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Court Jesters
I finally got around to reading a recent lawsuit about stopping the Sacramento River levee bike path. It’s the funniest thing I’ve read in awhile.
Several elements make the bike path lawsuit funny. First, it’s a CEQA suit, meaning it derives from the California Environmental Quality Act.
Being labeled a CEQA suit instantly identifies a legal complaint as unserious, filed for reasons that have nothing to do with constitutional questions, financial damages or grandma’s estate.
Pocket Life January 2026
Find out what is happening in Pocket during the month of January!
Crowd Control
I’ve never understood how a few property owners near the Sacramento River made city and state officials think public safety means keeping people off the levee parkway.
For 50 years, the safety and security argument was a smokescreen—a stratagem to give exclusive parkway access to several dozen residents and lock out everyone else.
Now the ruse is dead. Mayor Kevin McCarty and the City Council are ready to finish the paved levee bike trail that links Freeport to Downtown and the American River Parkway.
The safety and security con job was obvious from the start, dating from the late 1970s. But nobody challenged it.
Out & About December 2025
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Pocket Life December 2025
In 2010, Pocket nonprofit ACC Senior Services took over Meals on Wheels nutritional services from Sacramento County. Since then, the program has served about 7 million meals to 4,000 seniors.
Taking advantage of our farm-adjacent community, Meals on Wheels runs a Fresh Produce Program. Last year, seniors enjoyed almost 10,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables from nearby farmers.
Pedal Power
Sacramento finally has a mayor who knows when to shut up. Kevin McCarty gets the beauty of brevity. He realizes the less a politician says, the more people listen.
The city’s long-delayed levee bike path through Pocket, linking Freeport to Land Park, Downtown and the American River trail, gives McCarty the perfect platform to show off his talent for tight speeches.
When the City Council voted unanimously to approve the Environmental Impact Report for the levee bike trail, the mayor boiled a half-century of fences, gates, backroom deals and deceptions into one sentence.
Golden Nugget
Midtown Farmers Market is a nice place to visit. But I wouldn’t want to stock up there.
The produce is ripe, the salespeople helpful, the prices reasonable. But look past the street theater charm and the Midtown market is a specialty destination.
A moveable feast built on fresh, edible impulses. Great for grazing. A treat for tourists. Not for real grocery shopping.
Real grocery shopping requires a real grocery store.
Fortunately, Sacramento has the best real grocery store in California. I’m talking about Nugget in Lake Crest Village on Florin Road.