May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. It’s a time to acknowledge the contributions of Asian Pacific Islander Americans.
Maeley Tom is a notable member of the Asian Pacific Islander community. She’s lived in Pocket for decades and last year published a memoir, “I’m Not Who You Think I Am: An Asian American Woman’s Political Journey.”
Most days, it’s easy to miss The Creative Space. Situated on the busy corner of 16th and U streets in Midtown, its unassuming brick facade competes with an adjacent flower shop display. But come back during one of its bimonthly events, and you’ll find the bare sidewalk filled with a variety of pop-up shops.
At the center are sisters Jennifer and Remy Tokunaga. Both were raised in Sacramento. Both have straight black hair and business degrees. Both are alumni of the Disney Institute, The Walt Disney Company’s professional development program. To them, passing on their experience is an integral part of making Sacramento a city they are proud to live in. Their shared passion for community building is tangible and infectious.
Desperate for something to feel good about amid the city’s boarded-up storefronts and quiet office buildings? Make your way to the 2700 block of K Street. It should lift your spirits.
The spring afternoon I went there, a crane dangled steel beams high above rooftops, workers delicately handled decorative terra cotta and an energetic Roger Hume bounced around from floor to floor. The frenetic scene belonged to one of the more complex and promising rehabilitation projects in recent Sacramento history.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg calls Daniel Hahn the “best police chief” in the United States. The praise comes with a hyperbole warning. The U.S. has about 12,300 police departments, which means maybe Steinberg overlooked someone better than Hahn.
Or not. This time, the mayor could be right.
It’s not easy to win support from a mayor who tries to withhold funds from your police department. But that’s Steinberg. He wants it both ways. The mayor can gush about his favorite police chief while arguing against requests for police hiring, training and internal affairs.
The essay below appeared in February 1996 in our first Inside East Sacramento. I found it recently in a book of the first year’s editions my husband made for me as a gift.
My first reaction was astonishment. As I read, I realized little has changed with our mission after 25 years.
Last month, Inside Sacramento was honored with two special awards. First, we were selected as part of “10 News Publishers That Do It Right 2021” by the trade magazine Editor & Publisher.