Home Care In McClellan Park, CA

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a safe parking program in North Highlands, where it expects people experiencing homelessness will be able to access case management and basic services.

Once it opens, county staff said up to 30 people at a time will be able to park at the site on Watt Avenue. Guests will also have access to showers, restrooms and at least two meals a day.

The county is planning to begin the program early next year while it continues to design a larger “Safe Stay Community” on the property, said Emily Halcon, director of the Department of Homeless Services and Housing. Outreach workers plan to focus on inviting people living in cars nearby — including on Roseville Road and in McClellan Business Park — to participate in the program.

“We envision providing a safe parking program to allow them to transition out of living in a vehicle into either shelter or housing,” Halcon said. “We recognize that this is a short-term solution and not intended to be a place where people are permanently sheltered in their vehicle.”

The board approved buying the property located at 4837 Watt Ave. with the intent of building a Safe Stay Community about a year ago. The county has said it designs such communities near existing encampments and intentionally offers non-congregate shelter at the locations.

In October 2022, the board green-lit spending about $23 million for the 13-acre site, which includes a warehouse and vacant land. The county paid for it with federal American Rescue Plan Act funding. The initial concept included 140 sleeping cabins inside the warehouse and 50 outdoor safe parking spots.

Natasha Drane, deputy director of the Department of General Services, said on Tuesday that the county plans to give the board an update on the full site design in January. The county aims to begin construction for the safe parking program in December and finish by the end of January, Drane added. Planned work includes adding privacy screening cloths to the fencing and improving existing restrooms in the warehouse.

Supervisor Rich Desmond, who represents the area where the Watt Avenue site is located, praised starting with the parking program.

“As the longer term permanent use for this comes online and other ideas pop up, I think we should be open to other potential interim uses, too,” Desmond said. “Because it’s going to be a while until this is built out and brought up to the standard of a full Safe Stay Community that we’re contemplating.”

Supervisors approved the contractor City Net, which also runs the Safe Stay Community in South Sacramento, to operate the parking program. The contract begins in December and ends in June 2026. The county is paying City Net about $3.5 million with an Encampment Resolution Funding grant from the state.

At the site, City Net will provide case management to help participants get housing and refer them to services such as mental health care and public benefits. Halcon said the program can also help participants repair or get rid of their cars once they get permanent housing. The county isn’t planning to require people to provide proof of car insurance or registration, Halcon said, because it could deter them entering the program.

The Watt Avenue site will be the first Sacramento County-ran parking program for people experiencing homelessness, Halcon said. The Safe Stay Community in South Sacramento doesn’t include an area for people to live in their cars.

The site on Florin and Power Inn roads opened in August after months of delays. It has 100 tiny homes for temporary shelter.

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A retrospective on the music of Harry James will feature Tony Marvelli on trumpet and Susan Skinner on vocals. The show is part of a 1940s-style Salute to Service at the Aerospace Museum of California. Photo courtesy of Susan Maxwell Skinner

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Music, fine food and one of Sacramento’s biggest fireworks displays are a build up to Veterans Day at the Aerospace Museum of California. The McClellan Park facility will host a USO-style gala on Friday, November 3.

Its “Salute to Service” fundraiser supports the museum with a 1940s theme. Central to décor, flyable WW II aircraft – a P-38 Lighting, a Navy Corsair and a Ryan ST-A – will be eye-popping backdrops for dancing and photo-ops.

Entertainment includes a tribute show celebrating Harry James, a superstar trumpeter whose big band hits contributed to Allied morale during WWII.

American River College Professor and trumpet virtuoso Tony Marvelli will take center stage. Carmichael-based singer Susan Skinner will contribute vocals made famous by beloved 1940s chanteuse, Helen Forrest. Pianist Joe Gilman, bassist Shelley Denny and drummer Tim Metz complete the quintet known as Hey Day.

Hey Day offers a retrospective on James’ larger-than-life career: the one-time circus musician discovered Frank Sinatra, Buddy Rich and Doris Day. He married Betty Grable and indulged a legendary Hollywood lifestyle. “With his music, we revisit a special time in American history,” says museum director/curator Tom Jones. “During tumultuous times, Harry James made America dance, sing and believe in love.”

The museum’s massive hangar will house the celebration. Vintage dress is encouraged; Rosie the Riveter lookalikes will serve cocktails.

Following a site tour, guests will dine, dance and be treated to a massive fireworks display. One of the largest pyrotechnic specialists in the world, Pyro Spectaculars company annually provides this blowout to honor veterans and support the museum. Anyone may view this spectacle from Freedom Park, McClellan.

Gala cost is $150 per person; $275 per couple. Table sponsorships are also available. Admission includes dinner, dancing, wine, beer and signature cocktails and fireworks. The Aerospace Museum of California is located at 3200 Freedom Park Drive, McClellan. For information and ticket purchases visit www.aerospaceca.org

Sponsors include: Safe Credit Union, McClellan Park, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, SMUD and Lockheed Martin.

Rudy Calpo

There are many reasons to love Northern California, from the great weather to the concentration of talent. The “megaregion” that stretches from Monterey up to the northern San Joaquin Valley is one of the world’s great economic powerhouses. If it were its own country, according to rail policy group Link21, Northern California would be the 21st largest economy in the world. But in recent years, the area’s infrastructure has taken a hit thanks to an increasingly unreliable electrical grid that is costing companies billions of dollars a year. The good news is McClellan Business Park in Sacramento is staying ahead of the curve when it comes to providing reliable power to more than 300 companies that call the former military base home.

“Reliability of electricity is a priority for any business in any location,” says Frank Myers, executive vice president and chief operating officer for McClellan Park. “It’s a critical component, and we are fortunate to partner with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to offer far more reliable power than many other areas in Northern California.”

McClellan Park started as a U.S. Air Force Base in 1935 and served various purposes before closing in 2003. Over the last 20 years, the area has been transformed into a major innovation hub in the Sacramento area and is now at nearly full occupancy despite the national pandemic-related downturn in the commercial real estate sector. “We upgraded the entire infrastructure here — from roads to storm drains — when the base shifted to civilian use; and as part of the upgrade, we began to receive our electricity from SMUD,” Myers says.

One of the key advantages of this partnership is the cost of energy, which is 30% lower than in other parts of the state.* These savings are passed to McClellan Park tenants, making the area attractive from a dollars-and-cents standpoint. In addition, the SMUD infrastructure has been largely immune from the rolling blackouts other energy providers have been forced to implement to keep their grids running. This is especially important because the annual increase in wildfires has proven to be problematic for PG&E and other utilities in the Northern California megaregion.

The consistent access to power at McClellan Park, combined with lower costs, has made it a magnet for data centers and call centers that depend on reliable electricity to meet their service goals. Prime Data Centers operates its largest facility in McClellan Park, and both Quest Technology and Consolidated Communications (which was founded in 1914 as the Roseville Telephone Co.) also have significant operations in the area.

“SMUD has a long history of reliability, and they are incredibly responsive,” Myers says. “They have been a great partner for us from day one, and we are especially fortunate to rely on them for all of our electrical needs.”

Learn more about McClellan Park and be a part of our growing, innovative campus.

* According to McClellan Park

MCCLELLAN PARK, Calif. —

Another setback is impacting Northern California veterans and active duty service members in the former McClellan Air Force Base area as the Army and Air Force Exchange is set to close next week.

Even though the McClellan Air Force Base shut down in 2001, the BX and PX exchange remained open for the military community. The absence of a military mission combined with a decrease in demand are the reasons the exchange is closing for good.

"We moved to the Sacramento area because there were so many nice air force bases we could use in our retirement," said Navy military spouse Marty Hills. Now, she and her veteran husband have to look for other options.

The exchange offers deep discounts and tax-free household items, goods, clothing, electronics and furniture. It also has restaurants and a barbershop.

"It was kind of payback for the many, many months when our spouses were gone and serving overseas," said Hills. "It made us feel blessed by the community and appreciated. Now it's dollar and sense."

The sign hanging outside the building gives the reason for the closure:

"The absence of a military mission combined with a decrease in demand." It encourages shoppers to buy items from the online exchange.

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"I wish they'd keep it open because we use it," said Navy veteran Ernest Granger, 80.

Granger and his U.S. Marine veteran neighbor, Murray Wankel, 86, drive from their retirement community in Folsom for a day of shopping and errands.

"It's close to us. We like the drive and the prices are a little bit better than out here in the civilian world," said Wankel.

Dawn Leytem helps her Air Force veteran father, 85, with errands by driving him to the BX several times a month.

"This is one of the things people put their time in for," said Donald Leytem, "They put in 20 years...this is one of the things they're planning on."

Army veteran Joe Margolies visits the PX from Stockton. He makes a day of it, with VA appointments, lunch and shopping.

"I'm a military retiree so I'm definitely on a fixed income," said Margolies. "This makes it even more important especially for people counting pennies and couponing."

KCRA 3 reached out to the main exchange for comment and they said in part:

"The Exchange has faithfully served American service members and their families for 127 years, since 1895, and operates more than 4,330 facilities with operations in more than 30 countries, 50 states and four U.S. territories. No matter where troops go, the Exchange goes with them. The Exchange serves troops in Southwest Asia, Africa, Europe and the Pacific," they said. "We look forward to continuing serving military members in Northern California at Beale AFB and Travis AFB and at www.ShopMyExchange.com."

The commissary is staying open. It operates under different government appropriations.

The exchange will close on Nov. 26.

A first-of-its-kind employment event, connecting people in the Sacramento area with disabilities with companies in serious need of willing employees during a difficult labor market, begins Wednesday.

The I Am Able Disability job fair will begin 10 a.m. at the Officers Club at McClellan Park. It runs through 2 p.m.

The event has been years in the making, said Jeff Dern, CEO of PRIDE Industries, a Roseville-based company specializing in employment assistance for people with barriers.

“We were wanting to be innovative when connecting employers with people with disabilities,” he said. “Most people think it’s a great idea but don’t know where to start.”

PRIDE has invited more than 20 companies to meet job seekers, including Amazon, Sacramento State, Siemens and Golden 1 Credit Union.

Dern said the job fair is equal parts helping those with disabilities find employment as well as educating employers about appropriate accommodations for their prospective employees.

“Reasonable accommodations don’t have to be these expensive, grandiose things,” said Michael McCullough, workforce inclusion manager at PRIDE Industries. “They can be like a hybrid work schedule, raising a desk so a wheelchair can fit underneath, or how to accommodate a K-9 companion.”

“There’s going to be hundreds of skilled and capable people with disabilities who are looking for an employer to support them and these are some of the best workers they can hire,” Dern said.

Employers will be looking to fill jobs such as bank tellers, information technology specialists, accountants, court reporters, mortgage loan officers, branch managers and bus drivers.

The job fair is not just for people with disabilities; it’s also designed by people with disabilities.

McCullough, who uses a wheelchair, helped plan the accessibility of the job fair, he said in an interview, to make sure job seekers would be comfortable in this setting.

PRIDE Industries employees “across the spectrum of disabilities” helped plan the event, he said. The aisles are wide enough for wheelchair and K-9 access. Braille is available, as well as American Sign Language and Spanish interpreters.

There is also a designated spot for K-9 companions to use the bathroom.

Benefit planners from PRIDE Industries will also be in attendance to help job seekers evaluate if a job would negatively affect their Social Security or disability payments.

“If someone is scared about going back to work or they don’t want to get hurt financially, just show up,” McCullough said. “Even if you’re not sure you want to apply for a job, just show up. We’re glad to help and happy to answer questions. It’s about baby steps.”