California Groundbreakers

We're running a monthly series called "Food for Thought," in-depth conversations with groundbreakers who run farms, restaurants, wineries, breweries and bars around California and are shaking up the way we eat and drink. Our second talk is with a couple of "empire builders" in the region's restaurant scene: Chris Jarosz of Broderick Roadhouse fame and Garrett Van Vleck, one of the partners in the Shady Lady crew. Neither of them are top chefs or award-winning bartenders, but they sure know how to build brands and turn concepts into drink and dining hotspots. Listen to Jarosz and Van Vleck talk about how their pasts, presents and futures, where they're rolling out the next phases of their dining empires, and how they manage all these places without losing their sanity. PODCAST TIMEFRAME * O to 4:40 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers * 4:40 min - "I'm Garrett Van Vleck and I'm an exotic dancer . . . " - the panelists introduce themselves * 9:10 min - A drifter with tattoos and "jail time" - Chris Jaros

We've started a new series called "Food for Thought," in-depth conversations with groundbreakers who run farms, restaurants, breweries and bars around California and are shaking up how we eat and drink - and the way we think about food and drink. Kicking it off is a discussion with two well-known Sacramento restaurateurs -- Andrea Lepore of Hot Italian, and N'Gina and Ian Kavookjian of South. While one restaurant focuses on pizza and the other on down-home Southern cooking, the three owners share a common trait: they wanted to serve food they've since childhood that is rooted in their cultural heritage. They're also now branching out into different, new-to-them areas (a Jewish deli and the Food Factory business incubator for Lepore, the Quinn vintage retail shop and an "urban country club" called the Good Saint for the Kavookjians). Hear them talk about how they got started, where they're going now, what food means to them, and how they want to change up Sacramento with their restaurants and future endeav

After the epic winter of 2017, we all know what the term "atmospheric river" means, and what a "spillway" is. Now we're about to learn more about the state of our aging levees and crumbling dams; how (or if) they can be repaired; how much will that all cost; and who's supposed to pay that particular water bill. Our good group of panelists explain what repairs are needed to our massive water infrastructure system to keep the Central Valley from turning back into the inland sea it used to be, and what local and state government have planned if/when we go back to drought. PANELISTS * James Gallagher, California Assemblyman representing the 3rd District, which includes the Oroville Dam * Leslie Gallagher, executive officer of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board * Brent Hastey, director of the Yuba County Water Agency, and a board director for the Association of California Water Agencies * Jay Lund, executive director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis * Michael Mierzwa, lead flood managemen

An affordable housing project for seniors in San Francisco's Mission District was just taken to court. Affordable housing for low-income residents in Orange County was waylaid for several months. And a homeless shelter for teenagers originally planned for San Francisco's Marina District had to move elsewhere. They're just a few examples of how the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, is used as a way to block housing and other types of development. But CEQA’s defenders say the landmark law, passed in 1970, has given California cleaner air, less congestion and sewage, and made it a more desirable place to live. Home developers say that, depending where you are in the California, the onorous fees, codes and CEQA-specific reviews mean they pay at least $50,000 before even putting a shovel in the ground. So do we love CEQA for keeping California from being congested and over-built? Do we champion it as it is because it gives people the power to block development they want? Or should we tell state

According to Realtor. com, Sacramento is #7 of the Top 10 U.S. cities that are gentrifying the fastest in 2017. And while our median home price increase during 2000-2015 has more than doubled (from $127,500 to $255,000) we're only 26.5 percent gentrified. Sacramento is also on Top 10 Lists of most diverse cities. How can we gentrify our city and still keep the neighborhoods diversified in age, race and income? That's the topic of Part 3 of our four-part panel series, "California's Crazy Housing Market," held in Ground Zero of gentrification in Sacramento today - Oak Park. PANELISTS * William Burg, Sacramento historian and author -- his latest book is "Midtown Sacramento: Creative Soul of the City" * Tom Karvonen, co-owner of Oak Park Brewing * Barbara Range, owner and curator of the Brickhouse Art Gallery in Oak Park * Tracy Stigler, president of St. Hope Development Company * Katie Valenzuela Garcia, president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association, and co-facilitator for the Sacramento Neighborh

What does "affordable housing" mean in California, especially when only 30 percent of state residents can afford the median-priced home? What will it take to make housing affordable -- build more of it, pass some more laws, repeal some others? And with the crazy supply-and-demand status of housing here these days, can it even be done? Listen to our panelists talk about the current options and potential opportunities for the affordable-housing market in California -- and who, if anyone, will benefit from it. PANELISTS * Melinda Coy, policy specialist for the California Department of Housing and Community Development * Rachel Iskow, CEO of the nonprofit homebuilder Mutual Housing * Todd Leon, development director at Capitol Area Development Authority * Darryl Rutherford, executive director of the Sacramento Housing Alliance * Sonja Trauss, founder of Bay Area Renters Federation, and leader of the YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) movement to build high-density housing * Daniel Weisfeld, a consultant at McKi

-- Recorded February 12, 2017 at the CLARA auditorium in Midtown Sacramento This may not be considered as "serious" a topic for discussion as policy and politics, but relationships are truly serious matters of the heart. Most of us want that special someone, sometimes for a night or for a lifetime. And California has had a big impact on how dating and relationships are done around the globe -- websites and apps that started here include Match.com, Tinder, Grindr, Snapchat and Down (formerly Bang With Friends). And don't forget "Netflix and Chill." Listen to this post-Sunday brunch discussion about dating, love, sex and relationships -- and how California's culture, technology and higher-ed research are changing how we experience them. Whether you're single, married, committed or "it's complicated," you'll learn something interesting about why the heart wants what it wants. PANELISTS * Jenn Brian, CEO of The Dating Queen, which does date planning, coaching and matchmaking * Adam Busch, founder of DateNigh

We're planning a four-part panel series on California's Crazy Housing Market, taking a look at why it's crazy, can it ever calm down, and what can be done -- economically, politically, and locally -- to make it easier for renters and homebuyers to afford a roof over their heads in this state. This first panel is a 360-degree overview of the housing market (the other three will be about Affordable Housing, Gentrification, and the love-it/hate-it effects of the California Environmental Quality Act). We focus on the Sacramento area's real estate and rental markets -- who and what are affecting the prices, what's the forecast for 2017, will anything change, what renters, home owners and potential buyers should know, and other burning questions from frustrated renters and potential homebuyers. PANELISTS * Tom Bannon, CEO of the California Apartment Association * Ryan Lundquist, a residential appraiser who writes the Sacramento Appraisal Blog * Mike Paris, founder and president of BlackPine Communities, which bui

California Groundbreakers and Comstock's Magazine partnered up to present "Innovation City" at the CLARA auditorium on January 23, 2017. **** Before he left office, former Mayor Kevin Johnson put a plan in place to jumpstart Sacramento's innovation economy. That includes investing $1 million in local companies via the city’s RAILS grant program, which stands for Rapid Acceleration, Innovation and Leadership. So what's next? If Sacramento wants to succeed in becoming an innovation hub, what needs to happen now? Mayor Darrell Steinberg, kicked off the talk with his hopes and plans for jump-starting innovation in Sacramento. Then a moderated Q&A with some RAILS grant winners and other innovators about how they're helping to turn Sacramento into an innovation city. PANELISTS * Brian Collins, chief advisor to the accelerator program at I/O Labs, which received a $250,000 RAILS grant * Alona Jennings, co-founder of Operation Innovate, a program that gives digital badge certification in STEM careers to Sacrame

So Proposition 64 has passed. The first thing you may want to know is, "When can I start buying recreational pot, and use it legally?" Yeah, but there's so many more questions to ask -- and the answers are still evolving. For our first "Policy and a Pint" panel of 2017, we gathered people who are shaping and creating the state's cannabis industry explain the highs and lows of Proposition 64, how it's going to affect California economically, culturally and politically -- and, whether you partake or not, what you need to know about our biggest cash crop. PANELISTS * Lori Ajax, Chief of California's Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation * Hezekiah Allen, executive director of California Growers Association * Nate Bradley, executive director of California Cannabis Industry Association * Gabriel Garcia, co-leader of the Cannabis Law practice at Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard * Jay Schenirer, Sacramento City Council Member for District 5 * Andrea Unsworth, founder of StashTwist, a cannabis delivery serv

AgTech is a big deal in Sacramento's "Farm to Fork" economy. UC Davis is all all over it, a lot of companies have moved here to benefit from the school's world-class research, and the local industry just keeps seeing green -- investors forked over $4.6 billion to AgTech startups worldwide last year (compare that to only $500 million in 2012) as they look to tackle production and sustainability issues facing the farming sector. All that action will affect the regional economy, the crops and livestock raised here, and ultimately the food on your plate. At Davis's Sudwerk Brewery, AgTech innovators explained how innovations coming out of Yolo County are a game-changer -- for global food production as well as for our economy -- and why you, whether you shop at the farmer's market or not, should care. PANELISTS * Sarah Hovinga, senior scientist at Bayer CropScience, the largest AgTech firm in Yolo County * Joe Kopenick, Associate Director of New Venture Resources for UC Davis's Venture Catalyst, which helps turn

Driving to the Roseville Galleria is not much fun. Neither is commuting on Highways 80 and 65 through Rocklin and Lincoln. But with population growth and more homebuilding on the way in Placer County, traffic isn't going to get any better. Placer is one of 16 counties in California with a ballot measure to increase the retail sales tax for transportation improvements (Sacramento County has something similar with Measure B). If approved by two-thirds of county voters, it would be in place for 30 years and raise about $1.6 billion to fund highway projects ($380 million specifically for the Highways 80-65 chokepoint), public transit expansion, local street improvements, and other projects in Placer’s suburban and rural areas. Measure M is a contentious one, and it certainly is making for strange bedfellows (when was the last time the Tea Party and the Sierra Club took the same side on a political issue?). Opponents say it will hurt the local economy, residents already pay high taxes to build and repair roads,

Sure, there's plenty of movers and shakers in California's political scene. But who are the Groundbreakers aiming to break the mold, move the needle, and establish a better connection between elections, the campaigning process and social change? We're starting a series of events called "Policy and a Pint" -- moderated panels and Q&As revolving around policy and politics on a local, regional and statewide level. In short: what's coming out of the Capitol, and how it's going to affect you as a voter, a taxpayer and a California resident. We're going to hold these events at breweries and other venues where a good pint of beer can be served (and eventually, good glasses of wine and good cocktails, both shaken and stirred). To kick off our first Policy and a Pint event, we're having a talk with some California Groundbreakers in the political field. They're spearheading programs, both in California and nationwide, aimed at changing the way elections work, and how politicians structure their campaigns, how voters

We've got Old Sacramento and now the Barn, but what else do we have along the Sacramento River? Why can't we have the hike/bike trails, the boat launches, the water taxis, and work/live/play options along the waterfront? Both West Sacramento and the City of Sacramento say they're making waterfront revitalization a priority, but what's do-able and what's not? For our second event at The Barn in West Sacramento on September 22, we asked questions to people who know the Sacramento River well about what's in the works for the short term -- and what needs a lot of work to happen in the long term -- on both sides of the riverfront. PANELISTS * Jim Houpt - head of Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway, which aims to have a complete multi-use trail run along the Sacramento River, and use it to create the Great California Delta Trail, running down to San Francisco Bay * Harry Laswell -- CEO of the Powerhouse Science Center, Sacramento's version of the Exploratorium, which wants to move into an old PG&E plant o

California is having a Beer Boom. In the Sacramento area, at least one new craft brewery is popping up every month. But how long will that last? Are we at a tipping point of quality beer, or is there room for more? What are the top names in NorCal brewing planning to do next? And for beer lovers, what’s on the horizon? For this discussion on all things beer, local brewers and beer pros tell you where California’s craft beer scene is at, where it’s headed next, what their own plans are, and how it’s going to affect the beers and breweries you love. PANELISTS * Ken Anthony – owner of Device Brewing, who went from engineer and home brewer to running one of Sacramento’s most respected breweries in just three years -- but still gets insomnia attacks at 2 a.m. * Charlie Bamforth -- Professor of Malting & Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, a.k.a. “The Pope of Foam” and “Mr. Beer” * Tom McCormick -- executive director of the California Craft Brewers Association, who keeps an eye on how the drought, proposed legislatio