Next month we celebrate 27 years of publishing Inside Sacramento, now the largest print circulation periodical in the region. Covering local politics has been part of our mission since we started.
In recent years, as our beloved city has descended into chaos, we stepped up our coverage. I like to think we’ve led the way with analysis and reports on the toughest city issues. We’ve done our best to hold local elected officials accountable.
On March 5, four of the eight City Council positions are up for reelection. For many Inside readers, the most important race involves District 4, which includes East Sacramento, Midtown and Downtown.
The environmental and community activist became known by her battles against sprawl and shoddy development in Natomas, where she’s lived for decades.
These days, four decades after those fights, Fargo and her allies meet with community groups, elected officials, city and county staff, and others to push back against what they see as more damaging development in the Natomas Basin north of Downtown.
Coming from the colder mid-Atlantic region, I was amazed by the valley’s ability to produce citrus and other exotic fruits, such as pomegranate and persimmon.
Then I saw juicy tomatoes smashed near highway exits, lemons and oranges moldy underneath their trees, plums dyeing sidewalks purple. So much abundance, so much waste.
Matthew Ampersand and partner Tessa D’Arcangelew Ampersand experienced the same shock when they arrived in town and noticed food rotting in plain sight.
“Old heads” are basketball fans who go way back. They’re eager to reminisce about Michael Jordan and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Not mere nostalgists, they’re up on the current scene as well. Magpie Café is old head central for the farm-to-fork crowd in Midtown.
Owners Janel Inouye and Ed Roehr bring history with them. Roehr worked in Midtown eateries before Midtown was cool. Inouye has been in the restaurant business for decades.
Their passion for fresh, local ingredients and seasonal cuisine predates the slow food peak. Their farm-to-fork credentials go back before the city slapped the logo on the Pocket water tower.
Mirasol Village is a mixed-income redevelopment housing project in the River District along Richards Boulevard. It’s a project I worked on and supported for all eight years of my City Council term.
Like most projects that use public funding, this one was a challenge. It required numerous grants to reach the finish line. I applaud the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency for its tenacity in obtaining grants over the last 10 years.
The project is largely complete. Residents are moving in. But there’s a problem. The neighborhood has limited mobility options. Only one bus line serves the isolated area with minimal connections.
“If there’s any legacy I’d like to leave in my nonprofit life, it would be that I showed up, I did the work and made it as fun as possible,” John Frisch says. “I always tried to bring positive energy and humor to these organizations so it wouldn’t seem like work. People are working hard enough. Making it fun is the key.” Frisch speaks from experience. He’s been a member of The Salvation Army Advisory Board for 27 years. He served as past chair and oversaw the organization’s successful $7.4 million capital campaign.
