FROM THE PUBLISHER: California has survived many changes over the last 150 years, including the political makeup of the elected officials who set the rules for how we live and how business works. Thirty-five years ago, when I started Comstock’s, it seemed to me that officials were more willing to give business the independence it needed to take risks and make common-sense decisions that fueled our economic growth.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: I’ve always loved art, in every form I can think of: music, dance, painting, sculpture, film, theater, literature, architecture and even conceptual. After all, art is about taste, memory, the senses — and just as often, can be about political preference, sexual orientation and religious affiliation. In short, art is highly personal.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: Our region has long been one of Hollywood’s well-known secrets. Because of the area’s natural beauty and close to year-round clement weather (the two compelling reasons that made filmmakers leave New York in the early 1920s for a stronghold in Southern California), movies, TV shows and commercials have been shot here for years. What if we had our own film studio?

Comstock’s President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson explores the perks of being part of a trade association — and why there are so many in Sacramento.

Winnie Comstock-Carlson describes an average weekday as this magazine’s founder, president and publisher (for 35 years).  

Comstock’s President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson reflects on 35 years since launching the iconic Capital Region magazine.  

Comstock’s President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson examines the shortcomings of California’s public school system.  

Comstock’s President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson shares her thoughts on the A’s move to Sacramento. 

Comstock’s President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson muses on collective happiness and hopes for renewed vibrancy in spring. 

In light of our Women in Leadership issue, Comstock’s President and Publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson reflects on how far we’ve come.  

Comstock’s president and publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson weighs in on the future of education with AI.

Why do we so often abandon our New Year’s resolutions? Comstock’s president and publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson wishes readers a Happy New Year while contemplating the comparative power of inspiration.

It was the age of the milkman, the gas attendant and free paper bags. Comstock’s president and publisher reminisces about a simpler time before all the automation. 

Comstock’s president and publisher argues the benefits of inmate education programs. 

Comstock’s president and publisher reflects on minimum wage and the value of work. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the risks involved in becoming a successful small-business entrepreneur — such as starting a magazine with just $2.50 in your pocket.

As children, we were given this advice to help us achieve our goals: “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I still fully subscribe to that. Along with my unflagging faith that I’m never alone in my efforts, I’ve believed that wanting something badly enough and being willing to pay the price in time and effort, could make it attainable (God willing).

As Walt Kelly’s cartoon possum Pogo said on posters for the first Earth Day in 1970, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Comstock’s president and publisher considers how the motto applies to California. 

Doesn’t anybody want to work anymore? It’s not just a rhetorical question. More than 50 percent of those surveyed by Pew Research said they believed they would get ahead in their careers by working harder. I was heartened to see that, because my personal mantra for success has always been that working harder is the first and best way to solve most problems.

AI is a unique innovation that seems to be taking off like a rocket with plans to replace many otherwise human-developed work; but in the end, it could spell disaster to lots of today’s industries if we lose sight of the fact that it needs to work for us, not the other way around.

For some, learning a trade they can rely on is more satisfying than earning an academic degree. Career Technical Education programs in community colleges are one path for students to learn those skills.

California has always been celebrated for Innovation, yet we can’t budge our elected leaders to truly innovate much of anything, states Comstock’s president and publisher. In this month’s letter, she considers the complicated issue that is our state’s water dilemma.

There is so much going on around us, and we need to be more aware of it and how it impacts our future, writes Comstock’s President and Publisher in her January letter. Let’s bring decency back into the conversation in 2023.

The number of opinions we are exposed to daily has increased at a head-spinning rate in this digital age. Comstock’s President and Publisher considers the factors that are critical to building trust in our personal and business lives.

Reliable delivery of electricity has always been the foundation of economic development. That means we will need to generate more of it and beef up the grid system to deliver it. To that end, what solutions do we currently have?

A recent hike amid the Sierra Nevada mountains prompts Comstock’s president and publisher to consider what can be done in the wake of multiple wildfires and drought.

Disruptions come with a price, whether it be a disappointed customer, a lost market share, or high costs — inflation — when supply and demand are out of balance. Comstock’s president and publisher reflects on how inflation is impacting our communities.

Younger generations are rising to leadership positions as older people edge out of the workforce. To introduce the 2022 Young Professionals issue, Comstock’s president and publisher reflects on what makes these generations unique, and perhaps more importantly, what they have in common.

The shift to electric transportation is coming. Comstock’s president and publisher considers the benefits and challenges the transition may present the Capital Region.

Comstock’s president and publisher talks about bouncing back from adversity, recovering from a setback and staying on course to reach a goal.

To introduce the 2022 Women in Leadership issue, Comstock’s president and publisher reflects on her own ambitions as a young woman in business, and looks ahead to women’s growing impact on the Capital Region’s business landscape.

Comstock’s president and publisher encourages readers to meet challenges similar to the way our region’s farmers have — with optimism, strategic thinking and support from others.

Setbacks aren’t the exception, they’re the rule. Comstock’s president and publisher reflects on the challenges faced not only during the pandemic, but throughout a lifetime, and considers how they’ve strengthened her outlook. 

Comstock’s president and publisher advocates for developing hotels in downtown Sacramento to aid the city’s economic recovery. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the many shapes and sizes of family businesses in the Capital Region. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the many plans that businesses have cycled through over the past year and a half. 

To open the annual Young Professionals issue, Comstock’s president and publisher considers Capital Region innovation. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers California’s forthcoming reopening. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the effects of COVID-19 vaccinations on the business environment of the Capital Region. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the ways women have been leaders throughout history. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the apparent exodus from California to states such as Texas. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the role colleges, universities and other educational programs can play in the economic recovery. 

Comstock’s president and publisher considers the difficulty of starting a new school year in the midst of the pandemic. 

Comstock’s founder and publisher shares her thoughts on new innovations that may ease the post-pandemic economic recovery. 

Comstock’s founder and publisher reflects on the coronavirus pandemic and the people who are working to lessen the blow in the Capital Region. 

One in four Californians is unable to perform basic reading skills, but illiteracy is even higher among the prison population. State prison systems across the country are investing in education programs to give inmates a better chance at rehabilitation.

There are many benefits to living in rural areas. But doing so comes with its own challenges. PG&E’s answer to the challenges of wildfires: Shut off power — a move that has hit rural areas the hardest.

Comstock’s publisher Winnie Comstock-Carlson on downtown Sacramento’s attempts to reinvent itself and how retail shopping was — and still is — one key element in its rejuvenation. 

Next year, voters will be asked to amend Prop. 13 through a ballot measure that will upset more than 40 years of that steadiness and a “no surprises” business environment. It’s a tax hit businesses can’t afford, especially in an economy with flat consumer spending and trade tariffs.

Late in October 1997, Comstock’s hosted a roundtable discussion on the future of McClellan Air Force Base, which was slated to be closed July 13, 2001. At that time, the entire business community was struggling with what to do about the upcoming base closure and its anticipated negative economic impact. There were many conversations, of course, but few ideas.