West Sac Shows Big Neighbor How Its DoneSacramento Bee
"Separated by a river yet connected by bridges, Sacramento and West Sacramento could not be more different.
One city has a can-do spirit. Its leaders are cohesive and share the same goal – making their city better.
The other city has a can't-do complex. Its leaders are fractured and divided. Can you guess which city is which?
Here is a hint: Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson wasted a year on a failed "strong mayor" campaign to strengthen his governing powers. West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon simply wants to be a good mayor..."
Big Development Plans AfootSacramento Bee
"There's little on the ground today to suggest that 10 years after it opened, Raley Field has stimulated much transformation beyond its high walls. A bleak riverfront industrial zone near the stadium still dominates.
But the next 10 years promise to change everything.
Years in the planning, a new urban neighborhood in the shadow of Raley Field is about to take physical shape...."
New Transit Center to be BuiltSacramento Bee"Some people still scoff when they hear talk of a renaissance on West Capitol Avenue. They remember when the West Sacramento thoroughfare was a seedy red light district near the Tower Bridge.
Drive along West Capitol today, however, and the grand vision of planners clearly emerges amid the torn-up pavement and construction zones between Garden Street and Jefferson Boulevard.
A sleek Sacramento City College campus that opened in January is filled with students.
Next door, a striking community center made of blue metal and glass is taking shape near the Yolo County Library branch, which opened in October.
Construction workers are paving wide sidewalks meant for cafe tables and strolling shoppers. And they're laying foundations for trolley tracks, in anticipation of a streetcar that city officials hope will one day connect the area with downtown Sacramento.
Today, officials will break ground on the latest addition: a $2.5 million transit center...."
West Sacramento to Get Nation's Biggest Solar PlantSacramento Press"The biggest solar power plant in the country will be built in West Sacramento, after a Spanish solar development company chose the city for its U.S. headquarters, the company confirmed Monday.
West Sacramento and its port, where the plant will be located, beat Oakland to grab the new national headquarters of Otras Producciones de Energia Fotovoltaico. The company develops solar power plants and manufactures the tracking systems solar panels are mounted on.
The company's subsidiary, OPDE U.S. Corp., officially began operating on March 1 in a roughly 70,000-square-foot building at 1430 Enterprise Blvd. in West Sacramento. But OPDE isn't coming here alone. It's bringing along two more subsidiaries and two suppliers...."
West Sacramento Presses Residents to Shop Locally
Sacramento Bee
"It could have been a pathetic plea a decade ago, but it's a darn proud effort now as West Sacramento launches a campaign to get residents to shop locally.
The West Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and the city of West Sacramento are joining to promote local shopping with visible cues, such as business window stickers, coupons and other enticements, and a comprehensive Web site with maps and descriptions of the city's stores and retaurants.
"Shop local, think local" will promote the city's businesses...."
West Sacramento Mayor Champions Major Projects
Sacramento Press"Christopher Cabaldon is at the helm of an evolving city. The West Sacramento mayor said the city should be a place where families can raise children, but also a spot where young people want to be.
City leaders are taking a positive view of developing West Sacramento, he said.
“We’re not one of those cities that has a no-growth faction on the City Council and a growth faction,” Cabaldon said. “Everyone believes that there’s a lot of potential. The shape and pace of growth is always a question everywhere, and that’s true in West Sacramento as well....”