Apr 30, 2025
No other local news outlet has covered the unsheltered crisis better than on our pages, a commitment we made in 2019. Sadly, most of the news has been grim if not hopeless.
But in recent months, we’ve seen changes that might turn the tide.
“Americans With No Address” is a new, compelling documentary on the national unsheltered crisis. I watched it on Amazon Prime and urge you to see it.
Produced by Robert Craig Films, the work dives deep into homelessness. The film was created from a three-week bus tour—starting in Sacramento—across 20 cities in 18 states. The filmmakers explore causes behind homelessness. And they find solutions.
Apr 28, 2025
When Jennifer Mata-Tayamen and Mar Tayamen married four years ago, both were widowed for many years. They had six children between them and a large home in Elk Grove.
But East Sac kept calling. “My daughters attended St. Francis High School, so I was in East Sac frequently transporting them to and from school and to the homes of their friends,” Jennifer says. “The sense of community was awesome and quite different than Elk Grove.”
After house hunting for several months, the couple closed last year on an unusual home on 46th Street. Built in 1970, it was the newest house on a stately street. The design is modern compared to the Tudors and Spanish styles that surround it.
Over time, previous owners upgraded and added Craftsman details. They also liked a color that didn’t agree with the Tayamens. “The house had a lot of yellow, which we decided to change right away,” Jennifer says.
Mar 28, 2025
Alison and Ryan De Anda purchased their Curtis Park home in January 2020, just before the pandemic.
“We are super glad we did it then because the housing market heated up in the coming months and we likely would have been priced out completely,” Ryan says.
The couple moved from San Francisco where they worked for Macy’s. Ryan grew up in West Sacramento, Alison in Oregon.
“We were priced out of the market in the Bay Area and wanted to be closer to Ryan’s large family,” Alison says. “Sacramento was the perfect place for us.”
Ryan works for the state as an IT project manager. Alison is a vision care retail buyer. She also buys and sells vintage items.
With its inventory of century-old homes, Curtis Park filled the couple’s wish list. “It had the charm of the older San Francisco neighborhoods we enjoyed. And we loved the eclectic architecture of the homes,” Ryan says.
Mar 28, 2025
Javier Plasencia is the new director of education at the Crocker Art Museum. He oversees eight programmers and educators in the planning and execution of more than 300 programs to serve about 35,000 people each year.
The job is a homecoming for Plasencia, who grew up in Pocket-Greenhaven. His experience includes work with the arts and design team at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York and Museum of Modern Art.
Most recently, he was program manager for the Museum Studies Master of Arts program at University of San Francisco. He recruited, advised and taught graduate students.
Mar 28, 2025
Dr. Scott Fishman could have retired last year. Instead, he opened a new door to continue his work in pain management.
Fishman became executive director of the UC Davis Office of Wellness Education. He’s the Jacquelyn S. Anderson endowed chair of wellness for the organization. He’s also a professor emeritus for UC Davis Health Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.
“Jacquelyn Anderson was a patient of mine who had cancer, and when she passed away, her husband Jim left us a gift of $5 million that founded this organization,” Fishman says.
Feb 28, 2025
Andy Harris was a pioneer house flipper. By 1988, he was on his third house. He bought them, made repairs and resold for profit.
But he knew the Curtis Park home was special. It was designed by Earl Barnett, the architect who conceived Memorial Auditorium, Sutter Club, Westminster Presbyterian Church and Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
It was no candidate for flipping.
