There’s no getting around it; being “on the rebound” implies you’re down bad. Or you were, at least. But it also means you’re on your way up. In the Capital Region, we are working our way back to a pre-pandemic economy and building toward a new landscape shaped by what we’ve been through.

City officials are revisiting their pre-pandemic economic development plans and creating fresh strategies designed for flexibility. It’s tempting to reach for the perceived stability from before the downturn, but since we are different now, so are our economic plans.

Here’s the latest Capital Region Rundown:

We spend a day at the museum to paint a picture of the working habits of Crocker Art Museum CEO Lial Jones; city officials reflect on pandemic challenges and look ahead to the economic development plans they hope will restore the local economy; Comstock’s president and publisher evaluates the implications of the approaching electric energy revolution; the Art Exposed column zooms in on Photography Month with a roundup of some of the column’s featured photographers; and The Education Foundation for California Schools launches grants to help the California education community inspire more students in the areas of STEM.

Recommendations from our editors:

In this section we editors share what we’re reading, listening to, watching or even eating. Here’s what we’re consuming this week:

Vanessa: I’m close to finishing “The Hard Crowd,” a compilation of essays written by Rachel Kushner over the past 20 years. Not quite a memoir and broader than a snapshot of one narrow time period, the anthology covers a sprawling yet cohesive set of life experiences. A native San Franciscan, Kushner is known for her cool, intellectual tone and her coverage of the world of bikers, tattoo artists and musicians. She also analyzes retro ads and travels to cover a refugee camp for Palestinians inside Jerusalem. 

Judy: The Washington Post, an East Coast newspaper, takes an in-depth look at Sacramento’s homeless problem and doesn’t hold back on holding our city and state leaders accountable.

Jennifer: I recently read “The Dressmaker of Khair Khana” by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, which tells the story of Kamila Sidiqi, a real woman who managed to start an underground business with over 100 female employees in Kabul soon after the Taliban took power in 1996. As we approach the anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the story can serve as a reminder of what our new neighbors from Afghanistan, especially women and girls, are fleeing. 

Odds and ends

Don’t forget to subscribe to the magazine to stay up to date on the region’s business trends, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for daily stories and extras.