Apr 30, 2025
On a clear morning at Goldbud Farms in Camino, after rains saturated the hilltop, we walked rows surrounded by peach, apple and pear trees. Branches bristled with rouge, white and faint pink blossoms.
Trees were building for summer’s fruit yield—a perfect balance of sugar, acid and soil.
Goldbud grows award-winning grapes and heirloom peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots. The farm also produces organic citrus, such as blood oranges, tango and owari satsuma mandarins. There are Meyer lemons and yuzus, pears and apples.
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.
Apr 28, 2025
Laini Golden always wanted to help people.
As a high school student in San Antonio, she joined every service club she could find. Her youth group helped blind people shop for groceries. She played with kids at orphanages.
“I knew I wanted to help people in the community,” Golden says. “I’ve always had this desire to try to connect on whatever level.”
Golden has given back for decades. As a licensed clinical social worker in Sacramento, she’s done therapy with children in schools, hospitals and outpatient facilities. Now she works with adults to help them reconnect with their inner voice.
Apr 28, 2025
Mark Twain fans know the tale about his obituary getting published while he was still alive, followed by Twain’s protest that “reports of my death were greatly exaggerated.” Accurate or not, the quote applies to Downtown.
When I wrote my first column for Inside in August 2019, the central city was on a roll. Golden 1 Center was only a few years old and getting high marks. Hotels and new housing were coming online. There were plans for riverfront development.
Energy and momentum Downtown were palpable. Everything was looking up. The headline an editor put on my debut column summed up the mood: “It’s finally our moment, Sacramento.”
A few months later, it all ground to a halt. The pandemic locked down much of California. With state employees working remotely, Downtown was deserted. Restaurants and small businesses failed by the day.
Mar 28, 2025
The last time Dr. Lou Vismara had an idea this big it turned into the UC Davis Mind Institute, a renowned research center for autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions.
Vismara, 81 and retired from his cardiology practice, is at it again. He teamed with developer Angelo Tsakopoulos to plan a 2,800-acre project on Tsakopoulos’ property that spans parts of Folsom and two counties, Sacramento and El Dorado.
The development includes what Vismara and Tsakopoulos call a “Community for Health and Independence” that can be replicated elsewhere.
Designed for elder residents and people with disabilities, the plan counts the UC Davis Health Center and Sacramento State University as partners. Although it must survive governmental reviews before anything gets built, the new community is generating excitement and consternation.
Mar 28, 2025
Those people with fishing gear outside the Conzelmann Community Center at Howe Park aren’t lost.
They’re most likely members of California Fly Fishers Unlimited practicing casting before their monthly meeting.
“Our audience wants to learn—can they do it, can they get help? That’s an area we excel in,” says Paul Wisheropp, a member since 2011. “We focus on conservation, education and outreach.”
Since 1962, Fly Fishers Unlimited has promoted fly fishing and encouraged conservation of the state’s fisheries, aquatic resources and watersheds. The group offers classes, outings, socials and meetings to serve amateurs and aficionados.
