January 2016

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Rethinking How We Support Our Local Charities

For many companies, the post-holiday season often marks a return to business. But it’s not the time to forget about the nonprofit organizations that are so important to our community. They need our attention beyond the holidays and throughout the year.

Jan 4, 2016 Winnie Comstock-Carlson
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Eliminating the Safety Net

The concept of a safety net sets off alarm bells for many administrators and public health professionals. It connotes duplication, inefficiency, incoherence and a 2-tiered health delivery system. It misses the very real business opportunities and positive health impacts that have emerged for the entire population.

Jan 21, 2016 Dr. Jonathan Porteus
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Digital Hiring

Don't sink too much cash into online job sites

I’m overseeing the hire of a new leadership position. We want to post the position online, but there are so many options, including up-sells to “featured posting” and the like. How do I write a compelling job description that will attract top-notch potential employees, and how do I best use my dollars — some of these sites are expensive!

Jan 5, 2016 Suzanne Lucas

Buzzwords: Authenticity

Don't fake it

There’s a whole lot of buzz lately about authenticity: authentic leadership styles, authentic brands, authentic values, authentic marketing and advertising … and on and on. By definition, something is authentic if it is genuine, real, of unquestionable origin, not faked or copied, verifiable and trustworthy.

Jan 7, 2016 MaryJayne Zemer
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When I Was Your Age…

Navigating the generation gap, again

People will inevitably adapt to the demands that new technologies bring. They say that children born today will never have to learn to drive a car. Instead, they will learn to do things no adult generation today can yet imagine. It has always been this way, since the first caveman discovered fire and invented tools. Each preceding generation has something to do with the inventions that are passed on to the next. So why all the intergenerational demonization?  

Jan 18, 2016 Tania Fowler
City of Sacramento Director of Convention and Cultural Services Jody Ulich

The Crusade for Art Infusion

Sacramento's art czar says it's a necessity, not a luxury

Jody Ulich has been Sacramento’s director of convention and cultural services for just over a year. A transplant from Fort Worth, Texas, the energetic Ulich has brought a fresh energy and perspective to the city’s efforts to stabilize and grow its diverse arts community. We sat down with her recently to discuss the arts and ongoing efforts to modernize the Sacramento Convention Center.

Jan 14, 2016 Rich Ehisen
Yolo County's Fritz Durst has been using the no-till method for 20 years.   

From the Ground Up

No-till farming is still a hard sell in California — despite worldwide acceptance and cleaner air

At first glance, the concept of no-till farming seems a quaint relic of the past, a footnote in a history book, perhaps. Farmers in California’s central farmlands have been using large disks and tills to rip and turn their soil for almost a century. But no-till could have substantial human health benefits for Central Valley residents, as well as financial gains for farmers, according to some agricultural experts at UC Davis and across the country. 

Jan 12, 2016 Michael Bowker

The Endangered Blue-Collar Worker

While policymakers focus on the need for more grads with bachelor’s degrees, middle-skill jobs go unfilled

Douglas Stricker of Folsom, 58, knows all about the need for skilled laborers. In 1992, he launched Golden Development, a company that built storage tanks and other structures for refineries and chemical companies. He had a crew of between 20 and 40 workers but never could find enough reliable welders — even in jobs that paid up to $30 an hour.

Jan 11, 2016 Steven Yoder
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Deal or no Deal

After critical court decision, future California lease-leaseback contracts stand on shaky ground.

For the past four years, Star Academy in Natomas didn’t look like a regular school. Due to overcrowding,  elementary kids went to class in a commercial building that faced a major street and had warehouse space in the back. Last year, when the moratorium was lifted, the district considered building the new charter school through a lease-leaseback deal. But the method, once a popular way for struggling districts to acquire new facilities, has come under legal fire in recent years.

Jan 26, 2016 Russell Nichols
As principal of the School of the Sacramento Ballet, Melanie Haller trains the Pre-Professional Division — the school’s three highest levels (ages 10 to 18-and-up).

A Dancer’s Destiny

In the studio with Sacramento Ballet prinicpal Melanie Haller

As a student, Melanie Haller trained for 12 years at the internationally-recognized Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under world-renowned ballet teacher Marcia Dale Weary. Now, as principal of the School of the Sacramento Ballet, Haller trains the Pre-Professional Division — the school’s three highest levels (ages 10 to 18-and-up).

Dec 31, 2015 Kelly Higdon