SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - In the race for California’s 7th Congressional District, Dr. Yona Barash has received the endorsements of great conservative leaders and organizations including Congressman Tom McClintock, Former Sacramento County Sheriff and radio personality John McGinness, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, the Sacramento Police Officers Association, and the California Republican Assembly.
Dr. Yona Barash isn’t a typical candidate. As a small child, Dr. Barash escaped the Nazi occupation and communist rule to live in a refugee camp in Israel. He served in two wars with the Israeli Defense Force, graduated from Medical School, and has served as a renowned local cancer surgeon for over three decades treating over 30,000 patients. Dr. Barash’s background and expertise is exactly what we need to challenge Congressman Bera on issues such as healthcare, immigration, jobs and national security.
Below are some quotes from some of Dr. Yona Barash’s top supporters.
Congressman Tom McClintock
“Dr. Yona Barash believes in individual liberty and limited government and has a compelling personal story to tell, having lived in a refugee camp in Israel after his family escaped the communist dictatorship in Romania. He has one of the most unique stories I’ve ever heard from a candidate for Congress and he is exactly the type of candidate the Republican Party needs in this election.”
Sheriff John McGinness (ret.)
“Yona Barash has a unique story that will inspire and excite voters in the 7th Congressional District and that is why I’m endorsing him. Yona is an immigrant who fled oppression and grew up in refugee camps. Yona has fought with the Israeli Defense Force and as a surgeon Yona has saved thousands of lives right here in this district through his practice as a surgical oncologist. Yona’s story is the ultimate tale of the American dream and he is the only candidate with real life experiences that will attract votes from across party lines.”
Timothy Davis, President of the Sacramento Police Officers Association
“Our Sacramento Police officers are proud to endorse Dr. Yona Barash for Congress because we know he will be a strong advocate for national policies that will help us keep our local communities safe. Dr. Barash has made it clear to us that he shares our values and goals.”
Carl Brickey, Executive Vice President of the California Republican Assembly
“We have a candidate that is not afraid to go blow for blow with Ami Bera, who has a reputation for running dirty campaigns. Dr. Barash is not only highly qualified, but has life experiences that can challenge Congressman Bera. Republicans can’t afford to nominate the wrong candidate in this election. Yona Barash is the only Republican that represents the values of the CRA and Yona is the only candidate that can beat Ami Bera in this election.”
Victim Perishes in Overnight Four-Plex Fire
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - At 10:38 last night, Metro Fire crews were dispatched to reports of a fully involved McCuen four-plex fire on the 9000 block of El Cajon Way. Initial reports of the fire included concerns an elderly female may be located inside the involved unit. The first arriving crew found the single story unit, facing the street, well-involved with fire and immediately initiated an aggressive rescue effort.
Despite the heavy fire conditions, an individual was promptly located, however it was determined the victim had succumbed to the intense fire conditions. Additional responding crews searched the other three units, not finding any additional victims. Aggressive firefighting efforts resulted in rapid fire knockdown. The fire resulted with one unit completely destroyed and two adjoining units suffering moderate damage.
Two fire investigators responded to the scene. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Our hearts go out to the family of the woman who lost her life this morning. Please take a few extra steps to lower the risk of fire hurting your family or destroying your home: test your smoke alarms, keep space heaters at least three feet from anything combustible, use flameless candles when possible, and always dispose of your fireplace ashes in metal containers.
For more information, check out www.metrofire.ca.gov, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - Around 4,000 are expected to attend Mount Vernon Memorial Park & Mortuary’s Memorial Day Service at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 28, at the cemetery located at 8201 Greenback Lane in Fair Oaks. Community leaders and Veterans organizations join each year at this service to honor the men and women that made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
To properly honor those who fought and continue to fight for our country, Mount Vernon and volunteers have scheduled the following visuals and activities:
- A 50 foot flag hung by the Sacramento Metro Fire Department
- Performances from the Army Band
- A flyover by two T-38 jets
- A few words from guest speakers from the California National Guard
- Two skydivers will land in the cemetery with a 30 foot American flag and a POW/MIA
Mount Vernon will also have hundreds of flags displayed throughout the park courtesy of the local Boy Scouts, who very graciously post the flags each year.
“This Memorial Day event is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the men and women who have served and who have sacrificed,” said Lisa Goudy, general manager of Mount Vernon, an honored Dignity Memorial® provider. “It is our privilege to provide this service for our community and are looking forward to honoring our military for their service in defense of our freedom at this time-honored tradition.”
Nifty and Thrifty Fashion
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like downtown Carmichael to learn fashion retailing. High schooler Camil Blacksher knows it’s all about presentation. The 15-year-old recently put her best foot forward on the catwalk by staging a “Spring Fling” fashion show at Atlas Thrift.
The sophomore planned the show around store inventory while interning as part of 10th grade studies at The Met Sacramento High School. She recruited chums and relatives as models. “We even had our family dog (Lab-cross Nalia) as a catwalk accessory,” she said. “We started with prom clothes and finished with bohemian and casuals. My idea was to do something fun for Atlas and the community. My school gives us the opportunity to explore our interests with internships. I’ve always been interested in retailing; in this store I’ve learned how important it is to organize and color-group stock. I’ve even learned to work a cash register.”
For the show, Camil chose five garments for each model and choreographed their parking-lot strut to recorded music. She wooed the audience of customers, moms and family members with store discounts. “I’ve learned so much working at Atlas,” she said.
“Even more, I love helping a beautiful non-profit that is working for the community.”
Atlas Thrift Store is located at 6634 Fair Oaks Blvd.
River City Brewing Company Embracing the Carmichael Community
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - Established in 1993, the River City Brewing Company spent years in Downtown Sacramento before deciding to pack up in June of 2015 and relocate in Carmichael in May of 2016. It was a big move for the second oldest brewery in Sacramento, but the change of scenery has been a blessing.
Owners Beth Ayres-Biro and Steve Cuneo have completely embraced the community of Carmichael. “We’re really hands on owners and really into the whole community,” said Ayres-Biro. “We like the fact that we moved out here. People come in here and it’s more of a family, neighborhood feel.”
Ayres-Biro, who has been the general manager since 2001, became a co-owner in 2006 when she and business partner Cuneo, who was already in charge of accounting, purchased the company from Faultline Brewing Company. The two of them have essentially retained their positions to his day – but, as any business owner would understand, with the addition of logging heavier hours.
“As far as the ownership group, Steve or I are pretty much here at all times,” said Ayres-Biro.
This was the case even during the months between locations. “We started building immediately,” she said. “And we were still doing brew fests and entering competitions for the 11 months that we were closed.”
With an extensive wall filled with ribbons, trophies and other awards, the proudest is from a third place finish at the California State Fair in the IPA division for their Cap City IPA. Even though they have claimed several first place prizes throughout the years, placing that high in the toughest division in an event that hosted 400 other breweries and 1,800 total beers was a special accomplishment.
Their hard work and long hours have paid off. It is their hands-on ownership that helped them make it through a recession that left only them, Rubicon Brewing Company and Hoppy Brewing Company standing in 2008, as far as Sacramento breweries are concerned.
Today things are looking far different. Breweries and tap houses are popping up everywhere, increasing the competition, but also expanding the overall market for craft beer. “Competition is good and it has made people more aware of what craft beer is,” explained Ayres-Biro.
But what makes River City unique is their approach on food. “We always thought the food should be just as important as the beer,” she said. “Just because you go to a brewery why does it just have to be burger in a basket? Why can’t you have something nice?”
That’s not to say that they don’t serve burgers, because they do, but rather that their imagination has taken them beyond the ordinary. And with Sacramento recently anointed as “America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital,” River City Brewing Company has proudly adopted that motto for themselves as well. Working hand in hand with Produce Express, a local produce distributor, they have formed a great relationship that includes daily deliveries.
With a constantly changing menu to ensure the freshness of ingredients and rotating taps that feature a vast array of their own beer as well as guest taps that support other local breweries, River City Brewing Company has made a home for itself in Carmichael and a name for itself in the Sacramento region and beyond.
River City Brewing Company is located in Carmichael’s Milagro Centre at 6241 Fair Oaks Boulevard, Suite G. Visit www.rivercitybrewing.net for more information.
Royal Wedding Fever
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - With the year’s most anticipated nuptials just weeks away, Carmichael Library will break out the bouquets to preview Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day.
A May 12 “Royal Wedding Fever” program will include an exhibit of memorabilia from historic royal milestones. Carmichael author Susan Maxwell Skinner -- previously a Buckingham Palace court correspondent -- will share memories of attending the late Princess Diana’s wedding and give insight into the pomp and planning of such royal events. “It’s amazing how the whole world gets caught up in a royal wedding,” says Skinner. “Even Sacramentans will be up at night watching the ceremony. It’s especially exciting that Harry’s bride is an American.”
Susan Skinner collected royal family memorabilia from the time when she worked as a journalist in London. Her exhibit includes royal bride dolls, much china crockery and tea towels. Britain’s knick-knack industry,” she explains, “goes into overdrive at the sniff of a Winsor romance.”
Apart from Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding, Skinner witnessed their sons’ debuts. “I saw William and Harry, as newborns, leave hospital in Diana’s arms,” she says. “It was pure deja-vu when William and Kate brought their third baby home from the same hospital last week.”
Skinner will docent her exhibit in Carmichael Library from 11 am on Saturday, May 12. A free presentation begins in the community room at 2 pm. Refreshments will be provided; festive attire is encouraged. “We’ll have tea and I’ll share memories from my years with Prince Harry’s mum,” says the author. “I have a feeling Diana will be smiling down on Windsor Chapel on May 19. She adored her little red-head. She knew marriage to the right woman would be his making. This is a chance for royalty fans to get in the mood for Harry and Meghan’s big day.”
Carmichael library is located at 5605 Marconi Avenue. For information on the “Royal Wedding Fever” program, call (916) 481 0334.
Sacramento Taxpayers Association Releases 2018 Golden Fleece Award Recipients
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The Sacramento Taxpayers Association held its Fourth Annual GOLDEN FLEECE AWARDS, bestowed upon public officials, governmental agencies and organizations for their "wasteful, ridiculous, or ironic use of taxpayers' money," at the STA Annual Dinner April 18, 2018.
“The Sacramento Taxpayer Association is a non-partisan, non-profit, member-supported organization, working to hold government accountable, make it reliable, responsive and efficient – at all levels,” said STA President Katy Grimes. “What could be more non-partisan than taxes?”
“The late U.S. Senator William Proxmire, a Democrat, used to famously issue monthly Golden Fleece awards to public officials he believed were squandering public money,” Grimes said. “It is in his memory that we do the same. I only wish we also could do it monthly,” Grimes added.
The Winner of the 2018 Golden Fleece Award:
. Ballot Initiative to Impose Strict Rent Control in the City of Sacramento – Democratic Socialists of Sacramento, Sacramento Housing Alliance, Tenants Together and Other Travelers. A coalition of hard Left groups are seeking to qualify for the November general election ballot a measure that would amend the City of Sacramento’s charter to impose the most draconian rent control of any in the State of California. Coupled with a statewide initiative effort to repeal the Costa-Hawkins law which limits rent control to older units, the proposed rent control initiative in Sacramento, if approved by voters, is certain to snuff out new construction of rental properties, reduce the rental housing stock and worsen our existing housing crisis.
1st Runner up.: Darrell Steinberg’s “Project Prosper – Mayor Steinberg and the City of Sacramento. The Mayor held a series of three public meetings earlier this year, dubbed “Project Prosper,” to ostensibly obtain public input on how Sacramento could “invest” more in Sacramento neighborhoods. In fact, the effort was a thinly veiled PR effort to try to persuade Sacramento voters to not just permanently extend the expiring one-half percent Measure U “temporary” sales tax approved by voters six year ago, but to double the Measure U tax to a full one percent.
3-Way Tie for 2nd runner up:
“Winter Triage Center”- City of Sacramento. With minimal notice to the impacted residents of Woodlake and North Sacramento, the City, with zero prior experience in running a homeless shelter, opened a “Winter Triage Center” on Railroad Dr. It has no bathrooms, no showers, no heat, no kitchen, no trash facilities, and no facilities for pets or personal belongings. It’s operating at a cost of $425,000 per month, over $2,000/mo. per resident. The City promised the North Sacramento community that the shelter would be open for just 3 months. A few months later, it decided to keep it open indefinitely - at a huge increase in monthly rent.
“Housing First” Policies - Federal, State and Local Government. Under misguided “Housing First” policies, no facilities that house the homeless can insist that its residents commit to sobriety, treatment or make any other effort to improve their own lives. All government-funded homeless facilities are now “wet,” allowing drunk and drugged homeless to obtain free housing without precondition. Privately run homeless programs which do require a commitment to change - such as the St. John’s Center of Real Change that cares for women and children - have been defunded by federal and Sacramento County governments, putting their programs in peril.
Twin Rivers Public Housing Project - Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). SHRA is tearing down an existing public housing project on Richards Blvd. and building a replacement high density project with double the number of units. It’s intended to be a “mixed income” project, with 50% homeless/public/subsidized housing and 50% market-rate housing. The apartment units will cost an astronomical $636,000 per apartment.
Honorable Mention: City of Sacramento for its Failure to Address Public Defecation in Sacramento – Enough said.