Cost Ineffective

Cost Ineffective

When Sacramento voters approved Measure L in November 2022, Inside Sacramento columnists Bob Graswich and Jeff Harris were openly skeptical and opposed the measure.

Investing in young people is a good idea. But Measure L didn’t create a program. It established a permanent financial pipeline, locking 40% of the city’s cannabis business tax into a new fund, the Sacramento Children’s Fund, largely distributed through nonprofit service providers.

The measure promised youth violence prevention, mental health services, homelessness support, substance-abuse programs and early childhood investments.

Graceful Aging

Graceful Aging

Here was a great deal for someone tired of paying rent in Land Park. New Benson and Sedar homes with atrium entries, double master suites and oak cabinetry, starting at $85,900. A 30-year mortgage fixed at 11.9%. That’s how banks got rich in 1982.

Say goodbye to landlords. Move 4 miles down Riverside Boulevard and own a piece of the dream. Welcome to Greenhaven Pocket.

I missed my chance. When I bought a house in Pocket in 1990—three bedrooms, two baths, built six years earlier by Winncrest—prices had skyrocketed. I paid $183,000. Soon after escrow closed, recession hit. The home instantly lost value.

Growing Pains

Growing Pains

Maybe I was too harsh when I ridiculed the city for building a bicycle bridge across Interstate 5 with lousy concrete and misaligned rebar.

The bridge was a big screwup. But the city did right by residents when it told bridge contractors to jackhammer the new bridge and replace it with materials that meet spec and can stand for 75 years, as opposed to a decade or two.

The rebuilt bridge opened in December. This means the city managed to erect two bike bridges over I-5 and Riverside Boulevard in three years.