30 Years In Print

30 Years In Print

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.

Pandemic Reckoning

Pandemic Reckoning

Officials responded with extraordinary speed when the pandemic struck in 2020. Schools shut down. Businesses closed. Church services were banned.

The goal was to reduce viral transmission and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. People were dying, especially older ones.

Now studies show many of the measures designed to limit virus spread had serious negative outcomes for health, education and the economy.

In the years since 2020, much public framing has followed a familiar path: “We didn’t know what to do.” At the time, professional voices who advocated for less radical reactions were censored or defamed.

Perfect Partners

Perfect Partners

A unique partnership between Jesuit High School and the nonprofit Stanford Settlement Neighborhood Center takes place this month. It’s called Operation Cratchit.

For three days—Dec. 16–18—students deliver and unload truckloads of canned goods to help create holiday baskets. Residents sign up in advance to receive deliveries. Volunteers assemble the baskets.
The program is Stanford Settlement’s annual Christmas Basket and food-distribution project.
Jesuit students and families play a big role with campus collections of canned food and non-perishables. The donated items serve Stanford Settlement’s service area.

Helping Others (and Ourselves)

Helping Others (and Ourselves)

Look close at any neighborhood and you’ll see it. A neighbor delivers a meal to a friend recovering from surgery. A teenager rakes leaves for an elderly couple. Volunteers stack crates at the food bank or help with park cleanups.

We know these acts strengthen our community fabric. What’s new—and encouraging—is evidence that they strengthen our minds too.

A recent study by the University of Texas and University of Massachusetts in the journal Social Science & Medicine finds frequent helping—whether through volunteering or support to neighbors, friends or family—slows cognitive decline by as much as 20%.

Progress At Last

Progress At Last

Homelessness continues to escalate with 187,000 people living on California streets or in shelters in January 2024, a 55% surge since 2016.

Despite $24 billion spent from 2019 to 2023, the state accounts for 24% of U.S. homeless and 45% of unsheltered individuals, far exceeding its 11.6% population share.

Within this crisis sits Sacramento. Dangerous encampments, junk-filled streets, violence and public drug use are daily experiences for people living in desperation.

Urban Dreams

Urban Dreams

Midtown is alive with creativity and wonder with Midtown Association’s newest, most ambitious initiative yet, the Urban Dreams Art Experience.

The immersive art installation features 16 remarkable large-scale sculptures and art pieces. They transform rooftops, patios and public spaces into an open-air gallery.

Running through Sept. 14, the exhibition celebrates local talent with an eye toward whimsy and surprise. The project is monumental, with artworks ranging from 6 to 20 feet in height.