Happy New Year Arden!

Happy New Year Arden!  It is going to be a better year, right?  I am optimistic 2012 will turn out to be an exciting time for Arden Arcade.  My name is Sean Middleton and my family and I moved to the Arden area last May.  Since that time, I have come to love my new community; the people and businesses it is comprised of are wonderful and engaging.  I would like to thank Sue for allowing me to write on this blog.  Throughout the next few months, I want to start conversations about community renewal, Arden citizen collaboration, crime reduction, neighborhood camaraderie and community sustainability in a time of fiscal stress.  Additionally, I would love to host and participate in community meetings and good old-fashioned social gatherings.  Arden Arcade has a lot to offer and I am excited to be here.  I hope some of you will join the conversation because there is a lot we can do together to improve our community.  One voice only serves to highlight an issue; whereas a community of voices acting in concert is the only real avenue for community renewal and fellowship.  If you share my enthusiasm, optimism and cautious concern, please join in and let’s make 2012 a great year.

Sean Middleton

Mail Theft in Arden Park

A reader in Arden Park reports that on Saturday, November 12 two men in a black car ran up and grabbed the mail from their mailbox. Arden Arcade Blog reminds all our neighbors to use secure mailboxes for incoming mail and to either hand outgoing mail to the mail carrier or take it to an official mailbox... and report mail thefts to the Sheriff.

O. G., by guest author, John Heinen

Grandpa Barnard died in 1958, while residing in an assisted-living facility on Hurley Way, less than a mile from the home he'd built for himself and his wife, Zell, in Sierra Oaks. He was a handsome man, very funny, feisty, and seemed always to have a devilish smile on his face. As an architect and builder, he put up many dozens of homes in and around Sacramento. In his younger years, he was a prize fighter. He taught me how to box. Actually, what he taught me was: if you spar with an ex-prize fighter, expect to get bruised. My Dad & I paid him regular visits and while they talked I would tidy up his apartment. One day he said to Dad, "Share my last bottle, Bill," and poured the last two drinks from a half-pint bottle of bourbon. As I tossed the empty bottle into the trash, I noticed many more half-pint bottles. Grandpa was an  enthusiastic drinker, so why would he buy small bottles, when larger bottles would save a lot of money? Years later, I figured it out.  His wife and his old pals were gone. A small bottle of bourbon went quick, and that meant he'd have to walk over to the market fairly often for another, which created opportunities to schmooze with the staff and talk with any customers who might be in the mood to chat. He needed human contact, as we all do, and he'd found a simple way to get it on a regular basis. About he title, O.G.: When my cousins and I were little, we'd hear our parents call Grandpa "Ohgee". We thought it was a meaningless nickname. When we were older we learned that O.G. stood for "Old Goat".  But "O.G."  was always said with good humor and affection, because everyone loved that old goat.

Arden Arcade Bird?

If we were to choose an official bird of Arden Arcade, what bird would you suggest?

My vote: Yellow-Billed Magpie

Add a comment to cast your vote!

Occupy Arden Arcade, by guest author John Heinen

occupywallstreet.org occupytogether.org occupysac.com This is a sea change. And it may as well be 'occupyardenarcade'. Ghandi said, "First they ignore you.  Then they laugh at you.  Then they fight you.   Then you win." Congress has become a house of whores.  That's not good for our country, for California, for Sacramento, for Arden Arcade. I love America. But enough is enough. This is a sea change, and this is not over. John Heinen

Annual Concert to Benefit Family Promise

ANNUAL STRATHDEE CONCERT All concert proceeds support Family Promise of Sacramento and its work with homeless families CONCERT TIME: 6:00pm SONGS OF HOPE Sunday, October 9, 2011 WHERE: St. Mark's United Methodist Church ADDRESS: 2391 St. Marks Way, Sacramento Requested Ticket Donation: $10 For tickets: 916-443-3107/www.sacfamilypromise.org Tickets may also be purchased at the door. ABOUT THE ARTISTS For over thirty-five years, Jim and Jean Strathdee have shared their music in an international itinerant ministry, specializing in concerts, workshops, retreats as well as serving as conference song and worship leaders. Their music has been a source of hope and encouragement for faith communities seeking to bring peace, justice and healing to God's world.

Friends of the Library Fall Warehouse Sale

Media Contact:         Cherril Peabody 916-973-0821                                     August 28, 2011             NEWS RELEASE           FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY HOST FALL WAREHOUSE SALE                       The Friends of the Sacramento Public Library are sponsoring a big  Warehouse Book Sale on two consecutive Saturdays, October 1 and October 8. Public sale hours will be noon to 4 pm on October 1 and 9 am to 4 pm on October 8. A preview for Friends' members only is scheduled for 9 am to noon, October 1. Prospective members may join at the door for $15 and attend the preview. The sale will be held in the Friends' warehouse, at the rear of their Book Den store, 8250 Belvedere Avenue, Suite E, between Power Inn Road and Florin-Perkins Road just south of 14th Avenue. More than 70,000 paperback and hard-bound books, videos, books on cassette and more will be sold at prices ranging from $.50 to $2.00. All proceeds, after expenses, benefit the Sacramento Public Library.      The Book Den store will be open during Warehouse Sale hours. At the Book Den shoppers select from individually priced better books, including collectibles, and other materials, with most books priced at $3 and up. The Book Den is regularly open Thursday through Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm. Book donations are welcome.  For more information call 916-731-8493 or email fspl@att.net.

Calling all bibliophiles!

Have you been to your local library lately? (There are two branches in Arden Arcade: Arden-Dimmick at Watt & Northrup and Arcade on Marconi, west of Fulton.) Did you know that in addition to books they also lend out CDs and DVDs? Did you know you can access the catalog online, request books to be picked up from your nearest branch, and that when you go to pick them up, most of the materials can be checked out at a computer, without having to talk to librarians? Did you know the Friends of the Sacramento Public Library run a bookstore called The Book Den where you can buy books, CDs and DVDs on just about any topic and at incredibly low prices? (I knew, but I didn't know how good it was until I started volunteering in their warehouse. Wow!) Did you know that The Book Den has regular warehouse sales where books can be bought at even lower prices than their normally low ones? It's all true. The next warehouse sale is this Saturday, October 1.

THE SAGA OF THE PINK DUCK, by guest author John Heinen

My roommate, Ed, sublet a cocktail lounge located in a Chinese restaurant on Fulton near Marconi. It had been his regular hangout for years. He made an offer to the owners, and they accepted it. To distinguish it from the restaurant, he wanted a name for the lounge. We brainstormed one evening over drinks in our apartment. After trying and rejecting dozens of names (e.g., fulton's funhouse, the lewd lion, harry's hideaway), I jokingly said, "How about The Pink Duck?" We laughed, yet it appealed to us. And the more we drank, the more it appealed. It was amusing and unique. Ed got one of those vinyl 4'x12' instant signs and we installed it. He bought some nice couches and chairs, had music on the weekends, and we both handed out dozens of one-free-drink cards to everyone we ran into. Lots of young people started coming in, and Ed was a happy bar owner. He invented the Pink Duck cocktail: vodka, lemonade, and a splash of Grenadine for the pink. It was a great little bar. But then his long time friends, who were the mainstay of the weekday business -- older fellows (fellows? I meant 'fogeys') -- began complaining about the name. They felt it suggested that this was a gay bar. (Fogeys?  I meant 'homophobic fogeys'). Against my advice, Ed caved in and renamed the bar "Uptown Ed's". The young people stopped showing up, the homophobic fogeys -- (homophobic fogeys?  I meant 'old farts') -- didn't supply sufficient revenue, and in under six months Ed was out of business. A few years later that bar and and the restaurant burned to the ground, the ultimate end to the saga of The Pink Duck.

Comedy Open Mic - Sundays at On the Y

Think Old Sac is the only happenin' place around? Think again! There's plenty to do right here in Arden Arcade! Check this out: Comedy Open Mic On the Y 670 Fulton Ave, 916-487-3731 Sundays, 9:30 p.m. No cover charge. Talented comedians of all ages try out their new routines. Come meet your funny neighbors! Be sure to let me know about other local events and hot spots!

Places I Remember

John's most recent post got me thinking about the various parts of Sacramento in which I've lived. I came to Sacramento to attend Sac State, with every intention of returning home to the Bay Area, where I grew up. So, I started out in the city of Sacramento -- on campus and near campus, for years. Marriage, a child and economic realities kept us from returning "home". The years went by and then divorce, remarriage and continued economic realities continued to keep us in the place I now call "home". There were two years in Rosemont, one year in Sierra Oaks Vista, and two years in Arden Manor. Finally, the means and opportunity arose to make our true home in Garden of the Gods. Here we are and here we plan to stay until we're rolled out in body bags.

We chose Garden of the Gods because of the schools. I'd known about the neighborhood for quite some time. It had a reputation as a stable, friendly place. No place is truly stable these days, but this neighborhood is more stable than some. Many homes are owner-occupied, their mortgages long since paid off. We very much enjoy the absence of air traffic noise here! Our only real complaint is something we noticed soon after we moved in. Practically everyone here is white! Having spent my formative years in Berkeley and Oakland and my early Sacramento years in the educational community, I took integration for granted. It had never occurred to me to check the ethnic profile of a neighborhood before buying into it. Nor to my then fairly new husband, having lived largely in the struggling areas of the region, where the common denominator among neighbors is need, which affects every ethnic group.

Prosperity, though, is a good deal pickier about whom it touches. Having been touched with modest but sufficient prosperity, here we are: white middle class people living in a white middle class neighborhood and celebrating any and every indication that Garden of the Gods might be developing more of a rainbow hue. We've been in this house for about seventeen years, and we've seen very little to indicate that we're becoming integrated, and that disappoints us. But people here are kind and caring, and I choose to believe that the economy is what is keeping us monochromatic, rather than any tacit agreement to keep things this way.

Living in Garden of the Gods means living within walking distance of a good variety of stores. It also means living on the outskirts of Arden Arcade -- right on the edge of Carmichael, which we find pleasant. Home is where we raise our children, love our pets, plant our gardens, shed our tears, and celebrate our milestones. "There are places I remember in my life...", the song goes. "...I'll often stop and think about..." previous places, but some twenty years in, Arden Arcade is my home, and I love it.

HISTORY IS BORING? NAH !, by guest author John Heinen

Arden Arcade has many sub-headings; Arden Manor, Bohemian Heights, Arcade Village, Bell View, Woodside, Sierra Oaks, etc. Thirty-six in all. Over a span of 45 years, I've lived in seven of them. (Why do we move so much?) When I was younger, my family hit a poor period. Today it's called 'financially dis-advantaged'. As a result, we moved to the wrong side of the tracks: Del Paso Heights, where I attended grades 4 through 12. I was taught California history, but nothing about the very community I lived in. It was only a couple of years ago I learned that long before the title Arden Arcade was created, the entire area this side and that side of the 'tracks' was Rancho Del Paso. It was acquired by John Sutter, circa 1840, then passed on to others including James Ben Ali Haggin. Horses were raised here; apparently lots of horses. In 1886 one of them, 'Ben Ali' (James had a large ego), won the Kentucky Derby. I used to think of Arden Arcade as the suburbs. Now I know it's a place with a significant, and sadly much unknown, history. I've always loved living here. Now I love it a little more deeply. The 2010 census showed Arden Arcade's population as 92,186. I'd be curious to know how many of them have an awareness of our very cool history.

November 1963, by guest author John Heinen

November 1963. I was a freshman at American River Junior College, now called ARC. Walking across the quad, I saw people rushing more than usual. I entered the cafeteria.No one was talking, except Walter Cronkite, broadcast through the loudspeakers.When he announced Pres. Kennedy's death, a loud pained sigh from all of us echoed in the room. There followed a numb shock, and frustration over how to express our grief. Driving home, I saw one vivid example. The Regal gas station at the corner of Marconi and Fulton had a big sign, similar to a theater marquee, that normally advertised the price of tires, oil, gas (29 cents back then). They had draped the top and sides with black plastic sheeting, usually used as drop cloths. The sign was blank; except for three letters in the center: J F K. It was a simple, clear, eloquent expression. Not a happy Arden Arcade memory, but one I'll never forget.

We're Back!

Queries went out and I'm happy with the quick and enthusiastic response. We now have four authors signed up, with at least one more in process! The blog can accommodate up to 100 authors, so if you know other community-minded folks who like to write, bring them on board!

Help me enforce the conditions, too:

1. Must be civilized -- no foul language, no name-calling, no threats, etc.

2. Must be on-topic -- the Arden Arcade community (as defined in the county map).

3. (NEW) No plugging our own business interests. (It's fine to discuss businesses in the community, though -- especially if they themselves are community oriented, sponsoring local causes, etc. I personally want to know about small businesses in our community so I can deal with them as often as possible.)

I look forward to seeing what develops. If it will help to have a topic to start us off, I suggest we each write a little about our particular neighborhood, how long we've been there, what we like about it, what we'd like to improve, etc.

Torn Between Two ... Whats?

Part of the process of breathing new life into this blog has included updating the links in the sidebar. I found lots of dead ones and had to go hunting for pertinent live ones. I was very interested to find that both the County and the City claim us as part of them. It is especially interesting to me to see that the 2030 General Plan for the City of Sacramento describes Arden Fair, Point West and Cal Expo as being part of Arden Arcade. They refer to "incorporated" vs. "unincorporated" Arden Arcade. It was news to me that previously incorporated (or annexed?) portions of the city described on page 3-AA-5 are considered by the city to be the current incorporated Arden Arcade. Perhaps when I take time to read every word of the thing I'll find out when that name was assigned to it. That would be interesting to know.

"Welcome to Arden Arcade", the signs say as we exit incorporated Arden Arcade! The trouble with blurring the boundaries is that if they do so long enough and often enough people will start to believe we're already part of the city, and then it will be no big deal to make it a fact, presumably by annexing currently unincorporated Arden Arcade. (All the more reason to come up with a new name for ourselves.)

There are some readers, and possibly authors, of this blog who will think annexation is a peachy idea. Some will think it's a terrible idea. Still others might not care. Wherever one stands on this particular issue, I hope you share my disgust with the politics-as-usual manipulations that continue to drive us toward some form of incorporation. This is our community. It doesn't belong to Supervisor Peters or Mayor Johnson. We aren't their plaything. We spoke loudly and clearly when we defeated Measure D. We mustn't assume we're done being loud and clear. We can't afford to be complacent. Whether we eventually become part of the city or not, my wish is that it be the result of a firm choice made by the citizens, and not the parrying of politicians.

A Word From Your Sponsor

Hello neighbors. It's been a long time -- over three years, in fact, and what a three years it's been! My mother passed from us last summer, with all the drama and trauma that Parkinson's Disease can inflict on a patient and family.
I received a query from a blog visitor today, asking whether or not this blog is still active. Clearly it hasn't been, but if the interest is there, I'm open to keeping it going. That's up to YOU. If enough people express interest, either by commenting on blog entries or by authoring blog entries, I'll keep this going.
There is also the option of monetizing the blog, which I hope would result in good exposure for local businesses, resulting in more business for them, and in turn resulting in more revenue for the county coffer. Yeah... and it would help me out a little -- a concern that seems to grow and grow as prices rise and our fixed income gives the illusion of shrinking. I'll put that decision off, though, to give you readers a chance to comment on the idea, and also to see whether there seems to be enough traffic to make it worthwhile.
Previous blog contributors will be hearing from me with an invitation to come back to the town square. If you contact me, be sure to check your junk/spam folders for my reply, as it will come from a different address than the one posted here.

Community Activism

I was raised by a community activist. Mom was always and forever organizing some event or program or project. She was on the phone. She was talking to people in the grocery store. Always, always, always, she was active. Always working for change. Always holding public officials accountable. Always.

I remember being intensely jealous of her causes, and so refrained from being quite that active while rearing my child. The nest now empty, though, I sought ways to contribute positively to my community, and this blog was one of the ways I chose. Recently I started writing weekly about the items in the regional section of the Bee, Arden Carmichael. That was fun and stimulating for me, and I hoped it would stimulate others. It seemed to be starting to. Indeed, I believe there may be as many as 6 or 7 readers of this blog now. I was encouraged.

Life and time and circumstance play sneaky games. I find myself in a strange dance with destiny. While I want very much to contribute to my community in a variety of ways, my time and energy are pulled of necessity in a different direction. I am now a long-distance caregiver for the mother who would change the world. As Parkinson's erodes her body and her independence, my brother and I find ourselves spending long hours directing others in the care of the mother who, with typically fierce independence, checked herself into a retirement facility that would provide increasing levels of care through the rest of her life. We know she did this to spare us as much as possible from the presumed burden of caring for her, and that's a good and loving thing.

Still, she is our mom, and we care, and we're committed to making sure this phase of her life is as comfortable and satisfying as possible, and that means being involved. Interestingly, that means applying many of the skills that make an effective community activist to being an effective advocate for Mom.

Be advised that even the best facility is still just a facility and it cannot substitute for caring family members. At the very least, a facility is a safe place for your family member to fade away with minimal involvement from you. At the very best, a facility is a partner in providing the best possible care and support for your family member without you completely wearing yourself out by doing it all yourself.

Too, a facility doesn't take care of financial "stuff". That's where trusts and power of attorney come in, and oh what a dance that is. No matter how simple your attorney makes it sound, it's not simple. It just isn't. And if you and/or your loved one aren't swimming in money, it's a dance you do without the attorney's ongoing assistance.

All this is to say that the Arden Arcade Blog isn't exactly at the top of my priority list right now. Not even close. I do read the paper, and there is plenty I would dearly love to address here, but at least until the dance switches from the jitterbug to something a little slower, I'm not going to be around much.

I encourage others to write items for this blog. It's very simple for me to make you a contributing author. You just let me know you want to be one, I'll have Blogger send you the invitation to do so, and you follow the directions in the invitation. As long as your contributions are civilized I'll keep you on as an author. You don't have to agree with me about anything. You just have to be polite about disagreeing. That truly is the only requirement, apart from staying on topic.

The topic being Arden Arcade. In case that wasn't clear.

Green is good business, good karma, and neighborly

We dine at The Mandarin. We often order out from Round Table. We buy cones at Baskin Robbins. We rent films from Blockbuster. We shop at Whole Paycheck -- I mean Whole Foods.

Today I spent $70 bucks for a half backpack of groceries at Whole Foods. Walking home by the back route, I then collected two bags of trash from behind the aforementioned businesses. My guess is that the bulk of that trash comes from a combination of employees on break and trash blown from the dumpsters on windy collection days.

Somebody's keeping the front of the stores tidy. How hard can it be to send those same bodies out to tidy the back? Doing so will not only save others (me, anyway) the trouble, but it will also save the drainage ditch back there from collecting human generated crud. That crud, by the way, flows directly to the river, where it chokes, poisons and otherwise harms various critters on its way to the ocean where it continues to choke, poison and otherwise harm various other critters, which in turn is harmful to us critters.

In case you need a selfish reason, there it is. Pick up litter before it comes back to bite you on the proverbial behind.

The Band Plays On

First the basic information provided in today's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee, and then a personal reflection.

What: Middle School Band Clinic (11th annual)
Where: El Camino High School Music Building (at El Camino & Eastern)
When: Saturday, February 2, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Who: Middle School students (grades 6-8)
Why: See below
Cost: Cheap at $30 to cover overhead
Contact: Kevin Glaser, kglaser@sanjuan.edu

The El Camino High School band program is one of the treasures of Arden Arcade. As we look to the things that make our community unique, the annual Middle School Band Clinic is a likely candidate.

My daughter was a student of Kevin Glaser for six years, including two at Starr King Middle School before he transferred to his beloved alma mater, El Camino High. An award-winning instructor to an award-winning band program, Glaser has a way with music and with students.

I had the privilege of being a parent volunteer at one of Glaser's band clinics. Long impressed with his ability to win the affection and attention of his students, I was no less wowed when I got to see him in action.

The first event of the clinic involves seating all of the clinic participants, along with their senior high counterparts, in their respective sections in the band room. Seeing youths from 6th through 12th grades all together like that was my first eye-opener. The 6th graders seemed so young and generally overwhelmed, if not frightened, to be in the presence of the older students. But that passed very, very quickly.

Under Glaser's guidance, in a span of 30 minutes this seemingly unpromising group moved from cacophonous mess to music making. Understand this: I'm a musician. I'm blessed (sometimes cursed) with true pitch. I know music, and I'm telling you Glaser is nothing short of a musical magician. At the end of that 30 minutes, the sound was not polished, but it was music. Some of the younger students had never played their instruments before, but they were already making music. I was beyond impressed. I was awed.

It was a joy to watch the senior high students quietly and patiently correct the younger students' form and technique. I witnessed this throughout the day. After the initial group experience, the students were sent to assigned rooms to work closely on their particular instruments. Trombones were in one room, flutes in another, and so on. In those settings the tutoring was focused, friendly, and even fun.

It was also extremely productive. The final event of the day was a concert for parents and guests, at which the progress since that initial group introduction was wondrous.

My daughter is about to get her B.A. at Berkeley, and I don't know when she last touched her beloved clarinet. She has no plans for a music career, but the benefits of playing in the band are clear. As Glaser emphasizes at every Back to School Night, band isn't just about the music. More importantly, it's about teamwork, focus, and self-discipline -- things that reach far beyond the band room into all aspects of school life and into life itself.

Glaser is a hero in my daughter's life and, by extension, in mine. I am proud to recommend the El Camino band program and especially the Middle School Band Clinic. Don't have $30? Contact Glaser anyway. My guess is he has ways of getting the fee covered.

Potpourri in Arden Carmichael News

Hot diggity! We've got at least four readers now -- possibly five -- plus lots of juicy stuff in today's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee.

The lead story, by Ramon Coronado, announces that the Arden Manor Recreation and Park District has officially decided to support cityhood. Citing board member Warren Harding, Coronado writes, "... three of the five elected board members to the independent park district voted unanimously for cityhood."

That's an interesting sentence. Either it means only three board members showed up and the vote among them was unanimous or the definition of unanimous has changed since I last checked. I know -- picky, picky, picky. Let's assume the former is the case. I disagree with their position, but that's OK.

Joel "Mr. Cityhood" Archer is happy and Michael "Stay Sacramento" Duveneck is not. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to hear back from Duveneck with details about his group and a schedule of meetings. To their credit, the cityhood proponents with whom I so strongly disagree have at least made a point of listing upcoming meetings in the Regional Digest segment of the Arden Carmichael section. I appreciate that. I hope opponents will turn out to both listen and speak and let this blog know what happens at the meetings.

I'll attend if health permits, but that's a very dodgy thing lately. (No, nothing serious. Just migraines. Mammoth migraines, but presumably not life threatening. Imitrex is my friend.)

~@~

The next story, by one Ramon Coronado, announces that power poles along Fulton Avenue are going, going, gone. I'm certain no one is boo-hooing about that. I for one am pleased to see that we could accomplish this without first becoming a city!

~@~

The story following that is written by, let's see.... Oh! This one's by Ramon Coronado -- describes a very cool facility that I didn't know about until now. It's the Sacramento Crisis Nursery, located on Pasadena Avenue in our very own Arden Arcade. They are doing wonderful work and rely entirely on donations and grants. Check out their wish list at www.crisisnurseryonline.com and see how you can help out.

~@~

Naturally, Carlos Alcala's column faithfully adorns the left side of the front page.

(Did you hear him on KCRA this week, talking about his book? No? You missed some fun. He's got some book signing events coming up. I'll put them in a separate post.)

Today's column includes an item, "Own or rent?", which clarifies information provided by Joel Archer about the percentage of renters living in Arden Arcade.

My favorite bit in this week's column is Alcala's "Postcards from nowhere" wherein he laments that he doesn't receive photos of people reading his column in distant lands. (Inside Arden has such a feature each month, of people reading their publication in various places.) So get creative, people. I'm sure we can all think of interesting places to have our photos taken reading Alcala. Email them to him at calcala@sacbee.com.

After a plug like that, I trust he'll let me see them!

~@~

Aside from Alcala's column, there's one other item not written by Ramon Coronado. It's a commentary by Steve Caruso, Executive Director of Family Promise of Sacramento, which happens to be one of my all-time favorite organizations. Family Promise gives a hand up to families in crisis, providing counselling, training for employment, parent education, and -- my favorite part -- shelter that keeps the families together. (Most shelters separate the dads from the mothers and children.)

The purpose of Caruso's commentary is to inform the community about a unique fundraiser for Family Promise. The Hoops for Homeless Families Classic happens this coming Monday. If you're a basketball fan, it promises to be lots of fun -- a whole day of watching the area's best high school basketball teams face off. Read all about it!

~@~

So, about Ramon Coronado.... He got lots and lots of copy for his string book today, and that's fine, but I have to wonder.... Was everyone else down with the flu? Basking on a beach? Attending a conference?

I also wonder whether it's because Coronado did all the reporting that I found so very much interesting material to read this week.

Good news

Cityhood meetings are again announced in yesterday's issue of the Bee's Arden Carmichael section. I'm pleased someone's staying on top of that. Now if someone would follow up with a report on what transpires at the meeting, that would be awesome. Even more awesome would be if opponents to cityhood would pull themselves together and hold public meetings as well.

More good news concerns E-waste recycling being accepted for free this weekend at Mira Loma High. Read all about it. The easier it is to dispose of this stuff properly the less these toxic materials will turn up in creeks and other illegal dumpsites. Plus, the event is raising funds for the school. Not seeing a downside here.

Many thanks to Carlos Alcala for yet another plug for this blog. To the rest of my several readers: What are you doing to bring more readers (and writers!) on board??

About the name.....

I haven't encountered anyone yet who's enchanted with the name "Arden Arcade". If they're out there, I'd like to hear from them, 'cause I question their existence.

I've often suggested "Arden" as a simple alternative, but I suppose the folks in the "Arcade" section might disapprove.

So, I've had another thought, and maybe it's a lame thought, or a crazy thought, or even a naive thought, but what if we were to select a name that honors the original occupants of what is now called Arden Arcade?

An article on page B1, Metro section, of the Bee ran on October 26, 2007 with the headline, "THIS LAND WAS THEIR LAND -- UC Davis scholar maps an Indian culture's vanished settlements". It seems the Nisenan people of the Maidu tribe maintained settlements along the American River and at Folsom Lake. Naturally! It was verdant land in the Spring, the river was full of salmon in the Fall, catfish most any time, I gather (though I'm not an angler). Oak trees dotted the land and critters abounded. Annual flooding was expected and presumably worked around. Summers were cooler here then. It was a good place to live.

Looking at the map that accompanies the article, it appears that Yamankodo was the Nisenan town that occupied at least part of what is now Arden Arcade. I don't know if the Maidu want us to go naming modern places after their displaced ancestors, but maybe someone should ask. It might be a slap in the face or it might be an honor or it might just be a lame-o idea from someone completely without American Indian ancestry.

But I do descend from indigenous peoples of other lands, and I love that something is known of them, that I can visit the places they lived and see some evidence of them, that there's at least some acknowledgement that they lived and died and mattered, and that in at least one of those places an effort is being made to keep the old language alive -- my grandmother's first language, Romansh.

Am I ready to say I live in Yamankodo, CA? Why not? It's kinda cool. And it beats the heck out of Arden Arcade!

Distinction

There's been some discussion here and in Carlos Alcala's column (Bee) about what is unique about Arden Arcade -- what sets us apart from other communities. What I realized was that there really wasn't much about Arden Arcade to distinguish it from surrounding communities.

Then, as I was driving around noticing for the umpteenth time how awful the littering has gotten in the Sacramento region, it dawned on me. If we can't discern something unique about ourselves, then we can create something unique about ourselves. I suggest we become the cleanest, tidiest, most litter-free community in the region!

Ah, but we can't count on government to make this happen. Oh no! It's up to us. That means, among other things, that when your (and my) trash day is a windy day and the refuse refuses to stay in the can or glide neatly into the truck, that we'll get out there with our gloves and our bags and pick it up! Also, when we notice litter along the main streets, it means we won't just drive by and mutter about it. It means we'll pull over and use the gloves and plastic grocery bags we keep in the trunk and pick it up!

It's not hard. It's not time consuming. Not if at least half of us do our bit.

That's my challenge. If all two (or three, counting "Anonymous") of my readers get to work and get the word out, we can quit trashing Arden Arcade and be the cleanest, prettiest, healthiest community in the region. Who's with me?

Missed Meeting

Illness kept me from last night's Cityhood meeting. If someone's out there reading this who attended, would you please bring me/us up to speed? Either leave a comment or contact me at ardenarcade@gmail.com.

Cityhood/Incorcorpation meetings announced

In today's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee, the following meetings hosted by cityhood advocates were announced:

Tuesday, Jan 8, 6:30 pm, Arden-Dimick Library, Watt and Northrop.

Wednesday, Feb 27, 6:30 pm, Howe Park, Howe & Cottage.

Thursday, Mar 6, 7:30 pm, a business forum, Cornerstone Community Church, Cottage & Butano.

More info: 916-485-2711 or http://www.ardenarcadecity.org/.

I'm pleased to have found this information in a timely fashion. I'd like to have similar information from the opposing camp. While they've sent me press releases in the past, they've ignored my requests for more information, which is very disappointing.

Also disappointing to me is the posting of unsubstantiated data in a comment by "anonymous". I have no way to follow up with the individual to learn his or her sources or to get further data.

In the interests of fostering open communication on this blog, I have enabled people to post comments anonymously. If that is used irresponsibly again, I will disable anonymous posting.

In Local News

I intend to consciously check the Arden Carmichael section of the Bee each Thursday for something to write about here. This project is off to a big start, with an item on a subject about which I am passionate.

From page H3 of today's Arden Carmichael section: Woman declines to press rape charges. A 20-year-old woman is assaulted and raped by a 19-year-old man and is found by law enforcement officers to be injured. Yet, "...she declined to have a medical examination and told deputies she did not feel fearful or feel she was injured...."

What do we know? We know the victim knows the attacker was 19, so we know she knows the attacker. We know someone was concerned enough to contact law enforcement. We know she was injured. We know that for reasons of her own she doesn't want to deal with the event in any way, shape or form.

She wants it to go away.

Acquaintance rape is a particularly ugly business. It's shocking on a whole different level than stranger rape. Either way, there is shock, and plenty of it. Acquaintance rape adds the layer of betrayal by someone who is known to and possibly even loved and trusted by the victim. It's embarrassing and humiliating and the victim is left with the gnawing sense that she must have done something to provoke him. In a relationship that is fundamentally abusive, she will even view the rape as her due. She deserved it

She'll believe anything except that he was wrong. Why? Because if she believes he is wrong, she can't continue in the relationship, and the time of departure from an abusive relationship is the most dangerous time of all. Besides, what's she going to do? Where's she going to go? She can't see options.

She can't really see anything except the look on his face during those terrible long moments of the assault. That and the sweet look on his face when he's sorry. So, so sorry. Always sorry.

Besides my concern for this woman, my concern extends to the community. Some people reading that article will see it as reinforcement of the notion that rape doesn't cause real injury. Trust me; she's injured. Trust me; she's fearful. Trust me; her denial of injury and fear will come back to haunt her. This is nowhere near over.

If anyone reading this happens to know the victim, put her in touch with WEAVE at 916-920-2952. If she won't call, call yourself to find out how to help her and/or how to help yourself as a "secondary victim" -- one who is close to the primary victim. That number is the crisis line; don't hesitate to call. Don't think your situation doesn't count as a crisis. It counts. Trust me. It counts.

Sidewalk Wars

If good fences make good neighbors, what do good sidewalks make? Along one section of Watt Avenue, it makes for contention. In Thursday's Arden Carmichael section of the Bee ran an article about an unpaved section along Watt Avenue where pedestrians walk regularly. Some say the section is unsafe, forcing pedestrians too close to fast-moving traffic. Residents living close to the section say they like it the way it is because it preserves the rural atmosphere of the neighborhood.

I haven't visited the spot myself, but my reaction to that latter statement is that if they're living that close to Watt Avenue, it is not a rural. Watt Avenue is anything but rural anymore. There aren't sidewalks in my neighborhood either, and I don't want them, but I don't live on Watt Avenue. I do, however, live very close to Arden, and I think the parts of Arden that lack frontage streets ought to have sidewalks. While my street has a semi-rural feel -- really, it's just another suburb -- our part of Arden, like Watt, lost its rural-ness long ago. We need to be realistic. Where people on foot and cars going 35 mph plus have to get close, there ought to be sidewalks.

And who should pay for it? All of us.

That's my two cents. What do you think?

No More Neighborhood Cleanup

Mark my words: There is about to be a significant increase in illegal dumping in Sacramento County.

I really hope I'm wrong.

The 2008 mailing from Sacramento County Utilities states that Neighborhood Cleanup is history. Now you have to schedule pickups of your large waste individually. You get one freebie a year. After that, you pay a fee.

Now think about this. Think about the people most likely to dump stuff illegally. Are they the ones who will make an appointment, let alone pay for it? Of course not.

It's great news, of course, for those of us who can and will pay for the service. Neighborhood Cleanup hasn't necessarily been timed ideally for, say, our big pruning projects, leaf drops, or home improvement projects.

The best news is that they will now accept e-waste and universal waste. Woo-hoo! I'm genuinely grateful for that development.

Another thing that will come from this is that scavengers will no longer be able to follow the Neighborhood Cleanup piles and take what they want before the trucks get there. Some will see that as a good thing. Others will see that as an opportunity for recycling and reuse lost -- more stuff in the landfill.

In any case, the folks who were never willing or able to pay transfer station fees certainly aren't going to make an appointment and pay for their refuse to be picked up. Maybe they were willing to save up one load for the Neighborhood Cleanup, but to schedule it? I don't think so.

You watch. The disgusting swath of waste that lines our major roadways is about to get deeper.

Please, please, please let me be wrong about this!

Well, shucks!

This blog is not the happenin' place I envisioned when I established it, but one thing's for sure. You can count on this blog to let you know about the cityhood meetings you've missed.

Periodically I google around for news articles about Arden Arcade Cityhood/Incorporation and put the links on this site. I did that today and found not one but two items about cityhood meetings I missed. Apparently, one was announced in the October 4 Citrus Heights Orangevale section. Google isn't bringing that one up in the somewhat likelier Arden Carmichael section. The other was announced in the November 22 Arden Carmichael section. That was Thanksgiving Day, when our paper was being donated to a school because we were out of town. Silly me, failing to read the section online when I got back.

It seems to me that if the cityhood people seriously wanted a good showing at these meetings they'd go a bit farther than tiny notices in the neighborhood sections. They'd walk notices out to the homes in the area impacted. They'd at least ask the Arden Arcade blog to post it for our two readers. The "Stay Sacramento" contingent figured out how to do that. Is there an assumption that I wouldn't post the meeting notice here because I oppose incorporation?

How many different ways do I have to say you don't have to agree with me in order to speak your piece here?? This isn't the "Anti Blog" nor the "Pro Blog". It's the Arden Arcade blog. It's for everybody in Arden Arcade. Weigh in, people! Leave comments! Become team members! Yes, even Joel Archer (Mr. Cityhood himself) can post items here! The only limitations are that the discourse must be on-topic and civilized.

I don't know how to be more welcoming than that.

Autumn in Arden Arcade

In keeping with my goal of posting at least one entry each month, even if nobody in the whole world ever reads it, I've chosen to discuss the stuff on the ground.

It's gotten really cold at night -- perhaps you've noticed -- and the trees are responding the way trees do. While we bundle up, they shed their coats. Our Japanese maple is resplendent right now, always far too fleetingly. We're harvesting oodles of ash and maple leaves. Just about the time those settle down, the neighbor's gigantic sycamore will start dumping its load. Our two compost bins are full and the big black bags are piling up as our two green waste cans aren't nearly enough to contain this stuff.

But the leaves look wondrous. In the trees before they fall, with the sun shining through their red, orange and yellow filters, they seem to glow. Once on the ground they crunch so pleasingly underfoot.

I grew up in a place that didn't have many deciduous trees. We didn't really experience fall colors (nor spring blossoms). Certainly not on this scale. My very first autumn in Sacramento I literally wore off the crepe soles of my suede boots kicking through the wonderful leaves all over campus.

So, the leaves are a lot of work, but they give a lot of joy too, and their shade is such a blessing in the summer. And those bagged leaves? We hope to compost them later when we don't have fresh leaves for the heap. We'll see. We're new to composting. We hope we don't make the whole neighborhood stink from our compost. Be patient, please, as we learn to live green in the suburbs.

Graffiti

School ended, summer began, and graffiti appeared on our neighborhood stop signs.

School has resumed, fall has begun, and still graffiti adorns our stop signs.

So, how does one clean graffiti off a stop sign without damaging the surface of the sign or leaving a big ol' smeary mess?

Stay Sacramento! press release

[Another press release from Stay Sacramento!]

Stay Sacramento! Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee To Request Formal Investigation into Gifts of Public Funds made by Cities of Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Folsom.

Taxpayer funds inappropriately being used to help fund another communities study for Cityhood

What:
Press conference to announce a request for a formal investigation by The Sacramento Grand Jury, Sacramento District Attorney and The California State Attorney General's Office to scrutinize the improper gifts of public funds by the Cities of Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Folsom to the Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee.

When:
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.
Press conference to be held prior to the Elk Grove City Council meeting

Where: Elk Grove City Hall
8400 Laguna Palms Way
Elk Grove , CA 95758Who:Stay Sacramento! Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee
Dr. Mike Duveneck, Ph.D.

Special Note
Elk Grove City Council is considering a substantial request of Elk Grove City funds to support Arden Arcade Cityhood proponents. If approved, the City of Elk Grove will give $30,000 of Elk Grove taxpayer money to support the Arden Arcade Cityhood study.

Stay Sacramento! press release

[The following is a press release sent to me today by Mike Duveneck, h.D., 916-481-8004. Disagree with him and want equal time? Send me your press release, or add your comment at the end.]

Arden Arcade Residents Call on Cityhood Proponents to Disclose Their List of Supporters

Who is funding Arden Arcade Cityhood Effort? Residents want to know!

Sacramento, CA – Arden Arcade residents demand to know who is bankrolling the Cityhood proponents in their campaign to transform our neighborhoods into a bureaucracy with more government and regulations.

"Those involved in the Cityhood effort have refused calls from residents, media and others to disclose who is giving money to their campaign," said Mike Duveneck, Chair of the Stay Sacramento!, Stop Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee. "It's shameless that some cities around the county have already given taxpayer dollars from their general funds to bankroll the Cityhood campaign instead of using their funds to provide city services to their constituents," added Duveneck.

Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the municipal agency responsible for overseeing the Cityhood process, has pledged to spend more than $100,000 in taxpayer matching funds. In addition, the City of Citrus Heights has given $15,000 in taxpayer funds, the City of Rancho Cordova has given $25,000 in taxpayer funds, the City of Elk Grove and Folsom have each provided $5,000 and the City of Elk Grove is considering another request from the proponents to provide even more taxpayer money at their September 26, 2007 council meeting.

Joel Archer, one of the Cityhood leaders has refused publicly to disclose all the names, organizations and the amount of funds they have collected to pay for Cityhood signature gathers, LAFCO studies and other expenses their committee has incurred. A former Cityhood fundraiser resigned over the lack of disclosure, as well as a dictatorial style and autocratic leadership.

"We are absolutely appalled at the arrogance the Cityhood people have shown by not fully disclosing their financial supporters and the amount of money each has given to the Cityhood initiative campaign. Residents have an inalienable right to know who is supporting this initiative and what business groups and organizations they represent. It could represent a potential conflict of interest," said Duveneck.

The Stay Sacramento Campaign calls upon the Arden Arcade Cityhood Committee to fully disclose their campaign contributors now.

Locally produced film: "Empty Streets"

Here's a blog for a short film called "Empty Streets," produced in Sacramento. The filmmakers live in Arden Arcade — off Fulton and Northrop.

"Empty Streets" is the story of a veteran's problems after getting out of the military. This is based on a true story of a Marine from Hawaii.

The Director/producer Paul Booth and producer Kendyce Manguchei are also from Hawaii. They've lived in Sacramento since early 2006. They are waiting to hear about screenings at film festivals around the country, including the Sacramento Film and Music Festival and the Norcal Film Festival (Modesto). Their blog is emptystreetsmovie.blogspot.com. Take a look and come back and say what you think.

They have a screening coming up in California on October 1. See their site for details. Do you have a venue for screening this film? Maybe one right here in Arden Arcade? Step up! I wanna see it!

Speed Bumps

In the argument for (or against) cityhood, I've been forever standing at the crossroads, not having any strong sentiments one way or the other. Indifference. You can read about the many issues surrounding our area's incorporation elsewhere in this website, including links that reference external sources. Lately, there has been a problem close to home that got me thinking about this.

The small street on which I live is straight, long and narrow. For some unknown reason (to me), it seems that traffic may have increased a bit, and the speeds at which many of these vehicles are moving exceed the unposted 25mph speed limit.

What can be done about this? I imagined that several speed bumps strategically placed could stifle those who tend to be lead of foot. However, a couple of weeks ago I was discussing this with a neighbor who commented that this will not be possible due to some regulation regarding firetruck access and response time. I have not done my homework to see if this is indeed true, but I recently visited a friend in Elk Grove and the residential streets near Franklin High School have speed bumps. These are the squarish, bolt-in style which appear to install much easier than your traditional, built-in and rounded undulations.

If what my neighbor claims is correct, then does this boil down to the difference between the two communities' local ordinances? Yes, here I am standing at a crossroads, indifferent but for this matter very close to home, which leads me to my $64,000 question: "Will we get speed bumps by voting in favor of or against incorporation?".