Tag Archives: Sacramento

NoCal Hoping for Sacramento-SF Train Link

Transportation, , ,

Plans for a high-speed rail network in California’s Central Valley were delayed Saturday, but further north residents of Sacramento said they remain hopeful that plans to launch train service between the capital and San Francisco would move ahead eventually.

Cabbage growing in California’s Central Valley

Currently, commuters between the cities have to switch to a bus to complete the journey.

In the Central Valley, the  Associated Press reported that project managers cited cost changes and Covid-related delays as the reasons for the postponed opening of a Bakersfield-to-Madera route, a 119-mile stretch of track through some of the state’s critical farming bowl.

Brian Kelly, the project’s chief executive officer, said he would update the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board of directors on plans to open the route by 2023. He also said he would ask for additional funding to cover expected cost overruns from $12.4 to $13.8 billion.

Downtown Sacramento Partnership Launches ReImagine Activation Micro-Grants

Community, Culture, Economy, Employment, Finance, Infrastructure, Restaurants,

The Downtown Sacramento Partnership recently announced a new ReImagine Activation Grant Program, offering micro-grants to downtown businesses and supporting organizations looking to utilize spaces safely and with social responsibility.

The program also hopes to support local artists – of all genres and platforms—in their efforts to increase the cultural offerings in downtown Sacramento.

Downtown small businesses already benefitting from the grants include: Brannan Manor Restaurant & Spirits, Kodaiko Ramen & Bar, Koja Kitchen Sac Town, Solomon’s Delicatessen, Tango by the River, and Visions of Eden, Inc.

Politics turns Pretty

Culture, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Politics, ,

The 2020 elections are now a thing of the past. But the thousands of political yard signs that dotted Sacramento County lawns are getting a new life.

As most of the signs are not made from recyclable material, a coalition of local environmental and cultural activists is collecting and distributing them to Sacramento area artists who will turn them into art.

“Some artists want to take it and turn it into planters. Another one wants to turn it into a new type of canvas,” said Shira Lane, of The Atrium 916, “Others want to create kind messaging to make America kind again and bring us together again.”

The goal of the initiative according to Lane is to ensure that the signs do not wind up in landfills. Crafters, hobbyists, art teachers, students, and others have all reached out to get some signs.

Museum Re-Opens, Neighboring Businesses Hopeful

Business news, Community, Culture, Economy, Entertainment, , , ,

Sacramento’s largest art museum,  The Crocker Art Museum, reopened on October 16, 2020. Patrons must reserve tickets in advance; the facility is operating at 20% capacity for the time being.

Nearby Sacramento businesses, hard hit by the dramatic loss of customers over the past six months, are hoping the museum-goers also visit other storefronts, eateries, and shops.

Sacramento Small Businesses Get Relief Loans

Business news, Community, Culture, Economy, Finance, , , , ,

Nearly the entirety of Sacramento’s $89 million of federal coronavirus aid has been allocated. The city’s council recently voted on how to spend the last iteration of funds, including a few subcategories for small business assistance, tourism, culture and the arts, employment growth, and services for the homeless. 

From the beginning of the pandemic, Sacramento Mayor Darell Steinberg indicated his intention of using the aid to help the city’s disadvantaged and underserved populations.  He also shared his interest in helping nonprofits that had been in line for Measure U sales tax funding. 

“It’s a significant achievement what we have done thus far to intentionally decide we’re going to spend this money on and in our community and then to execute it in the way we have,” Steinberg said. 

The category with the largest allocation of $22 million is small business assistance, with most of the money being distributed in the second round of funding for 1,347 Sacramento businesses. Assistant City Manager Michael Jasso reported that this round of funding saw a diversified pool of applicants than the original round of loans, which mostly went to businesses in the center of Sacramento.

New Dollar General in West Sacramento

New Dollar General in West Sacramento

Business news, Community, Economy, Environment, Finance, Infrastructure, , ,

A 200,000 square feet Dollar General cold storage facility will open in West Sacramento.

The Greater Sacramento Economic Council announced the location of the facility on Channel Drive. The council also indicated that the new venue will generate 50 full-time jobs, $27 million in regional economic activity over three years, and revitalize the pandemic-hit economy over the next three years.  Specifically in West Sacramento, some $4 million are expected to come in as a result of the new facility each year.

“Dollar General’s supply chain network plays a critical role in ensuring the products customers need and want are delivered to our nearly 17,000 stores in a timely and consistent manner. The addition of these facilities continues to drive efficiency and service through our exceptional supply chain network.”

Mike Kindy, Dollar General’s executive vice president of global supply chain
New Dollar General in West Sacramento
The new West Sacramento Dollar General cold storage facility will stimulate the economy and preserve food supplies.

Sacramento Helps Eateries Re-Open

Business news, Community, Culture, Economy, Environment, Featured, Restaurants, , , ,

Sacramento has launched a new program called Farm to Fork Al Fresco to facilitate the reopening of restaurants for dining in.

The program allows restaurants to apply for a city permit to extend their dine-in service to public sidewalks, streets, and parking areas. This will enable restaurants to adhere to social distancing regulations and reach nearly 100% serving capacity.

Sacramento is showing ingenuity and flexibility to reopen restaurants.

Paragary’s in midtown Sacramento, for example, was one of the first eateries to apply and receive a permit. The city erected barriers on the sidewalk outside the shop and the owners have already set up tables and chairs.

This type of flexibility and accommodations are helping Sacramento’s restaurant scene get back to business.

More Bargains Coming to Sacramento Via Grocery Outlet

Business news,

The Grocery Outlet, a food-store chain headquartered in Emeryville near Oakland, is opening one more branch in the Sacramento vicinity.

Grocery Outlet on 185th in w:Hillsboro, Oregon. Photo courtesy M.O. Stevens


Well-known for its rock-bottom prices, Grocery Outlet is making its new home in North Highlands on Elkhorn Boulevard, inside the Watt Towne Center.


Although Kyle Noble, the senior manager of regional marketing and communications said that indeed, Grocery Outlet signed a lease for the store, no additional information was forthcoming.


The chain already has several stores in the greater Sacramento area, and others are also just in the planning stages. Stores already in the area include:


• Citrus Heights
• Folsom
• Orangevale
• Rocklin
• Sacramento (3431-Watt Avenue)
• Sacramento Pocket
• South Natomas
• South Sacramento
• West Sacramento
• Rancho Cordova
• Rosemont


New stores in the planning stages include in Sun Hills of Lincoln and close to Cal State University Sacramento.

The Sacramento Waterfront

Business news, Community
Sacramento Waterfront. Photo courtesy Nan Fry

The Old Sacramento waterfront will be getting an upgrade. Ideas on how to update the area have been submitted by professionals as well as the public.

This hybrid process—when both the public and professionals submit proposals—is a unique one. According to Carlos Eliason, a creative specialist in the city, the process has generated a lot of positive attention.

“We have a lot of new ideas, and energy and momentum are starting to build up,” Eliason said. “We want people to think of Old Sac as a place where emotion and imagination can combine … and this is kind of where it starts.”

In January, five professional design team were invited to submit proposals for the riverfront. The public was also invited to submit designs, and a children’s design competition was launched.

Voting is open to the public. The children’s competition will offer several prizes of $100, and the winning proposal can win up to $6,000.