SMUD exploring new ways to keep vehicles from hitting power poles
Sharp rise in incidents can jeopardize safety and power reliability
Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) - SMUD is evaluating several measures to reduce the number of incidents that involve vehicles crashing into the electric utility’s infrastructure, especially power poles. The five-year pilot program aims to increase public and worker safety, and reduce the number of associated power outages.
SMUD data shows an increasing trend of these incidents annually. In 2006 for example, there were 153 “car-pole” accidents. In 2016, there were 271. Increased traffic volume, distracted and unsafe driving, as well as other factors are to blame, but the end result is the same: increased potential for public and worker safety hazards and more power outages.
The pilot program will focus on power poles and electrical equipment that’s been crashed into multiple times over the years. Measures include removing and relocating power poles; redesigning them; installing higher-visibility reflective strips; and installing large, high-visibility protective barriers, known as “Raptor” technology, around the power poles.
The Raptor is big and yellow. It is easily installed at the base of the pole and is designed to absorb the impact of a vehicle crash, sparing the power pole and preventing a power outage for SMUD customers. The Raptor has been used by other utilities and SMUD wants to see if they are a possible solution to improve safety, while making power poles more visible to motorists and more resilient to being damaged if a vehicle collides with the pole.
The main goal of the pilot is enhancing public and worker safety. SMUD takes public safety very seriously Power reliability is also key. While car-pole accidents comprise about five percent of all types of SMUD outages annually, they account for about a quarter of the overall average duration of outages for SMUD’s customers. SMUD’s Board of Directors, elected by SMUD customers to set policy, has made reliability one of SMUD’s core values, so it’s a priority for SMUD staff to fulfill it.
In addition to compromised reliability and safety, power outages caused by car-pole accidents cause loss of revenue to SMUD and increased costs for labor and materials to repair and replace damaged electrical infrastructure. For example, a pole replacement can cost more than $11,000 for the pole, the five-man crew to replace it and other associated expenses for each incident. Beyond SMUD’s costs, pole replacements can take eight hours or more and cost the community’s businesses lost revenue from power outages and associated traffic jams due to lane closures to make the repairs.
SMUD is doing its part to increase public and worker safety and reduce the frequency and duration of outages due to these traffic accidents. SMUD also urges motorists to do their part by driving safely, obeying traffic laws and avoiding anything that may cause distractions. For more information about SMUD and its commitment to public and worker safety, visit SMUD.org.
Carmichael, CA (MPG) - ATLAS of Carmichael will hold a Dinner and Auction Fundraiser soon at the Milagro Center, the community’s new “gathering place” on Fair Oaks Boulevard south of Marconi Avenue.
Milagro’s Patriot Event Center will host the event on Friday evening, October 13. It will feature fine food from the recently opened Patriot Restaurant, live music, an auction offering out-of-town accommodations, theme park tickets, choice wines, and an opportunity to hear about what ATLAS, a nonprofit community-based organization is doing in Carmichael.
Tickets are $50 and available on the ATLAS of Carmichael website (www.atlascarmichael.org), by mail, or at the ATLAS Thrift Shop located at 6634 Fair Oaks Boulevard.
This year’s fundraiser theme, “Nourish and Flourish,” will highlight the role of ATLAS, which for the past five years has helped homeless and other struggling individuals connect with resources, advocacy, and mentoring. “Stabilizing people in crisis allows them to move forward with their goals, such as permanent housing, jobs, and a better life for themselves and their families,” said Scott Young, Director of ATLAS.
A core ATLAS principle is helping volunteers from churches and other organizations build relationships with people in need and provide guidance about public and private resources designed to help them. The next step for those who choose to take it is to meet regularly with a trained mentor to walk alongside them. Another of ATLAS’ goals is building community relationships among like-minded citizens and groups.
For example, ATLAS has played a key role in the development of Carmichael HART (Homeless Assistance Resource Team), which in the past year has involved hundreds of volunteers in Winter Sanctuary programs. HART also sponsors initiatives to move homeless individuals into transitional housing, provide training, and help children whose parents have no permanent address.
“We’re seeing a convergence of ATLAS, HART and several other ongoing initiatives that are making Carmichael a healthier community,” said Young, who also serves as President of Carmichael HART. “Others are the Carmichael Improvement District, which has brought businesses together to improve security along Fair Oaks Boulevard, the county’s extensive beautification work along the corridor, and the Milagro Center itself. These are encouraging examples of significant material and human investment in our community.”
Submitted by ATLAS
Carmichael Cares Steps Up for Hurricane Relief
Carmichael, CA (MPG) - Weeks after Hurricane Harvey rolled into Texas, causing destruction and death, assistance is still coming in. Nearly 2000 miles away, the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce wanted to help those devastated by the storms.
Executive Director Linda Melody contacted businesses in Milagro Centre and other Chamber restaurants to see if they would be willing to donate a portion of their proceeds from their sales on Tuesday, September 5. Calling it Carmichael Cares, more than a dozen businesses agreed to help, even though some were just getting started. Thank you to all who participated: Fish Face Poke; Ghiotto Gelato; Insight Coffee; Jaynee Cakes; Mesa Mercado; River City Brewing Company; The Patriot; Carmichael Cage & Deli; Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant; La Bou Bakery & Café; Lido Café; Roma’s Pizza & Pasta; Roxie Deli & Barbecue, and Togo’s.
A total of $2,771.04 was raised. Thank you to everyone who came out to these businesses to help with the fundraiser. Proceeds went to the American Red Cross for the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund. “Seeing all these businesses agree to help was thrilling,” says Chamber Executive Director Linda Melody. “Even to have a small part in helping hurricane victims is important, because Carmichael Cares.”
Source: Carmichael Chamber of Commerce
Starting a Small Business in Sac County? Get in Line
County’s Small Business Start-ups Hampered by Bureaucracy
Sacramento County, CA (MPG) - Pent up demand in many parts of unincorporated Sacramento County, and the county proper for retail food chains and other small businesses, some developers and business groups say, is being stalled under the multiple layers of bureaucracy built into the county’s complex permitting process and related issues.
Even opening a franchise for one of the country’s largest and perhaps best-loved food and drink chains can take years. Case in point: Jamba Juice, which has been pushing to open its first location in Carmichael for more than a year. The wildly popular fresh juice and smoothie maker, originally slated for opening in August at Carmichael Village on Fair Oaks Boulevard, is once again pushing back its opening to late October, due in large part to set-backs in the permitting approval process, according to Brooks Erickson of Carmichael Village, LLC, developers of the retail complex.
Construction and the permitting process for Jamba Juice began more than 24 months ago. Meanwhile, next door, Wing Stop’s approval took nearly a year to green light. It followed the oft-stalled opening of Noah’s Bagels, also in the complex, which opened its doors in 2015.
With two open spaces left to fill at Carmichael Village, Erickson wonders how long it will take him to get the green light for what he hopes will be one more food and drink outfit and potentially a small medical related service provider to complete the development project.
“I would say it is a complex process and also can be very surprising when you think you have crossed every “T” and dotted every “I” to find out that you have to keep waiting,” Erickson said. “I respect the idea of (the permitting and vetting process) being necessary, but it absolutely seems very burdensome. Even after you’ve won approval for the project, you’re waiting on all kinds of things to be approved just to get construction done.”
Erickson said Jamba Juice is just one of many examples of the frustration he and other developers, not to mention the franchisees and owners, face when it comes to dealing with the county permitting process, which includes clearance requirements from multiple agencies, usually at different intervals in the build out process, including health and safety, the fire department, and ADA regulators, each of which can potentially stall a previously approved permit or plan from one department with a non-compliance order or demand for changes to meet their own department’s regulations.
A green lighted set of blueprints can hit a number of snags in the process, ranging from issues pertaining to noncompliance with ADA regulations or county fire and electrical system guidelines, to equipment model makes and locations and flooring types, as well as overall construction plans for new infrastructures or remodeling of existing ones.
“What puzzles me is that somebody like Jamba with a national brand would have so much difficulty with our little county,” Erickson said. “It’s a puzzle to have so many different rounds of changes.”
Linda Melody, executive director of the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce agrees the county’s permitting process often holds up construction plans for many small retailers, specifically eateries. Carmichael’s revival along the Fair Oaks Boulevard corridor is enjoying a wave of expansion in the retail food sector. But the growth is being hampered at various levels and she and chamber members are eager to see the momentum continue.
Melody said her agency would like to see pre-approved permitting requirements for existing retail spaces grandfathered in when approvals have been given for one area as others are considered, and that a true one-stop agency for blueprinting approval right down to the plumbing and electrical code sign-off would help.
“I have a hard time with the county penalizing businesses who have already had components of their projects signed off on get rejected at another level and then see them have to go back to the beginning of the process,” Melody said. “You always hear the politicians talk about how much they love business but the rules are often not really all that business friendly.”
Diann Rogers, president and CEO of the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce, said her agency has long-been fielding similar complaints about the permitting process and that mitigating those concerns remains one of her agencies top priorities.
“Are there glitches, yes,” says Rogers. “But in terms of the challenges, it is all over the board and it really depends on what type of business you’re talking about and which layers of permitting and departments they have to go to.”
Rogers said the Rancho Cordova department of economic development is preparing to launch a new “concierge” service to help business owners understand and work their way through the permitting process.
“It can be daunting,” said Rogers, adding that she did not have specifics about the new program yet. “I know the goal is to help them navigate the process,” she said. “I also can say that we have a (city) council that is open and willing to hear these issues, so they do listen to the biz community.”
Evan Jacobs co-chairs the economic development committee for the Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce. He said the chamber is aware of the ongoing issues of “complexity” involved with the permitting process and insists it is an issue of ongoing concern and discussion.
“We are working collaboratively with the city to see more layers of bureaucracy removed from the process in order to both retain and attract businesses to the area,” said Jacobs. “I know we and many other advocates are out there working toward finding a way to put a focus on this issue and see how we can make it easier for businesses to set up shop. There are many complexities involved.”
Troy Givens, director of the Sacramento County Department of Economic Development agreed that the process for setting up a small business in the county can be burdensome, particularly for a restaurant, where you have many health code requirements in play. He adds, however, that the county is always pushing to improve the process, noting the availability of free and confidential programs established to help business owners navigate the permitting process.
“We know there can be difficulties, especially for smaller business owners, but we are always looking at how we can make the process more user friendly,” said Givens.
Givens referred to the county’s Business Environmental Resource Center (BERC) launched in 1993. BERC provides confidential support for new and existing businesses as they make their way through the initial phases of setting up shop. The county, he added, also recently brought in a small business liaison to help potential new business owners with financing-related questions and support. Many of the frustrations, he says, often stem from the varying number of scenarios that arise with every start-up, whether related to health permit issues or basic blueprint snags, and whether they are a fast-food operation or a clothing retailer.
“We have a service under our department that is free and confidential, which takes a look at the permitting process at the local, state and even the federal levels and helps businesses navigate the system,” said Givens. “We do what we can to help make the process go as quickly as possible.”
Givens said a typical time frame for a franchise like Jamba Juice should be roughly 90-120 days and, while he doesn’t know the specifics of what may be holding up the clearance for Jamba Juice in Carmichael, he would be happy to sit down with Erickson or any other business owner to help figure out where the snags are and how to expedite the process.
“I’m more than happy to meet with Mr. Erickson and other developers to try to figure out if there is a certain area where we can step in,” Givens said.
The county also has a fast track program to help certain projects speed through the permitting process, however, there are specific qualifiers. For instance, a commercial or industrial project must create a minimum of 50 new and permanent jobs or show it will generate at least $10 million in annual taxable sales. Neither of these options are likely for a small franchise, Jamba Juice included. Even if the revenue was in place, most fast-casual eateries employ part time workers.
Tom Scott is the state executive director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses based in Sacramento. His agency advocates for roughly 22,000 small and independently owned business members in California and thousands more nationwide. Scott said the layers of bureaucracy at the county with respect to permits are so imbedded and years in the making, a one-stop shop wouldn’t put a dent in the problem, as it stretches way beyond the permitting process and in to areas concerning housing, rising rent costs, California’s business taxes, (one of the highest in the nation according to recent studies), zoning issues, as well as employment-related legal complexities and wages.
“There’s been a Carl’s Junior effect in California for years,” said Scott, referring to 2014 plans by the Southern California-based CKE Restaurants/Carl’s Junior Restaurants, LLC to expand in the state. Faced with wait times of up to two years to expand in the state, the company moved into Texas and Nevada, where wait-times are roughly only two to three months.
Scott, who also sits on the planning commission for the city of Folsom, said the slow-pace of permitting and approving new eateries and other small businesses is rampant across all parts of unincorporated Sacramento County and the city proper. In some cases, there just aren’t enough people to push applications through. In others, the rules are simply too draconian and driving business out.
“This problem is happening all over, and it’s not just permitting,” says Scott. “It’s a chain reaction of things, and the bureaucracy has been building up for decades. Everyone wants the revenue from small business, everyone agrees small business is the backbone of our economy. But, on the other hand, they have created such a bureaucratic mess. So the real question is: OK, how do they undo it?”
Meals on Wheels by ACC Asks Congress to “SAVELUNCH”!
Sacramento, CA (MPG) - Meals on Wheels by ACC along with thousands of others are making our voices heard by participating in the national “SaveLunch” campaign. Help us send a message to Congress and other elected officials to stop budget cuts and save senior nutrition programs across the country.
Meals on Wheels by ACC provides much needed meals to nearly 1,500 homebound seniors, many of whom depend on our program as their main source of nutrition and socialization. Another 900 seniors gather to enjoy nutritious meals and the companionship of friends at one of our 20 All Seasons Café’s throughout Sacramento.
Meals on Wheels by ACC is more than just a meal, for many the daily or weekly visits from our volunteer drivers may be their only connection to the outside world, their only smile, their only friend.
Each Meals on Wheels by ACC participant has been provided a paper plate in which to write a message to their local congressperson, we invite you to join us in this effort. On September 15th we will be sending hundreds of paper plate messages to our elected officials, we would like yours to be one of them, and together we can “SaveLunch”.
Please send your paper plate to:
Meals on Wheels by ACC, 7375 Park City Dr, Sacramento, CA 95831
For more information about the “SaveLunch” Campaign or to learn how to become a Meals on Wheels by ACC volunteer, please call (916) 444-9533.
Source: Meals on Wheels
Everybody Let’s Eat!
Carmichael is Enjoying a Foodie Expansion
Carmichael, CA (MPG) - In case you haven’t noticed, Carmichael has slowly but steadily been expanding your options for food and drink over the last year or so, particularly along the Fair Oaks Boulevard corridor, welcoming in as many as half a dozen dining options, some in just the last few weeks, including the long-anticipated opening of The Patriot restaurant, which put one of the last puzzle pieces into place at the 46,000 square-foot Milagro Centre.
While The Patriot is serving only dinner at this point, the 6,000-square-foot restaurant’s owner, Chris Jarosz, said lunch and brunch options should be in full swing by late fall. The Patriot features an open-air space with wooden sculptures, a wrap-around reclaimed wood bar, a specialty pizza kitchen, a private dining room and patio area.
“We have two kitchens and we are working out a menu for the smaller kitchen that can support the lunch crowd,” Jarosz said.
The last puzzle piece at Milagro, by the way, also belongs to Jarosz. He’s leased the remaining retail space at Milagro’s far west end and plans to open a grab-and-go restaurant sometime in the coming months that will offer lighter fare options, such as salads, sandwiches and small bites.
Noah’s Bagels has been operating since June of 2015 at Carmichael Village on Fair Oaks Boulevard and patiently warming up the scene for the complex’s newest tenant, Wing Stop, which opened its doors in July. Right next door to Wing Stop construction is underway in preparation for the Village’s next and highly anticipated foodie tenant: Jamba Juice, originally set to open in August but, according to developers, currently navigating the county’s multi-faceted and somewhat complicated permitting process. Not to fear. Jamba is set for opening by October 31.
“We are moving forward and Jamba Juice is coming in as planned, said Brooks Erickson of Carmichael Village, LLC. “They have been at the county with their permits and going through several iterations, so I’m shifting toward Halloween for the opening. But they are still on track and coming in.”
As of Sept. 1, there were two other open retail spaces left in the Village complex and, according to Erickson, one is being marketed to another food retailer, although he declined to say which one. The other space is potentially being eyed by a medical-related service provider, he said, although indications are strong that it too could go to one more retail food outfit.
“Our objective would be for more food in at least one of those spaces,” Erickson said. “If you look at retail tenancy the action is with retail food. If you are a resident in Carmichael, you want service, you want food and you want choices and things to do. If we are going to see Carmichael go to the next level, it’s going to be more of the kinds of retail offerings that give locals and visitors alike offerings of experiential places.”
The Manzanita Place complex further east welcomed in Togo’s on New Year’s Eve of 2016. The franchise is owned by Terry Cornwell and family, a Carmichael native who already had a Togo’s store up-and-running in Davis.
“The company wanted to open one more store in the region in 2016, so we made it in on that deadline and we have been busy since,” said Cornwell. “We have people who come here almost every day. It’s just been amazing how popular it is. We are very happy to be here.”
Pizza Hut opened its doors right next door to Togo’s in June, and, although the store is a take-away operation only, it is doing brisk business. Blocks away, six or so employees at Carmichael’s new Dutch Bros. Coffee on Fair Oaks Blvd., which opened its doors in March, are rockin’ out to high-decimal tunes inside the store, shaking smoothies and iced-coffee beverages for a line of cars in the drive-thru 10-deep at 2 p.m. in the afternoon.
Further west in the 6700 block of Fair Oaks Blvd. is Wave Fish & Chips, which opened for business July 13. Founder Daniel Dondov got his back-of-house training as a sushi chef at Blue Nami in Folsom. He says he had an eye on a space inside the Milagro Centre, but as a first-time restauranteur, he decided on a lower-priced space in a strip mall nearby.
Dondov scoped the Carmichael area with the thought of opening his own sushi restaurant, but realized the market was saturated with sushi. Instead, he opted to do fresh fish entrees, and his menu includes traditional fried fresh cod fish and chips, fish tacos, fish burgers and grilled salmon, as well as a good selection of appetizers, including fried crab-stuffed mushrooms, brussel sprouts in a honey and sriracha sauce, a grilled cod fish and spring mix salad and a desert he calls “Dragon Delights,” which is fried banana splits with ice cream.
“Everything is fresh daily here,” says Dondov. “No one is doing fresh, daily fish here in Carmichael. There’s a lot of sushi but not fresh cooked fish meals, so I thought this would be a great addition to the area.”
The explosion of new food and drink retailers have come in as Carmichael enjoys the long-awaited completion of the first of two phases of the county’s roughly $8 million Fair Oaks Boulevard Corridor Plan, funded by a combination of Measure A dollars, developer fees and state and federal transportation funds. Street scape improvements, bike lanes, new tree-lined medians, signal and traffic intersection modifications to mitigate congestion are already in place after what felt like years of red cones and five-mile an hour traffic flow through much of the Fair Oaks Corridor.
Phase two is set to begin sometime in 2018 and, in addition to more bike lanes, sidewalk and streetscape improvements, and signal and traffic flow modifications, will included a plan for replacement of overhead utilities with underground facilities.
“I think if you are new to Carmichael or have lived here for many years and call it home, you see how dramatically different things are along the Fair Oaks corridor,” said Linda Melody, executive director of the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce.
Also working to bolster existing businesses, as well as the new food retailers setting up shop, is the long-awaited implementation of two of the top objectives of the Carmichael Improvement District (CID): security and street maintenance. In July, CID board members signed management contracts with security and street cleaning service providers to address deep-seeded concerns by business owners about growing homeless encampments, crime and safety issues, as well as illegal dumping, graffiti and trash.
There’s more good news, according to Melody. The CID contracts, the expansion of retail food options and the completion of the first phase of the Fair Oaks Boulevard project are contributing to a drop in commercial retail vacancies across the area, which were as high as 23 percent in 2009, but now hovering at roughly 17 percent. She adds that the celebration plans for Carmichael’s 108th birthday on September 30 will be particularly special, as a result.
“We are all very excited to see all of these restaurants coming in because the vacancy rates have been so high for so long,” said Melody said. “We want to see more food businesses and, with the improvements, we are showing other retailers that we are putting the money and the projects into place, which attracts more businesses to our area. This is what we want here as we celebrate founders’ day. We are going to be 108 in September, so it’s very exciting time in Carmichael right now.”
Rising Star Jennifer Reason Performs at Pioneer Church
Sacramento, CA (MPG) - Jennifer Reason, concert pianist, will perform at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 17, at Pioneer Congregational Church, 2700 L Street, across from Sutter’s Fort.
This is the first concert in the 2017-2018 Sacramento Community Concert Association series. Hailed by German critics as a pianist "in the league of Carnegie Hall," a "rising star" whose playing is "lush, sensual and colorful: like a painting" (Sulzbach-Rosenberger),
Reason is a vibrant young performer. Recently she completed her 8th international tour, including twice appearing as a soloist to critical acclaim at the Interharmony International Music Festival in Germany, as well as at the Schlern and Orfeo International Music Festivals in Italy. She has also twice appeared in an ensemble setting at Carnegie Hall, as well as the Vatican, the Liszt Academy in Hungary, and the International Festival of Peace and Brotherhood in Italy.
Reason is a versatile performer of various styles of music from Classical New Music, Jazz to Pop, and Broadway to Gospel. Tickets at the door $25, students $13, subscriptions available by calling the Sacramento Community Concert Association at 916-400-4634.