Author: CoolDMZ

"X-ray vision to see in between / Where's my kimono and my time machine?"

Who will own Mastrov/Burkle downtown arena?

One detail that I am unclear on after this week’s announcement by Mayor Johnson: who will own the arena?

If Burkle’s involvement is centered on the downtown arena portion, does that mean he will operate the arena or own it? If the city is still planning to put up the $255m it had pledged as the lions share of the arena costs under the rejected 2012 deal, shouldn’t the city own the arena, as it would have under that plan?

Johnson seemed to indicate that he supports protecting taxpayers from subsidizing the arena and team. But mortgaging the city’s parking revenue for a limited stake in the resulting ESC would be a downgrade.

I suppose we’ll have to wait to find out when Preliminary Terms Sheet Part III: Return of The Returnening is released.

Release the Whales

Humphrey.

At his “State of the City” address tonight, Mayor Johnson is “expected” to grace us with the names of the investors with whom the City is already negotiating. However, as the Bee points out, this is only an assumption, albeit an assumption based on the fact that transparency in government is something that Americans expect.

So hopefully tonight’s event, with special appearance by Jackie Greene and Mark S. Allen, will give the Mayor the opportunity to come forward with some actual specifics. I wonder if there will be a surprise, though: If the “whales” do end up being Burkle and Mastrov as expected, and the Mayor was purposely secretive for no reason, that seems like a pretty bad situation.

As the City Manager has already begun negotiations on the terms of a new agreement, this secrecy should not go on one day more. Here We Name Names!

Beware Drano Bottle Bombs

From KPTV Fox 12 in Oregon

Apparently “Works Bombs,” a plastic bottle filled with Drano and tin foil which creates an explosive reaction, have been around for a while but was recently verified on Snopes, with several incidents reported recently.

The amount of force that is generated at the time of the explosion is enough to severe fingers and also deliver 2nd and 3rd degree chemical burns to the victim. The chemicals can possibly cause blindness and the toxic fumes can be harmful.

I am usually completely ignorant of these things, so I’m assuming that “TRUE” on Snopes.com is good enough verification. For some reason Mrs Cool and I felt this was something that we could see happening in Sacramento, though that’s just sort of a vibe more than anything; I can’t think of any recent incidents of this sort of Violent Mayhem.

Questions on plastic bag ban

OK, yeah, I need a basketTonight, the City Council will discuss drafting a city ordinance banning plastic bags at grocery stores. Since I’m too lazy to get to a City Council meeting to ask these questions, I very much hope someone has already asked them:

  • How much money would it cost to make sure that everyone in the City knows that these plastic bags are absolutely 100% recyclable? (Every other week, of course!)

    • Continue reading “Questions on plastic bag ban”

    Halfway house proposal brings Lemon Hill together

    I’m inspired by the community action being undertaken by Lemon Hill residents about the proposed “halfway house” for Federal parolees. From the media coverage I have seen, the residents seem to be taking a direct approach to protecting themselves, while the government at all levels appears to have no concern for doing so. It is disheartening though that the existing problems in that area are taken to be so obvious that they don’t even have to be spelled out for us. Most of the media reports are including simply a mention of this being a high crime area without bothering to recount any recent stats.

    News10’s coverage seems biased in favor of the proposal, featuring specific evidence supporting rehabilitation, but lacking any specific numbers on the crime in the area. KCRA is heavier on specifics but also includes a head-scratcher of an argument from a former halfway house resident. Much of the coverage seems to employ a false dilemma between allowing the parolees to be located near playgrounds and preventing them from becoming functioning members of society again. “Some would say the Roman Empire tortured Christians for sport, but others would say it built lots of necessary infrastructure.”

    Continue reading “Halfway house proposal brings Lemon Hill together”

    Sacramento has some of the best “urban forests”

    photo
    From a recent trip to Ancil Hoffman

    According to American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting forests, has named Sacramento on its just released list of Best Urban Forests. It’s nice to remember that we still are the City of Trees despite the fact that anyone outside of Sacramento or who doesn’t particularly care about trees probably knows us as the City Who Formerly Hosted the Kings.

    The organization highlights all the usual points, including the Tower Bridge for some reason. I think my favorite example has to be Ancil Hoffman Park, with its grove of oaks and plentiful wildlife.

    What are your favorite urban forests around town?

    Steer clear of California Fresh — at least for now

    I hope they don’t run out of Thai Soup…

    I contemplated not posting this out of sheer embarrassment at actually having paid for the meal, but then I realized I would be doing my fellow Sacramentans a disservice. Fresh Choice was always a family favorite of ours, since our oldest child was a baby. We actually visited Fresh Choice the day after it closed its doors, and were really bummed for a few weeks. Our spirits were lifted this week when Cathie Anderson posted about the new restaurant California Fresh rising from the ashes of Fresh Choice. Tonight we decided to dine there on a whim. And, well, I’d write what happened next but then I found what Ali T. had to say on Yelp and I’ll just let the dude run with it because he said it all very well.

    Did you ever have the chance to prepare your own salad in post-war Soviet Russia? Yeah, me neither, but the “new” California Fresh gives you the chance to feel like you did.

    Read Ali T’s review before you visit California Fresh, and then don’t actually go there at least until Cathie says it’s safe to go back. Or who am I kidding, I won’t remember that I wrote this and I’ll be back in a few months to let you know if they have something besides green beans in the pasta section. THIS IS NOT A JOKE IT WAS LITERALLY JUST MAC N’ CHEESE AND GREEN BEANS OVER THERE. I’m hoping that they’ll get the cash flow going and be able to get back to where they were a few weeks ago.

    Giants World Championship trophies will be appearing in Sacramento

    "The Beard & The Trophy" from flickr user Nick.Fisher
    “The Beard & The Trophy” from flickr user Nick.Fisher

    Nicknamed “The Twins,” the Giants 2010 and 2012 World Series trophies are making another tour of Northern California, and their first stop is none other than Sacramento.

    This will be the second public trophy tour held in the past three years and will feature both the 2012 and 2010 trophies. The focus of the San Francisco World Championship Trophy Tour presented by Bank of America is to share the trophies with Giants fans in Junior Giants communities throughout northern California.

    The trophies will be available for viewing (“The trophies will NOT BE ALLOWED to be touched by anyone”) in the lobby of City Hall from 2:30-5:00 PM on Tuesday. Viewing is free but fans will be given the opportunity to donate to the Junior Giants program, and have their donations matched by B of A.

    Exploratorium officially out of Palace of Fine Arts

    IMG_0563With a Facebook photo yesterday, the Exploratorium announced it is officially closed at the Palace of Fine Arts, which had been its home since 1969. KTVU has video of the closing ceremonies. The new location at Pier 15 will open April 17.

    I’m pretty excited for the new location, though I have been visiting the PFA since I was a kid and will definitely miss it.

    Interesting detail in Old Sac NYE shooting

    I don’t mean to diminish in any way the tragedy that took place Monday night in Old Sac. I would just like to point out that apparently the shooting suspect was apprehended by Sac PD officers mounted on horseback. As the witness says in this morning’s Sac Bee article that must have been a pretty awesome sight.

    About that Sac Bee headline, by the way… Why does it raise questions about an event that happens just once a year? The article even highlights Second Saturday, which happens way more than once a year (I’m just back to work after like 10 days off, don’t make me do math). If it raises questions at all they are about ever going outside ever, am I right?