Mar 28, 2026
Here was a great deal for someone tired of paying rent in Land Park. New Benson and Sedar homes with atrium entries, double master suites and oak cabinetry, starting at $85,900. A 30-year mortgage fixed at 11.9%. That’s how banks got rich in 1982.
Say goodbye to landlords. Move 4 miles down Riverside Boulevard and own a piece of the dream. Welcome to Greenhaven Pocket.
I missed my chance. When I bought a house in Pocket in 1990—three bedrooms, two baths, built six years earlier by Winncrest—prices had skyrocketed. I paid $183,000. Soon after escrow closed, recession hit. The home instantly lost value.
Mar 28, 2026
Even vagrant musicians get pretentious when they plug in for more than one night. They declare any extended stay a “residency.”
Residencies are popular with entertainers who play Las Vegas. But as the Vegas A’s stumble into the second of three seasons at West Sacramento, nobody calls the interlude a residency.
I’ve heard “couch surfing” and “camping” to describe the A’s. But residency? When it comes to West Sac and the A’s, show biz pretensions can’t get to first base.
Major League Baseball sees the badlands between Oakland and Southern Nevada as a practical joke. In sports lore, old time baseball players were notorious pranksters. Just for laughs, they set shoes on fire. They called it a hot foot.
Mar 28, 2026
Pity the pedestrian, lowest creature on Sacramento’s evolutionary ladder. Cars are king. Bicycles come next. Then homeless people, who have more agency than a resident who wants to take a walk.
I learned this by accident, never thinking it was true until I realized there’s no other explanation.
Pedestrians need to face facts. The city has no love for us.
I made this discovery while researching a column last month about my friend who stands his ground when bicycles barrel toward him on city sidewalks.
Mar 28, 2026
Given the mayhem and dysfunction in Washington, congressional midterm elections take on extra significance.
In Sacramento County, the California 7th Congressional District finds incumbent Doris Matsui challenged by City Council Member Mai Vang. It’s the first time in 21 years Matsui meets a serious opponent.
I worked with both candidates during my time on City Council. The contrast between Matsui and Vang is stark. Voters get to choose between a dynastic, legendary figure in city politics or a relative newcomer from the Meadowview suburbs.
Feb 28, 2026
Maybe I was too harsh when I ridiculed the city for building a bicycle bridge across Interstate 5 with lousy concrete and misaligned rebar.
The bridge was a big screwup. But the city did right by residents when it told bridge contractors to jackhammer the new bridge and replace it with materials that meet spec and can stand for 75 years, as opposed to a decade or two.
The rebuilt bridge opened in December. This means the city managed to erect two bike bridges over I-5 and Riverside Boulevard in three years.
Feb 28, 2026
My friend has a habit that makes me proud to know him and fear for his safety. On the sidewalks of Midtown and Downtown, he stands his ground when a bicycle barrels toward him.
His courage should inspire all pedestrians. He earns dirty looks and obscenities from sidewalk cyclists, but so far no broken bones or concussions. He’s never been hit.
My friend doesn’t yell at sidewalk cyclists. He says, “Hey, this is a sidewalk.”
