SACRAMENTO, CA – The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) Board of Directors approved a new bus network proposal, which comprehensively redesigns SacRT’s bus system. “We are excited to begin the process of rolling out our new bus network in a few months,” said SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li. “To ensure the success of the new network, SacRT will conduct frequent monitoring of the new bus service to optimize and adjust service where it’s needed most.”
A draft plan was released for public review on December 10, 2018. Since then, major outreach efforts took place to let riders and stakeholders know about the proposed plan, called SacRT Forward.
Based on the comments received, and reviewing ridership and demographic data, staff spent the past two and half months making adjustments to the plan. A revised bus network proposal was released for public review on February 18, 2019, and approved by the SacRT Board of Directors on February 25, 2019. The new service is expected to start in summer 2019.
“We have been actively listening to our riders and the community for the past year and a half to make changes that will best fit their lifestyle and help improve mobility options for the Sacramento region,” said SacRT Board Chair and Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy. “Travel patterns have changed, regional mobility options have been expanded and development has occurred on the periphery.”
The focus of the new network has been on building a solid network of core routes on major corridors that will lead to economic growth and reduce congestion. Adjustments have been made to almost every route, some minor and some much more substantial, which will provide improved schedules and better service reliability. The new network consists of: 27 regular routes; 14 peak hour only routes; All routes have 7-day service (with the exception of bus route 33); All routes have 45 minute or better service (with the exception of one rural route); Complements the new 15-minute weekend light rail service
In many areas that don’t have high demand for fixed-route bus service, or are not designed for large buses to navigate the neighborhood, SacRT will deploy SmaRT Ride microtransit service.
Annual bus ridership is forecasted to go up between 400,000 and 1,000,000 boardings a year with the new service improvements. For route by route details, visit sacrt.com/sacrtforward.
SacRT operates approximately 70 bus routes (fixed-route, dial-a-ride and microtransit) and 43 miles of light rail all within a 400-square mile service area throughout Sacramento County, which includes service in the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, Rancho Cordova and Elk Grove. Sacramento buses and light rail trains operate 365 days a year. SacRT's entire bus and light rail system is accessible to the disabled community. ADA services are provided under contract with Paratransit, Inc.
Hanging Up His Hammer
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Thirty-six years after signing on for seasonal work, Keith Maddison this month retires as Carmichael Park District’s service manager. Maddison has overseen development of five community parks and is credited with saving the cash-poor district millions of dollars by thinking outside (and sometimes inside) the box.
“I’ve used district staff in as many projects as possible,” the handyman explains. “We’ve economized by not hiring project managers or general contractors. I could usually fill those roles myself. We did a Carmichael Park water system renovation to my plan. It was approved by our engineers and with help from Carmichael Water District, we saved more than a million dollars in construction. This plan also cuts meter tap fees by $40,000 a year.” When Jan Park trails met a ditch, Madison located an old metal bridge among Sunrise Park District relics. “They gave it to us and we renovated it.” Says the boss. “That saved us $10,000. When you don’t have money, it’s good to have friends.”
Maddison’s can-do attitude evolved over a lifetime of fixing stuff. “At 14, I built a house with my dad in Des Moines, Iowa,” he says. “While enlisted, I worked in a US Navy shipyard. I built luxury mobile homes in Woodland. There’s hardly a hitch I haven’t encountered on building sites. I don’t stand around barking orders; I work from the trenches. I pride myself on problem-solving but I’ve had a fantastic district staff; I couldn’t have managed without them.”
A harder problem to solve is how the father of five will deal with retirement. “I started off doing a job,” he considers. “It developed into a career and at some point, I took emotional ownership of all our facilities. It’ll be hard to leave.”
Maddison hopes to see through improvements at Sutter/Jenson Community Park. His vision for the redeveloped beauty-spot includes turning a 70-year-old former family home into an event center. Garfield House will be available for private events by fall.
“It’ll be great to see it functioning to enrich our cash-poor district,” he predicts. “I don’t want to retire and walk away from this project. So, I’ll probably come back and volunteer.”
Having a Disability Doesn’t Mean Life Stops
Laura Monaco; Independent Living Skills and Assistive Technology
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Laura Monaco of Carmichael spent her whole life trying to fit in. It wasn’t until she came to Society for the Blind in her mid-30s that she finally found what she was looking for – and she’s never been happier.
Born with albinism, Laura grew up in Chico with white hair, fair skin and pink eyes. She was legally blind from birth. Teased her whole childhood until she could finally dye her hair and wear makeup at age 12, Laura struggled through school all the way through receiving her associate’s degree at Butte College in Chico. No matter what activity she participated in, she always felt different.
“I struggled my whole life to be the same,” Laura said. “I didn’t want to be that albino girl or that blind girl. I was a good cheerleader, but I would burn in the sun at cheerleading camp and couldn’t see well, so I’d get discouraged.”
She became a daycare provider and ran her own business for 12 years, but sometimes faced discrimination from parents because of her vision. Married for 11 years with three children, Laura hit rock bottom in her struggle for acceptance when she got divorced at age 34. She started doing drugs, her children went to live with her parents, and she was homeless for a year and a half until the summer of 2017 when she checked into a treatment center in Carmichael and was connected to a transitional housing program.
“I came from a good home, but I struggled with depression from feeling like an outsider my whole life,” Laura said.
In January 2018, Laura finished the transitional housing program and started classes at Society for the Blind. Here, for the first time in her life, she found a group of employees and students who understood how it felt to be blind. She began learning independent living skills like how to cook and how to get around town using public transportation, and she learned how to use assistive technology to her advantage. She began to feel like she had a family.
“I realized how much I lived in fear and I was ready to face it,” Laura said. “Society for the Blind made me finally feel at peace with myself. I have friends who all have the same struggles and understand me.”
When she had the opportunity to apply for a job working in the North State Assistive Technology Store at Society for the Blind, she jumped at the chance – and was hired. A year later, she can’t say enough positive things about her job and her daily opportunities to help people discover the same assistive technology tools that have changed her life. She plans to go back to school for her bachelor’s degree and wants to stay working at the store as long as possible – and she’s seen the effect her new life has had on her kids, now ages 21,16 and 12.
“My kids are really proud of me,” Laura said through tears. “There was a lot that had been broken during those years. Now they love me walking in the mall with my cane and helped me celebrate my first anniversary of sobriety. They’re glad to have their mom back, and I’ve shown them that you can pick yourself up from these things. Having a disability doesn’t mean life stops.”
Laura’s number one recommendation to people who feel different in any way is to get connected.
“Find a support group, a friend, someone you have something in common with,” Laura said. “There’s a lot out there now because of the Internet and Facebook, and it makes a huge difference. If I had done that when I was younger, my life and my kids’ lives would have been a lot different.”
Source: Kristin Thébaud Communications
Sacramento County Employees Show They Care
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Every year, Sacramento County employees participate in an employee-organized fundraising campaign to support local and global nonprofit organizations. To report on the success of the 2018 Employee Giving Campaign, the Campaign’s Chair and Director for the Office of Economic Development, Troy Givans, presented the results on Jan. 29 to the Board of Supervisors.
The theme of this year’s campaign, “Sacramento County Cares,” highlights the generosity and concerns that employees show when they support the causes that improve the quality of life in their local communities and the world around them.
This year’s campaign included a new online donation system, Giving Matters 365, which expanded the County’s paperless initiative and streamlined donations through only payroll deductions, and credit/debit card contributions.
Giving campaign events included the annual 5K race/walk held at Discovery Park and a successful golf tournament held at Ancil Hoffman Golf Course.
Donations were provided to six federations of charitable organizations, as well as 17 non-profit Sacramento County programs that serve our communities.
The grand total of the 2018 donations came to $273,024.
2018 Chair, Co-Chairs and Loaned Executives:
Chair, Troy Givans, Office of Economic Development
- Loaned Executive: Kim Lettini
Co-Chair, Chief Lee Seale, Sacramento Probation
- Loaned Executive: Peggy Hower, Monika Lopez and Cindy Coy
Co-Chair, Doug Sloane, Waste Management
- Loaned Executives: Eric Vanderbilt and Melissa Schultz
Sacramento County Departments with the highest donations:
- 1-99 Employees – County Counsel; County Clerk/Recorder
- 100-299 Employees – Public Defender; Assessor
- 300+ Employees – Sheriff; Human Assistance
Source: Sacramento County Media
In Harmony with Nature
Soil Born Farms Promotes Healthy Living
Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) - Soil Born Farms started as a small one-acre urban farm in Sacramento in 2000. Almost 20 years later, the non-profit farm is producing local organic food along the American River Parkway on the historic 55-acre American River Ranch, located at 2140 Chase Drive in Rancho Cordova. The mission of Soil Born Farms is to empower people to participate in the local food system while connecting to the environment and creating deeper roots in the community.
Terese Hollander Esperas, Soil Born Farms project manager, explained that the urban agriculture and education project strives to promote healthy living and engage the community to “get back to the roots” through a variety of programs, classes, workshops, and events.
Some of Soil Born Farms’ upcoming classes include Winter One-Pot Meals, The Wonders of Fungi and Mushrooms, Cooking with Citrus, Growing Medicinal and Culinary Herbs, Raising Backyard Chickens, and Intermediate Urban Backyard Beekeeping. They also offer Bird Walks and a Spring Gardening Clinic. You can even attend a free Composting Workshop and a free Make Your Own Solar Cooker class. (For the dates and prices of classes, visit www.SoilBorn.org.)
Starting last month, Pop-Up Farmstand events give visitors the opportunity to purchase produce while enjoying tastings, live music, kids’ activities, and beverages and baked goods available for purchase. The Farmstand also features Millie’s Mercantile & Greenhouse Garden Gift Shop. Upcoming Pop-Up Farmstands will be held on March 9 and March 23.
Starting on April 6, the farm will begin hosting Saturday at the Farm, a weekly event featuring the American River Ranch Farmstand, open Saturdays through December 14. Visitors can meet the farmers who grow the food and enjoy the beautiful rural setting of the American River Ranch while listening to live music and purchasing produce fresh from the field. Magpie Café offers fair-trade coffee and pastries, and other hand-crafted items are also available for purchase.
Soil Born Farms’ biggest event is the Day on the Farm, a festival held every May. More than a thousand people attend each year, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for local families to experience all the farm has to offer. “It’s a really fun day. Many community groups come to the farm and lots of organizations come together. It’s a really fun way to experience the farm,” said Hollander Esperas. The American River Ranch Farmstand is open during Day on the Farm, in addition to various vendors, booths, gardening classes, cooking demonstrations, workshops, tours, nature walks, and draft horse demonstrations. The festival also features live music, games, a raffle, an array of delicious foods, face painting, and lots of activities for the kids. Day on the Farm will be held on May 19 this year, and there is a $5 suggested donation for attendance.
“We utilize these events to promote our mission. And the farm is a wonderful oasis for people to learn and to experience nature,” said Hollander Esperas.
Members of the community can support the farm and enjoy the bountiful harvests through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. CSA members purchase farm shares twice a year to help cover the farm’s costs. In return, members get to pick up boxes of fresh produce each week during the growing season.
Hollander Esperas said that Wellness Wednesdays are a great way to experience the beauty of the farm at the American River Ranch. During March through September, visitors can start their Wednesday with a morning yoga class on the farm at 8:00 AM for a $10 suggested donation. Hollander Esperas said, “It’s a great way to be outside experiencing nature…It’s very peaceful.”
Soil Born Farms’ year-round garden team welcomes volunteers every Wednesday to assist farm staff. Volunteers get the opportunity to learn about medicinal herbs as well as native plants, flowers, and trees. Volunteers also help with the greenhouses, plant sales, caring for the orchard, and planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables. Hollander Esperas said it’s a wonderful opportunity to “get exercise, fresh air, and sunshine while talking to the farmers, getting knowledge, and building skills.”
There are many opportunities for kids to enjoy the farm. Each year almost 3,000 students visit Soil Born Farms on field trips. “There’s a bus at the farm almost every day,” said Hollander Esperas. Students get to take a tour of the farm and then participate in a variety of activities, such as working in the Youth Garden, playing an educational game, or creating a craft project inspired by nature. And no visit to the farm would be complete without tasting foods fresh from the gardens.
There is a lot for kids to explore at Soil Born Farms. And there are lots of animals to see, including cows, horses, chickens, and pigs. A play structure and a discovery area allow kids of all ages to learn and play. The farm also offers summer camps and afterschool programs.
Soil Born Farms is open to the public Monday through Saturday, and visitors can explore the rural setting through self-guided tours. Hollander Esperas said, “The farm is special because it’s a peaceful, serene place where people can come to get away from the busy, technologically driven world and reconnect with the land and get back to basics. It’s an environment that makes people feel connected and like a part of the community.”
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - On Jan. 15, the Board of Supervisors approved a collaborative partnership between Sacramento County and UC Davis Health to deliver primary care, behavioral health, and some specialty services to 5,000 Medi-Cal enrollees at the County-run Federally Qualified Health Center at Broadway and Stockton Boulevard.
“Sacramento County is thrilled for this relationship with UC Davis Health,” said Supervisor Patrick Kennedy. “Together we are committed to ensuring greater access to high-quality health care in our region. UC Davis Health already provides health care services at the Sacramento County Health Center and the expansion will allow for more access to primary care and high-quality health care to Medi-Cal patients.”
Starting Feb. 1, the partnership will bring together a hospital system and Sacramento County health care providers to give coordinated, high-quality care to patients. The unique structure of the agreement is based on that of an Accountable Care Organization, where UC Davis Health provides all care for primary care and behavioral health services for enrollees at the Paul F. Hom Primary Care Facility in the Sacramento County Health Center as well as at UC Davis facilities.
“Patients will be phased in over a period of six months to the Paul F. Hom Primary Care Facility in the Sacramento County Health Center,” said Peter Beilenson, Director of the Department of Health Services. “These enrollees will be provided with comprehensive primary care and behavioral health services, but will also have opportunities to connect with on-site social service organizations that provide housing assistance, job placement, legal services, Medi-Cal system navigation and eligibility, and care coordination.”
This collaborative initiative has great potential for all involved:
- For patients and community members - primary and preventive care to Medi-Cal recipients who currently have limited access to care in the County will be increased and more coordinated
- For the Sacramento County Health Center and Sacramento County - the Health Center will be fully utilized and serve the ultimate vision of a person-centered medical and social service home for an underserved community with increased reimbursement for services provided.
Source: Sacramento County Media
Why We Love Carmichael
Kelli Foley Raises Funds for Carmichael Parks Foundation
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) – Kelli Foley dove headlong into her second campaign to be named Honorary Mayor of Carmichael by hosting an array of fundraisers. Each dollar raised, she explained, equaled one vote. She ran alongside two other candidates and raised just shy of $10,000. Twenty percent, $1852.93, was presented to Sharon Ruffner, president of the Carmichael Parks Foundation.
Foley did not miss a beat and brought her best to the events, which included a wine pull and a gift card pull at River City Brewery. Supporters paid $20 and were guaranteed a bottle of wine or a gift card worth at least that much. Some lucky winners received bottles worth up to $86 and gift cards worth up to $100. No one knew, until the bags were opened, what they had won.
The “Why We Love Carmichael” t-shirts were also a hit and were sold throughout the community. Perhaps the most interesting event was the gift card tree she raffled at the Mayor Mingle event hosted by the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce at Oakmont of Carmichael.
Foley, who owns Trillium Real Estate, is originally from the Carmichael/Fair Oaks area and chose the Carmichael Parks Foundation for the donation because she recalled swimming, playing softball and soccer, and enjoying what the parks had to offer.
Her favorite part of the non-political office is “all the people you get to meet and the non-profits and locals you get to help,” she said. Look for Foley around town at ribbon cuttings or in parks or schools interacting with children. For more information, visit https://www.carmichaelchamber.com/honorary-mayor-2019.html.