Why the "Arena" Ballot Measure Will Fail.

This begs the question, What Vision? I'm an optimistic person, many times overly optimistic but the truth is with this message to the voters of Sacramento County the reply will be NO, NO, NO! and NO some more. Let's be upfront. I support, yes support public financing for an arena and I cannot possibly see this passing even with 50%.

The real issue here is that the campaign for the tax measure is asking voters to approve public financing for an Arena for the BILLIONAIRE Maloof family. Wrong question!

The voters must have some hope that they will reap some reward for their vote and giving up their hard earned dollars. What if I don't want an arena or I hate the kings, unlikely but possible, or if I just don't like the location. The reality is to entice voters you must provide a smorgasboard of options like a buffet. At the buffet everyone gets to choose their meal, they can mix and match and the whole family goes home happy. If I were to go to a buffet with only one option I would walk out and never return again. So will most everyone else! That's a NO vote.

1. Let's start by showing the public how much private money is being invested into this project. If I know the Maloof's are giving up some skin I feel a lot better.

2. Guarantee that the tax will not start until the facility opens for business. Yes very hard to do but feasible. I don't want to be taxed until I can plop my rear into a seat and see the fruits of my labor.

3. Let the community provide the vision for what Sacramento County could use the money for. If the public input is not broad, open, unbiased, and completely transparent the community will feel as if they are being told what to do and the answer to that is almost always NO. The sacramento community needs to feel engaged in the process. They want to know WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME!

So based on sharethevisionsacramento.com and the question of "Will I vote yes to fund an arena for the Billionaire Maloof family,

I will ask the correct question -

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

Partnering for Prosperity

KVIE’s New Valley series features PfP

KVIE’s New Valley series explores the challenges and opportunities associated with ensuring sensible development, keeping pace with a diversifying economy, and protecting the environment. The upcoming New Valley series will feature Partnership for Prosperity and the outlined objectives to maintain and improve our quality of life.

The first episode is called “Clean Energy” and will discuss what makes the Sacramento Valley a potential hub for not just clean energy use, but the development of new technology and green businesses. “Clean Energy” will air on Wednesday, September 20th at 7pm. Subsequent episodes will focus on workforce development through our region’s educational opportunities, business development and retention, and civic amenities.

Sacramento Metro Chamber making progress on a regional business retention and expansion tool

Several of the PfP Business Development team strategies center on gathering feedback from businesses, identifying business priorities, and increasing awareness for business training programs and business networks. The Metro Chamber has assembled a steering committee to guide the implementation of the BizPulse business and retention tool that coincides nicely with PfP business objectives. BizPulse is a web-based portal that will give users access to various facets of the program (based upon geographic or jurisdictional footprint) including aggregate business data and analysis, feedback to track job creation, economic growth, and barriers to business, and training and consultation. The collaboration consists of a number of cities and counties, chambers, college districts, and workforce investment boards in the region.

Mark your Calendar: Gathering for the PfP Collaborative

Valley Vision has organized a gathering for the entire PfP Collaborative on Monday, December 18th from 11:30am to 1:00pm at the Sierra Health Foundation at 1321 Garden Highway. Come learn about PfP’s progress and discuss our region’s future over lunch and beverages while you enjoy the view of the Sacramento River.

Pimp my Profits

Calling all entrepreneurs, small business owners, inventors, and dreamers. The Tech Tomato would like to feature your idea, startup company, or invention. If you live in the greater Sacramento region and would like your company featured on the Tech Tomato send us an e-mail and we will consider profiling your company. Are you in the embryonic stage still tinkering in your basement or garage? Contact us and we may profile your company on this blog.

If you think you have a great business or a great idea send it to us and we will publish the best received.

Send your questions, comments, and story ideas to me geoffreysakala (at) gmail (dot) com.

Nutracea Profits from Explosive Growth

What is stabilized rice bran exactly?

NutreaCea enjoyed record revenue in the second quarter, benefiting from its merger with RiceX and increased direct-to-consumer marketing efforts -- leading to a profitable three months.

El Dorado Hills-based NutraCea (OTCBB: NTRZ), a producer of stabilized rice bran, reported $4.17 million in revenue in the three months ended June 30, a 1,290 percent increase compared to about $299,000 for the same three months last year.

The company's second-quarter net income was $399,434, or 1 cent per share, compared to a loss of $1.8 million, or 5 cents per share, in second-quarter 2005.

For the first six months of the year, revenue was $7.95 million, a 948 percent increase compared to $758,545 in revenue for the first half of 2005.

NutraCea had net income of $165,860 for the first six months of the year, a hefty improvement from its net loss of almost $2.7 million, or 7 cents per share, over the same period last year.

Wow, what a revenue jump! Way to go.

Sounds Good to DMG

Driven in part by a larger library of music available for sale, Sacramento-based Digital Music Group Inc. racked up second-quarter revenue of $840,000, more than 15 times the revenue it posted in the year-earlier period.

Even considering the second-quarter 2005 revenue of all three businesses that were combined early this year when Digital Music Group went public, revenue still rose nearly sevenfold, from $123,000.

Shares (Nasdaq: DMGI) closed at $5.80 Thursday, up 70 cents over Wednesday's closing price. The quarterly results were released after the market closed.

Maybe they can bail out the ailing Tower?

Founded in 1960 by Russ Solomon, Tower began losing customers in the late 1990s to discounters, Amazon and digital downloading, both legal and illegal.

"I'd hate to see Tower close," said Janette Fullerton, 45, of Sacramento as she shopped at the Broadway Tower on Friday. "I've been coming here for years; it's an institution."

Should somebody with the money and clout to make it happen decide to save Tower it would be a tremendous asset to this region to have a nationally known and respected retailer stay in business.

Cloning versus Cures - Whose Life is it Anyway?

Here is an interesting moral dilema. You are trapped in a burning research center with one way out and only have 30 seconds to escape with your hands full. On your lap is a newborn child and in the refrigerated storage room to your right is a box with 1,000 fertilized eggs. You can only take one, the newborn or the fertilized eggs. Which do you choose? Most people would say of course you take the baby but if life begins at conception, which many people believe, wouldn't you save the 1,000 unborn babies instead?

The cloning of embryos for generating stem cells, a process that holds promise for the future treatment of deadly diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's, is delicate yet straightforward.

It is currently illegal, because of Congress, to use federal funds for any experiment that creates or destroys a human embryo. Creating new embryos through cloning falls squarely under that ban. So does destroying an embryo to create stem cells. It's legal to do both of these things (clone and create human embryonic stem cells) but only with private funds. Meanwhile, Congress remains in a pitched battle over how much of cloning to outlaw. Some federal lawmakers want to ban all forms of cloning, while others want to ban making babies while allowing promising biomedical research that is done exclusively in the lab dish. The House has twice passed legislation that would outlaw all forms of cloning—in 2001 and again in 2003. That legislation stalled in the Senate.

Since human embryonic stem cells are not themselves embryos, however, different rules apply. The accepted view is that research with the cells doesn't fall under Congress' federal funding ban. In 2001, however, President Bush extended the ban to cover all human embryonic stem cells—making an exception only for certain cells (currently estimated at 22 stem cell lines) that had already been created by the time of his announcement. A "line," if you're wondering, is any group of cells that all come from the same original embryo.

In 2002, California became the first state to officially endorse human embryonic stem cell research, including experiments that involve cloned embryos (while banning creating a cloned baby).

The Califorinia Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established in 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, the California Stem Cell Research and Cures Initiative. The statewide ballot measure, which provided $3 billion in funding for stem cell research at California universities and research institutions, was approved by California voters, and called for the establishment of an entity to make grants and provide loans for stem cell research, research facilities, and other vital research opportunities.

Based on the election results, Californian's would take the box of fertilized eggs. Is that right, er correct? What would you do?