Sacramento has had its very own rare gem in Blue Diamond Almonds since 1910 when Blue Diamond Growers made its headquarters at 1802 C St.
When early California pioneers discovered that the soil and climate surrounding the Sacramento area was ideal for growing almonds, it spurred the launch of a grower-owned cooperative—the California Almond Growers Exchange.
Past the glass lobby doors, you’re greeted by stunning artwork from famed San Francisco artist William Gatewood (1943–1994). Large images of kimonos and Japanese screens, enhanced by splashes of gold and silver leaf, are displayed on the walls.
Further into the building, take a stroll along the Sacramento River Delta, courtesy of landscape paintings by legendary local artist Gregory Kondos.
In the past decade, news outlets across the country have been gutted and closed, reporters laid off, and publication schedules cut. In 2018, more than 200 news publications closed their doors. There are now huge swathes of our country without local news coverage. They are called “news deserts.”
Locally, we face the same trend. The Sacramento Bee, our largest local news organization, had 9,000 employees a decade ago. Today it’s down to 2,800. But even with a skeleton reporting staff, the Bee remains a primary source for local news. The paper’s work filters across to other media, including television and radio.
When Patricia Sturdevant sees a problem in her community, she doesn’t just notice—she acts. When the Land Park resident saw excess citrus on the trees that line Sacramento streets—fruit that could go to hungry mouths—she did something about it.
Sturdevant has been on the pages of Inside Sacramento before for her work with the Land Park Community Association’s partnership with Harvest Sacramento, a collaborative project that gathers surplus citrus—fruit that would otherwise go to waste—to feed the underserved.
“We all have different needs,” Ali Tucker Lichtenstein says. “One of mine is to be of service and give back. Everyone at Women’s Wisdom is here because it fulfills something.”
Lichtenstein is the executive director and board chair of Women’s Wisdom Art, a nonprofit organization that provides affordable art classes in a safe, nurturing environment for women overcoming poverty, homelessness, violence and abuse in the community. Founded in 1991 by Laura Ann Walton as part of Maryhouse (a daytime hospitality shelter for homeless women and children), the program was operated under the wing of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services from 2000 until 2012, then as a nonprofit corporation under the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, and then, as of June 2016, as an independent 501(c)3.