HAVE A QUESTION?  JUST DIAL 311!

The times they are a changin' and even the City of Sacramento is changing how it does business.  As of Wednesday, August 13, 2008, the Sacramento City "Operator" is history.  In its place is the newly reorganized and expanded services with a new name and a simplified phone number.  It is now the "Sacramento City 311."  Residents of the Sacramento can contact the City of Sacramento with questions simply by dialing 311. 

City of Sacramento 311 agents are available 7/24/365 - even holidays - to assist residents and businesses with questions regarding City services, as well as take and process requests for City services.  In addition, agents are responsible for after hours and weekend municipal emergencies - expect for Fire and Police emergencies which remain under 911.

Agents are able to do the following:

• Receive and process all calls for Code Enforcement (abandoned cars, graffiti, substandard housing, etc.);
• Receive, process and dispatch all calls for Animal Care (injured, stray, aggressive animals, etc.);
• Development Services Help Line: all calls for Development Services Department are first routed to 311 for triage;
• Street Maintenance: receive and process all calls for potholes, cracked sidewalks, lighting problems, etc.;
• Facility Maintenance: receive and process all work order requests related to repair/maintenance of City buildings;
• Citywide directory assistance and information about all things related to City services;
• Receive and process all calls requiring the response of a City crew for drains, water, solid waste, along with general inquiries; 
• Accept credit card payments for City Utility bills; and
• Much, much more.

I-5 CLOSING IN SACRAMENTO FOR MAJOR REPAIRS

Sacramento, CA - The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and Sacramento area contractor C.C. Myers have set a timeline to complete the much needed repairs on the "Boat Section" of Interstate 5 through the heart of downtown Sacramento.   The closures will take place beginning May 30 and continue on through July 15, 2008. 

It will be important for anyone commuting in and out of the downtown area or traveling north or south on Interstate 5 through Sacramento to be aware of the construction and make appropriate changes to travel and commuting plans.  Caltrans will be providing real time traffic information available at www.fixI-5.com.  The website features live traffic cameras, links to ridesharing and transit resources as well as answers to frequently asked questions. 

The good news about this project is that C.C. Myers is know for its speed and quality of construction.  So, while seven weeks is a relatively long period to inconvenience commuters, travelers, and commercial transport carriers, it is significantly shorter (nearly 1/2 the time) than originally estimated by Caltrans.  C.C. Myers is the same Sacramento firm that rebuilt the highways in Southern CA after the earthquake in 1994, rebuilt the SF Bay Bridge following the Loma Prieta earthquake and the recent reconstruction of the I-580 in Oakland after the fire and collapse of the MacArthur Maze in 2007.  All of these were done in record time with great precision and a maximum concern for safety. 

Below is a map of the area and the schedule for closures:

Caltrans and C.C. Myers are planning the following schedule for completing this massive project:

Stage 1:

Friday, May 30 at 8:00PM - All northbound lanes of I-5 closed from U.S. Highway 50/Capitol City Freeway Interchange to L Street on ramp, two lanes of I-5 will be open from L Street to Richards Blvd. (Q Street off-ramp, and I & L on-ramps will remain open from northbound I-5.)

Monday, June 9 at 5:00AM - All lanes will be open for four days.

Stage 2:

Friday, June 13 at 8:00PM - All southbound lanes of I-5 closed from Richards Blvd. to the U.S. Highway 50 except two lanes will remain open for traffic exiting at J Street.

Monday, June 23 at 5:00AM - All lanes will be open for four days.

Stage 3:

Thursday, June 26 at 8:00PM - All northbound lanes of I-5 closed from U.S. 5/Capitol City Freeway Interchange to L Street on ramp, two lanes of I-5 will be open from  L Street to Richards Blvd. (Q Street off-ramp and, I & L on-ramps will remain open from northbound I-5.)

Thursday, July 3 at 5:00AM - All lanes will be open for six days.

Stage 4:

Tuesday, July 8 at 8:00PM - All southbound lanes of I-5 closed from Richards Blvd. to the U.S. Highway 50 except two lanes will remain open for traffic exting at J Street.

Tuesday, July 15 at 5:00AM - All highway interfering work will be complete.

Please be careful out on the roadways and be particularly vigilant in constructon zones. 

Updated California Building Codes

On Wednesday, January 30, 2008 from noon to 1:30p.m. the City of Sacramento will provide a forum to present an overview of the new 2007 California Codes for Residential and Commercial Developers, Architects and Contractors, changes which became effective January 1, 2008.  Following a presentation of the changes to the Code by City of Sacramento Engineering Superior Ed Short there will be a forum to ask questions from him and staff of the City's Development Services Department.

The presentation will be held on the second floor in the Historic City Hall Building located at 915 I Street.  The presentation is part of an ongoing series of an informal "Lunch and Learn" program series provided as a public service by the Development Services Department of the City of Sacramento. 

Get Ready...The 155th Annual California State Fair is almost here!

The best state fair in the state starts August 17 and runs through Labor Day.  Great events, midway rides, farm animals, harness racing, amazing attractions, all kinds of "food on a stick" and much, much more will be part of this annual extravaganza.

Check out the list below of this year's FREE concerts at CalExpo, that's right all concerts are free with your admission. 

WikipediA...The Free Encyclopedia That Anyone Can Edit

OK, many of us have heard of Wikipedia and maybe even gone to it to look something up.  But, what exactly is it, who invented it and when?

Wikipedia was the first "wiki" ever created for the internet.  It was created in 1995 by a computer programmer from the United States named Ward Cunningham.  Cunningham started the first "wiki" and named it the "Wiki Wiki Web".  A "wiki" is similar to a blog only anyone can add or edit the actual content unlike a blog where the blogger provides the content and the readers are limited to being able to comment on the content.

Cunningham got the name from the Hawaiian term "wiki wiki" which means quick.  He had heard the word when visiting the Islands and having a creative mind he chose the term "Wiki Wiki Web" rather than his initial idea of the Quick Web.  It's certainly cooler and with the obvious alliteration to the "world wide web" it is a better name from a marketing perspective.  Wiki can also be a "backronym" for "What I Know Is."

Wikipedia is a tool for the masses.  It is easy to use.  Anyone can add, edit, remove and change the sites content and even its structure.  Think you know something about anything that no one else knows? Put it up on Wikipedia and add it to the people's encyclopedia.  To check out the type of content you will find just take a look at the entry for Sacramento, CA and see what you think. 

Aloha and mahalo for reading this post.

Sacramento's Top Cop Chief Albert Najera Implemented Blog To Improve Communication With Citizens

SacPD Blog - Sacramento Police Department WebLog Launched

In November 2006 Chief Albert Najera of the City of Sacramento Police Department announced the SacPD had implemented an interactive weblog which they began testing in August as a means to better communicate with citizens.  Chief Najera conceived of the idea after seeing the success private companies were having communicating with their customers and employees.  According to a report in the Sacramento Bee, Chief Najera believes the blog gives the department the opportunity to explain the "why" of why they do what they do and why crimes happen the way they do.  Chief Najera says the blog will tackle all subjects and not avoid potentially controversial subjects as they arise. 

While most police department  web sites around the nation - including most major cities (Chicago and Philadelphia for instance) - have static web sites with links to recent news articles and crime statistics, crime prevention, and neighborhood watch information the Sacramento Police Department sees the blog as an important tool for citizens.  Additionally, the Chief believes it will be a vehicle for officers to post information about their jobs from a personal perspective.  A perspective not normally known or understood by the public. 

One feature of the blog is ability for citizens to ask questions and get real responses to their questions rather than answers from a canned FAQs section of a static web site.  The interactive section is called "Ask Officer Michelle".   The questions are handled by Officer Michelle Lazark who serves as a department spokeswoman.  She does not duck the tough questions and has even assisted one individual seeking information on a relative's death 20 years ago.  Officer Lazark was able to give the citizen a detailed response providing the individual with important closure. 

One other plus the Chief sees of the blog is as a way to communicate with younger people who are more technology driven.  The blog will help to demonstrate that technological change is an accepted and important way for officers and the public to stay connected.  It is the Chief's plan to eventually add podcasts that he hopes will aid the department's recruitment efforts with younger more tech savvy prospective employees.

 A sign of the season

We are quickly moving into winter from fall.  The air is getting chillier and the leaves have mostly dropped.  Here in Sacramento - the city of trees - the fall is both a lovely time and a time spent raking, blowing and sweeping up leaves.  All this leaf business got me thinking about mulching and laying down bark around the garden.

I did a quick search and found out through the Sacramento Tree Foundation that our very own utility, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District or SMUD, provides FREE wood chips for customers to use around our trees.  Free pick up of wood chips is available weekdays from 9:00am to 2:30pm at the SMUD yard in East Sacramento on 59th Street between Folsom Blvd. and the Light Rail. 

To pick up you free mulch all you need to do is:

• Bring your own tools to load the mulch
• Bring bags or a tarp to fill or cover a load
• Apply mulch to an area around your trees or shrubs at least 4' in diameter and 4"-6" deep, keeping it a few inches from the trunk

If you do this you will be helping utilize the green waste and helping your garden all at the same time.  And for FREE!  Sounds like a bargain to me. 

Oh yeah, don't forget about SMUD's FREE SHADE TREE program in conjunction with the Sacramento Tree Foundation. Now is a great time to plant one in your yard. Trees are a great way to let nature help keep you cool and lower your energy bills in the summer.

Looking for something special to do this weekend?  Well, if you're not out shopping for holiday gifts you should definitely plan to attend the 33rd Annual Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour. The tour runs this Friday through Sunday in Sacramento's "Fabulous 40's" neighborhood in East Sacramento.  

Each year several of the incredible homes in East Sacramento are staged and decorated for the holidays.  These spectacularly decorated homes are in one of Sacramento's most desireable neighborhoods and not to be missed.

This terrific event is organized annually by the parents of the Sacred Heart Parrish School located at 39th and H Street as a benefit for the school.   Tickets are available online and are $20 through November 30 and $30 during the event. 

The tour begins at 1209 47th Street between J and M Streets and winds its way through East Sacramento ending at 1513 39th Street.  You may start at either end for an enjoyable, self-guided walking tour that will take about two hours to complete. You may use your ticket for a one-time admittance to each house any time during the tour weekend.

Check it out.  You will be glad you did.

TOWER IS GOING, GOING...

[Above - Tower Records at Broadway and Land Park Dr. across the street from its beginnings.]

Earlier this year I wrote a brief article on the Tower Theater, Tower Records and Sacramento history.  At the time I wrote the piece Tower Records was in bankruptcy for the third time in recent years.  Unfortunately, the empire Russ Solomon built just couldn't survive in the age of iPods and internet downloads.

Russ Solomon began Tower Records in his father's pharmacy in the Tower Theater building.  Back then Russ was on the cutting edge and through the years the culture of Tower Records was known for being edgy and at the forefront of the music business locally and, as it grew, nationally and internationally.  Musicians, disc jockeys, and ordinary folks flocked to Tower in Sacramento and beyond.  I recall that a trip to Tower as a kid and young adult was as much about the "experience" as it was a place to buy a 45, an LP, 8track, cassette, and eventually CDs.  Yes, I owned an 8track player as a kid.

Tower employees considered their stores an experience as well.  Several former employees recently began a website to stay connected.  They call it TowerReunion.com.  The purpose is to keep their unique sense of community together as the company slips away quietly into the night. 

Tower Records like other industries before it didn't change enough with the times to keep the business going.  A large liquidator purchased Tower through bankruptcy court ordered auction in October and is in the process of liquidating the merchandise and closing down all the stores.  To complete the process all of the properties owned by Tower are being sold as well.  It is projected that by mid December Tower will close for good.  Ending just as it began - humbly.  

Thanks Russ.  It was a great ride.

Sacramento REALTORS® Are First In The Nation

BROKER TRAINING INSTITUTE DEBUT IS A SUCCESS!

Left to right: Judy Wegener, SAR Director of Education; Corey Wilkerson, SAR Education Committee Chair; and yours truly. 

The Broker Training Institute was enthusiastically championed by SAR Education Committee Chair Corey Wilkerson and his entire committee.  The BTI brought together brokers interested in elevating their knowledge and skills to improve ways to help their agents and clients achieve greater success.  What made the program a success was the tremendous support of a variety of brokers and other real estate industry professionals who put time and energy into developing the curriculum and presentations for the BTI.

Each of the participating brokers attended six half day sessions devoted to a range of topics critical to running a successful real estate brokerage.  Topics included:

• A panel discussion with local brokers and Q & A from BTI participants
• Insurance Concerns
• Running a Brokerage from a legal perspective
• Creating a vision and office logistics
• Marketing your Office and broker responsibilities
• Creating a manageable filing system
• How to run a stimulating office meeting
• Training and retaining high producing, ethical agents

Another significant aspect of the SAR Broker Training Institute is that it will serve as a model for the National Association of REALTORS® and other state and local association around the country.  The NAR and other association have already been in contact with Judy seeking information for the benefit of their members.  Proving once again that the really cool trends start in California!

The cooling trend in Sacramento area real estate that began nearly a year ago is continuing and moving the housing market toward a much needed equilibrium point.  Unfortunately few seem to understand this.  Despite a slight uptick in activity during August, September saw another decrease in sales and though inventory remains high it too is finally beginning to scale back.  Here are a few quick statistics of interest from the Sacramento Association of Realtors. 

• Closed escrows of single family homes in September were down 38.1% from a year ago. 
• The median sale price of a single family home was $363,000 which is down 5.7% from September 2005
• Closed escrows of Condos/PUDs in September were down 36% from a year ago.
• The median sale price of a Condo/PUD $237,000, 4% lower than September 2005

The Sacramento market was one of the hottest housing markets in the nation the past couple of years so while this may look gloomy to some it is simply an overheated market moving back toward equilibrium.  Despite our sluggish sellers market our Sacramento economy remains stable and interest continue to be very low.  Based on the economic stability of the region and the strength of real estate nationally it is my observation that the primary forces causing skepticism in the market is psychological.  That is, the constant drumbeat in the news of gloom and doom in real estate combined with the large number of people who are too late in trying to capitalize on the phenomenal appreciation we have experienced the past several years creates a misinformed public who perceives the negative news as reality.  And, the dynamic continues.  However, once the housing market reaches the equilibrium point between buyers and sellers the standoff will end and we will move into a "normal" market for the first time in several years.  And that's my two cents!