2015: A to-do list

In the business of editorializing, we all too often respond to the immediate crisis or issue rather than taking the time to think big-picture. These resolutions are, we hope, an antidote to that sort of immediate response, still bearing in mind our commitment to the planet, the community and each other.

We resolve, in 2015, to be more supportive of Mayor Kevin Johnson when he’s right, and to make a point of providing editorial backing for his good ideas.

At the top of the list are two proposals he’s recently supported and that we think deserve wholehearted endorsement: an increase in the minimum wage for Sacramento workers, because no one should work full time and still not make enough to live on, and the use of body cameras for Sacramento police officers, because accountability and transparency from public servants—especially public servants with guns and the authority to use them—can only be for the good of both the officers and the public.

We also resolve that we’ll keep close watch on how the city, county and state governments manage tax dollars and how politicians are raising money. If no one’s watching, transparency doesn’t matter much.

We resolve to get outdoors more in 2015 and explore the natural abundance of the region. The best way to make decisions about public policy for protecting the environment is to have some firsthand knowledge of what we stand to lose if we don’t care for it. It’s only by visiting our own watershed, delta, forests and wetlands—not to mention farms—that we’ll really see the effects of climate change and drought.

We resolve to remember that the failures of our economy and resources fall hardest on those least able to cope. We will reach out—in words and in deed—to the neediest among us, our homeless neighbors and our fellows who struggle with mental-health issues, with poverty and with physical disabilities. We will strive to help others not because they’ve earned it or because they deserve it, but simply because they need it.

We resolve to take a few moments every day to practice quiet gratitude, both for our own health and for the peace of those around us.

We resolve to be part of the solution. We may not be pleased with how some things happen—the arena deal, for instance—but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want the ever-changing downtown to succeed. So we resolve to support sensible, sustainable development that creates livable, walkable communities throughout Sacramento and to look for the ways that our quality of life can be improved.

We resolve to do our part to keep Midtown janky, Del Paso Boulevard artsy and the local music scene full of enthusiastic, dance-like-nobody’s-watching audience members. We resolve to fill the local theaters, buy our books at real stores and eat good food grown locally. We resolve to have a first-rate, locally roasted, cuppa joe on a regular basis, and to hit Rick’s Dessert Diner on Second Saturday without griping about the long line. We resolve to shamble our way through the annual Zombie Walk, wave our rainbow flag at Sac Pride, eat too much baklava at the Greek Festival, wear a costume at Sac Anime and eat a hot dog at a River Cats game.

In short, we resolve that in 2015, we’re going to enjoy Sacramento the way it deserves to be enjoyed.