A 2022 study conducted by Americans for the Arts in partnership with Sacramento Alliance for Regional Arts found that nonprofit arts- and culture-related activities in Sacramento County injected over $241 million into the local economy.

I recall that as a young man I desperately tried to find a television in India’s lower Himalayas to watch one of the many Wimbledon finals in which Pete Sampras appeared — and eventually had to settle for a hotel with a black and white TV and a dubious antenna that, despite the manager swearing up and down would show Wimbledon if I wanted it to, in fact aired nothing but crackle.

“I’ve been here more than half my life,” says Sac City President Albert Garcia. “I love the history of this college. It gives everything we do here a richer context. Don’t forget, for many years, as far as colleges in the area, we were it. Just as we began by being part of a high school campus.”

Tractor heaven is in Woodland. Those who enter the Heidrick family’s California Agriculture Museum are greeted by aisles lined with rare antique trucks and tractors of all colors, shapes and eras, along with other artifacts depicting the country’s rich agricultural machinery history.

As the respectful exchange of ideas decreases, we’re left with a toxic “third rail,” where any reference to politics can cause major conflict and division in our workforce. So how can business leaders protect the workforce from tribalism this political season and instead build cohesion?

The project has been caught in spiraling delays, and launch dates have been pushed back to 2030. The San Jose Regional Rail Commission broke ground on just one of the half dozen proposed new stations as of late summer 2024.

PODCAST EPISODE: Journalist James Stout delves into his latest feature for Comstock’s “What’s Holding Up Valley Rail?” where he investigated delays in railway expansion throughout the Central Valley. We discuss the hurdles that are baked into the system, changing attitudes towards public transit and whether hopping on a train might be more commonplace in future America. 

At a time when anyone can order lighting fixtures off Amazon or wander the aisles of Home Depot or Lowe’s and select something readily available and cheap, visiting Hobrecht or Lofings can feel like a trip to a different era. Still, there’s a story worth telling connected to each of these Sacramento stores which shows how family businesses can endure even in changing times.

Eric and Tracy Denio remember Roseville before it was a suburban powerhouse — back when their childhood days were spent roaming among fields, ranches, ponds and gravel pits. Flash forward to today, and Denio’s Farmers Market & Swap Meet is surrounded by oceans of homes and shopping centers that span for miles in every direction. But one thing that hasn’t changed is its ethos.

Founded in 1897 by William Francis Gormley, W.F. Gormley & Sons is anchored by traditional values of dignity and compassion. But they’re not stuffy. The business caters to all religions and beliefs, evolving to meet the needs of a clientele who increasingly request eco-friendly “green burials” and newer technologies like water cremation.