Thirty years ago, when we printed the first issue of Inside, I had no grand plan. I had an idea, a belief and the drive to create something that didn’t exist, a publication that celebrated the city neighborhood by neighborhood, story by story, in a way that felt authentic.

We started small and grew organically. Today we’re the largest circulation print publication in Northern California.

What I didn’t know was how this work would shape my life.

When people ask why I’m still committed to print, I think back to the time someone told me print would soon be obsolete. It was the mid-1990s. The internet was barely a toddler. Smartphones were a decade away. “Everything will be online,” they said. “Print is old news.”

The prediction felt shortsighted. Sacramento is a city of neighborhoods, relationships, families, parks, small businesses, porch conversations and traditions. To me, print was—and is—the ideal medium for capturing the city’s spirit.

Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts are creative ways to promote redevelopment in California without citywide tax increases or raids on municipal budgets. These special districts are popular in Sacramento.

From Aggie Square on Stockton Boulevard to the Downtown railyards and soccer stadium and a potential Capitol Mall campus for Sac State, the city has embraced special district financing schemes that were once the domain of redevelopment agencies.

Challenges with these plans can get messy. It will be years before their overall efficacy is known. But the idea is straight forward.

Exploring trails, learning about native species and cultures, getting up close and personal with animal ambassadors, my memories of Effie Yeaw Nature Center are tinged with golden light filtered through trees in a 77-acre riparian woodland.

Many locals don’t know this gem exists around the corner in Carmichael.

Let’s change that. As the center named for teacher and conversationist Effie Yeaw celebrates 50 years, now is the perfect opportunity to visit.

At Omakase Por Favor, chef and owner Jeana Marie Pecha and crew offer a Japanese inspired take on coastal Mexican cuisine fueled by local purveyors.

In Japanese, omakase means, “I leave it up to you.” In other words, trust the chef.
Pecha grew up in Roseville. A formative experience was a trip to Manzanillo, Mexico, to study with Chef Freddy Ahlert.

hu Mai, the new restaurant by Chef Billy Ngo, excites on every level. The space pops, the dishes wow. With casual dining and take-out dominating restaurant openings these days, this elegant spot stands out. 

Ngo is a force with three award-winning Japanese restaurants: KRU Contemporary, Kodaiko Ramen & Bar and Fish Face Poke Bar. Ngo’s lineage, however, is Vietnamese and Chinese. Chu Mai celebrates that lineage. It celebrates Ngo’s mother and the Asian American culinary experience.

Sitting down to write this, I struggled with ideas. I stared at the blinking cursor, feeling it mock me. I wracked my brain for something—anything—to hold onto.

Several half-formed ideas raced around my head, but grabbing one and putting it down into words was elusive. Feeling stuck, I got up, put on my coat, and took a walk around McKinley Park.

It was late afternoon. The light was fading, the wind blowing. By the time I returned a half-hour later, I had three coherent, almost finished essays floating in mind.