Tag Archives: UC Davis

The News is Good from Sacramento

Community, , ,
Columbus Brewery, Sacramento, Corner of K and 16th Streets

We love living and working in Sacramento, so its nice to know our good feelings are confirmed by independent surveys examining what makes living in a city special.


To begin with, Sacramento ranked 44th out of 182 cities in the USA for best cities to raise a family. Personal finance website WalletHub evaluate America’s large cities for several factors such as family fun, affordability and childcare, and Sacramento scored high. Check out how we did compared to other cities on their website.


Our town is still growing. The Arizona-based home-builder Taylor Morrison purchased about 29.4 acres worth of lots in the Fiddyment area just west of Roseville. The three parcels of land along the future North Hayden Parkway cost Taylor Morrison $6.96 million.


Sacramento has benefited, and continues to benefit, from the incubator for start-ups centered at UC Davis. Expect to see more and more medical technology and pharmaceutical companies contributing to the growing economy in the area. During the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2019, 14 startups were launched by this innovative program.


We would be remiss not to include at least one word about beer. Folsom’s iconic Red Bus Brewing Company is getting ready to open a similar space on Sutter Street. We can hardly wait.

Bolstering Employment

Employment, , , ,

The city of Sacramento has taken a variety of initiatives recently in order to bolster employment opportunities.  Here we look at three examples.

The first, is a collaboration between UC Davis and Kindred Healthcare.  An additional hospital will be built at the downtown campus area.  Its main goal is to offer additional impatient rehab services in the area.  But the result will be the creation of an additional 200 jobs.  As well care will become more convenient for patients and their families and treatment availability for the neurological needs of the community will be doubled.

The second is the construction of an aerial target drone.  This will bring 20 to 50 jobs annually for many decades. So far, 50 jobs have been added for work needed on the first part of new drone contract production. The contract was received from the US Navy and has been valued at $37 million.

Following the tragic murder of Stephon Clark earlier this year, one step that is being taken is gang prevention.  To accomplish this, job creation is key as one part of investment in the neighborhood.  One of the key focuses of the Black Child Legacy Campaign is youth employment.  This initiative – a combined effort between the Sierra Health Foundation, 7 target neighborhoods where black kids die more than twice the rate of their white peers, the county and city.   The Sacramento Kings are also lending their support. According to director of Research and Policy for Equity at UC Davis Vajra Watson:

“The only way to expand what it is that young people conceive of for their future is to get them more opportunities to see new places, meet new people, and dream bigger than their parents have dreamed.”

As such, Sacramento is distributing $900,000+ in funding to groups offering entrepreneurial opportunities in low income neighborhoods. The hope is to create 500 new jobs this year.

Fiscal Caution Urged

Business news, ,

fiscal-cautionIn his State of the State address earlier this month, Governor Jerry Brown urged “fiscal caution.” It is important that legislators make attempts to boost the state’s “rainy day fund,” especially since there are many infrastructure repairs that need to be made. That, he said, is more important than engaging in new programs right now.

This issue is not limited to Sacramento. According to the recent The Menino Survey of Mayors questioning 89 mayors nationwide, many are worried about their “cities’ aging infrastructure and they’d like more state and federal support.”

Nonetheless, it seems that Sacramento’s infrastructure is hardly the worst in the country. Indeed, since Anpac Bio-Medical has chosen to move its headquarters in the state’s capital. According to a recent article in PR Newswire:

“Sacramento is home to one of the world’s most diverse and cutting-edge life science communities, and is a magnet for innovative and life-changing technologies. The region has long been California’s best kept secret when it comes to healthcare discoveries. UC Davis is one of the top universities in the United States for innovation and research, with over $2 billion in economic impact.”

However, Governor Brown remains prudent. He is insistent on “focus[ing] on how we pay for the commitments we have already made,” via a “very progressive but volatile tax structure,” given the volatility of the global economy.