If you’re looking for Jonathan Lum, check the soccer pitch.
As vice president of the Sacramento Soccer Alliance, Lum says he has “no specific duties” for the nonprofit that provides community-based competitive soccer to area youth.
No specific duties mean he really does everything.
On Jan. 26, 2023, James Takashiba woke in the early morning to a fire notification from his alarm company. His family’s restaurant, Hana Tsubaki, was burning.
The fire department was on scene and quickly subdued the fire, but not before the kitchen suffered major damage.
For many longtime residents, Hana Tsubaki, a Japanese restaurant in East Sacramento, had been there forever. The butterfly roof and red and black paint stood out on J Street almost unchanged since 1978.
But that’s too simple. To keep a restaurant open for nearly 50 years, an operator must push through adversity. The Takashibas pushed hard.
The Big Leafy too often transitions from blistering hot to chilly and wet, allowing minimal days of local autumn color. Our magnificent trees should not be denied the opportunity for extended applause and encore performances.
Eventually, the heat concedes, and Sacramento is blessed with orange and crimson leaves, but for how long?
Gardeners have an elevated appreciation of the city’s leaf canopy. Shade, beauty and finally wonderful composting material are welcome perks.
Daniel Owens has a theory. He says, “In every art form, there are envelope pushers and archivists. Both play very important roles. But it’s been very helpful for me to figure out which one I am.”
Throughout his career as a musician and teacher, Owens pushed. He was halfway through a degree in classical trombone performance at San Jose State when he realized he didn’t fit the classical world. He transitioned to jazz and salsa, composing and performing his own work.
His decision to study trombone was unconventional. Raised in a musical family and playing piano, in middle school he craved the community of a band. He switched from piano to trombone and “caught the bug,” joining every band possible.
A new public toilet in San Francisco made news with its first flush. The story wasn’t about plumbing. It was about adventures in bureaucracy.
Thanks to a bird’s nest of bids, permits, reviews and inspections, the toilet required two years and a budget of $1.7 million.
Authorities later said the price was closer to $200,000. But the point was made. Cities fumble simple, basic projects.
Sacramento has a simple, basic project that makes San Francisco look speedy—a bike path 108 years in the making.
This summer I flew to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, to sharpen 1,492 pencils. A long trip for such a chore.
But readers of this column know I’m involved with the Chispa Project, which outfits libraries for children in Honduras. My daughter Sara Brakhane directs the project.
Those sharpened pencils were needed for Pedro Nufio Elementary School, home of Chispa’s 88th Honduran library.
