1 in 3 Americans feel lonely. Sacramento is building free community spaces to bring people together

From West Sacramento to Natomas, new parks and community projects are tackling one of today’s most urgent public health challenges: isolation.

As an adult, making and maintaining friendships is hard. We also know that loneliness is bad for our health, which only heightens the pressure.

I recently listened to a four-and-a-half-hour-long podcast on how to make friends — and, yes, I took notes.

Aristotle posited that there are three kinds of friendship: utility (shared benefit), pleasure (shared enjoyment) and virtue (mutual admiration of character). All three matter, but friendships of virtue are the most meaningful and enduring. They are also the slowest to develop. Only after many hours spent together can relationships rooted in convenience or enjoyment deepen into trust and mutual respect.

In my experience, the time required to build that kind of connection increases with age (at least until retirement). After two years at the same gym, I’ve only recently accumulated enough face time to feel comfortable asking some of the other women to get together outside of our sphere of familiarity. Realistically, it may take several more years to establish a friendship on par with those from my school years.

Which is why city planners are focused on designing infrastructure for repeated, low-stakes interaction: public parks, community gardens and maker spaces. These environments present opportunities to connect. The rest, however, is up to us — to show up consistently, and to be generous, open and optimistic.

– Dakota Morlan, managing editor

This week’s featured Women in Leadership: Leticia Robles Built a Homecare Network to Serve Families Who Needed It Most

What began as a small Stockton startup now operates eight locations with thousands of caregivers.

Sadie St. Lawrence Is Bridging the Gap Between Humans and AI

Raised on an Iowa farm and trained as a musician, Sadie St. Lawrence went on to become a global leader in data science education and AI strategy.

Nominate a Young Professional!

We’re in search of up-and-coming leaders to spotlight in the July issue. Nominate a young professional in the Capital Region, age 40 or under. The deadline is April 15.

There’s Still Time This Season to See Some of the World’s Biggest Waves — Right in Northern California

From charter boats to cliffside trails, there are still ways to catch Mavericks before the swells fade off Half Moon Bay.

Recommendations From Our Staff

Judy: I just finished “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans, which was on everyone’s top 10 book list of 2025. The main character, who is in her 70s, lives her life through correspondence. Her life unfolds as she writes to her best friend, her brother, authors like Joan Didion and celebrities like George Lucas, a DNA company and even her neighbor. It’s her way of communication. I wasn’t fond of the epistolary novel style at first but became accustomed to it. (I also learned a new word: ”Epistolary” is a novel that’s told through letters or documents.) It’s a lovely story and has inspired me to write more to family and friends instead of firing off a quick text. Jane Fonda has optioned the book for a possible movie.

Jennifer: I spent the weekend taking on a major task: cleaning out my mom’s massive shoe collection. She has been a shoe hound since she moved to NJ in her early 20s — supplied by classic NY designer overstock stores like Loehmann’s and Century 21 — and in the attic were several dozen pairs of size-6 heels and boots she hadn’t worn in nearly 20 years. I knew there was value there, so I listed them on Depop, and she’s been selling an average of two pairs a day since. With clothing donation often funneling clothes to landfill, I recommend using a second-hand sales platform like Depop for your spring cleaning this year (or if you prefer to donate, choose a local nonprofit like WEAVE).

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