MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Sacramento, CA

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Health officials in the Sacramento region are reporting a recent spike in coronavirus cases, but say that upward trend is not correlating with more hospitalizations and deaths, which they're calling a positive sign.

Both Sacramento and Yolo counties, along with much of California, are seeing the most significant spike in COVID cases since the prior record-setting case amounts this past January after the holiday rush.

Sacramento County Public Health is reporting a 7-day average of 12 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the county’s COVID dashboard’s latest data. Yolo County is reporting a 7-day average of 16 cases per 100,000 residents, according to the county’s COVID dashboard.

“We are seeing an uptick in cases in general, consistent with the rest of the state,” said Samantha Mott, a Sacramento County spokesperson. “Possibly due to circulation of sub-variants of omicron/delta.”

However, she says hospitalizations and deaths are not increasing at the same rates, which is a sign that vaccinations efforts are working to prevent severe disease and deaths.

“For those that haven't been vaccinated, we urge you to take advantage of one of our many free clinics throughout the county each week,” Mott said. “It is important for people to remain up-to-date on their COVID vaccinations.”

Yolo County health officials say they’re experiencing similar trends and monitoring them closely.

"We are now in high community transmission, with case rates continuing to increase and wastewater signals also increasing,” said Dr. Amy Sisson, the Yolo County Health Officer. “I strongly recommend masking indoors and staying up to date with vaccination. Get tested if you have any symptoms or have been in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19."

Yolo County has plans to increase their COVID response efforts with the addition of a "test-to-treat" clinic, said John Fout, a Yolo County Spokesperson.

“You can come in, get a rapid test or come in and bring proof of positivity,” Fout said. “And if you have positive and you have symptoms, then they will actually do a telehealth appointment on site with a doctor or with a nurse and get a sense of where you’re at. And you may immediately get a pill to help you fight off severe consequences.”

Officials are watching the case rates closely and say we should remain in good shape as long as hospitalizations remain low.

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Northern California’s valley of cherries, strawberries and blueberries are ripe for picking.

You can get the full summer orchard experience and pick your own fruits at these farms near the Sacramento area.

Opening day to pick cherries at the American River Cherry Company is 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 5. According to the company website, due to the weather, the orchard’s cherry crop is smaller this time around.

At this farm you’ll find a variety of bing, rainer, regina, early burlat and burgundy pearl cherries, as well as berries — boysenberries, raspberries, blueberries.

U-pick cherries are $3.75 per pound. People over 12 years old must also pay a $5 cover charge.

More fruit, such as figs and kiwis, will be available later in August to November. Call ahead to see what’s available.

Time: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Friday, closed Saturday

Place: 2240 Dias Dr., Placerville

Contact: (530) 748-9957

Strawberries at Pacific Star Gardens are ripe and ready to be picked. Since April, the garden has been welcoming people to pick strawberries. All you need to do is grab a bucket, follow signs around the orchard, pick your berries, weigh them and pay.

The strawberries are $5 per pound, according to the company’s Facebook page. Blackberries will also be available for U-pick in the summer.

Time: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. everyday

Place: 20872 County Road 99, Woodland

Contact: (530) 666-7308

Cherry picking season for Harris Orchards opened last Saturday. You can have your choice of rainers, bing and brooks cherries at the farm. You can also call ahead to see what other produce is ripe for picking.

Time: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. everyday

Place: 18600 N Ripon Road, Ripon

Contact: (209) 599-3991

At Granny May’s Strawberry Farm, prices for U-pick strawberries are per admission. People 17 and older are $15 and children 4 to 16 years old are $9. Kids 3 and younger are free but they won’t get a bucket to pick strawberries.

In July, the farm also offers thornless blackberry for picking.

You’ll need to reserve a spot online before heading to the fields.

Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday

Place: 7246 Auburn Folsom Rd, Granite Bay

Contact: (916) 300-9291

A variety of berries are ready for picking at Daisy Creek Farms. Currently, strawberries and blueberries are available.

Later in May, you can find raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, marionberries and loganberries. And in the summer and fall, the farm offers other fruits for U-pick, including peaches, nectarines, zucchini, grapes and apples.

If you want to eat the berries while picking, it’s $7 per person and $5 for children under 10. If you are picking to purchase only, strawberries are $5 a pound and blueberries are $7 a pound.

After gathering your berries, you can also pet and feed chickens, play farm games and take some gardening classes.

Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Appointments only on weekdays.

Place: 13440 Alabama Rd., Galt

Contact: (209) 730-0670

The cherries at John Podesta Farms are slowly ripening. You can sign up for text updates about when you can come pick them. You can also call the farm to get the latest information via the voicemail.

According to the website, there will be a limited supply of cherries due to the weather and they can’t guarantee availability of the fruit.

The U-pick cherries are $2 per pound and you should bring your own buckets.

Time: Call the farm for more information.

Place: 9206 Hildreth Lane, Stockton

Contact: (209) 662-5578

Have one we should add to the list? Kindly email [email protected]

This story was originally published May 21, 2022 5:00 AM.

The state of California is hiring in the Department of Transportation, California Correctional Health Care Services, Water Resources, Social Services and more.

State jobs are known for offering great benefits and enrollment in the nation’s largest state public pension plan.

Many of the following jobs have specific requirements, which are linked.

Sift through some of the highest paying Sacramento County-based jobs available on the CalCareers website, posted in the last seven days, as of May 23:

Department: Environmental Health Hazard Assessment Office

Salary: $11,646 to $14,478 per month

The senior toxicologist supervises a team that develops recommendations for contaminants in drinking water.

This job post will remain open until filled.

Attorney | Permanent full-time

Department: Franchise Tax Board

Salary: $11,641 to $14,857 per month

The attorney (V-Tax Counsel V) independently handles the most complex, difficult and sensitive issues and cases taken by the bureau.

The job post closes June 9.

Department: California Correctional Health Care Services - California State Prison (Sacramento)

Salary: $11,381 to $12,184 per month

The senior psychologist provides evaluations, diagnoses and treatment for inmates.

This job posting closes June 3.

Department: Water Resources

Salary: 11,326 to $14,177 per month

The supervising engineer oversees the planning, design, construction, pumping plants, tunnels, embankments and the other water conveyance structures within the Department of Water Resources’ Delta Conveyance Office

This job post closes June 13.

Department: Social Services

Salary: $10,935 to $16,184 per month

With the help of a staff, the medical consultant adjudicates applications for disability benefits. The medical consultant reviews case histories, medical reports and evaluates possible effects of medical or surgical treatment.

This job post will remain open until filled.

Department: California Correctional Heath Care Services

Salary: $10,361 to $12,970 per month

The supervising registered nurse plans, assigns, supervises and evaluates staff in a service line delivery area.

This job post closes June 1.

Department: Water Resources

Salary: $10,311 to $12,905 per month

With the help of the National Weather Service, the senior engineer (manager river forecasting unit) supervises and directs staff in the production of river forecasts and flood warnings during periods of high flows.

This job post closes June 3.

This story was originally published May 23, 2022 10:40 AM.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

There are millions of dollars in California waiting to be claimed, and some of that cash could be owed to you.

If you've ever lost or not received a paycheck, have been overpaying your utilities, or have unclaimed pension money owed to you, you might find yourself on the list of people owed money.

The money is known as "unclaimed" or "uncashed warrants." It comes from things such as government payments to vendors, payroll checks and utility bill refunds, to name a few examples.

Businesses and people have a certain amount of time to cash those checks, but if they don't, because the checks were sent to the wrong address, got lost in the mail or some other reason, the information is posted publicly, with the names of people who have money to claim, alongside how much they're owed.

In Sacramento County, alone, there's about $2.1 million sitting in an account waiting for nearly 6,000 people to claim it, according to Ken Casparis, the senior public information officer with the county.

Casparis said the smallest amount up for grabs is 9 cents, and the largest amount is over $17,500.

"The money belongs to somebody so yea, just go out and claim it," Casparis said.

If you think the money is yours, go to Sacramento County's website, search the database and see if your name is on the list, then fill out an affidavit online.

"For certain situations, they might need to get a notary to sign, or authorize the affidavit. That's for anything over $100. All of it is done online," Casparis said.

In Sacramento County, once the money is marked "unclaimed," you have two years from that date to claim it. Casparis said after the two-year period, the money reverts back to the county.

The unclaimed money isn't only in Sacramento County.

People can have uncashed checks with the state and other counties across California.

KCRA 3 Investigates set out to find potential claimants so they can cash in before their deadline.

Our search led us to Steven Martinson in Placer County who potentially has $130 under his name. He said over the phone that he didn't even think to look to see if he had any unclaimed money.

"Certainly we can use the money so I'll get in touch," Martinson said.

We also found Julie Meehleis in San Joaquin County. The county database indicates her son has $348.00 waiting for him to claim.

"Right now especially, people can use the extra money, for sure," Meehleis said.

El Dorado County residents can click here to check for unclaimed money.

Yolo County residents can click here to check for unclaimed money.

Solano County residents can click here to check for unclaimed money.

The counties are different than state unclaimed money. The state controller handles everything from checks to stocks.

To see if you have unclaimed money with the state, click here.

As the Sacramento area’s freeways become more congested and suburban sprawl covers formerly open space, regional planners are focusing on alternate ways of moving people around.

After three years of planning and community surveys, the region’s chief planning agency will announce in a series of public events today the framework of an extensive trail network that will serve nearly every corner of the six-county region.

The Sacramento Region Parks and Trails plan would run from the shores of Lake Tahoe to the Delta. It would serve the Sierra foothills of El Dorado County, the rural farmlands of Yolo County and reach as far north as New Bullards Bar Reservoir in Yuba County. And it would transform a puzzle of disconnected trails into a roughly 1,070-mile network.

“We have a vision to connect every single community in the six-county region,” said James Corless, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, the chief planning agency for the region. “We want to be a national model.”

A focus of the plan is serving under-resourced and disadvantaged communities. A SACOG analysis showed that low-income residents of the Sacramento region have 30% less access to bike and pedestrian trails than those living in average- or high-income neighborhoods.

“We have such inequitable access to trails in our region,” said Victoria Cacciatore, an active transportation analyst with SACOG. “We are looking to close that gap.”

For instance, improved trails along Morrison Creek, Florin Creek and Elder Creek would benefit communities in south Sacramento. Yuba City’s existing trails are largely along the banks of the Feather River, even though most people live far from the river.

A proposed map of the network shows it would run through Apple Hill and downtown Placerville in El Dorado County, add miles of trails to Elk Grove and eastern Sacramento County, connect an existing trail near the Sutter Buttes with a path in Yuba City and run along Interstate 80 from the Tahoe basin to south Placer County.

“Investing in an interconnected trails network has so many benefits to our communities and our region,” said Sacramento Councilman Rick Jennings, chair of the SACOG board of directors. “Not only is this an alternative transportation option, but it opens up the beauty of our communities and our region’s natural and open spaces for all to enjoy.”

Planners will also prioritize placing trails near roadways with high rates of pedestrian and vehicle crashes, helping to provide cyclists and walkers an alternative to dangerous streets.

SACOG planners will work with the 28 cities and counties in the region to develop the final layout.

“The future of transit, how we serve people, it’s so vital,” Corless said. “Walking and biking and scooting are going to be with us for decades, it’s going to hold its value.”

This story was originally published May 20, 2022 5:00 AM.