Brad Branan has been a journalist for 27 years, most recently as the cannabis reporter at The Sacramento Bee. Branan is the son of an investigative reporter. He is also a backpacker, skier, whitewater rafter and a certified California naturalist (UC ‘16.) Before moving to Sacramento, Branan worked for newspapers in Fresno, Tucson and elsewhere. He has won many awards, including the Gruner Award for best reporting in Central California and the California Newspaper Publishers Association award for best investigative reporting in the state. He can be reached at brad.branan@gmail.com.
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Lowered Ambitions for Old Sacramento
The Sacramento City Council approves a slimmed-down revitalization plan for the waterfront district
The Sacramento City Council recently approved a revitalization plan for Old Sacramento Waterfront that is dramatically smaller than the plan it endorsed six years ago.
Will We Ever Fix Our Waterfront?
City fails to act on improvement needs for Rio City Café and other areas of Old Sacramento Waterfront
The district tells the story of the Gold Rush, the railroads, Sacramento’s beginnings and more, but it has a reputation as being merely a tourist novelty spot with gag gift and candy shops.
Leading the Way on Housing
Multifamily unit construction in Sacramento 'is booming'
In the last four years, Sacramento has approved more than 11,000 housing units, the third-highest total in the state, according to figures from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The city’s total of approved housing trails only Los Angeles and San Diego, both of which are much larger cities.
Fighting for Land
We need more housing, but we also want to protect wildland
The region has been suffering through a housing shortage for several years. But environmentalists worry about the impacts of greenfield development: It increases greenhouse gas emissions as people commute longer distances and causes the loss of habitat and open space, which gives the region its character and makes it a good place to live.
An Inside Look at California’s Newest State Park
A verdant trail through restored wetlands will open this week
Dos Rios State Park is located eight miles west of Modesto at the confluence of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne rivers. It’s the state’s most visible example of rebuilding wetlands along river corridors.
The Delta in Decline
Wildlife and businesses in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are suffering from lack of fresh water
The life cycle of a salmon, so the story goes, is a heroic journey. The fish emerge from fertilized eggs in a river bed, swim to the ocean where they spend most of their lives and return to give birth in the exact place where they were born.
Braving the Wild Waters
The Sierra Nevada’s huge snowpack is melting, making for thrilling rafting adventures this year
The South Fork of the American River looked like the high seas or a stormy lake in late May, with four times the normal amount of water coursing through Chili Bar, known for challenging rapids even in dry years.
The Herb Column: Battling for Onsite Consumption
Law creates barriers for entrepreneurs interested in the cannabis field
Uncertainty over where people can consume marijuana can create significant limitations for cannabis businesses.
Barriers to Baked Goods
Supply of edible cannabis dwindles during regulatory waiting game
Mike Appezzato has only been in business for a year, but he’s already uprooting his company to move it to Sacramento.
The Herb Column: High-Level Eats
New users of edibles should proceed with caution
To many consumers, the idea of edibles — cannabis-infused chocolate bars, brownies and other treats — sounds enticing. Especially considering health concerns about cigarettes have made people uncomfortable with smoke, including from marijuana.
The Herb Column: Higher Education
Budtenders may become the new drug educators in Sacramento
The legalization of adult-use marijuana in November 2016 created an opportunity for California to rethink drug education programs, as a portion of the tax revenue from the new commercial cannabis market must go to education programs.
The Herb Column: Where Did All the Cannabis Watchdogs Go?
Why Comstock’s is launching THC, a monthly column on the cannabis business
Getting reliable information about cannabis may be more important than ever. But finding reliable cannabis information has become harder because of another trend — the decimation of newsroom staffs.