As 2010 Ebbs

Well, I've hit the road running in the first week of the year! Mike and I returned from a short vacation in the midst of the campaign to the islands in the province of Bocas del Toro, Panama. An extraordinary eco-tourism destination were the waters are clear, the weather is always 72 to 85 degrees and many retired Americans migrate.

It was the respite we needed to get rejuvenated for this new decade. No TV's, no Cell phones, y para tener tiempo para practicar mi español (time to practice my spanish!)

Always during the first week of the month both business associations begin to prepare for the monthly meetings. Lisa and I gather the information for the Newsletters and this year, each of the Associations will have a neighborhood-focus to each newsletter. New look, new focus - on the business in the areas. We're looking forward to getting that out in February.

The Stockton Blvd Partnership hosts the (S.O.S.) Safety on Stockton bringing the law enforcement, city and county code enforcement, residents and business owners together to talk about the concerns and issues of the area. It's always a lively discussion on the first Thursday of the month. The Oak Park Neighborhood Association monthly meeting is the evening of the first Thursday at the Food Bank - a combination of Cops and Coffee that flows into month general membership meeting. The OPNA is set to grow into its own 501 3c as the board builds its capacity. I've been on the board now a full year. Elections are coming up in February.

In the mix of preparation and meetings I've been following the progress of the Sacramento Building Healthy Community project the California Endowment is funding in the South Sacramento target area. After a change in the way the Endowment distributes funding, the South Sacramento Area was chartered with a daunting project accessing the needs and deficiencies within neighborhoods. It's amazing how The Asian Resource Center has pulled together service providers and residents to assess the needs. It's a huge endeavor. This has to be among the most important assessment projects in South Sacramento in years!

While being a community volunteer and working full time keeps me on a tight schedule, I hope it comes as no surprise that I spend time on my campaign when the Campaign office opens in morning, when I come home after work in between meetings and events and on the weekends. We've brought together an awesome group that is so totally focused!

Tonight we had a roundtable (well, a long rectangle, really..) reviewing and planning for the next few months activities. I can't wait to see how it all comes together! You're going to love it!

So I'm off to put the ladders away that were used for the Second Saturday Holiday Clean-up. All those ribbons and bows are tucked away until next year! Next year, we hope to have outlets for all the palm trees to be lite up and glowing - taking it to a whole - 'nother - level!

Can't wait.

TJ