All posts by Jeremy Bryne

Development of South Land Park

Infrastructure, , , , ,

sacramentoThere are developments happening in Sacramento’s South Land Park. According to one South Land Park Neighborhood Association board member, Brian Ebbert there is a “clear incentive” for grocers to fill the empty space that exists at 5820 S. Land Park Drive which has been vacant since March when the store that currently existed there closed for bankruptcy. The idea now is to have a “reputable” grocer take over the space.

There have been some controversies however, with the space as the existing grocers that are located nearby could feel threatened by the addition of the potential competition. Two current examples of these are Sprouts Farmers Market and Nugget Market, with the potential of Raley’s store opening in a location nearby. So, it remains to be seen what will fill in the currently empty space.

This has not been the only pie where the South Land Park Neighborhood Association’s finger can be found. Back in August, nearly 500 locals from schools, businesses, elected professionals and more attended the National Night Out event that took place on 13th Street at the Alice Birney School. There was free food (prawns, hotdogs and cookies) and performances by iYa Taekwondo and the O’Hana dance group were enjoyed by all, along with the bouncing castle. The vendor fair also highlighted what’s great in the area including the Greenhaven Bike Shop, and Detail Maniac.

Encouraging Job Creation

Employment

jobsThe Valley Industry and Commerce Association is reaping the benefits of SB 936. This Sacramento state Senate bill seeks to help small businesses engage in the development of new jobs, by expanding the access they have to the extremely beneficial California loan guarantee program. Authored by State Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, it is hoped that the SB 936 will “stimulate economic growth and prosperity.”

In other loan-based news, Magilla Inc. (a company established in 2015 that sets up bank borrowers WITHOUT requiring any personal data) announced its second generation website that enhances user experience for borrower and lender. With this updated version, users can now benefit from real-time Q&A, more notification options and a faster turnaround time. The company has been expanding substantially since its launch, most notably from the FDIC-insured lenders who want premium borrowers. In addition, those who need loans really appreciate the ease of loan request submission and speed by which they can receive multiple loan proposals.

In terms of housing, the Seniors Housing Portfolio in Sacramento has been offered $41.5 million in financing for three-properties. This has been orchestrated by Holliday Fenoglio Fowler. The 7-year floating rate acquisition loan has been secured by an affiliate of Harbert Management Corp affiliate, Harbert Seniors Housing Fund.

New Educational Rights

Education, ,

school1.4 million Californian English learner students will soon be getting language education supported by a recent federal settlement.  The Department and Board of Education has consented to put in place additional training and monitoring procedures to ensure language services to the English Learner-students comply with what is required by the federal Equal Educational Opportunities Act.

Meanwhile a new way of judging school performance – moving away from the Academic Performance Index score that has been used until now – was approved by Californian state education leaders. This accountability system instead will look at schools on how English learners are progressing, what the graduation rates look like, how ready graduates are for college and/or careers and the level of suspension rates.

It was also reported at the end of August that those students from Sacramento made “modest progress” in both English and Math.  According to Sacramento County schools superintendent, Dave Gordon, this new is “encouraging…We are making gains across the board and across our student subgroups. … I would say our districts and our teachers are making good progress in delivering a new curriculum and using a new assessment.”

Sacramento: Bolstering Art and Culture

Culture, ,

street-muralWhen Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center opens, it will be home to the “Coloring Book,” a sculpture by Jeff Koons the city bought for $8m. This will certainly put Sacramento on the global art map since it is a sculpture on which pretty much everyone has an opinion.

Another boost to the region’s art scene is the prominence of the Art Hotel installation downtown.  It is hoped that this will drive the arts landscape further into the spotlight since Sacramento has historically not been known for its artistic side.  All this is great news for Sacramento since as Elliot Fouts, a Sacramento gallery owner noted, “anything that gets people thinking about art, gets them excited about art is really great.”

Let’s not forget Sacramento’s Street Art. At the end of August people in Sacramento were privy to the first Sacramento Mural Festival. Midtown Sacramento was transformed by muralists into “urban art masterpieces,” that it is hoped Beau Basse, the curator said, turns into “an annual project [which will] bring in more international artists [putting Sacramento as a city in a bigger map.” This sentiment was echoed by local muralist Jake Castro who pointed out that it will “create new opportunities [putting] sac in a spot line with all the other artists involved.”

Bridge Facilitating Sacramento Transport

Infrastructure, , , ,

bridgeA new bridge opened today in Sacramento that will likely seriously facilitate transportation options for the people of Sacramento. Following the completion of the bridge – that cost the state $13.5 million in construction fees – the Riverfront Reconnection Project will connect the Riverfront and Oldtown with Downtown Sacramento.

This will also be great for the opening of Golden One Center, as General Manager of Firehouse Restaurant Mario Artiz noted, it will “give Old Sacramento like a grand entrance if you will, not a back door or a side door.” Currently there are two entrances that are both awkward and hard to find; one requiring a trip down I Street past a parking lot and under Interstate 5 and the other via a turn off the Capitol Mall which is quite easy to miss.

Enhancing Transportation Modes

Transportation,

sacramentoThe first line on the Downtown/Riverfront Streetcar Project is to commence construction thanks to a $30 million state grant the City of Sacramento just received. The goal is for residents to be able to move more freely and easily around the city.  It is hoped that the entire project will be working by 2021, connecting West Sacramento with Sacramento, stopping at Raley Field, the Bridge District, Golden 1 Center, and downtown Sacramento.

Since the state grant was given for this project, it seems there is full support for this system.  There are still more funds to be garnered but this latest grant mans that they are, as Kevin Johnson pointed out “one step closer to our vision of Sacramento 3.0; an interconnected, innovative, transit-accessible city where people live, work, eat and play.”  And as Steve Hansen (member of the Council) added it is part of a battle against “climate change by supporting infill development and supporting transit while also reducing congestion and connecting our city better with West Sacramento…[It] is a huge win for the Sacramento region that will keep moving us forward.”

Water Meter Companies: Capitalism at Work

Community, ,

water-meter-readerSacramento contractors who are trying to get the job of installing water meters in the area are about to feel some healthy competition.  Of course price is always going to be a huge issue (whoever comes up with a lower price will certainly get considered) but it seems that this is not the only thing the Sacramento City Council is requesting of its contractors.  Now, they want customer service and local hiring too.

In terms of policy there has been a change.  While it used to be that the lowest bidder would automatically receive the contract, now that has been changed and in its stead what has been created is a “pool of pre-qualified companies that would win contracts based in part on subjective criteria, such as customer satisfaction.” According to a recent Sacramento Bee article by Cathy Locke, the three main areas to be considered are now therefore: pricing, qualifications of the contractor and performance-based criteria. The reason for the change is to enable the city to “award contracts to qualified contractors and repeat the process multiple times if the contractor performs well and within budget.”

Perhaps this capitalist move is in line with Sacramento City Council’s recent move of relinquishing some of its power “voting to allow residents the chance to enact a new commission with authority to redraw the city’s embattled political districts.”  In November, voters will be able to approve the commission regarding the shift of new independent resdistricting commission.  According to District 4 Councilman Steve Hansen, “the new commission makes the redistricting process truly independent. It gives the voters a reason to feel that the issue has truly been taken out of the hands of the elected officials.”

Business Networking in Sacramento

Employment, ,

networkingThe Sacramento Business Journal offers a variety of special events in recognition of industry leaders and as a way of helping those who are looking for professional networking in a variety of fields.  One of these – to be held at the end of this month on August 31st – is the ‘Connectionopolis: Strictly Networking’ event.

As well as being beneficial to those who want to get ahead in their careers, Connectionopolis is also for a good cause.  For example, proceeds from admission tickets go to the Junior Achievement of Sacramento program, whose mission is to “inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential… teach[ing] financial literacy, entrepreneurship and workforce readiness to students in grades K – 12.”  The idea behind it is that by working as a team, there is a greater chance of being able to “empower our next generation to own their economic success.”

In terms of networking in the region, there is also Metro-Edge which seeks to: “ensur[e] the future of Sacramento [via its] mission [which is]: To Engage a diverse network, Develop critical business skills, Give back to the community and Empower leadership.”

 

Sacramento Council Needs to Get Serious

Community,

service-1013724_960_720Sacramento is up for Mayoral and Council elections.  The last Mayor – Anne Rudin – was elected to only a part time position back in 2000 (which thankfully was changed to full time two years later).  But the situation of a part-time council remains and this is a time when almost every other city in California finally has a full-time staff.

Even though there are around 5,700 Sacramento city employees, a mere 9 of these are elected and able to make substantial decisions about the city’s future, one being the Mayor.  The other eight are city council members.  It’s even worse though as since they are viewed as part-time employees, their salaries reflect that and hence they have to have other jobs to make a full salary.  Indeed, their salaries are lower than some parking lot supervisors who are paid by the same city!

Meanwhile, at a recent Sacramento City Council meeting, members of the community piled in to voice their opinions on police reform, putting forward their recommendations.   Addressing the Community Policing Commission’s Accountability Ad Hoc committee, subject matters raised included: an increase in foot patrols (with a reduction in vehicle patrols), increasing communication between police and community on their protocols and encouraging offices to explain to bystanders what transpired in an incident they just witnessed.

These matters will be put to the Sacramento City Council and Mayor and thereafter possibly tell the city manager to guide the police department in the changes based on community input.