The Bee and the News & Review both came out against Measures Q & R this week, the so-called quality of life measures that would be financed by a cup of coffee a month per household, according to the “yes” camp. Has anyone calculated how many bottles of French Bordeaux this is per household?

Long-time midtown landmark Harv’s Carwash is now Harv’s Metro Carwash. So are they trying to update their image, or are they trying to keep up with their fancy-pants neighbors?

… and it’s not an arena. Construction on the last leg of the light rail extention that connected the outer ‘burbs of Folsom to downtown is in the final stretch of linking to the Amtrak station near 5th & I.

It’s great to be able to theoretically get from any light rail station to other parts of the state by train, but will it do much to get more people using light rail?

While we’re waiting for a transit-accessible arena in the Railyards, you can hop on the train and go to Oakland or San Francisco. I have many issues with the current arena deal, but its location isn’t one of them.
Hopefully the railyards will get some use for people going places, even if it isn’t a destination itself.

Are you an area blogger? How about a local photographer capturing images of our town? Maybe you’re a writer without a forum but with lots to say?

Do we have deals for you!

We’re still building our blogroll here - populating it with local links and helpful sites. Leave us a comment and let us know you’re around! And don’t forget about our Flickr photo pool - you’ll find it over here. It’s open to anyone with a camera and a picture of something in the area they’d like to share.

Lastly, we’re looking for new writers - we’re a friendly group with only one rule (your posts have to be about Sacramento - anything about Sacramento - and one requirement (you post three times a week). It’s an easy, fun, volunteer gig, and you don’t need any prior experience.

With nearly 50 cities in the network, Metroblogging is quickly becoming a go-to source for media during events they just can’t keep up with: Katrina in New Orleans, shootings in Montreal, earthquakes, fires, floods - not that we’re hoping for any of those things here - but our point is: we’re read. And soon, you will be too.

Interested?
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Stopping by Downtown Plaza last night after work, I rode up the escalator from the parking structure and into a haze of fresh, sugary caramel corn scent wafting in the evening air.

[Inhale] Ahhh . . . the smell of Sacramento shopping.

There’s a cart parked in front of The Limited. It’s red, shiny, and offers several kinds of popcorn - including the swoon inducing caramel variety. You can buy it in any of three sizes.

Except I don’t recommend it. I’ve only tried it once and its bark is definitely better than its bite.

It’s not about eating it, though. Ever since I first moved to Sacramento 5 years ago, the smell of caramel corn is associated with not just shopping here, but being here. It’s a foolish association. There’s nothing necessarily Sacramentan about the corn. But it’s always been there when I’ve been there. It always smells the same. In a very strange, nonsensical way, it makes me think very homey thoughts. It’s a comfort food I don’t have to eat.

This is a time of year for noticing scents I think. The mothball odor around your sweaters, packed away since May and now out, awaiting that final turn for autumn and winter. The faint smell of pine trees and the woods 30 or so miles away, circling downtown when the air blows just right. The delta breeze carrying the scent of California agriculture, good and bad, from the fields being harvested. The undeniable essence of seasonal change that will never stop catching me by surprise . . . .

Take a deep breath. What’s up your nose?

Do you have a extra three minutes and nine seconds today? If you do, then use it to view this clip of cool up and coming comic Aziz Ansari…he gives a funny shout out to our fair city and then hilarity ensues. One thing we learn from this: Jet Blue is AWESOME, they just don’t have any flights available!!!

It’s like this, let me, Big Developer, build a bunch of overpriced homes on a flood plain, and you, taxpayer, pay the bill to reinforce the levees. How ridiculous is that?

From a KCRA web article:

Officials said seepage threatens to weaken and erode some levees, posing a notable danger to the recently developed Natomas area.

There wouldn’t be a potential flooding problem if there weren’t any homes in the “recently developed” Natomas area, would there? Where’s that fat cat developer now? Probably eating a $6,000 burger at the Palms with the Maloofs, and figuring out another way to screw the little guys.

And not just for your beautiful trees and expensive homes. You really have put Sacramento on the map. The political news map, that is. Who among us doesn’t know who Steve Pearcy is? Why, he’s the Cindy Sheehan of our time–but wasn’t Cindy from here, too? Nope, she’s not a resident of Land Park, but close enough. Land Park is becoming the new Berkeley, anyway. Radical.

As for the latest on Land Park’s Julia Wilson, I am of two minds when I read her story. Straight A student or not, as a parent, I would have gone to the school and taken her out of class myself in order to avoid embarrassment–and risk. We’re talking Secret Service here, not Joe Bozo security guard coming to your house asking to speak with your child. Julia’s mother shows her gumption in trying to put them off.
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Here is the entire list of endorsements from the Sac Bee…I agree with most of them-it just seems like they didn’t do much research on the races and left some races off altogether (last time I checked, Natomas did have its own school board). Also, their endorsement of some of the statwide elected positions falls a little flat. Just becasue Bruce McPherson hasn’t wildly screwed up as Secretary of State doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least look at the very viable candidacy of Debra Bowen who would do a fine job as SoS (and is the ONLY female statewide candidate from a major party). They did recommend getting rid of Rep. John Doolittle, so that’s a start!!

For those who work in or around Sacto politics (state level or otherwise), you’re probably less-than excited about the new internet based soap opera coming to computer screens near you: www.sacramento-the-soap-opera.com. Perhaps that’s because your job is very much like a Sacramento-based soap opera, so really, the idea of a soap opera premised on slimy Sacramento politicians (and the drunk women who love them) is as radically unique an idea as is eating cereal with a spoon.

But for those not blessed with the special joys (and ulcers) of working with Sacto politicos, “Sacramento: The Internet Soap Opera” might be a really cool show.
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