FEATURED STORY: When the team formerly known as the Oakland Athletics took on the Chicago Cubs March 31 at West Sacramento’s refurbished Sutter Health Park, it became official: Sacramento, at least temporarily, has hit the big leagues.
Our April issue is out, and it’s all about the A’s!
Well, not all. … We’re also reporting on the return of wolves to California, the latest on the Sacramento Railyards project and why some entrepreneurs succeed where others fail. We’ll be posting these stories on the web throughout the month, but you can read them now by accessing the Digital Edition on your computer, phone or tablet.
But back to the A’s. They’re the talk of the town, and for good reason. Their debut at Sutter Health Park on Monday night played to a sold-out crowd. They lost, but the energy inside the stadium reportedly tested its minor-league limits, and the industry is taking notice. A Sports Illustrated reporter seemed charmed by “intimate Major League Baseball” and called it the beginning of the “West Sac Story.” Within the media industry, there’s debate over whether we should refer to the team as the “Sacramento Athletics.” (Officially, they’re just the Athletics.)
For April’s cover story, Comstock’s contributor Steve Martarano flew all the way to Mesa, Arizona, to watch the A’s play a spring training game against the San Diego Padres. (We may not be a sports mag, but from a business perspective we are certainly invested in how this big-league story plays out). Steve interviewed excited fans and got the scoop on Sutter Health Park’s transformation and whether Sacramento has long-term MLB potential.
While much of the discourse is focused on that very question (and making hay while the sun shines), I think it’s important that we appreciate the moment for what it is and not just as a trial run. Though I may not get to attend an A’s game this season (tickets are sold out), I’m still enjoying the excitement that’s in the air and the intoxicating belief among Sacramentans that we’re a major-league town.
– Dakota Morlan, Managing Editor
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West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero shares how childhood experiences shaped her guiding values as a leader.
The Way We Work: Lisa Cardoza
For American River College President Lisa Cardoza, helping people is paramount. She calls her philosophy “students first,” and this informs everything she does at ARC, which serves over 30,000 students, making it the sixth largest public two-year college in the nation.
The Enduring Value of Female Friendships
Editor Judy Farah writes, “There’s something special about female friendships. For me, my two friends are the sisters I never had. They knew me as a shy little girl, an awkward teenager, a young adult with career dreams, a new Mom and middle-aged woman. My parents and brother have passed, yet Brenda and Sue remain, sharing with each other all the details of our lives.”
Spring Awakenings
President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson reflects on the importance of “spring cleaning” in business and in government.
Recommendations from our staff:
Jennifer: DW, the German public broadcasting service, makes some great English-language documentaries. This week they released one that hits home: “Rivers at risk: Water crisis on four continents.” One of the settings the documentary visits is California, where they show how dependent the state is on infrastructure that draws so much water from the Colorado River that it’s almost dried up by the time it reaches the border.
Judy: I attended “Howl,” a performance by the Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theater at The Sofia Saturday night. The dancers, dressed in fur vests, told the story of the plight of wolves, from being hunted into extinction to being brought back and cared for by concerned wildlife conservationists. Comstock’s Young Professional Jacob Gutierrez-Montoya was the brilliant choreographer who had his dancers move like wolves across the stage. The audience even did a group howl at the end! The show was a benefit for “Women for Wolves” wolf sanctuary in El Dorado County.
Odds and Ends
Each year, Comstock’s selects up-and-coming leaders throughout the Capital Region to feature in our Young Professionals issue. Nominate a mover and shaker age 40 or under who inspires you. Deadline for submissions is April 30.
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