By Laura Winn, Voice Staff Writer

SACRAMENTO- Youth violence has long been a problem in South Sacramento, but now local and state agencies are developing new approaches to this growing problem through legislation and community coalitions. Parental responsibility, improved communication, education resources and after school activities are key components to reducing youth violence according to new local and state reports.

On Oct. 11, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed five bills that aim to reduce gang violence statewide. AB 1291 known as "The Anti-Gang Violence Parental Accountability Act" is one of the key bills. AB 1291, sponsored by Tony Mendoza (D-Artesia), makes not only the youth offenders accountable for their acts, but also their parents.

According to the bill, parents of youth gang members could be sent to parenting classes to learn skills to help them identify gang behavior and to deal with this behavior through better communication with their children, help from educational resources and positive recreational activities for their children. The parenting classes would also educate the parents on the legal ramifications not only their children could face for their gang activity, but also the parents could face for "hiding, aiding or abetting their own children when a crime is committed."

The parents would be required to not only attend the classes, but also to pay for them.

“We need to help some parents take back control of their kids. There are many parents who want to keep their kids away from gangs but don't know where to turn for help. There are good parents whose kids, for some reason or another, commit violent crimes," Mendoza said in a press release.

"When someone commits a moving violation we send them to driving school. When someone drives drunk we send them to dependency classes, but when someone can’t control their kids, we look the other way. It’s time we not only require accountability but also step in to help,” Mendoza said.

AB 1291 and the other four bills signed by the governor aim to reduce gang violence for the state as a whole, but local organizations are also working to address this problem.

Sacramento Area Congregations Together (SACT) is one group that is working to build community coalitions in the South Sacramento area to address concerns about gangs and youth violence. SACT is made up of parents, religious leaders, school officials, law enforcement agencies and local government officials such as Councilmember Bonnie Pannel.

SACT has come up with four recommendations for the community to work together to reduce youth violence, according to its website. The first is expansion of "pre-validation hearings," which are meetings at suspected gang member's schools where families can learn more about the situation. The second is improving communication between the school district and parents. The third recommendation is that a death review board for youth-on-youth violence be established in Sacramento. The final recommendation is that the advertising for after school activities and city services be improved because "many at-risk youth and families do not know of the resources that are already available to them."

Information on resources available to fight gang violence can be found on the Attorney General's Crime and Violence Prevention Center website, http://www.safestate.org/.

Streetscape Revitalizes Art Scene in North Sac

By Tiffanie Yang, Voice Staff Writer

NORTH SACRAMENTO- The newly reconstructed and revitalized, or “streetscaped” Del Paso Boulevard is up and running bringing the “Second Saturday” art walk back with free activities and entertainment for the public .

Café Refugio, which has been on the Boulevard for over a year now, offers free live music on “Second Saturday” and every Thursday night as well. “Second Saturday is a huge thing,” Joy Mosgosian, owner of Café Refugio, said, “the streetscape helps people get out onto the Boulevard.”

Live music performances can also be found at other coffee shops along the Boulevard such as at The Dose. “Second Saturday” offers free tours of art galleries and exhibitions to the public at places such as Artisan Gallery.

According to Dana Thompson, administrator of Artisan Gallery, local artists volunteer to show their artwork and the kinds of art shown varies from painting to sculpting. Thompson said the streetscape has made “Second Saturday” better. “It really cut down the [vehicular] traffic.”

The streetscape is planned to improve Del Paso Boulevard by making it a safer street for pedestrians and traffic and to make it more attractable. The new design for the street includes new street lamps, angled parking and a new median that includes public art. The streetscape also reduced the boulevard from four lanes to two.

“The addition of angled parking… provide many benefits and enhancements to the area,” Ya-yin Chiang, SHRA Redevelopment Planner wrote in a memo that was published online on the North Sacramento Chamber of Commerce website.

“Not only [will] needed parking for businesses in the area be provided, but the reduction in the travel lane, addition of parking, and new bulb-outs create a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, all of which… contribute towards the revitalization of Del Paso Boulevard,” Chiang wrote.

The total cost of the streetscape, was $6.7 million.

Mosgosian said that at first the streetscape slowed down business because it was hard to get around the Boulevard with the reconstruction but now that it’s done, business is going back to normal. “I think it helped change people’s perspective on what the neighborhood is like because it was kind of sketchy,” Mosgosian said.

Ruben Parker, who comes to help his friend during “Second Saturday” at The Dose, said the streetscape was a blessing. Parker said he feels more comfortable on the street now.
“Every time I come out here, I relax. I used to have to look over my shoulder,” Parker said.

Assemblyman Roger Niello To Host Town Hall Meetings

Meetings to feature a state legislative wrap-up and attendance by local elected officials

SACRAMENTO – Today, Assemblyman Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) will host the first of two town hall meetings in his district. Tonight, October 2nd and Tomorrow, October 3rd Assemblyman Niello will be joined at each event by local elected representatives. These town hall meetings will give residents an opportunity to meet their state and local representatives, hear an update on important state and local issues, and ask any questions that they may have.

This evening, October 2nd, Assemblyman Niello and all five members of the Citrus Heights City Council will be on hand at the Citrus Heights City Hall Council Chambers to meet and take questions from residents regarding state and local issues. Citrus Heights City Hall is located at 6237 Fountain Square Drive in Citrus Heights. The meeting will begin promptly at 6:30pm.

Tomorrow evening, October 3rd, County Supervisor Susan Peters joins Assemblyman Niello for a town hall meeting located at the AT&T building main auditorium located at 2700 Watt Avenue. Assemblyman Niello and Supervisor Peters will meet and take questions regarding state and county issues. This meeting will begin promptly at 6:00pm.

“It’s important for us as elected officials to make ourselves accessible and to get feedback from the residents of our districts. There are many important issues at the state and local levels that citizens will want to hear about and express their opinions. I invite everyone to come out and discuss the issues which they care about,” said Assemblyman Niello.

The events are of course free of charge and free coffee and cookies will be provided. For more information, please contact Assemblyman Niello’s district office at (916) 349-1995.

New 'Christian Samurai' Book Finds Christian Lessons in Japanese Warrior Code

MT. LAUREL, NJ - As Japanese culture becomes more prominent in American entertainment, mysterious and awe inspiring tales of the samurai have become more familiar to the Western world. A new book, The Way of the Christian Samurai: Reflections for Servant-Warriors of Christ (ISBN 0-9772234-6-9) explores how the advice and stories of real samurai can help modern-day Christians.

As Christians, we are called to be both servants and warriors for Jesus Christ. The samurai, whose very title means "one who serves," were skillful warriors of feudal Japan who devoted themselves fully to the service of their masters, willing even to sacrifice their lives in service to their lord. Christians are also called by their Lord, Jesus, to take up their cross and follow Him, and to seek to lose their life for His sake (Matthew 16:24-25).

The samurai and their ways, already common in the Japanese animation and comics that are rising in popularity in the U.S., are about to become even more visible in America, as ABC Family recently announced that they will be airing a television show based on the Samurai Girl series of books, and a remake of the 1954 classic Seven Samurai is in the works.

While fantastic legends and stories of the samurai are plentiful, The Way of the Christian Samurai draws from primary sources - notes, essays, and books written by real samurai from Japan's feudal era. Their advice on everything from overcoming fear, giving counsel to others, serving one's Lord, and self-sacrifice are remarkably applicable to the life of the modern Christian.

Author Paul Nowak explores the advice of these servant-warriors of old, pointing out how the selections from samurai texts relate to Christian teachings found in the Scriptures.

The book is a matchless resource for Christians intrigued by the mythos of the samurai or Japanese culture, or for pastors and other spiritual leaders who are looking for anecdotes that illustrate Biblical ideals. Christian parents whose children enjoy anime and manga will especially find it a useful tool in understanding their children's interests and in ministering to them.

ChristianBookReviews.net rated The Way of the Christian Samurai an 'Essential' book for Christians, praising its solid foundation on the Scriptures while breathing new life into Christian ideals, especially service. Glorified Publishers gave The Way of the Christian Samurai its "Stamp of Approval" and listed it as their featured non-fiction book.

The Way of the Christian Samurai: Reflections for Servant-Warriors of Christ is available for purchase at http://www.Christian-Samurai.com, as well as from booksellers Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, and is available to wholesalers through major book distributors.

CONTACT:
Paul Nowak (856)577-2869, sales@dyinglight.com

Teen drivers to have one less distraction

By Lexie Tiongson, Voice Staff Reporter

In the United States today, there have been many laws changed and bills passed due to risky teens and driving. For example, the age when one may receive a driver’s permit, drive other people as a teen, and the time the can drive late at night.

The passage of these bills has actually lead to another significant question. Should teens be allowed any electronic devices while driving? This question was the basis Senate Bill 33 which states, “This bill prohibits persons who are under the age of 18 years from using a wireless telephone or other mobile service device while operating a motor vehicle.” This means that if a driver is seen using a cell phone and appears to be under 18, they can be pulled over and cited. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed this bill into law two weeks ago.

According to SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), “Persons ages 16-20 years old had the highest fatality and injury rates per 100,000 population due to distractive driving.” Many teenagers do not even realize how much of a risk they are in until they have to face the consequences.

However, the question that few have asked is: How do teens feel about this new law? Seventeen year old Tammy Taxara states, “I agree with this law, in the two months that I’ve been driving, I’ve seen 3 people completely run red lights, all of them on a cell phone and obviously too busy to notice.” Teens actually have a different perspective of this law than most people would’ve expected. They agree and feel that it cell phones should be banned while driving.


It is also important to note that this measure does not address all of distractions for teen drivers. According to another SADD statistic, “Nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.”

While the extent to which this new law will improve teen driving is yet to be seen, it is clear that more education is needed about the dangers of distracted driving, especially for teen drivers.