
As (Not) Seen on TV
Celebrity flipping seminars sell more myth than reality
I’m not here to throw anyone under the bus, but let’s talk about these seminars and the reality of flipping homes in Sacramento.

Lodi Greenline Project Gains Steam
Bike advocates push for an urban pathway on unused rail track
When Lodi’s General Mills plant closed in 2015, it left unused a nearly two-mile stretch of Union Pacific spur track. A vestige of a 19th century rail, the track had been converted into a service line, but today weeds grow between its ties, and the line seems to have little use but for safely recreating scenes from the 1986 movie Stand by Me.

Squaw Goes Green
Former head of Squaw Valley leaves behind a mission to be the first ski resort in the country fully powered by renewable energy.
Squaw Valley is on a quest to reduce its carbon footprint and achieve 100 percent renewable energy by as soon as the end of this year. In doing so, the company is undertaking one of the most aggressive eco-friendly efforts by the ski industry across the nation.

Taxing California: Highest in the Nation And Unstable too
California’s major revenue sources have shifted over time. Until 1995, the biggest was property taxes. Today, it’s personal income taxes.
And California ranks fairly high in overall taxation: 10th highest both per capita and as a percentage of personal income, based on the latest available data from the U.S. Census.

Lead Paint Makers Balk At Huge Bill For Toxic Cleanup
Three companies found to have sold toxic lead paint for decades—despite knowing it posed health hazards for children—are waging a major battle to avoid paying the several hundred millions of dollars in liability that California courts have slapped on them.
And they’re asking you, the California voter, to help them get their way.

Tesla’s Microgrid
A fleet of Teslas are headed to Squaw — and not just to the parking lot.
As part of its ongoing renewable energy efforts, the resort is partnering with Liberty Utilities and the electric car (and rocket) company on a proposal to install battery units for storing power generated by solar and other sources.

Back and Forward: Michael Reitzell
California Ski Industry Association president on environmental stewardship
Michael Reitzell, president of the California Ski Industry Association, offers his insight into environmental stewardship by the region’s ski resorts.

The Comeback Kid
Poor Red’s BBQ joint in El Dorado does the abnormal — reopens with success
When Poor Red’s shuttered its doors six years ago, it was the end of an era in the sleepy foothills town of El Dorado — or so many people thought.

Independent Pharmacies Still Thriving
Despite pressure from major chains, small pharmacies succeed by offering a personal touch
Need to fill a prescription? Pick up a medication for your pet? Get a professional review of a complicated list of meds? How about a facial? Tackling this list could take all morning and require several stops around town, but one specific stop could do it.

California Becomes First State to Order Solar on New Homes
California just sent the clearest signal yet that rooftop power is moving beyond a niche market and becoming the norm.