Sasha Abramsky is a Sacramento-based freelance journalist. He is the Western correspondent for The Nation Magazine and has written nine books, the latest being “Little Wonder: The Fabulous Story of Lottie Dod, the World’s First Female Sports Superstar.”
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![Said Asadullah Sadaat and his family of 12 settled into a rental home in Elk Grove after they fled Afghanistan in 2021. His wife, Malika, daughter Saghar, son Elham and Sadaat with his infant daughter Elhan.](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/said_fam_final.png?1720462075)
The Great Migration
From immigrants fleeing their countries to Bay Area residents escaping high prices, the culture of the Capital Region is changing
Just under 2.4 million people live in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom metropolitan area, an increase of roughly a quarter since the turn of the century.
![Dr. Luke Wood in the boxing room at The Well, the multi-purpose gym facility at Sac State. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_0525_2.png?1714751232)
Giving Students a Fighting Chance With Combat U
When Dr. Luke Wood was finding his sea legs as Sac State’s new president, he walked over to Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness gym on Folsom Boulevard, put on his boxing gloves and sparred with the gym owner. Then a light went off in Wood’s head. Since he was reinventing the university anyway, why not use the opportunity to partner with Faber in setting up a system so students could go to school for fighting?
![](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_0285.png?1714591044)
The Bold Vision of Dr. Luke Wood
Sac State’s new, young president is creating an AI hub, Black honors program, college for foster youth and Combat U
Dr. Luke Wood has set his competitive sights on remaking his university into an institution that can compete academically, not just with other CSUs — he is clear in his ambition to make the beautiful, tree-filled and ethnically diverse campus the flagship university in the CSU system — but with the University of California campuses and other top-tier institutions around the country.
![Adam Schiff speaks at the California Democratic Party’s Endorsing Convention in Nov. 18 in Sacramento. (Shutterstock photo by Sheila Fitzgerald)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0224_blog_senaterace_shutterstock.jpg?1709226166)
Big Names, Big Money in California’s U.S. Senate Race
Candidates are spending millions to get their names out to voters
On March 5, California voters will go to the polls, not just in the presidential primaries, but also in primary elections that will winnow down to two the number of those U.S. Senate hopefuls who will progress to the November general election.
![Zaki Rahain worked with the U.S. government in Afghanistan and now owns a restaurant in Carmichael. (Photos by Fred Greaves)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/lead_lapiz_grill_2023_12_15_fg07770.png?1707155160)
Photo Essay: Afghans Resettling in Sacramento
The Capital Region is home to more than 10,000 Afghan refugees who fled the Taliban. Comstock’s brings you a few of their stories.