Urban Legend

Urban Legend

One of the many aspects I love about Sacramento is how, in the middle of urban and suburban sprawl, we have pockets of agriculture—acres that reflect our agrarian roots. In this beautiful place, we are reminded of the connection to fertile soil and ideal growing conditions on almost every block.

Otow Orchard in Granite Bay captures this convergence between a populous region and its steadfast agricultural lands. Minutes from Douglas Boulevard’s big box stores and shopping plazas rests an oasis of fruit trees tended by the Otow family since 1911.

Reduction Formula

Reduction Formula

You probably know the environmental three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Recycling is most familiar, but reducing has the biggest impact. Alex Aruj is determined to help Sacramentans learn how.

“I watched the documentary ‘The Story of Plastic’ and I was shocked and outraged at the environmental degradation going on through the lens of the plastic waste crisis,” says Aruj, a former Bay Area resident who moved to East Sacramento in 2020.

Carry On

Carry On

In June 2022, when Jen and Gary Sleppy announced they were closing The Shack, their beloved East Sacramento restaurant, it was a blow. The neighborhood hangout was a refuge for beer and burger lovers who considered the 90-year-old spot a home away from home.

Thankfully, an experienced restaurant and brewing group took over and continued the traditions of The Shack.

The view from Folsom Boulevard has always been humble. Holding down the corner at Folsom Boulevard and 52nd Street, the building began as a hot dog and root beer stand in 1932 and never changed much. The Sleppys took over in 2005. Combining their experience in hospitality and love of beer, they created one of the first specialty beer bars in town.

Legal Force

Legal Force

In an unprecedented move, District Attorney Thien Ho filed a lawsuit against the city of Sacramento citing lack of enforcement of laws related to homeless campsites.

I welcome this action. The policies and actions of Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the City Council have made Sacramento the most homeless-friendly city on the West Coast.

We are a place where homeless people believe they can live permanently on our streets. A place where individuals can pursue homeless lifestyles with impunity, ignoring laws, municipal codes and ordinances along the way.

Multi-Track Artist

Multi-Track Artist

When Marjorie Methven landed in town to earn a teaching credential and master’s degree at Sacramento State, she had no idea she was returning to her roots.

“While doing research for my master’s thesis on visual self-narrative, I started to look into my own genealogical history,” Methven says. “It turns out that my great-great grandfather settled in Antioch and my great uncles worked for the railyard (in Sacramento) in different capacities at the turn of the 20th century. I didn’t know that before I moved here. It was quite serendipitous.”

Before the research, Sacramento was just a place on the map to Methven, who grew up in Minnesota and went to college in Wisconsin.