Regular readers of this newsletter may have observed California Local’s tendency to either wonk out on policy issues or hone in on existential threats to California in particular, or humankind in general. This week we’re taking a break for some less weighty fare. You’ll find that we’re fully focused on the people and places that make the Golden State shine a little brighter.
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By Sharan Street
Published Sep 11, 2023
The Sacramento region may be the center of state politics, but it’s also a world-class destination for serious athletes. Find out more in our guide to running in the Capital region.
Image credit: James Pintar
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The Lighter Side of … California Local
On Your Marks…
Yesterday, Sac Running Week got off the starting block. This weeklong event culminates on 9/16 with a celebration of the 916 running community at Bike Dog Brewing in West Sacramento. But no worries if you don’t have time to unleash your inner sprinter right away. California Local’s Tamara Warta has a rundown of events, clubs, trails and specialty stores of interest to runners in the Capital region, stretching from the Yolo Bypass to Lake Tahoe.
To further inspire feats of athletic prowess, check out Graham Womack’s list of ten top California athletes. Because even if you don’t include legends like Willie Mays or Magic Johnson, who were born elsewhere but became stars here, many of the greats grew up in our state.
Running Around California’s Capital Region
From marathoners to casual joggers, enthusiasts can take advantage of the Sacramento region’s diverse trails, terrain, and competitive events.
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Make ’Em Laugh
California breeds superstars in many fields of human endeavor, including, of course, show business. Writer Libby Molyneaux takes a closer look at one specific corner of the entertainment industry and finds that California isn’t just the state that launched a thousand quips. We also nurture our own home-grown comedians, from San Francisco’s Margaret Cho to San Diego’s Gabriel Iglesias.
Plenty of East Coast comedians make California the butt of their jokes. Here are some locals who’ve earned the right to make fun of this place.
Anatomy of an Arts Enclave
In addition to writing about our state’s cultural strengths, we also celebrate the accomplishments of local communities. In a recent piece, writer Richard von Busack compiled a short but wide-ranging list of arts institutions in Monterey County. It’s a history that goes back decades, nurtured by natural beauty. “The visual drama of this peninsula, on the brink of the vast blue depths of the bay, has attracted the artist and the artsy alike,” he writes.
Performing arts centers, galleries, theater troupes, music festivals—here are 20 reasons why the Monterey Bay is a haven for arts lovers.
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Chest of Hope |
Created in 2005 by friends and volunteers, Chest of Hope raises funds to support women and orphans who are suffering from domestic violence.
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Recent Local News |
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• Manteca Looks at Problematic Parcels to Make Projects Work
Manteca’s elected leaders are continuing to secure problematic commercial parcels in a bid to find ways to spur private-sector investment. The latest is a 3.8-acre triangle-shaped parcel wedged between Atherton Drive and the 120 Bypass west of Living Spaces.
(09/08/2023) → Read the full Manteca Bulletin report• Delicato Starts Legal Action to Block Manteca General Plan Update
Delicato Vineyards has opened a second front in a campaign to stop development near the winery, filing paperwork with San Joaquin County Superior Court to challenge the Manteca City Council’s approval of a general plan update. The filing is in addition to an effort to force a referendum on the update.
(09/08/2023) → Read the full Manteca Bulletin report• New ‘Oil Watchdog’ Will Investigate Potential Gas Price Gouging
Governor Gavin Newsom has previously said price gouging by the oil industry could be partially to blame for spiking costs. Senate Bill X1-2 targets the issue, creating a new position, director of the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight, a position recently filled by Tai Milder.
(09/07/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Rocklin School Board Approves Controversial Gender Identity, Name Notification Policy
More than 100 people spoke for and against the measure during the six-hour meeting of the Rocklin Unified School Board, which voted to approve a policy requiring teachers to tell parents if their child asks to be identified as a gender other than their assigned sex at birth.
(09/07/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Lodi Unified Considers Bond Measure for 2024 Ballot
The Lodi Unified School District could place a follow-up bond measure to Measure K on next year’s ballot.
(09/07/2023) → LodiNews• Why Money, Education and Tolerance Are Needed to Ban Gas Blowers
A new series from the Sacramento Bee seeks to foster discussion about how we can face climate change with urgency and equity—such as how California will move toward its goal of phasing out gas-powered lawn care equipment.
(09/07/2023) → Read the full The Sacramento Bee reportWheat—not almonds, pumpkins or even grapes—is what attracted farmers to the Manteca region after the Gold Rush in a bid to make a living. Manteca Bulletin editor Dennis Wyatt looks back at how irrigation changed everything.
(09/07/2023) → Read the full Manteca Bulletin report• Del Paso Heights Nonprofit Seeks to Reverse Area's Growing Fentanyl Crisis
Now community workers with the Neighborhood Wellness Foundation are testing out new approaches to lower drug-related deaths in the area.
(09/06/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Stockton’s Measure A: Vital Tool for Recovery and Renewal
Stockton’s city manager gives his views on the reauthorization of the general-use tax measure that played a pivotal role in helping the city recover from its fiscal woes.
(09/05/2023) → Stocktonia|
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Recent Statewide News |
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Eight community colleges in California are testing out a new education model, one that defines success by the skills a student learns, not the time they spend in a classroom. But changing the traditional education system isn’t easy.
(09/11/2023) → CalMatters• New Bill Comes to Rescue When California Public Records Requests Are Denied
A bipartisan bill would create a state ombudsperson to intervene when public records requests are denied. But an advocacy group is concerned that it will encourage state agencies to go to court.
(09/11/2023) → CalMatters• Sign? Or Veto? What Will Gov. Newsom do With These Controversial Bills?
The Legislature is approving lots of significant bills in the final days of the session. But the final call is up to the governor, and he isn’t shy about using his veto pen.
(09/10/2023) → CalMatters• Why Aren’t Kids Going to School? After Pandemic, Chronic Absenteeism Hitting Crisis Levels
Nearly a third of K-12 students statewide were chronically absent in 2020-21, more than three times the pre-pandemic rate. Some school officials fear that pattern is becoming the new normal.
(09/06/2023) → CalMatters• California’s Wildfire Smoke and Climate Change: 4 Things You Need to Know
California wildfires every year emit as much carbon as almost 2 million cars, posing a threat to efforts to battle climate change.
(09/04/2023) → CalMatters