SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Assemblyman Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), Senator Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), Folsom Mayor Sarah Aquino, and Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost submitted the attached letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Mark Ghaly asking them to update the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy to allow county health departments to authorize the reopening of communities by zip code in areas where COVID-19 metrics meet the state’s requirements for progressing to the next color-coded tier.
The City of Folsom sits in the Northeast corner of Sacramento County and borders El Dorado Hills in El Dorado County. Both communities have similar rates of COVID-19 and are separated by a single freeway exit. And yet, Folsom is deemed higher risk by California’s system. Its business community is forced to comply with more restrictions and its schools have not been able to reopen on the same timeline. This disparity is the result of a reopening framework that ignores the similarities between contiguous communities like Folsom and El Dorado Hills, and instead opts to base these critical decisions on arbitrary county lines.
"Treating similarly situated communities in very different ways creates needless hardship,” Kiley said. “There is no scientific reason why our state cannot allow low-risk areas within counties to reopen their economies and restore the livelihoods of their residents.”
The request comes as other states are adopting a more real world and targeted approach. Last week Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to address clusters of COVID-19 by focusing efforts on the top 20 zip codes in which there have been hotspots throughout the State of New York. This approach not only allows necessary resources to be targeted toward communities most in need, it also assures that the communities that are not experiencing an increase in positivity rates are not negatively impacted by unnecessary restrictions.
View the letter here: https://twitter.com/KevinKileyCA/status/1313586733141778432
Assemblyman Kevin Kiley represents the 6th Assembly District, which includes the Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado County communities of Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Granite Bay, Lincoln, Loomis, Orangevale, Penryn, Rocklin, Roseville, and Sheridan.
SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Today, Cosumnes River College (CRC) announced a partnership with California LAW that will create a pathway for students to complete their education and enter the legal profession. Cal LAW collaborates with community colleges throughout the state to encourage diverse students to enter the legal profession in order to best represent the population of the state of California.
Community colleges partnering with Cal LAW are chosen because of their high commitment to equity, demonstrated by college leadership and resources that provide transformative educational experiences and support for students on a pathway to a law career.
“Having the Cal LAW pathway at CRC is significant as it affirms and reinforces our commitment to implementing innovative practices that allow our college to effectively serve our diverse student population,” stated Dr. Edward Bush, President of CRC. “The Cal LAW program’s aim is to increase the number of diverse students entering the legal profession. Given the demographics of our student body, coupled with our focus and progress on improving student outcomes, CRC is the ideal institutional partner to meet the Cal LAW objective of having legal professionals that are representative of the community in which they serve.”
California LAW (Leadership – Access – Workforce) is an organization created to be the foundational structure that connects, communicates, collaborates, and coordinates with programs working to help diverse students enter the legal profession. It consists of 22 high school law academies created under the California Partnership Academy model in a unique collaboration between the State Bar of California and the California Department of Education.
Additionally, Cal LAW includes members of the Community College Pathway to Law School initiative which includes 29 community colleges throughout the state and nine undergraduate institutions and their law schools, resulting in an educational pipeline into the legal profession created under the leadership of the State Bar of California's Council on Access and Fairness.
“The Cal LAW Pathway at CRC is an amazing program that will help students develop necessary and unique skill sets to be more competitive in a global marketplace,” said Joel Powell, Dean of Business and Computer Science at CRC. “The Cal LAW Pathway Initiative breaks the old paradigms associated with diversity and student transfer models. The program defines diversity in a very broad and inclusive manner in an effort to reach students from various ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and even allows cross participation from students who are part of other college programs like Puente and Umoja. The program targets the largest and most diverse pool of students in the state by using community colleges as satellites to house the program. The initiative is designed to directly address the negative effects of disparities that impact access and utilization of the legal system. CRC students and the community will reap extraordinary benefits as this program continues to grow.”
For more information on the Cal LAW program at CRC, please call (916) 691-7427 or contact Joel Powell at joel.powell@crc.losrios.edu.
About Cosumnes River College
Since 1970, Cosumnes River College has provided outstanding academic and vocational training to the region. CRC’s main campus is located in south Sacramento County, with a new college outreach center in Elk Grove. The college enrolls a diverse community of 14,000 students and offers multicultural activities throughout the academic year. CRC is committed to fostering a learning community that celebrates diversity, nurtures personal growth and inspires academic and economic leadership. For more information, go to www.crc.losrios.edu.
About Los Rios
The Los Rios Community College District is one of the nation's most respected learning institutions and the second-largest community college district in California, serving the greater Sacramento region. Los Rios includes: American River, Cosumnes River, Folsom Lake and Sacramento City colleges; five major education and outreach centers; and specialized workforce and economic development programs for regional businesses, governments and organizations. Los Rios colleges offer AA/AS degrees, certificates and transfer-education opportunities in more than 70 career fields. More than 70,000 students are enrolled in the four colleges. For more information, go to www.losrios.edu.
Metro Fire’s “Months of Prevention” Promotes Fire and Cancer Prevention
October is Metro Fire’s Prevention Month
MATHER, CA (MPG) - The month of October begins Metro Fire’s “Months of Prevention” as we promote fire and cancer prevention.
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
National Fire Prevention Week began Sunday, October 4, 2020 and lasts through Saturday, October 10, 2020 following the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) theme to “Serve Up Fire Safety in the Kitchen.”
Additionally, with respect to California’s historic fire season we will also focus on wildfire safety. Daily topics will be posted on Metro Fire’s social media including Facebook (@MetroFireofSacramento), Instagram (@metro_fire_sacramento), and Twitter (@metrofirepio).
Last year, Metro Fire’s Community Services Division began delivering the “Milo and Moxie” burn prevention program, which includes kitchen safety, to area elementary schools educational programs. Due to COVID-19 we have re-imagined our delivery from an in classroom presentation to a live interactive virtual program in compliance with public health guidelines. We encourage any interested educators to call us at (916) 859-4330 or visit us online at http://metrofire.ca.gov/index.php/about-us/community-services/18-operations/community-services/957-MiloAndMoxie to learn more or schedule delivery for your class.
CANCER AWARENESS - #AllCancersAllPeople
In 2014, Metro Fire made Cancer Awareness a priority during the month of October by focusing on Breast Cancer. After a few years we expanded our program to include Men’s Health in November by adding a “blue” side to our iconic pink wrapped fire engine. Unfortunately, with many public events being canceled this year due to COVID-19 and in alignment with reinforcing our desire to promote healthy community interaction, Metro Fire is postponing wrapping one of our fire engines this year.
However, we are continuing our support of breast cancer awareness this October and men’s health in November by placing our pink/blue themed logo on more than sixty front line apparatus throughout our jurisdiction in greater Sacramento County and the cities of Rancho Cordova and Citrus Heights. Metro Fire personnel may also be seen wearing a themed pink and blue patch on our uniforms to support #AllCancersAllPeople and internal messaging for preventing cancer in fire personnel will be provided, as well as on our social media throughout October and November.
Beansprouts to Beanstalks
Pumpkin Patch Babies Grow Up Putting in the Work
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - In 11 seasons of work at the Carmichael Community Garden, volunteers Annie (12) and Jake (15) Swanson have grown from beansprouts to beanstalks. Among a handful of youngsters who help maintain family lots, the siblings were first photographed for this newspaper when Annie was nine months old. Jake was three. In intervening years, the kids have given hundreds of volunteer hours to the communal project. As well as helping cultivate lots that feed five families, they’ve rolled up sleeves on volunteer days. They’ve composted soil, raked, hauled and spread communal paths with tons of woodchips.
Neither of the kids recalls posing for their pumpkin-baby photo in 2008. This photographer remembers how diligently Jake wielded his measuring tape; how little Annie bestrode her giant pumpkin like Cinderella riding the ball. The young agrarians feel the vignette sums up what has been the best part of nearly every summer of their lives. “I started off here with a little kid shovel and barrow,” says Jake. “I was proud when I graduated to adult-size tools. I feel like I’ve been digging holes all my life.”
In the acre of Sutter Avenue they consider a second home, Annie, Jake and older brother Nick have made many friends. Some are immigrants who speak little English but are fluent in the language of horticulture. Others are Boy Scouts, whose Eagle projects have augmented facilities with shade structures and storage units. The Swanson’s cousins Anthony, Luke and Zach Bagley are also active garden volunteers. “Through all the weeding and chipping we’ve done together, we’ve really bonded as cousins,” considers Jake.
Further rewards include their good health – the Swanson and Bagley kids are all strong athletes – and their work-ethic. “My grandson Jake is one of the hardest-working teenagers I know,” approves grandma Pat Holbus. “He doesn’t delegate, he just gets stuck in. There’s always plenty to be done in a garden. Every extra hand makes work easier.”
Her grandkids feel their school success is harvested partially from the soil. “In a garden, you learn that if you don’t put in the work, your results will show it,” explains Jesuit High School sophomore class president Jake.
Sister Annie has assumed leadership of a distance-learning group at St John the Evangelist School during COVID months. “From being in a garden, I’ve learned to manage time,” she says. “Things have to be done on schedule or crops and flowers suffer. You get up early and start work before it’s too hot. That means getting your homework finished the night before.”
From weeding, watering and watching things grow, the kids have also learned soil must be nurtured like a living thing; that water is a precious resource; that flowers aren’t just pretty. Annie’s zinnias attract bees and humming birds; without these pollinators, mom and grandma’s delicious vegetable dishes could not reach the table. “My school friends all beg me to bring them grandma’s famous zucchini bread,” she says. “My cousin Zach asks grandma to send him loaves at his college. Another thing we know from gardening is that the vegetables we eat taste better than anything you could ever buy in a store.”
Carmichael Community Garden allotments rent for $60 per year. Gardeners are required to do 10 hours of general volunteer work per year. For more information, Email Slal@carmichaelpark.com
Bringing Down the House
Prominent Mural Slated for Demolition
FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - The mural on the wall of Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre was painted by Hugh Gorman in 1985. The art is a prominent and recognizable feature of Plaza Park in Fair Oaks Village, and it is beloved by many local residents.
But the renovations planned for the amphitheatre, which are funded by Measure J, could lead to the destruction of both the mural and an in-ground mosaic—also created by Gorman. Upgrades to the amphitheatre will improve the bathrooms and dressing rooms, make the facility ADA compliant, and expand the stage area for year-round use. The demolition of the current stage area will destroy the mural, and the expanded footprint of the new stage area will require the removal of the mosaic.
The District requested a cost estimate to determine the feasibility of removing and relocating the art pieces. The staff report from the September 16, 2020, meeting of the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District (FORPD) Board of Directors stated that the cost of removal is $240,000 for the mural and $90,000 for the mosaic, with “no guarantee provided that the art pieces would not be damaged or destroyed during removal.” The total of cost $330,000 also does not include any costs for reinstalling the art in a new location.
Since the removal and relocation are cost prohibitive, the Board voted to approve the process of removing or destroying the art pieces in preparation of the amphitheatre renovations. Ralph Carhart, chair of the FORPD Board of Directors, said it was a difficult vote because no one wants the artwork destroyed. “We’re trying to figure out a way to preserve the content of the mural,” said Carhart. He said they are working to find ways to “capture the image and maintain it for the future.”
Creating the mural was a labor of love for Gorman, who invested countless hours planning and creating the work. He is deeply distressed at the prospect of its destruction. When trying to describe his reaction to the news, he couldn’t find the words, but the grief was written all over his face. Community members will also feel the loss; a passerby offered Gorman condolences on the news as they crossed through the park.
Carhart said the Board wants to do whatever possible to mitigate the damages. He explained some possible options for preserving the spirit of the mural, such as displaying photographs of the mural on a smaller scale inside the new amphitheatre or using the digital photo files to recreate the mural on a wall behind the band shell in Village Park.
Gorman’s wife Teri said they appreciate the District’s attempts, but they are not enthusiastic about the idea of a photo display in the new amphitheatre. The Gormans would prefer recreating the images behind in Village Park to preserve the original expansive feeling evoked by the outdoor mural.
They also voiced concerns about whether there has been enough outreach about the amphitheatre renovation and whether people knew that the project would endanger these familiar art pieces. Gorman said there’s “a lot of feelings about it that haven’t been expressed. … If events prevail, a lot of people might raise a ruckus.”
Teri said removing the mural “will change the Village.”
Because the mural is painted on panels of a stucco wall, the Gormans acknowledge that it would likely not survive removal. But on the question of the in-ground mosaic, which was created in 1998, Teri said, “We’re not going down on this without a fight.” The mosaic was a community-centered project, with many residents and school groups providing stones for inclusion in the Plaza Park centerpiece. Teri believes the work is protected under the Visual Artist Rights Act (VARA) of 1990. District Administrator Mike Aho said they have requested an updated opinion from legal counsel on that subject.
In the grant contract with Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, Gorman noted that the mosaic “has been designed to be moveable, should the need arise. The surrounding walkway will break away from the foundation pad, which is engineered to be free-standing. The concrete won’t fail.” The Gormans have asked that the District reconsider the possibility of relocating the mosaic.
Aho said that when the removal estimate was completed, the moveability of the mosaic was not considered. With this additional information, Aho said he will likely recommend attempting removal and relocation as part of the park construction project, which would be more “cost efficient” than getting a new estimate for a separate removal project. Aho explained the Board would still need to give approval and designate a new location for the mosaic. “Of course, we want to keep it,” said Aho.
Love of the Game
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Johnny Doskow, the well-known TV and radio broadcaster for the Sacramento River Cats, recently immortalized his love of the game in a book of haiku focusing on his experiences in both baseball and in life.
Doskow was “raised with the game” and always knew he wanted to call baseball. “I’ve been fortunate to fulfill my dream,” he said. His career began in 1991 calling local sports in Iowa. Two years later he started his first job in professional baseball with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. From there, he moved to California, where he worked with both the High Desert Mavericks and the Fresno Grizzlies before becoming the voice of the Sacramento River Cats in 2001. He also broadcast for the major leagues for 34 games in 2012 with the Oakland A’s.
This past March, with the baseball season forced into hiatus by the coronavirus pandemic, Doskow had no games to call. During his first summer off in 28 years, he started writing. Originally, he didn’t have plans for a book; he was just writing haikus about life and moments he wanted to remember. It was his wife Deb who suggested he write about his life’s passion: baseball. Before he knew it, he had more than enough poems to fill a book. “It just happened organically,” he said.
Doskow has been fascinated by haikus ever since his older brother introduced him to the format as a kid. “I’ve always written them,” Doskow said—even writing them in the margins of in-flight magazines as he traveled during the baseball season. “I never kept any of them,” he said.
Doskow likes the rhythm of haikus (written in a syllable pattern of five, seven, five) and enjoys the challenge of “trying to tell a story in 17 syllables. It’s not easy to do.” Telling a story in such a small space offers the potential for both simplicity and depth. In “Patience,” Doskow writes, “dark cloudy morning/sun squeezing through noon darkness/3 p.m. blue sky.” Such poems ask readers to put themselves into that moment. Doskow hopes that readers can find something to relate to in these poems, something that connects these stories to their own experiences.
In “Scoring,” he writes, “keeping score at game/a religion for some folks/baseball love affair.” For true fans, the book will be like a reading a love letter to the game. Doskow called the writing process “a walk down memory lane,” and the book brings readers on that journey as well. Many of the haikus evoke memories of significant baseball moments—both triumphant and heartbreaking.
In “Sign Off,” Doskow explains the title of the book, Goodnight Em: “ever since her birth/in my broadcast conclusion/my words, ‘goodnight em.’” He started that signature sign-off during the 2006 season when his daughter Emily was just an infant. Long nights at the ballpark and frequent time away from home for away games meant he was often missing his young daughter. The signoff was a way to signify his love and connection to her. When trying to come up with a title for the book, Doskow’s wife Deb suggested Goodnight Em, and he knew instantly that it was perfect.
Goodnight Em honors everything Doskow loves most in this world. The book can be purchased online at www.johnnydoskow.com. It can also be purchased locally at Face In A Book bookstore in El Dorado Hills or at either of the Sacramento locations of Patchamama Coffee (Doskow’s favorite coffee in the world).
Sac Zoo Celebrates the Birth of a Baby Giraffe with a Fundraising Auction!
SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - The Sac Zoo is thrilled to announce that Shani, a 10-year-old Masai giraffe, gave birth to a female calf during the evening on September 20. Mother and calf are spending time bonding in the zoo’s giraffe barn and may have access to the public side yard periodically over the next few days to weeks.
The zoo’s veterinarians performed a routine neonatal health check on the calf including a brief physical exam. Zookeepers had been monitoring Shani around the clock prior to the birth and will continue to closely watch the mother and her calf.
The Sacramento Zoo is now home to five giraffes: one post-reproductive female reticulated giraffe, one male Masai giraffe, two female Masai giraffe including Shani, and now the new calf. This is the 20th calf born at the Sacramento Zoo going back to 1964 when the species was first housed at the zoo.
This birth coincides with the launch of the Sac Zoo’s online Auction 2020, running today through noon on September 29. Due to the pandemic, the nonprofit Sac Zoo is unable to hold its largest fundraisers of the year and thus created the online Auction 2020 as a way to raise much-needed funds to care for the baby giraffe and the hundreds of other rare, endangered and native animals that call the zoo home.
Zoo supporters are able to bid on an opportunity to name the zoo’s new baby giraffe or have the chance to be one of the first to meet the baby and her mother up-close and personal. Other auction items include original art created by a troop of orangutans, the chance to spend a private holiday celebration at the zoo, or even the opportunity to have Breakfast with Butternut the prehensile-tailed porcupine.
These are just a few of the nearly 20 unique, once-in-a-lifetime auction items up for bid at the Sac Zoo’s online Auction 2020. Did you know that it costs the Sacramento Zoo more than $460,000 every 30 days to operate...even during a pandemic? Visit www.saczoo.org/auction2020 through noon on September 29 to bid on once-in-a-lifetime zoo experiences and much more. Or donate to the Feed Your Zoo Campaign and help the zoo care for nearly 500 animals. You won’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind auction! All proceeds raised will benefit the nonprofit zoo and the animals in its care.
And make sure to reserve your tickets for a visit to the Sac Zoo...you never know if you might get a sneak peek at momma and baby giraffe on one of their first adventures outside! There’s always something happening at YOUR Sacramento Zoo!
Open since 1927, the Sacramento Zoo is home to nearly 500 native, rare and endangered animals and is one of more than 200 accredited institutions of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The Sacramento Zoo, managed by the nonprofit Sacramento Zoological Society, inspires conservation awareness and action through education and recreation. Currently, all tickets must be reserved and purchased online at www.saczoo.org. For information, call 916-808-5888 or visit saczoo.org.