![The California State Railroad Museum gave Anna Judah her due in a recent exhibition. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_9775.png?1714068771)
Anna Judah: Far More Than Theodore Judah’s Victorian Housewife
Through her artistry, she brought the transcontinental railroad to life — before it was built
You wouldn’t know that a tragic love story led to the railroad that connected the East and West coasts for the first time.
![Marbella Sala, president of the Gardenland Northgate Neighborhood Association, was born in Mexico City and came to the United States at 5 years old. (Photos by Graham Womack)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/marbella_sala_gardenland_northgate_neighborhood_association_1.png?1713982311)
Burrito Boosterism
Northgate Boulevard revitalization effort builds on street’s Mexican food offerings
The street quietly has a lot going for it. Sacramento City Council member Karina Talamantes says that Northgate boasts a highly diverse community living up and down the boulevard.
![(Illustration by Jefferson Miller @ARTOFJEFFERSON)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0424_dept_evilhr_miller.png?1713889224)
Dilemma of the Month: Can the Boss Take Zoom Calls in the Shower?
Obviously, no. But getting him to behave may require an
attorney.
![For nearly 30 years, the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society’s SPIRIT program has matched volunteer doctors with patients in need. Their staff includes, from left to right, Tiara Arredondo; Adriana Aguilar; Aileen Wetzel, executive director; Ana Orejel; and Lindsay Coate, vice president of strategic operations. (Photos by Katy Karns)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/health_final_-1.png?1713801547)
The SPIRIT to Heal
Doctors volunteer their free time to treat more than 55,000 patients
Now nearing its 30th year, SPIRIT has provided free care to over 55,000 patients in need of cataract surgery, hernia repair and numerous other non-emergency conditions that can still be painful or prevent them from working.
![The premiere of the film “Behind the Apron” was followed by a reception for the art exhibit Mise-en-Place at the Sofia. (Photos courtesy of Mulvaney’s B&L)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/miseenplace.png?1713451785)
Restaurant Industry Confronts Its Mental Health Crisis Through Art, Dance and Film
Sacramento restaurateurs and artists team up to highlight and address the struggles of restaurant workers
By the end of 2018, Sacramento’s restaurant industry was reeling. That year, close to 20 industry workers — servers, chefs, bartenders and others — died from suicide or behaviors related to drug or alcohol use. In the last month of the year alone, four workers lost their lives.
![A workshop participant shows off her letterpress creation at Tuleburg Press in downtown Stockton. (Photos courtesy of Tuleburg Press)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/tuleburg_lead_1.png?1713369021)
Right People, Write Place
Publishing press preserves lost art form and promotes local writers
Tuleburg Press, founded in 2013, is a Stockton nonprofit publishing company with a focus on developing creative literary community programs, showcasing local writers and building an appreciation of the book arts.
![The writer Miranda Culp, left, and her business partner Laurelin Gilmore became the owners of Richard L. Press, Fine and Scholarly Books in November 2020 and renamed it Amatoria Fine Art Books. (Photo by Andrew Calisterio)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0424_opinion_bookstores_calisterio.png?1713294603)
The Great Circle of the Book
OPINION: Independent bookstores are the secret lifeblood of local culture
Independent Bookstore Day is April 27 this year. The owner of one of Sacramento County’s many independent bookstores lets us in on the unique purpose they serve in their respective neighborhoods.
![Cara Jenkins, a graduate of the University of Pacific McGeorge School of Law, serves as the state’s legislative counsel. Her office reviews every bill that goes through the state legislature. (Photos by Debbie Cunningham)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/final-2028.png?1713196186)
Legal Lions
Between the state Capitol, a federal courthouse and two top-ranked law schools, the Capital Region is a formidable hub for the legal industry
Between schools like McGeorge and UC Davis School of Law, as well as an array of respected firms, the state Capitol and various courts including a federal courthouse, the Sacramento region is a strong draw for the legal industry.
![Daylilies are blooming year-round at the Amador Flower Farm in Plymouth, though not in the same numbers as during the spring and summer. Events like Spring Fling (April 20-21) highlight peak blooms. (Photo courtesy of Amador Flower Farm)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/courtesy_photo_peak_season.png?1712937621)
Stop and Smell the Daylilies at Amador Flower Farm
Take a break from wine tasting in the Shenandoah Valley to picnic in a garden
Nestled squarely in the midst of dozens of award-winning wineries that make Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley so unique, Amador Flower Farm in Plymouth is home to something different — an eye-popping 1,300 varieties of daylily.
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0424-startup-lead-template.png?1712851060)
Startup of the Month: Soar Optics
Company targets microplastics in water with high-tech microscopes
Microplastics can be found everywhere, from Antarctica to Mt. Everest to breast milk. A Western Regional Winner in 2022, Soar Optics develops technology to identify these microscopic particles in water.