News Bulletin from Susan Peters

FEBRUARY 2015 Volume 5, Issue 2 Supervisor Susan Peters’ electronic newsletter is a cost-effective and efficient method to keep you updated on what is going on in your community and with the County of Sacramento.  Because you previously emailed District 3 on a matter of interest, your email address has been added to distribution of this newsletter (If you do not wish to receive it please click to opt out.)   IN THIS ISSUE: U.S. SENIOR OPEN MEETING FIRST COMMUNITY MEETINGS OF 2015 THIS MONTH HELP CATCH ANIMAL KILLER OLD FOOTHILL FARMS CLEAN-UP MOTEL DEMO PRODUCES DONATIONS CARMICHAEL CHAMBER HONORS . . NO-COST FELINE SPAY AND NEUTER SERVICES THEATRICAL READING OF SEVEN LIBRARY BRANCH BOOK SALES FOOTHILL FARMS INDOOR WALKING PANHANDLING LAWSUIT SETTLED DR. SEUSS BIRTHDAY PARTY CALIFORNIA STATE SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS LIKE CRAB? FAIR OAKS HORTICULTURE CENTER OPEN GARDEN DAY READING TUTORS CAN CHANGE A LIFE CHECK BEFORE YOU BURN Supervisor Susan Peters Third District Sacramento County Board of Supervisors 700 H Street, Suite 2450 Sacramento, CA 95814 susanpeters@saccounty.net  PHONE: (916) 874-5471 FAX: (916) 874-7593

U.S. SENIOR OPEN MEETING Sacramento’s storied Del Paso Country Club will play host to the 2015 U.S. Senior Open Championship this coming June featuring 156 of golf’s elite professionals and amateurs. More than 150,000 spectators are expected to visit the tournament during the seven day event which is estimated to pump $17 million into the Sacramento region’s economy during June 22-28. To help residents and businesses surrounding the golf course to understand how the event will affect the neighborhood, an informational community meeting will be held Tuesday, February 3, at 6 p.m. Officials from the U.S. Senior Open, Del Paso Country Club and Sacramento County will be present to explain traffic management and street closure plans, plus information for local residents on how to access their homes during the tournament. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Del Paso Country Club, 3333 Marconi Avenue. For information about the tournament, please visit the 2015 U.S. Senior Open website.  FIRST COMMUNITY MEETINGS OF 2015 THIS MONTH If you are an early riser, please consider attending my first Community Coffee Meeting of 2015 that will be held Wednesday, February 18, at7:30 am at the Fair Oaks Water District’s conference room, 10326 Fair Oaks Blvd. near Winding Way.  I will be holding four such meetings throughout the year and to kick-off the 2015 series, County Executive Brad Hudson will be our guest speaker. I also will be holding three evening community meetings in the Arden Arcade area during 2015 that will be rotated around to different locations.  The first Arden Arcade meeting will be at Arden-Dimick Library, located at 891 Watt Avenue near Northrop Avenue, 6 pm onWednesday, February 25, featuring District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert as our guest speaker. Later in the year we will meet again at the Conzelmann Community Center at Howe Park and end the year at Sacramento Suburban Water District’s Board Room.  Each of those meetings also will feature a guest speaker. A full listing of all the 2015 meeting dates is on my web page.  I hope to see you at any one or all this year. HELP CATCH ANIMAL KILLER A $20,000 reward is being offered to find the person who set fire to a dog in a pet travel crate, the fourth in a series of recent animal cruelty cases in the Sacramento area. The most recent incident occurred in Arden Arcade in the 3000 block ofBecerra Way, near Watt and Marconi Avenues. So far, Sacramento County Sheriff’s detectives have not found the person responsible for the dog’s death. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District has teamed with the Humane Society of the United States and other donors to offer the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible. If you have any information that may help, please call Metro Fire’s Arson Tip Line at 859-3775.  To donate to increase the reward pledge amount, please email the SPCA at TPOPMA@SSPCA.org.  OLD FOOTHILL FARMS CLEAN-UP Thanks to Megan McCune more volunteer clean-ups are continuing this month in Old Foothill Farms to help tidy up the neighborhood.  These efforts occur on a regular basis a few hours on weekends from 9-11 am. The effort started on Sunday, February 1, at Walerga Park, located at Palm and College Oak, which will be the meeting spot again on Sunday,February 8.  From Walerga Park the volunteers will  go down Palm to Hemlock. Sunday, February 15, the meeting spot will be at Pioneer Park to clean up that site and continue down Walnut to Auburn. On Sunday, February 22, the assembly will be at the parking lot of theformer Savemart at Auburn and Garfield and proceed to pick up trash on Garfield. Residents of the area can lean more by signing up to be part of the online connection Nextdoor Old Foothills Farm. MOTEL DEMO PRODUCES DONATIONS Motel 6 located near Ethan Way and Arden Way has been flattened by the wrecking ball and a new retailer will soon emerge as part of a major remodeling effort involving the Howe About Arden shopping center. The old motel was a problem property that required many calls for service by the Sheriff’s Department.  It also was the site of the tragic murder last year of Sheriff Deputy Danny Oliver, who was a member of the Problem Oriented Policing Team of the Sheriff’s North Division. Before the building was demolished, SyWest Development arranged the donation of approximately 12 tons of items like furniture, fixtures, etc. from the motel to various charities in the region.  In addition, the County Animal Shelter was supplied with sheets and blankets for the lost, abandoned and abused animals that come into the shelter. CARMICHAEL CHAMBER HONORS . . . The Carmichael Chamber of Commerce will be recognizing several local residents and community members at the group’s annual awards banquet on Friday, March 27.  The Person of the Year is Del Campo High School baseball legend Dusty Baker who played professionally as well as coached in the major leagues, plus three other local personalities will be honored, along with the American River Natural History Association! Milagro Properties’ Nancy and Allan Davis will be honored as Business of the Year for their work in reinventing the former Hillside Shopping Center near the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Marconi Avenue.  Dr. Carolyn Getman, Dignity Health’s NICU Director at Mercy San Juan Medical Center is being recognized as Physician of the Year.  Publisher Cecily Hasting of Inside Arden has earned the honors of being Media Person of the Year.  And the American River Natural History Association (ARNHA), which operates the Effie Nature Center at Ancil Hoffman Park, will be singled out as the Non-Profit of the Year. Please join me in recognizing these Carmichael icons next month at the La Sierra Community Center.  The three course dinner tickets are $65 per person if reserved by March 13 or $85 at the door.  For more information you can call the Chamber at 481-1002 or visit the Carmichael Chamber of Commerce website.  NO-COST FELINE SPAY AND NEUTER SERVICES To address cat over population, no-cost spay and neuter services are being offered for a limited time for owned pets or caught feral cats throughout the entire Sacramento County area.  By making this no-cost service available to all of Sacramento County area residents, the Department of Animal Care and Regulation believes it can spay or neuter well over 2,000 cats in 2015 with the goal to help address unwanted litters, lost or stray animals coming into the shelter, reduce euthanasia rates, and help folks who want to do the right thing as responsible pet owners but are financially challenged.. The free no-cost spay and neuter services are available by appointment only to residents of both the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Sacramento County.  Appointments can be made for surgery at the Animal Spay and Neuter Clinic (a nonprofit high-volume animal spay/neuter clinic) next to the County’s Bradshaw Animal Shelter at 3839 Bradshaw Road or in Auburn at 3524 KOA Way.   To make spay or neuter surgery appointments for your cat or cats, call the Sacramento clinic at 916-368-7314 or 530-889-8800 for the Auburn location. This free service is being funded by Sacramento County funding along with donations from Friends of the Sacramento City Animal Shelter, TEAM - Teaching Everyone Animals Matter, and LAPCATS.  Although not required, all spay and neuter donations are gratefully accepted and will also help this program to continue. READING OF "SEVEN" More than fifty years ago the National Council of Jewish Women(NCJW) began its work on issues critical to the lives of women and their families in the Sacramento Region.  The organization’s anniversary this year coincides with the beginning of International Women’s Monthand, as a result, a one-time only reading of "SEVEN" will be held onSunday, February 22, at Congregation B’nai Israel, 3600 Riverside Drive in Sacramento beginning at 2 pm. "SEVEN" is a groundbreaking work of documentary theater that captures the remarkable lives of a diverse and courageous group of women leaders from around the world.  The play is based on personal interviews with seven women who have triumphed over enormous obstacles to bring major changes in the lives of women and girls in their home countries of Russia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Guatemala, and Cambodia.  Following the performance, there will be a discussion on issues facing women and children in Sacramento. The performance is open to the entire community (attendance is recommend for persons 16 and older due to mature content).  Tickets and more information are available on the National Council of Jewish Women Sacramento Section website.  LIBRARY BRANCH BOOK SALES Two branch library book sales will be held this month offering book lovers and readers a treasure trove of literary opportunities. The Friends of Arden-Dimick Library will hold its Book Sale on Friday, February 6, 1-6 pm, and Saturday, February 7, 10 am to 5 pm.  The Library is located at 891 Watt Avenue near Northrop Avenue and the sale will be in the Community Room.  The Friends of the Fair Oaks Library will hold a Book Sale later in the month on Saturday, February 21, 9 am to 5 pm, and on Tuesday, February 24, 10 am to 8 pm.  The Library is located at 11601 Fair Oaks Boulevard.  Proceeds from each sale will be used to support library programs offered at these respected branch libraries. FOOTHILL FARMS INDOOR WALKING Liberty Towers Church is offering a safe and comfortable environment for area residents to walk at their own pace with friends who share common fitness and social goals on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9-11 am. Located at 5132 Elkhorn Boulevard, Liberty Towers has a full size gymnasium providing a consistent temperature with no weather interruptions.  Its padded floor is great for neuropathy and other health issues plus there are multiple rest areas around the track. Now there’s a great opportunity to get in your exercise walk regardless of the weather as well as have an opportunity to meet new friends.  And remember before you begin any exercise routine, it is best to check with your health care provider.  For more information, pleasevisit the Liberty Towers Church website.  PANHANDLING LAWSUIT SETTLED Sacramento County settled the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) challenging the ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors last year to address the problem of aggressive panhandling. The ordinance is applicable to activity in the in the unincorporated area and similar to laws that exist in the cities of our region.  As part of the agreement, Sheriff’s Deputies have been advising panhandlers about the new law and directing them to homeless services before issuing citations starting February 15th.    Panhandling is a problem and poses a safety concern especially when done on traffic street medians, freeway ramps, etc. – and for many of us aggressive panhandling near ATMS, banks, and gasoline stations can be intimidating and threating especially when we are confined in our car when approached which led to the ordinance’s passage in the first place. DR. SEUSS BIRTHDAY PARTY Children age 3 through Second Grade are invited to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss on Saturday, February 28, 10 am to 12 noon, at Carmichael’s La Sierra Community Center, 5325 Engle Road. Sponsored by the Carmichael Recreation and Park District along with the Carmichael Public Library, the party will include games, activities, and sweet treats (unknown whether green eggs and ham will be served).. There is an admission fee of $2 per child.  For more information, please call the Carmichael Recreation and Park District at 485-5322. CALIFORNIA STATE SUMMER SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS The California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) invites all talented and motivated high school students to apply for admission to the 2015 summer session which will be held July 11 - August 7.  CSSSA is the only state-supported arts summer school on the West coast. Students have seven artistic disciplines to choose from: Animation, Creative Writing, Dance, Film & Video, Music, Theater and Visual Arts. The application deadline is February 28. For more information about the program and to apply, go to the California State Summer School for the Arts website. LIKE CRAB? Several service clubs are hosting Crab Feeds this month with the proceeds going toward local community needs. Soroptimist International of Sacramento North and Sacramento Suburban Kiwanis Clubs are inviting the public to chow down at a Crab and Pasta Feed, Friday, February 6, at St. Ignatius Parish Center, 3235 Arden Way (2 blocks west of Watt Avenue).  Tickets for the 7:30 pm dinner are only $45 per person.  A no host cocktail hour starts earlier at 6:30 pm.  Purchase tickets by contacting Katha Dantz at 631-8484 or email her at kathadanz@hotmail.com Carmichael Rotary will be holding its Crab Feed the next night,Saturday, February 7, at the La Sierra Center, 5325 Engle Road.  Tickets for the 7 pm dinner are $50 per person.  A no host bar hour opens at 6 pm.  Purchase tickets by calling 803-4766 or via emailvamaio@att.net. FAIR OAKS HORTICULTURE CENTER OPEN GARDEN DAY Bring your specific plant problems and talk with Master Gardeners during “Open Garden Day” on Saturday, February 21, from 9 am to 12 noon. You can learn pruning techniques for grape vines, ornamental grasses, and shrubs plus get tips on creating compost.  Also visit the cool-season vegetable garden and learn the basics for planting late winter and early spring vegetables. The Fair Oaks Horticulture Center is located at 11549 Fair Oaks Boulevard in Fair Oaks Park.  For more information, call 876-5338 orvisit the Sacramento County Master Gardeners website.  READING TUTORS CAN CHANGE A LIFE A big thank you to several residents who recently signed up to volunteer with Reading Partners a few minutes of their time each week to help an elementary school student who is struggling to read at Thomas Edison Elementary in Arden Manor. Reading Partners is a literacy non-profit organization that teams up with elementary schools in under-served communities to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring Monday through Wednesday to students in need. It is a wonderful opportunity to help change the life of a youngster. On average, for every 1 month in Reading Partners, students gain 1.6 months of reading ability. As students learn faster, they can begin to narrow their achievement gap and catch up to their peers.  For more information on how you can help a child to learn to enjoy the pleasure of reading, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Rachael Valler atvolunteersac@readingpartners.org. CHECK BEFORE YOU BURN In effect from November 2014 through February 28, 2015, wood burning is restricted in the unincorporated area as well as in the cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Galt, Isleton, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento in accordance with air quality regulations. The restrictions are applicable to fireplaces, wood stoves, fire pits or chimneys. Implementation of these restrictions has helped reduce pollution and allowed our area to stay in compliance with federal air quality standards. Before you burn, please check the daily status by calling 1-877-No Burn-5 or visit the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District website.