In a way, not much has changed.

At the Golden 1 Center, Sacramento Kings fans continue to wave cowbells at games, having long since embraced the once-insulting apparatus. The grub still costs a pretty penny. The team remains perpetually in a building year.

A new page on a new calendar is always a time of optimism. The pages are blank and I wonder what I will have written on them by the time the year has run its course. But right now, I’d like to slow down and appreciate the year we just enjoyed.

The U.S. is the largest wine market in the world, and California produces 65 percent of all the wine consumed domestically. Our industry generates $57.6 billion in annual state level economic activity, which in turn employs 325,000 Californians. It is vital that California wine remain competitive in a global market.

In the entrepreneurial realm, everyone wants to be a change agent. With disruptors like Elon Musk — who brought us Tesla and the concept of terraforming Mars — raising the stakes on the definition of the word, the startup landscape is overflowing with wannabe-visionaries claiming to change the world.

But, what does the term really mean?

I interviewed a job candidate who was severely overweight and had trouble walking. While the job is mostly a desk job (administrative assistant) the admins are expected to run things back and forth when needed. Could I have asked her about her health? I didn’t. I didn’t offer her the job, either, and now I’m feeling guilty. What should I have done?

As an appraiser, I get asked questions about the value of particular home improvements all the time: How much is a kitchen remodel worth? What about a bathroom remodel? Are solar panels a good way to boost property value? My answer is simple, and always the same: It depends. I know that’s frustrating to hear, but there’s a reason why it’s the best answer. So let’s talk about it.

As the state’s fiscal watchdog, California State Controller Betty Yee has a finger on the pulse of what is now the world’s sixth largest economy. But her influence reaches far beyond just paying the State’s bills. We sat down with her recently to talk about taxes, climate change and why she is compelled to address issues like human trafficking.

General Produce, a third generation family business, has been feeding the region for over eight decades. 

In Sacramento’s culinary community, the limelight loves local celebrity chefs. Beyond the buzz, Loaves & Fishes Chef Edwin Burton is an unsung hero, serving 500 lunches per day to those in need — having himself survived life on the streets. 

Eight of the world’s 10 largest vegetable seed companies are located near UC Davis, a world leader in plant science and agricultural research. The Capital Region is home to a vast ecosystem at the forefront of advancing food production — here’s how all the pieces come together.

Placer County will soon be home to it’s third farmhouse brewery, marrying farm-to-fork ideals with the craft beer craze. Do these breweries offer the area trappings to make it a tourist destination? 

Vintage Monkey conducts antique motorcycle repairs like a well-oiled machine.