for more sentimental songs like “My Glass House.”

“I know there are people who skip over that stuff,” he said. “We’re not just a bunch of macho punk dudes. … At this point, I hope that’s something people like about our band.”

Koski released his first solo album in 2015, and he and Bonnel started the side project, Filthy Thieving Bastards, in 2000.

Peace and Love is the first album with the Utters’ newest members, drummer Luke Ray and bassist Tony Teixeira. Koski said the styles and talents of the newest members will continue to reshape the band’s sound.

“We’ve been lucky, as far as personalities and musicianship goes,” he said. “We’ve had to adapt but it’s been fun. … I just want every record to sound different.” Ω swingin’ utters will play at harlow’s on Wednesday, september 5. Kevin seconds, Bastards of young and Mob rule open. tickets are $16. show starts at 8 p.m. for more info, visit harlows.com.

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for the week of august 30

by maxfield morris

POst eveNts ONliNe FOr Free at newsreview.com/sacramento

MUSIC THURSDaY, 8/30 BaNJO BONes: With great alliteration comes great responsibility. Hear the Americana music of the double B. 8:30pm, no cover. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

snr c a le nd a r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

Online listings will be considered for print. Print listings are edited for space and accuracy. Deadline for print listings is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Deadline for NightLife listings is midnight Sunday.

Send photos and reference materials to calendar editor Maxfield Morris at snrcalendar@newsreview.com.

TUESDaY, 9/4 the Greatest lOve OF all: Belinda Davids takes the stage as the voice of Whitney Houston in this one-of-a-kind tribute show.

There’s another show on Wednesday, too.

In case you can’t make this one. Just so you know. 7:30pm, $38-$58. Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

GeMiNi sYNDrOMe: Want the sounds of Nickelback without all the social stigma?

Check out Gemini Syndrome, playing with Messer, Failure By Proxy, Paradise Drive and Amongst Thieves. 6:30pm, $14-$16. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

live ON the BOulevarD: Joy & Madness

FRIDaY, 8/31 10,000 MaNiaCs: The Maniacs are doing just fine without Natalie Merchant. They don’t need her, they’ve got 9,999 other maniacs to take over. 7:30pm, $33-$48. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

huBBY JeNKiNs: Jenkins, of the Carolina

Chalk-oholics

Chocolate Drops, shares his Southern roots and evident musical talent with the world, and everyone at this venue. 8pm, $18$22. Palms Playhouse, 13 Main St. in Winters.

Fremont Park, 10am, no cover Are you prepared for a weekend chockfull of chalk? For a chalk on the wild side?

Can you not only talk the Festivals chalk, but chalk the chalk, too? Good, because it’s time for Chalk it Up! Get ready to gawk at chalk on-lock—but not to mock or knock the chalk. The block’s sidewalks will be stocked with smocked

PHOTO COURTESY OF RObERT COUSE-bakER

0hr1u t 03

Chalk is a soft, porous rock that’s good for plastering sidewalks with art.

represent a “9 piece soul and funk explosion,” although the process for getting a spot at this concert seems complicated. 7pm, no cover. El Dorado Hills Town Center, 4364 Town Center Blvd. in El Dorado Hills.

JerrY lee leWis: Goodness gracious, the wait

chalk-jocks, along with local rockers, hamhock and broc’ hockers and a well-stocked stock of small-talk squawkers. Stop on by for the chalk catwalk/art bedrock that’s the peacock of summer chalk talks. Don’t be a chalk block—just jay-, sleep- or speedwalk to the 1600 Q-block at 10 o’clock.

16th and Q Streets, chalkitup.org.

for Lewis to come to town is over, and he’s joined by Crystal Gayle—a singer. 7pm, $42.95. Thunder Valley Casino, 1200 Athens Ave. in Lincoln.

KallY O’MallY: O’Mally, a local singersongwriter, is joined by the 8-Tracks and Gavin Canaan. 9pm, $5. Fox & Goose, 1001 R St.

riCO NastY: Join the #nastymob with the

nastiest rapper named Nasty. 6:30pm, $18-

$23. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

SaTURDaY, 9/1

tiCKet WiNDOW THE EaGLES Everybody likes the

Eagles, apparently. 9/18, 8pm, $95$225, on sale now. Golden 1 Center, ticketmaster.com.

RaSCaL FLaTTS The

Flatts are stopping by on their ambiguously titled Back to Us tour. 9/20, 7:30pm,

$33.75-$135, on sale now.

Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, livenation. com.

Don’t stop believing, Arnel.

JOsh’s heart BeNeFit CONCert: The third

Get a ticket that’s not for speeding—for once.

CITY OF TREES 2018 ODEZSA,

Bastille, CHVRCHES, Dirty Heads and the rest are all coming to the farm-to-fork capital. 9/22, 3pm, $42.50, on sale now. Papa Murphy’s Park, ticketmaster.com.

CHILDISH GaMbINO Donald Glover and Childish Gambino are the same person. It’s a Batman/Bruce Wayne type situation. 9/27, 7:30pm, $110-$240, on sale now. Oracle Arena in Oakland, ticketmaster.com.

JaSON aLDEaN Come and get

country, along with some by Luke Combs, Lauren Alaina and Dee Jay Silver. 9/27, 7:30pm, $39-$109, on sale now. Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, livenation. com.

RISE aGaINST Continue to unironically listen to the punk rock band, playing with

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AFI and Anti-Flag. 9/28, 7pm, $30.75-$65.25, on sale now. Concord Pavilion in Concord, ticketmaster.com.

CHIEF kEEF The Chicagoan rapper who retired in 2016 at the age of 21 is back at it. 10/3, 7pm, $25, on sale now. Ace of Spades, eventbrite.com.

JOURNEY This journey into the music

of Journey (get it?) also has Def Leppard along for the ride. 10/4, 7pm, $113-$200, on sale now. Golden 1 Center, ticketmaster. com.

ICE CUbE Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Too

Short, Warren G and Tha Dogg Pound join Cube for the How the West Was Won tour. 10/13, 5:30pm, $19.50-$115, on sale now.

Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, livenation.com

installment of the benefit for local people living with homelessness and addiction feature performances by Tim Williamson, Rachel Steele and more. 8pm, $10. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

FuNK Fest ‘18: With the Mighty O’Jays, the Ohio Players and more, this show might be too funky for even the most funky funk fan to handle. 5:30pm, $45.95-$159.95. Thunder Valley Casino, 1200 Athens Ave. in Lincoln.

SUNDaY, 9/2

FESTIVaLS FRIDaY, 8/31 COsMiC FaMilY GatheriNG: Hey, you! Yes, you, the child of the universe, how are you? Want to get together with a bunch of other cosmically minded free spirits at a free, three-day music festival with local artists like Ideateam, the Mindful, Jessica Malone and a whole lot more? Do you want pancakes and coffee in the morning, too? We both know the answer—because we’re connected spiritually, Todd! 5pm, no cover. Big Sexy Brewing Co., 5861 88th St. Suite 800.

DrY DiGGiNGs Festival: I guess there’s two three-day, camping reggae festivals in the area this week. Take your pick. This one offers SOJA, Rebelution, Protoje and it even boasts a Marley—Stephen. 8am, $45$950. El Dorado County Fair & Event Center, 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville.

saCaNiMe suMMer 2018: See event highlight on page 31 for the three-day convention. 4pm, $20-$50. Sacramento Convention Center, 1400 J St.

sONOWars: Are you ready to go absolutely buckwild at an ultrasound competition?

When it comes to friendly competition, do you mop the floor with people? Come on down for some fun games, trivia and experience with incredible equipment. It’s Sonowars, baby! 5pm, no cover. UC Davis School of Medicine, 4610 X St.

SaTURDaY, 9/1 ChalK it uP: Please read the event highlight with the photo to the left. The festival runs through Monday. 10am, no cover. Fremont Park, 16th and Q Streets.

ONe lOve ONe heart reGGae Festival: See

the event highlight on page 29. 10am, $75$200. Yolo County Fairgrounds, 1250 E. Gum Ave in Woodland.

SUNDaY, 9/2 teJaNO CONJuNtO Festival: Hang out with some fellow tejano-heads and go a little wild with the music. Noon, $30. Cesar Chavez Plaza, 910 I St.

BliND MelON: Alt rock from the ’90s with

Joshua James. 8pm, $25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

lOst 80s: A Flock of Seagulls. Wang Chung.

Starship. Men Without Hats. These are the words that passed for band names in the 1980s, and the bands behind them are playing their music. 5:30pm, $42.95$149.95. Thunder Valley Casino Resort, 1200 Athens Avenue in Lincoln.

FOOD & DRINk FRIDaY, 8/31 laBOr DaY WeeKeND CraFt Beer CraWl: Have you heard the news? Old Sacramento is now known as the Old Sacramento Waterfront.

This is the first ever beer crawl held in the newly christened old town, so come try

Saturday, 9/1 and Sunday, 9/2

One Love, One Heart Reggae Festival Yolo CountY Fairgrounds, 10am, $75-$200

Listen to reggae ‘til the cows come home—you won’t be there, though, because you’ll be at this Music two-day camping festival.

Things to bring: a tent, your love for the world, money, your sense of unity with all mankind. With more than 30 musical acts from all over the world, including Jah9, Raging Fyah, Anthony B and more, this is one for the books. Opt for a VIP package only if you really deserve it. 1250 Gum Avenue in Woodland, oneloveoneheartreggae.com.

drinks at eight different businesses. 6pm, $16. Old Sacramento, 1014 2nd St.

Saturday, 9/1 THE BEERs AND THE BEEs: Want to learn about honey in a taproom? If that sounds like a good pairing, wait until you try some honey samples alongside almonds and cheese. 12pm, no cover. Track 7 Brewing Co., 3747 W Pacific Ave. Suite F.

YOLO BREWFEsT: More than 35 breweries come together in one place to provide you with a beautiful ex-beer-ience. With all sorts of entertainment, food and beverages, the only question that remains is: What does “unlimited tastings” really mean? 4pm, $35-$45. Heritage Plaza, 701 Main St. in Woodland.

PHOtO COurtESy OF LEE aBEL

MOnday, 9/3 PRETTY iN PiNK: Relive the comedy, featuring such iconic film imagery as Duckie’s hairdo, that awful pink dress Molly Ringwald’s character made and a young James Spader as a really good villain! 7pm, $9. The Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive.

WEdnESday, 9/5 cHEcK OuT THE ViEW: Watch independent films and interact with the community in this artistic wing of Sac Activist School. 6pm, $5-$10. Sol Collective, 2574 21st St.

COMEdy B sTREET THEATRE: The Latest Show. Drop

MOnday, 9/3 LORD OF RicE: Who is the rice lord? The chef who can best wrangle rice and force it to conform to their culinary constraints? If you need to know the answer, buy a ticket and participate in the wonder of crowning the Lord of Rice. 2pm, $50. Mulvaney’s B&L, 1215 19th St.

FILM tHurSday, 8/30 HAND ROLLED, A FiLM ABOuT ciGARs: High rollers and low rollers alike are welcome to come to this documentary about cigars.

Of course, though, there is an exclusive VIP afterparty with cigars and drinks and a discussion with the directors. 7pm, $20-$100. The Tower Theatre, 2508 Land Park Drive.

Saturday, 9/1 sOuND OF Music siNG-A-LONG: Feed your hopeless dream of being a Broadway star by singing along with Julie Andrews and the rest in the classic film with Rodgers and Hammerstein songs. To reiterate, you will never, ever be a star. 7:30pm, $14.25$19. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

sPiRiTs DAWN: This Hmong anthology film features five short works by different directors, all tied into one film. It’s a project years in the making. 6pm, $12. Colonial Theatre, 3522 Stockton Blvd.

in on a Sacramento-specific late night talk show. Your hosts Mike Cella and DJ Spacewalker will run down the city’s happenings in this unusual take on the usual TV format. Thursday 8/30, 8pm. $12. 2700 Capitol Ave.

LAuGHs uNLiMiTED cOMEDY cLuB: Saul Trujillo.

Trujillo joins the ranks of other guests, like Frankie Marcos, Connor Martin and Marcus Peverill. Want to get a sense of their comedy? Search them on YouTube, and don’t go if you don’t like them. Thursday, 8/30, 8pm. $10. 1207 Front St.

PuNcH LiNE: Phil Hanley. Hanley is a good deadpan comedian with a clever take on a lot of things. There’s plenty of mediocre comedy acts out there, but this looks like it won’t be one. Through 9/2. $17.50. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.

sAcRAMENTO cOMEDY sPOT: Short Cuts. An improv comedy show. It could be about anything—yes, even how to file your taxes as an independent contractor who recently got divorced and lost two dependents. Friday 8/31, 8pm. LGBTQ Comedy Night. It’s a night of LGBTQ comedy with local and semi-local LGBTQ comedians. There’s Elisia Gonzales, Jason Anderson, Emma Haney and more. saturday 9/1, 6:30pm. $20. Cambridge Footlights International Tour. The British are coming! No, not to tax our tea or whatever the Revolutionary War was about, but to entertain us! Oh, how the tables have turned. This acclaimed comedy troupe with accents will put on a sketch show with some laughs and character comedy. Wednesday 9/5, 8pm. $15. 1050 20th St., Suite 130.

• More than 60 wineries from all over California • Gourmet food purveyors • Live music • Unique art and artisan crafts • Held at historic Terra d’Oro Winery, home of Montevina

cALENDAR LisTiNGs cONTiNuED ON PAGE 30

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see more events anD submit Your own at newsreview.coM/sacraMento/calendar

CaLenDar ListinGs ContinueD From PaGe 29

saCramento state: Don Friesen. The word “comedy” is defined by Webster’s College Dictionary as “any of various types of play or film with a more or less humorous treatment of characters with a more or less happy ending.” By that definition, this show will certainly be a comedy! thursday 8/30, 7:30pm. no cover. 6000 J St.

on staGe HiLL House museum: The Art of MURDER. It’s a whodunit mystery, but instead of dinner theater, it all takes place during an art class the audience is taking part in. Incredible.

Don’t miss this subversive take on the genre of murder mysteries, all taking place in the presence of artist Arthur Goldleaf. 6pm. through 8/31. $55-$100. 826 South Church St. in Lodi.

tHe GuiLD tHeater: Syni Champion’s Behold ... WOMAN! Syni Champion is putting on a one-woman show built around phrases like “truth tapestry,” “self-cultivation” and “heightened understanding of the Feminine.”

It just goes to show that if you believe in yourself enough, you can have a one-person show. Wait, how is it $35? Economies of scale, I guess. saturday 9/1, 7pm. $35$50. 2828 35th St.

tHeater one: Special Request. This play is about a dying man and the title special request he makes to a barista. Basically, it’s your everyday, average occurrence. They bond, go figure, and there is likely some sort of moral about friendship and leaving your mark. through 9/16. $13-$15. 2425 Sierra Blvd.

art b saKata Garo: Only Sin Is Perfect. Craig Martinez’s new sculptures will be on display all month, starting … right now. through 9/8. no cover. 923 20th St.

braZiLian Center: Open House at the Brazilian Center. With live painting and a huge variety of other performing arts, including numerous forms of dance and music, this evening will be a night to not forget. Instead, it will be one to remember. saturday 9/1, 5pm. no cover. 2420 N St.

CaLiFornia state CaPitoL: Waldorf Art Exhibit.

Kids these days—always attending Waldorf schools, creating art between first to eighth grades, then participating in an exhibit at the Capitol. Back in my day, kids played video games for hours and hours and we liked it. Anyway, go check out what the kids are making. through 8/31. no cover. 1315 10th St.

saCramento PoetrY Center: City of Trees Art Drop-Off. Do you have some tree-themed art you’d like to enter into a show? Or can you make some quickly? This is open to literally anyone, and no work will be turned away, so come with up to three works of art and your enthusiasm. noon 8/31 and 9/1. no cover. 1719 25th St.

saCramento state: Spring Delusions. Zahra Ammar, a local Pakistani artist, will exhibit her work that explores shadows and colors. through 9/20. no cover. 6000 J St.

tim CoLLom GaLLerY: 4 From China Guangzhou Style. Gong Yuebin, Leo Pan, Mingming Liang and Richard Yang all have art in this exhibit. through 8/30. no cover. 915 20th St.

MUseUMs sYLvan oaKs LibrarY: Wii Gaming for Kids. Our libraries clearly need more funding if they’re only providing kids with the original Wii game console. It came out in 2006. Anyway, drop in for some fun games mixed with some exercise, which is how the Wii was marketed in 2006, more than a decade ago. 3pm, no cover. Sylvan Oaks Library, 6700 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights.

CaLiFornia automobiLe museum: Drive-In Movie Night at the Museum. Stop by for the last night of drive-in fun. It’s Back to the Future, the film about a talking spine that traveled forward in time. I assume it’s about that anyway, based on the title. Bring a car or some chairs to soak in the glow of the screen. Friday 8/31, 7pm. $5-$20. 2200 Front St.

CaLiFornia state arCHives: Behind-theScenes Archives Tour. Imagine getting a tour of that government warehouse of secrets from Indiana Jones. This is like that, except it’s better organized and has more documents about California. There are millions of documents and an incredible wealth of information to see. See how the archival magic happens. thursday 8/30, 10am. no cover. 1020 O St.

Monday, 9/3

Free Day of Yoga Various locations and times, no coVer

If you contort for sport but don’t want to pay to splay, this is your day. Sacramento has plenty of venues with yoga on their menus—all minus the cash payout, as a favor for Labor sPorts anD outDoors Day. Studios like Solfire, Yoga Seed, Afro Yoga and the Sacramento Yoga Center are all participating, as well as lots of other locations. Visit the website to find a free class near you, or plan out a perfect route where you take classes all day, all across town.

Sacramentofreedayofyoga.com.

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PHoto coUrtesy oF riMa KrUciene

Friday, 8/31, Saturday 9/1 and Sunday 9/2

SacAnime Sacramento convention center and the Sheraton Grand, variouS timeS, $20-$50

Pick up a three-day, one-way ticket to SacAnime, a fantasy foray into cosplay and all things anime.

There’s an incredible amount of happenings, with panel talks on Yuri!!! On Ice, My Hero Academia, Winnie the Pooh and lots more, cosplay FeStivAlS contests and workshops that range PHOtO COurtESy OF SaCanimE everything from fighting with foam, to being a good Dungeons & Dragons player, to developing makeup art skills, to 3D printing. If anime is your cup of tea, this is just about the biggest mug you could possibly find. 1400 J Street and 1230 J Street, sacanime.com.

BOOKS Sunday, 9/2 liteRARY teA: Jane Rylon writes erotic romance novels that often have buff, shirtless folks on the cover. If that’s your cup of tea, or if you’ve always wondered who on earth writes those types of novels, come to this event that’s also paired with tea tastings. 12pm, $40. Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St.

SPOrtS & OutdOOrS Friday, 8/31 CRUSH CURliNG COMPetitiON: Curling is the most exciting activity on ice you can watch, excluding Disney on Ice, ice hole fishing and those videos of cars sliding around on ice. This three-day event of the sport with the brooms and sliding is competitive and exciting, and it’s free to watch.

Compared to baseball, there’s a whole lot of action. 7am, no cover. Skatetown, 1009 Orlando Ave. in Roseville.

Saturday, 9/1 4tH GRADe BOYS lOS lOBOS tRYOUtS: Does your fourth grader have what it takes to join the wolfpack? Find out at the Los Lobos basketball tryouts. Bring water and a current AAU card, along with a competitive drive, if you’ve got one of those. 11am, no cover. St. Patrick Academy, 5945 Franklin Blvd.

mOnday, 9/3 FRee DAY OF YOGA: See the event highlight on page 30. various times, no cover. Various locations.

at the historical icon of the North Shore

The Tahoe BilTmore

Stay in our vintage style rooms and leave with memories full of fun Enjoy cutting edge gaming with over 200 slots for your enjoyment Share intimate dining experiences at Bilty’s or fill up on all you can eat Sunday brunch at Cafe Biltmore

LGBtQ

CROCKeR ARt MUSeUM: Reverberation. Live poetic performances take over the Crockseum. With Poet Laureate Emeritus Bob Stanley, Zia Torabi, Arturo Balderrama and more, it should be a night of poetry you will remember for as long as your memory allows. There’s also an open-mic for you to share your own poetry at the end of the night. No pressure. thursday 8/30, 6:30pm. $8-$10. 216 O St.

Stay & Play

Sunday, 9/2 2018 RAiNBOW FeStivAl StReet FAiR: The block party is going to be off the rails—but adjacent to them, because it’s on 20th Street. With Adore Delano from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Todrick Hall and Ada Vox from American Idol, Dev and more, this fair is going to be a blowout. Noon, $10. 2018 Rainbow Festival Street Fair, 20th & K Streets.

Your VaCation awaitS! 5 nV-28 Crystal Bay, nV 89402

800-245-8667

www.tahoebiltmore.com l webhost@tahoebiltmore.com

taKE aCtiOn tHurSday, 8/30 FRee iMMiGRAtiON CliNiC: This free legal clinic educates and assists with people applying for citizenship, status adjustment, asylum, visas and more. 5:45pm, no cover. CAIR Sacramento Valley, 1122 Del Paso Blvd.

CLaSSES Saturday, 9/1 SiP AND BUilD YOUR OWN BiRD HOUSe: Despite the dangling modifier, you will not be sipping your own birdhouse. Instead, you’ll build a birdhouse while sipping. There will also be snacks. 6pm, $60. La Vintage Pink Door Studio, 815 Sutter St. in Folsom.

tuESday, 9/4 DROP-iN FiGURe DRAWiNG StUDiO: Come for the provided materials and live models, stay for the basic instruction from a professional artist if you need it. 6pm, $10-$15. Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S St.

GNOCCHi WORKSHOP: If you’ve ever had gnocchi, you’ve probably wondered how it’s made. You’ve also probably wondered whether spiders could take over the planet.

This class will only address the gnocchi side of things, leaving you categorically uninformed about the spider uprising.

But hey, at least you’ll know how to make gnocchi. 6pm, $28. Community Learning Center & Cooking School, 2820 R St.

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THURSDAY 8/30 Badlands

2003 k ST., (916) 448-8790

Poprockz 90s Night, 7pm, call for cover

BaR 101

1400 AlHAMbRA blvD., (916) 455-3400

SATURDAY 9/1

SUNDAY 9/2

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 9/3-9/5

Fierce Fridays, 7pm, call for cover

Spectacular Saturdays, 7pm, call for cover

B.P.M. & Sunday Funday Remixed, 4pm, call for cover

Karaoke Night, 9pm, T, call for cover; Trapicana, 10pm, W, call for cover Pint Night and Trivia, 6:30pm, M, no cover; Open-Mic, 7:30pm, W, no cover

Moodly Slough, 9:30pm, no cover

101 MAIN ST., ROSEvIllE, (916) 774-0505

Blue lamp

FRIDAY 8/31

Banjo Bones and According to Bazooka, 8pm, no cover

Josh’s Heart Benefit Concert with Tim Williamson and more, 8pm, $10

Fang, Billyclub and Westlords, 7pm, $12

The BoaRdwalk

Mushroomhead, Powerman 5000, the Browning and more, 6pm, T, $25

9426 GREENbAck lN., ORANGEvAlE, (916) 358-9116

CapiTol GaRaGe

1500 k ST., (916) 444-3633

CResT TheaTRe PHOTO cOURTESY OF MARIO kRISTIAN

Rico Nasty 6:30pm Friday, $18-$23 Harlow’s Hip-hop

1013 k ST., (916) 476-3356

Capitol Fridays, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Dinner and a Drag Show, 7:30pm, $5-$25 Capitol Cabaret, 7pm, $5-$25

Geeks Who Drink, 8:30pm, W, no cover

10,000 Maniacs, 7:30pm, $33-$48

Sound of Music Sing-A-Long, 7:30pm, $14.25-$19

Café Tacvba and the Marias, 7:30pm, $49-$89

Hot Tuna Electric and Steve Kimock, 7:30pm, T, $35-$95

Pool Party, 9pm, no cover

Every Damn Monday, 8pm, M, no cover; Noche Latina, 9pm, T, no cover

FaCes

Faces Karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

Absolut Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Sequin Saturday, 9:30pm, call for cover

FaTheR paddY’s iRish puBliC house

Ralph Gordon, 6pm, call for cover

One Eyed Reilly, 7pm, call for cover

According to Bazooka, 7pm, call for cover

Fox & Goose

James Parr, 8pm, no cover

Kally O’Mally & the 8-Tracks and Gavin Canaan, 9pm, $5

Adam Varona, 9pm, $5

Open-Mic Night, 7:30pm, M, no cover

The Cold Mountain, 7:30pm, no cover

John Gurney and Taylor Phillips, 7:30pm, W, $5

2000 k ST., (916) 448-7798 435 MAIN ST., WOODlAND, (530) 668-1044 1001 R ST., (916) 443-8825

GoldField TRadinG posT 1630 J ST., (916) 476-5076

halFTime BaR & GRill

Groove Thang Acoustic Trio, 9pm, call for cover

5681 lONETREE blvD., ROcklIN, (916) 626-3600

haRlow’s

2708 J ST., (916) 441-4693

Dread Mar I, 8pm, $35-$45

Rico Nasty, 6:30pm, $18-$23

Let’s Get Quizzical, 7pm, T, no cover; Paint Nite, 6:30pm, W, call for cover The Purple Ones, 9pm, $17-$20

Blind Melon and Joshua James, 7pm, $25

hideawaY BaR & GRill hiGhwaTeR

1910 Q ST., (916) 706-2465

Pets with Vasas 5pm Sunday, $5 Hideaway Bar & Grill Post punk

holY diVeR

Gemini Syndrome, Messer, Failure by Proxy and more, 6:30pm, $14-$16

kupRos

1217 21ST ST., (916) 440-0401

Live Music with Dylan Crawford, 8pm, call for cover

luna’s CaFe & JuiCe BaR

Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

1517 21ST ST.

1414 16TH ST., (916) 737-5770

momo saCRamenTo 2708 J ST., (916) 441-4693

Highwater Friday Nights with Joseph One, 10pm, $5

HOF Saturdays, 9pm, $5

Holy Diver’s Summer Jam with Chaos Mantra and more, 6:30pm, $10-$12

Bankrol Hayden, 7pm, $25

The Trivia Factory, 7pm, M, no cover; Geeks Who Drink, 6pm, T, no cover J.Sirus, Bugbee, Robbie & Blue and DJ Nap Time, 7pm, $15

Weirdoze, Austie A, Igwe Aka, Vonnie and more, 7:30pm, W, $15

Kupros Quiz, 7:30pm, no cover

Open Mic, 8pm, T, no cover; Ross Hammond, 7:30 pm, W, no cover Creative Music and Jazz, 7:30pm, M, $10; Open-Mic Comedy, 8pm, T, no cover

Flight Mongoose and Gone to Sofia, 6pm, $10-$12

Blues & Bourbon with Ray “Catfish” Copeland Band, 5:30pm, W, $8

Rewind 80s and 90s Party, 10pm, $5-$10

live MuSic aug 31

MOODLY SLOUGH

Sept 1 TBA

SePt 7

ADAM VARONA

SePt 8

FOREST BEUTEL

SePt 14 BRYAN JAMES

SePt 15

THE BONGO FURYS

SePt 21

DYLAN CRAWFORD

SePt 22

SAMANTHA SHARPIE

SePt 28

WESTERN SPIES & THE KOSMONAUT

SePt 29

MERRY MAC BAND

101 Main Street, roSeville 916-774-0505 · LUNCH/DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK FRI & SAT 9:30PM - CLOSE 21+

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Swingin’ Utters, Kevin Seconds and more, 7pm, W, $16

Pets, Vasas, Sun Valley Gun Club and more, 5pm, $5

2565 FRANklIN blvD., (916) 455-1331

PHOTO cOURTESY OF PETS

At the Heart of the World and Wretched Fuck, 8pm, M, $8

/BAR101ROSEVILLE

Submit your caLendar LiStinGS for free at newSreview.com/Sacramento/caLendar Old IrOnsIdes

1901 10TH sT., (916) 442-3504

On THe Y

670 fulTOn ave., (916) 487-3731

THursDay 8/30

friDay 8/31

saTurDay 9/1

Thief and Piggy Black, 7:30pm, $7

The Walking Dead, 8:30pm, $5

Lipstick, 9pm, $5

Open-Mic Comedy/Karaoke, 8pm, no cover

Jonny Munoz Benefit with Bloody Roots, the Ellusive Furs and more, 7:30pm, $10

Palms PlaYHOuse

13 main sT., WinTers, (530) 795-1825

sunDay 9/2

mOnDay-WeDnesDay 9/3-9/5 Karaok “I”, 9pm, T, no cover

Open 8-Ball Pool Tournament 7:30pm, $5 Tuesday Night Karaoke, 9pm, T, no cover

Hubby Jenkins, 8pm, $22

Carolyn Sills Combo, 8pm, $18

PlacervIlle PublIc HOuse

Thinkin’ and Drinkin’, 6pm, no cover

The Golden Cadillacs, 8pm, $5

Cash Prophets, 8pm, $5

Blue Mountain Quartet, 3pm, call for cover

POwerHOuse Pub

Cliff Huey, 9:30pm, call for cover

Take Out, 10pm, call for cover

Popular Demand, 10pm, call for cover

Dallas Hodge, 7pm, call for cover

Live Band Karaoke, 8:30pm, T, call for cover; 98 Rock, 9pm, W, call for cover

Sunday Night Dance Party, 9pm, no cover

Tanukichan, Sea of Bees and Pregnant, 8pm, M, call for cover

414 main sT., Placerville, (530) 303-3792 614 suTTer sT., fOlsOm, (916) 355-8586

THe Press club

2030 P sT., (916) 444-7914

Horseneck, Coercion and Ghost Mesa, 8pm, call for cover

PHOTO cOurTesy Of silviO Tanaka

sHadY ladY

Tenor Explosion, 9pm, no cover

Zorelli, 9pm, no cover

sOcIal nIgHTclub

DJ Mez, 10pm, no cover before 11pm

Pete Alexander, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Sunday Funday, 10pm, no cover before 11pm

Hot Country Fridays, 7pm, $5-$10

Barb & Linda’s Birthday Bash, 7pm, $5

Sunday Funday, 8pm, no cover

West Coast Swing, 7:45pm, T, $5; College Wednesdays, 9pm, W, $5-$10

Rock Monsterz, 6pm, $6-$8

Gwen in Doubt & Steel Breeze, Daze on the Green and Unglued, 1pm, $8-$10

The Spazmatics, Sandy Knights and Whiskey Maiden, 2pm, $5-$9

Four Barrel, 2pm, M, $5-$8

Jerry Lee Lewis and Crystal Gayle, 7pm, $42.95-$82.95

Funk Fest: the O’Jays, the Ohio Players and more, 5:30pm, $45.95-$72.95

Lost ’80s Live with A Flock of Seagulls and more, 5:30pm, $42.95-$64.95

Alastair Greene, 9pm, $10

Nickel Slots, 9pm, $10

You Front the Band, 8pm, no cover

Forest Buetel, 8pm, T, call for cover

Yoga at Yolo, 11am, no cover

Trivia with Geeks Who Drink, 6pm, T, no cover

1409 r sT., (916) 231-9121 1000 k sT., (916) 947-0434

sTOneY’s rOckIn rOdeO

1320 Del PasO BlvD., (916) 927-6023

Stoney’s Thursdays, 9pm, no cover

swabbIes On THe rIver

5871 GarDen HiGHWay, (916) 920-8088

THunder valleY casInO

1200 aTHens ave. in lincOln, (916) 408-7777

THe TOrcH club

904 15TH sT., (916) 443-2797

City of Trees, 9pm, $6

YOlO brewIng cO.

1520 Terminal sT., (916) 379-7585

Jerry Lee Lewis with Crystal Gayle 7pm Friday, $42.95-$82.95 Thunder Valley Casino Rock ’n’ roll

all ages, all the time cafe cOlOnIal

Zvd, Something Heartfelt, Hi Mom and more, 7pm, call for cover

Ratas En Zelo, Auxilio, Las Pulgas, Provoke and more, 8pm, call for cover

THe cOlOnY

Hatteras, Corsicana and Grayed Blue, 8pm, $7

Savage, Agricultural Development, Xtomhanx and more, 8pm, $7

Band of Coyotes and Fashionista Boyfriend, 8pm, $5-$8

Beat Bombastic and Dirty Rugs, 8pm, $8

3520 sTOckTOn BlvD., (916) 718-7055 3512 sTOckTOn BlvD., (916) 718-7055

sHIne

1400 e sT., (916) 551-1400

The Shine Jazz Jam, 8pm, no cover

THe sIlver Orange

922 57TH sT., (916) 228-4169

Fiore, Hard Knox, Last Titan, Hemispheres and more, 7pm, $10

Phono Pony, Josh Lippi & the Overtimers and Sunday School, 6pm, $5

PHOTO cOurTesy Of Blair emma

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For more cannabis news, deals & updates visit capitalcannabisguide.com

the circle of life See GoAtKiDD

At a quick glance—cannabis, alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks look the same.

canna-booze?

Photo by Ken Magri

The alcohol industry has a crush on cannabis, but should they start dating?

by Ken Magri

We are not at the threshold of cannabis-infused alcohol, yet. But the alcohol industry is wedging its way into the cannabis industry with strategies that are less about market dominance and more about surviving the future.

“An overwhelming share of consumers feel that marijuana is safer than alcohol,” says James Watson, senior beverages analyst at Rabobank. In 2016, pubmed.gov analyzed 39 studies on the effectiveness of cannabis as a substitute for alcohol. Sixteen of the studies recommended it. More recent research shows alcohol sales dropping in states where medical cannabis is legal, while 80 percent of Americans think cannabis has at least one benefit.

Watson pointed to research showing that women, seniors and affluent people are moving away from wine and replacing it with cannabis. To 36

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keep up, the alcohol industry wants to pivot towards pot.

Southern California’s Rebel Coast Winery makes an alcohol-free sauvignon blanc wine infused with 5 milligrams of cannabis per glass. Heineken-owned Lagunitas Brewing recently jumped into the market with Hi-Fi Hops, an “IPA-inspired” sparkling water infused with cannabis. In a collaboration with Absolute Extracts, Lagunitas created one version with THC, and another combining THC with CBDs. The Tinley Beverage Company sells nonalcoholic whiskey, rum and amaretto extracts infused with 10 milligrams of cannabis. Their margarita cocktail mimics the look and taste of real bottled margaritas, but with a cannabis edibles high.

Tinley is a Canadian company, and cannabis products cannot be transported

39

Pot fArMerS MArKetS See ASK 420

41

across state lines, so they are building a We asked a volunteer, a newcomer high-capacity bottling facility in Long to edibles, to consume a single Tinley Beach. At 20,000 square-feet, it will sativa margarita. He described the include a testing lab and distribution effect as “strong.” Taking two hours center for future expansion. to kick in, he called it a “rush of Last week, Constellation Brands, a thoughts and tangents and abstractions,” New York-based alcoholic beverages concluding that it was not relaxing. distributor, increased its ownership of “For some people it’s fun,” he said. “I Canada’s top cannabis grower, Canopy wish I was one of them.”

Growth, to 38 percent. According to Even at 10 milligrams per bottle, Watson, “distribution logistics possioverdoses are feasible enough that bilities and building relationships with Lagunitas and Hi-Fi Hops included an the emerging cannabis industry” were article on its website called, “How to important reasons for Constellation’s Survive Being Too Stoned.” $4 billion added investment. It sees “First and foremost, you’re not similarities in how cannabis and alcohol going to die,” it reads in bold type. will someday be transported.

“You’ll be pretty uncomfortable for a Molson Coors Canada partnered while, but you will not die.” with Canadian grower HEXO Without a close look at the labels, Corporation to create a joint partnercustomers could easily confuse the ship that will “explore the possibilities cannabis drink for a real margarita, of cannabis-infused drinks.” In a press or an alcohol-free mix, creating uninrelease, CEO Frederic Landtmeters tended consequences. When combined said, “Molson Coors Canada has a with alcohol, it could send users to an unique opportunity to participate in emergency room, or to their bedrooms, this exciting and rapidly expanding to ride out a wild journey until the consumer segment.” effects wear off.

It is already common for people to Last month, the California drink alcohol while smoking cannabis.

Department of Alcohol and Beverage So, is cannabis-infused alcohol a natural Control, or ABC, issued an emphatic next step? The short answer is memo reminding liquor no, because the effects on license holders that users are so different. cannabis and alcohol “An Inhaling pot in any conceivable creates an instant combination is illeoverwhelming high, so users know gal. Threatening share of consumers when to stop. But to pull liquor ingested THC licenses, the feel that marijuana is metabolizes over ABC also warned safer than alcohol.” one or two hours, restaurants and making it hard to bars not to include James Watson calculate a proper alcohol in any 420 senior beverages analyst, dose. That delay, and events.

Rabobank the hidden cannabis “I don’t think taste, make it more temptcannabis-infused alcohol ing to have another drink, will be a thing until governpossibly triggering an overdose. ment regulations get settled,” said “The most common reaction is anxiWatson. Citing a 2010 example of Four ety,” said Dr. Larry Bedard, Medical Loko, a caffeine-infused malt liquor Advisor to Cannakids, a Marin County that was quickly banned, Watson said medical cannabis manufacturer. Edible regulation would be such a nightmare overdose victims in several states have that he doubts canna-booze combination all reported to emergency medical drinks are even being imagined. Ω responders that they thought they were dying or already dead. “They’re actually having a panic attack,” says Bedard.

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Farm-to-toke Hey man. Are we gonna get farmers’ markets or what? Clubs are cool, but I like talking to the farmers and stuff, you know?

—Ivana Schmoke

Yeah, well I have some bad news: Assembly Bill 2641, which would have allowed sales at special events like farmers’ markets, has been held in committee. This means that a legal farmers’ market is not gonna happen until 2019 at the earliest. This is a drag. Folks get to visit wineries and meet the vintners or visit craft breweries to talk to the beer-makers. There is no reason for cannabis to hold to a higher (sorry) standard than booze. I would argue that refusing to regulate things like farmers’ markets, fancy, private cannabis-dinners and other small-scale cannabis events does nothing to eliminate the gray and black market.

You can still hit a few gray market, smoke session-style events happening all over the state. Just go to Instagram and look up #smokesesh and I’m sure you will find something. While cannabis is more legal than it has ever been, it is still over regulated almost to the point of prohibition in some areas. If California truly wants to maximize profits in the cannabis industry, it really needs to recognize how the culture is already set up. You would have thunk that the state has finally realized that prohibition never works, but they refuse to accept reality.

People are gonna have farmers’ markets and fancy tasting parties. The state might as well get in on it.

Five months ago, I was smoking with friends and I passed out. I had low blood sugar, but that was the only thing.

Ever since then, I can’t enjoy smoking cannabis.

I’ve tried, but every time I get a massive headache, I get pale and lightheaded.

Do you know any reason for these side effects?

—Indo crIn-SIStemm

Yeah. These things happen. Apparently, cannabis use can lower your blood sugar pretty quickly. All those symptoms are signs of low blood sugar.

According to the website for the seed bank Sensi Seeds, you shouldn’t smoke weed on an empty stomach. Sorry, all you wake-and-bakers. Clint Werner, the author of Marijuana: Gateway to Health, pointed out a study that says cannabis users tend to have lower blood glucose levels, in general. They aren’t sure why. Werner suggests that if you’re using cannabis medicinally, you should try a low-THC, high-CBD tincture. It sounds to me (and I am not a doctor) that your body is remembering the time you passed out and doesn’t want to relive the experience. I suggest you think about leaving weed alone for awhile. Ω

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@AskJoeyGarcia

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MedITATIOn Of THe Week “The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love,” said U.S. Vice President Hubert Humphrey. What kind of friend are you to you?

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. 1360; or email askjoey@newsreview.com.

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NOTICE TO CONSUMERS: The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 ensures that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use cannabis for medical purposes where medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of medical cannabis. Recommendations must come from an attending physician as defined in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug according to the federal Controlled Substances Act.Activity related to cannabis use is subject to federal prosecution, regardless of the protections provided by state law.

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I’m 13 years old and need help because my friend steals my other friends.

She never seems interested in the person I’m trying to be friends with until we start hanging out. Then my friend jumps into our conversations and compliments them a lot. The other person gets totally flattered and they hang out without me. Once I find someone new and start being friends, she ditches that person and does the same thing with my new friend. It’s happened like three times already. Is it me or is it weird?

It’s adolescence, actually. Teens often try on different personality traits, including competitiveness. Your friend wants to be you. Don’t worry, she can’t succeed. Only you can fill your shoes. Be grateful you see through her. If she is truly a friend, talk to her. Tell her what you have experienced, but don’t call it stealing. Don’t blame or shame her, either. Ask if she’s aware of the experience you’re talking about. If she insists that you’re the problem, she’s not a friend.

Neither are the people who ditched you to hang with her. Brainstorm a list of the qualities you want in a friend and write a new definition of friendship for the school year. Ω

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Whenever my sister-in-law and I are together with our kids, she complains that she is a bad parent. She does this after watching whatever I’m doing with my kids. I’m not uncomfortable about our different parenting styles. But if I do something with my kids that she doesn’t do, she starts slamming things around, and complaining about being a bad parent. I have never given her advice. The situations where she gets upset are as simple as the time I put my kids to bed or what I feed them for dinner. Being around her is emotionally exhausting. How do I improve our relationship?

Let her be who she is: scared but unwilling to change. Each time she says she is a bad parent, she affirms her fear. Most parents fail occasionally. It’s the price of being human. But your sister-in-law turned her fear into mantra. So when you put your kids to bed early, and she doesn’t, she splits those parenting choices into good versus bad.

Maybe she makes parenting decisions based on cues from her kids, rather than common sense. Or perhaps her parenting decisions are driven by a need to prove that she is never good enough, and never will be, at least not in her own mind.

Of course, you’re hard on yourself, too. When your sister-in-law engages in harsh self-judgment, you take it personally. Stop. You’re not doing anything wrong. Let her be a hot mess while you be you. The next time she says she’s a bad parent, respond: “That’s a difficult thought. Have you considered getting support from a psychotherapist?” Or say nothing. Give her space to have her tantrum. Responding empathetically to someone who has an addiction to drama motivates that person to create more drama in order to receive more empathic attention. Sometimes love means stepping back and trusting a person to find her way home to herself.

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08.30.18

FRee will aStRology

by James Raia

by ROb bRezsny

FoR tHe Week oF AuguSt 30, 2018 ARIES (March 21-April 19): In Alice’s Adventures

in Wonderland, our heroine encounters a talking caterpillar as he smokes a hookah on top of a tall mushroom. “Who are you?” he asks her. Alice is honest, “I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.”

She says this with uneasiness. In the last few hours, she has twice been shrunken down to a tiny size and twice grown as big as a giant. All these transformations have unnerved her. In contrast to Alice, I’m hoping you’ll have a positive attitude about your upcoming shifts and mutations, Aries. From what I can tell, your journey through the Season of Metamorphosis should be mostly fun and educational.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Juan Villarino has

hitchhiked over 2,350 times in 90 countries.

His free rides have carried him over 100,000 miles. He has kept detailed records, so he’s able to say with confidence that Iraq is the best place to catch a lift. Average wait time there is seven minutes. Jordan and Romania are good, too, with nine- and 12-minute waits, respectively. In telling you about his success, I don’t mean to suggest that now is a favorable time to hitchhike. But I do want you to know that the coming weeks will be prime time to solicit favors, garner gifts and make yourself available for metaphorical equivalents of free rides.

You’re extra magnetic and attractive. How could anyone could resist providing you with the blessings you need and deserve?

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): One of the big stories

of 2018 concerns your effort to escape from a star-crossed trick of fate—to fix a long-running tweak that has subtly undermined your lust for life. How successful will you be in this heroic quest? That will hinge in part on your faith in the new power you’ve been developing. Another factor that will determine the outcome is your ability to identify and gain access to a resource that is virtually magical even though it appears nondescript.

I bring this to your attention, Gemini, because I suspect that a key plot twist in this story will soon unfold.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Potential new allies are

seeking entrance to your domain. Existing allies aspire to be closer to you. I’m worried you may be a bit overwhelmed; that you might not exercise sufficient discrimination. I therefore urge you to ask yourself these questions about each candidate. 1. Does this person understand what it means to respect your boundaries? 2.

What are his or her motivations for wanting contact with you? 3. Do you truly value and need the gifts each person has to give you? 4.

Everyone in the world has a dark side. Can you intuit the nature of each person’s dark side? Is it tolerable? Is it interesting?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): While a young man, the

future Roman leader Julius Caesar was kidnapped by Sicilian pirates. They proposed a ransom of 620 kilograms of silver. Caesar was incensed at the small size of the ransom—he believed he was worth more—and demanded that his captors raise the sum to 1,550 kilograms. I’d love to see you unleash that kind of bravado in the coming weeks, Leo—preferably without getting yourself kidnapped. In my opinion, it’s crucial that you know how valuable you are, and make sure everyone else knows, as well.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Romanian philosopher Emil Cioran loved the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. “Without Bach, God would be a complete second-rate figure,” he testified, adding, “Bach’s music is the only argument proving the creation of the universe cannot be regarded as a complete failure.” I invite you to emulate Cioran’s passionate clarity, Virgo.

From an astrological perspective, now is an excellent time to identify people and things that consistently invigorate your excitement about your destiny. Maybe you have just one shining exemplar, like Cioran, or maybe you have more. Home in on the phenomena that in your mind embody the glory of creation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I foresee the withering of a hope or the disappearance of a prop or the loss of leverage. This ending may initially make you feel melancholy, but I bet it will ultimately prove beneficent—and maybe

lead you to resources that were previously unavailable. Here are rituals you could perform that may help you catalyze the specific kind of relief and release you need: 1.

Wander around a graveyard and sing songs you love. 2. Tie one end of a string around your ankle and the other end around an object that symbolizes an influence you want to banish from your life. Then cut the string and bury the object. 3. Say this ten times: “The end makes the beginning possible.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “If a man treats a life

artistically, his brain is his heart,” wrote Oscar Wilde. I’ll translate that into a more complete version: “If a person of any gender treats life artistically, their brain is their heart.” This truth will be especially applicable for you in the coming weeks. You’ll be wise to treat your life artistically. You’ll thrive by using your heart as your brain. So I advise you to wield your intelligence with love. Understand that your most incisive insights will come when you’re feeling empathy and seeking intimacy. As you crystallize clear visions about the future, make sure they are generously suffused with ideas about how you and your people can enhance your joie de vivre.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “My tastes

are simple,” testified Sagittarian politician Winston Churchill. “I am easily satisfied with the best.” I propose that we make that your motto for now. While it may not be a sound idea to demand only the finest of everything all the time, I think it will be wise for you to do so during the next three weeks. You will have a mandate to resist trifles and insist on excellence. Luckily, this should motivate you to raise your own standards and expect the very best from yourself.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Russian playwright

Anton Chekhov articulated a principle he felt was essential to telling a good story: If you say early in your tale that there’s a rifle hanging on the wall, that rifle must eventually be used. “If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there,” declared Chekhov. We might wish that real life unfolded with such clear dramatic purpose. To have our future so well-foreshadowed would make it easier to plan our actions. But that’s not often the case. Many elements pop up in our personal stories that ultimately serve no purpose. Except now, that is, for you Capricorns. I suspect that in the next six weeks, plot twists will be telegraphed in advance.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Would it be fun

to roast marshmallows on long sticks over scorching volcanic vents? I suppose. Would it be safe? No! Aside from the possibility that you could get burned, the sulfuric acid in the vapors would make the cooked marshmallows taste terrible, and might cause them to explode. So I advise you to refrain from adventures like that. On the other hand, I will love it if you cultivate a playful spirit as you contemplate serious decisions. I’m in favor of you keeping a blithe attitude as you navigate your way through tricky maneuvers.

I hope you’ll be jaunty in the midst of rumbling commotions.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): People will be

thinking about you more than usual, and with greater intensity. Allies and acquaintances will be revising their opinions and understandings about you, mostly in favorable ways, although not always. Loved ones and not-so-loved ones will also be reworking their images of you, coming to altered conclusions about what you mean to them and what your purpose is. Given these developments, I suggest that you be proactive about expressing your best intentions and displaying your finest attributes.

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 realastrology.com.

Running with letters With her broad smile and upbeat demeanor, Laura Castillo is happy to engage in conversation. But it takes a sustained effort to keep up with her. Depending on her route, Castillo has been called “Speedy” or other nicknames that reference her gait. She’s the running postal carrier of Sacramento, after all.

A former cross country runner at Highlands High School, Castillo, 55, says she prefers a fast-paced walk or casual run between the more than 600 daily delivery locations on her East Sacramento route for the U.S. Postal Service.

Her stride is deliberate. Her floppy hat is pulled low on her head.

There are usually at least a halfdozen rubber bands on her wrist.

Castillo recently took a breath to chat with SN&R about running on her route, customers and braving the elements.

How long have you been a postal carrier?

Six years. They were just asking at the time if anyone wanted to switch it around and go over to being a carrier. I worked inside [the post office] as a clerk for 27 years.

I started my career at Royal Oaks, and then I went to West Sacramento, and then I went to the airport for a few years. And then I transferred to Texas. I came back to Sacramento in 2014.

What do you like about working inside and working outside?

Inside, the work is easier. But it’s always the same, working the machines or sorting manually. Outside, you’re outside. You are with the elements. You know, it’s just different. I thoroughly enjoy it, except for the hail.

I don’t like the hail. But the customers make the day go easier.

Do you know, approximately, how many miles you cover daily?

Between 11 and 12 miles. It’s a full day, but I thoroughly enjoy what I do. It’s a challenge, and I like a challenge. I have, let’s say, 628, 629—no, 630 deliveries.

And there [are] no apartments, or maybe there are two clusters where there are nine or so boxes together.

But it’s all individual addresses. It’s all walking and running.

It sounds like a full day.

Yes, if I can get on the route by 8:30 or 9 [a.m.] on a day like today, I might be done by 4 p.m.

PHOTO BY JAMES RAIA

Why did you start to run between houses?

It’s just my personality … I’ve also had routes in Del Paso Heights and Land Park … [and] depending upon the area, it’s at least a brisk walk.

How long have you been a runner?

I’ve been a runner since I was 14, so it’s been 41 years. I ran cross-country at Highlands High School. But on the route, the mail is heavy, so I start with at least a brisk walk.

Since you’re on your feet all day, what kind of shoes do you wear?

For as long as I can remember, postal carriers always have had the possibility of problems with dogs. Have you ever had any bad experiences with dogs?

Yes. Just today. Two people were riding on their bicycles. Their dog wasn’t really leashed up. The dog saw me and came for me. But the owner called him, the dog hesitated and then went back.

The owner grabbed him by his collar.

But, yup, I have my spray, right in [my shoulder bag]. Ω

I have worn New Balance, but I wear Hoka One One.

When you get home, you must be really tired. Do you just want to put your feet up?

Once I get off work, yes, it’s time to relax.

But I also go for a run, usually two or three miles, every other day.

Do people on your route sometimes just want to vent?

Yes, they do. But all you can do is kill them with kindness. That’s it. That’s all you can do.

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