California Groundbreakers

This discussion was recorded on November 30, 2017.

We partnered up with the Crocker Art Museum for its "Conversations that Matter" series to have a conversation about the future of the neighborhood that surrounds it -- Downtown Sacramento.

It has been a little more than a year since the Golden 1 Center opened. The arena brought in a host of hot-ticket concerts and kicked off a slew of new development around it. Next up: development of the Railyards, revitalizing the riverfront, and making Old Sacramento more of a draw for the locals.

But what are the plans for housing? For handling the homeless issue? For turning the still-too-many stretches of derelict buildings into something more pleasant? For parking and public transit? And making sure Downtown doesn't turn into an overpriced playground only a few can afford to enjoy?

We're talking in the Crocker Museum's Friedman Court with a group of people in charge of handling these issues about what has changed in Downtown Sacramento, what has improved and what still needs work.

PANELISTS

* John Dangberg, assistant city manager for the City of Sacramento - he was the city's top person in charge of the Golden 1 Center's construction project, and now is focusing on more redevelopment of Downtown and development of the Railyards.

* Brooksie Hughes, Old Sacramento District Director for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership - she's tasked with making Old Sacramento a more hip, happening place where locals equal, or even outnumber, out-of-town visitors.

* Bay Miry - vice-president of development for D&S Development - first he helped turn R Street into one of the city's hottest nightlife destinations, now he's turning a section of K Street from eyesore to gateway to Golden 1 Center.

* Richard Rich - Railyards and Riverfront project manager for the City of Sacramento - a former "imagineer" for the Walt Disney Company, he's turning his imagination toward how Sacramento can revitalize the riverfront.

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* 1 min, 45 sec - Erin Dorn of the Crocker Museum introduces "Conversations that Matter"

* 4:20 min: Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 10:35 min: Panelists introduce themselves and share their favorite spots in Downtown Sacramento

* 23:40 min: "We've gone from a valuation of $22.5 million to well over $1 billion in value" - How the City built a downtown arena without spending a lot of money and taking on a lot of debt

* 33:30 min: "We can utilize all these really cool basements in these really cool historic buildings" - Turning the 70O K St block from a run-down stretch into the city's next hot spot

* 45:50 min: "Of those 124 stores, less than 10 of them are T-shirt and candy stores" - Making Old Sacramento a draw for the locals as well as the tourists

* 51:25 min: "20 years from now, that area could be turned into a great marina and mixed-use area" - Revitalizing the Sacramento waterfront

* 58 min: "After subsidies, it's still $150,000 that needs to come from the government - per unit" - How much housing can we build in Downtown Sacramento?

* 1 hr, 10:10 min: "The big upshot would be linking the two sides of the river, where the most exciting things are happening" - Smart ways for putting bikes, cars, public transit and pedestrians together harmoniously downtown

* 1 hr, 20:15 min: "We're reaching the point where companies like Raley's are looking at smaller concepts that don't need as many parking spaces, delivery trucks or building space" - Putting a grocery story and everyday services in the grand vision of downtown

* 1 hr, 27:35 min: "We really want to directly incentivize job growth" - Creating high-value jobs in Downtown

* 1 hr, 34:20 min - "Anything we can do to create artist pop-ups within the empty retail spaces, we're looking at programs to do that" - Putting art, culture and farm-to-fork efforts around Downtown.

We're running a monthly series called "Food for Thought," in-depth conversations with groundbreakers who run farms, restaurants, wineries, breweries and bars around California and are shaking up the way we eat and drink.

For our fifth talk, we're emphasizing the "farm" in farm-to-fork efforts, and discussing the future of farming in California.

Are there enough young farmers to take over for seasoned ones who want to retire? Can they afford to make a living in a high-cost-of-living state? Can they be profitable and sustainable when climate change makes it harder to predict what they can sow and reap?

PANELISTS

* Dennis Donohue, head of Western Growers' Center for Innovation and Technology

* Mary Kimball, executive director of the Center for Land-Based Learning

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* O to 6 minutes - Intro to California Groundbreakers - who we are, and upcoming events

* 6 min - "Eventually hot salads will catch up, and then radicchio will overcome kale" -- Panelists introduce themselves, and share their favorite farm-fresh recipes

* 10:20 min - "Yes, there is a town of Yolo" -- Mary Kimball, from farm girl to head of an organization that inspires and trains California's future farmers

* 15:45 min - "Let's rub the two sticks together of Silicon Valley and the Salinas Valley and see where that takes us" -- Dennis Kimball, former mayor of Salinas who made AgTech a growth driver for his lower-income town

* 21:45 min - "The kinds of jobs in ag and food today have completely changed in the last 10 years, and the majority of people don't have any experience with agriculture" -- The Center for Land-Based Learning's youth and adult programs for creating a skilled workforce for today's ag industry

* 32 min - "Farmers by nature like to try things - we have a great history of innovation in our industry" -- How the Western Growers' Center for Innovation and Technology is connecting venture capital to AgTech, and to farmers

* 44:15 min - "I want to figure out a way to irrigate my almond crop to know how exactly how much water is going to every single tree, and I can control it from the computer on my desk" -- What a California farm looks like today

* 54:50 min - "In Monterey and Salinas Counties, we count on the fog, and when that doesn't happen and we have more heat events, we don't like that" -- How climate change is affecting how farmers do things

* 1 hr, 8 min - "The #1 area for new jobs in California ag is in food safety, but there are very few colleges and universities around the state that are actually training people to go into these jobs, so we're behind" -- How the federal Food Safety Modernization Actwill affect farmers and consumers

* 1 hr, 13:50 min - "What you're asking is the hardest question that the entire agriculture industry is grappling with" -- Helping farmers hand down their land to their kids

* 1 hr, 24:20 min - "Increase demand, you're at least making sure farming is profitable" -- What food consumers can do to be better advocates for farmers

* 1 hr, 29:05 min - "It's very difficult for farmers to harvest food for free" -- How is the ag industry going to make organic food accessible to people at all income levels?

* 1 hr, 35 min - "We haven't yet figured out how to use robots to pick strawberries" -- How federal immigration issues are affecting California's ag workforce

* 1 hr, 39:40 min - "What does it mean that Amazon is a major food supplier?" -- The forecast for higher food prices in the future

* 1 hr, 45:55 min - "You got to get kids to understand that 'farm' does not equal 'farmworker'" - Keeping children of immigrants engaged in the farming community

California's new gas tax went into effect November 1. That means most drivers will pay 12 cents more per gallon of gas, diesel increases 20 cents a gallon. Starting January 1, you'll be charged a new annual vehicle fee ranging from $25 to $175, depending on the value of your car.

The gas tax increase ushers in a 10-year program to raise more than $52 billion for transportation projects, like repairing roads and improving traffic congestion across the state. Will that money be spent wisely?

Governor Jerry Brown fought hard to get the gas tax (officially known as Senate Bill 1) passed last April, saying "real money" is needed to fix California's aging transportation systems.

But Republican lawmakers are skeptical that the gas tax is the best way to handle road repairs, saying taxpayers already pay plenty for them, money is available from the state's general fund, and Brown should scrap his multibillion-dollar bullet train project. Now they're actively working to put a repeal-the-gas-tax measure on the November 2018 ballot. And they say that because polling on the gas tax shows it to be extremely unpopular, there's an excellent chance it will be repealed a year from now.

In this new edition of "Policy and a Pint," we discuss the gas tax and what it consists of, where the money goes, why it's a good thing, why it's a bad thing -- and how it affects you as a California driver, taxpayer and maybe even as a voter in November.

PANELISTS

* Brian Annis, Undersecretary of the California State Transportation Agency (they oversee big transportation agencies like Catrans and the DMV

* Katy Grimes, president of the Sacramento Taxpayers Association (one of the groups that's against the gas tax)

* Michael Quigley, executive director of the California Jobs Alliance (one of the business associations that supports the gas tax)

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* O to 7 minutes - Intro to California Groundbreakers, and why we're talking about the Gas Tax

* 7 min - Panelists introduce themselves, and share their favorite road trips

* 11:45 min - The Legislature passed Senate Bill 1, a.k.a. the Gas Tax, in April - what it is, what's designed to do, and what we're paying more for

* 18:30 min - Why most business and trade groups, which typically hate new taxes, are supporting the Gas Tax

* 23:35 min - Reasons why the Gas Tax shouldn't have passed, and alternatives for funding transportation repairs

* 30:55 min - What is Caltrans specifically going to spend Gas Tax money on, and how will it ensure work is done on time and on schedule?

* 36: 25 min - Other U.S. states that are good models of transportation spending and investing

* 43:20 - How the Gas Tax will affect cycling and public transit projects

* 47:10 min - Predicting the future of transportation in California - what should it look like? And where does high-speed rail fit into that?

* 53:35 min - The earmarks and deals that had to be done to get Senate Bill 1 passed - will they help or hinder California as a whole?

* 57:10 min - How will Senate Bill 1 expand transit and road capacity?

* 1 hour, 2 min - If the Gas Tax isn't there to pay for our roads and transit, then who's supposed to pay for it?

* 1 hr, 6:30 min - What's being done to make Caltrans and transportation projects more efficient?

* 1 hr, 11:15 min - Republicans' efforts are planning to put a repeal of the Gas Tax on the Election 2018 ballot

* 1 hr, 13:10 min - If there is a "repeal the Gas Tax" initiative on the ballot next year, what should we consider as voters when deciding whether it stays or goes?

We're running a monthly series called "Food for Thought," in-depth conversations with groundbreakers who run farms, restaurants, wineries, breweries and bars around California and are shaking up the way we eat and drink.

Our fourth talk is with the Brewmasters, two people who've won lots of awards for creating some of some of the best craft beer to come out of Northern California.

One is a seasoned vet who helped a small Chico-based brewery grow into a billion-dollar company. The other is a young whippersnapper who, 13 months after moving his beers from the garage into a professional setup, won two gold medals at the California State Fair.

To celebrate Octoberfest, we raised some pints and celebrated California craft beer with a great discussion by these two guys who've helped to make it famous.

PANELISTS

* Steve Dresler - the just-retired Brewmaster of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., who has overseen the development and production of almost all of its new beers for more than 30 years, and has won the the brewery eight World Beer Cup awards and 31 Great American Beer Fest medals during that time.

* Michael Mraz - the owner and founder of Mraz Brewing Company in El Dorado Hills, who went from homebrewer to superstar homebrewer (he was crowned Homebrewer of the Year at the California State Fair just two years after starting the hobby), then went from professional brewer to superstar professional brewer in 13 months (he won two gold medals for his Belgian Tripel and red ale at the CA State Fair).

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* O to 2:40 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 2:40 min - The Brewmasters introduce themselves

* 9:40 min - The first memorable beer that led to a career in beer greatness

* 13:40 min - How they got into homebrewing

* 16:15 min - The decision to be a professional brewmaster

* 20: 15 min - Picking the best in the four ingredients needed to make excellent beer

* 26 min - The art of barrel-aging beers

* 28:10 min - Sharing beer recipes or keeping it secret

* 33:25 min - How California's changing environmental conditions changes its beer

* 40 min - How Sierra Nevada Brewing has changed since its start -- and the brewmasters' favorite keg beers

* 44:30 min - Dealing with beer snobs who think even Sierra Nevada isn't "real" craft beer

* 48:15 min - How you expand beer production while keeping it quality beer

* 50:45 min - Why Mraz decided to expand his brewery -- and then decided to call it off

* 54:15 min - How Dresler's brewmaking techniques changed as Sierra Nevada Brewing got bigger

* 56:15 min - Dresler's most notable beer collaborations with other brewing partners

* 59:55 min - Sour beers -- and new trends, flavors and ingredients influencing beer today

* 1 hr, 6 min - How important is the "art direction" of beer?

* 1 hr, 10:10 min- Pros and cons of running a brewery

* 1 hr, 14:40 min - What they want people to experience when drinking beer

* 1 hr, 16:45 min - How to pair beer with food

* 1 hr, 20:20 min - When you know it's time to retire -- and the importance of Dresler's most recent award

AND LISTEN TO THE ICEBREAKER PODCASTS

"Icebreakers" are mini-podcasts we uploaded in advance of this Brewmasters discussion. Go back to our main page on SoundCloud to listen to a few other people who also do groundbreaking stuff in the beer industry, including:

* J-E Paino of Ruhstaller Beer explains why his is the only brewery in California, besides the mega-big Sierra Nevada Brewing, to grow its own hops.

* Charlie Bamforth, Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, also known as the "Pope of Foam," discusses how his department and its research has shaped the production of California's craft beer.

* Kate Whelan, director of Sacramento Beer Week, talks about how women are shaking up the beer industry.

* Glynn Phillips, owner of Rubicon Brewing Company, talks about the rise and fall of Sacramento's oldest craft brewery, and why he closed Rubicon 1.5 months before it marked its 30th anniversary.

Here's the final "Icebreaker" mini-podcast focused on California Groundbreakers in the beer industry, in advance of our live "Brewmasters" event on October 11 .

Like many beer lovers, Kate Whelan started out as a homebrewer. But she was tired of talking only with guys about beer. So she co-founded HopBroads nearly five years ago, a group focused on attracting more women to the craft beer culture. She's also a member of Pink Boots Society, which supports and promotes women working in the craft brewing industry ( one superstar Pink Boots member is Crooked Lane Brewery head brewmaster Teresa Psuty, who just won a Gold for her Wobblor Dopplebock at the Great American Beer Festival).

Now she's the director of Sacramento Beer Week, a major brewfest scheduled for May 2018 that's guaranteed to draw tens of thousands of people. That means Whelan is in charge of turning around a once-rudderless ship and boosting Sacramento's cred -- and its 60-plus breweries -- to beer drinkers statewide.

Whelan took time out during a busy wedding season (her official day job is events planner) to talk about her career in beer, and how women are making a big impact -- both as workers and as drinkers -- in California's craft beer scene.

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* O to 1 min - Intro to Icebreakers -- and Kate Whelan

* 1 min - Whelan's most memorable beer (so memorable she had three in a row)

* 2:30 min - How a scavenger hunt set her down the path to a career in beer, and founding HopBroads

* 6:35 min - The pros and cons of homebrewing with a man in the kitchen

* 7:55 min - Sacramento's chapter of Pink Boots Society -- and its medal-winning members

* 10 min - A woman's place in the California craft beer scene

* 14:50 min - Starting Sacramento Beer Week from scratch -- and making it better and bigger than ever

* 17:55 min - Whelan's take on the future of NorCal's craft beer scene

* 19:50 min - And her advice for women to get into the beer scene and kill it

Here's our third "Icebreaker" mini-podcast focused on California Groundbreakers in the beer industry, in advance of our live "Brewmasters" event on October 11 .

November 1, 2017, marks the 30th anniversary of Rubicon Brewing, the oldest operating brewery in Sacramento (and the 6th oldest in California). But owner Glynn Phillips couldn't make it that far. On August 7, he told the public he was shutting down. It was one of the worst days in his life.

Two months later, Phillips sat down with us -- bringing along a big-ass bottle of unfiltered Rubicon IPA to drink -- and talked about the rise and fall of Rubicon. How he got into brewing beer as a minor and met Rubicon founder Ed Brown at his friend's house. How making Rubicon IPA was like dropping a bomb on Northern California's beer scene. How the brewery went gangbusters but then the craft-beer competition got tough. How he made the fateful decision to close -- but why that may not necessarily mean the end of Rubicon.

Phillips says he's in better spirits than back in August -- and certainly the big-ass bottle of IPA helped to make this conversation a good, cheerful and uplifting one.

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* O to 1:40 min - Intro to Phillips and Rubicon Brewery

* 1:40 min - Phillips' most memorable beer (of course he was underage)

* 4:30 min - Getting to know Ed Brown, Rubicon's founder, on the basketball court

* 7:35 min - Sacramento's beer scene when Phillips bought Rubicon

* 10:15 min - The bomb-dropping impact of Rubicon IPA

* 13:20 min - Phillips' good Sierra Nevada Brewing story about the "Friday paycheck and a case of beer"

* 16:25 min - The pros and cons of running a food-serving brewpub

* 22 min - Gangbuster beer sales till 2010 and then . . . what happened?

* 24:10 min - The fateful decision, the announcement, and the results

* 27 min - A Rubicon comeback? And Phillips' Phase 2 in beer

* 30 min - Phillips' take on California's craft beer scene -- and advice for those who want to work in it

* 34:25 min - How (or if) he'll celebrate Rubicon's 30th anniversary on November 1

Here's our second "Icebreaker" mini-podcast focused on California Groundbreakers in the beer industry, in advance of our live "Brewmasters" event on October 11 .

Charlie Bamforth, the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, is nicknamed the “Pope of Foam,” which pretty much says it all. Throughout his 30-plus-year career, Bamforth has embraced every dimension of beer, from raw materials and processing to its impact on the human body, published multiple research papers and written nine books, and he is generally considered to be one of the world's leading writers and speakers on beer. He also is a football (soccer, to us Yanks) fanatic, has a witty sense of humor and is a much-loved professor who loves to teach.

Pope Charlie is retiring next year after a nearly 40-year career helping breweries worldwide improve their beer and turning UCD students into in-demand brewmasters.

He sat down to talk with us at 10 am, so no beer, but once we asked Bamforth about the first beer he had while a wee lad growing up in the north of England, we immediately felt like we were in the pub with bitters and crisps.

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* O to 1:15 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 1:15 min - How Bamforth got the "Pope of Foam" nickname

* 2:05 min - British pubs vs. California taprooms

* 6:20 min - Defining -- and defending -- the "wholesomeness" of beer

* 10:15 min - The condensed history of beer and brewing it

* 13:20 min - The condensed history of Bamforth and beer

* 17:25 min - Turning UC Davis into a beer-research hub and a brewing powerhouse

* 23:30 min - "The most impressive guy I've ever met in this industry"

* 25:30 min - Some of UC Davis's notable brewing graduates and beer-making partnerships

* 29 min - What makes a great brewmaster?

* 30:45 min - Has the beer industry lost its soul?

* 34:30 min - Bamforth's view of NorCal's craft brew scene today -- and its future

* 36:25 min - Why he's leaving UC Davis, and what he'll do next

* 38:10 min - What's required to fill the Pope's hat when Bamforth leaves

* 39:45 min - The beer Bamforth prefers when it's time to look back at his 40-year-plus career

We're starting to do "Icebreakers," mini-podcasts that we upload in advance of our live Groundbreaker events (which are always recorded and uploaded as the main podcasts).

In advance of our "Brewmasters" event on October 11 -- a live conversation all about beer with master brewers Steve Dresler of Sierra Nevada and Mike Mraz of Mraz Brewing -- we're sitting down in the recording studio with a few other people who also do groundbreaking stuff in the beer industry.

First off, a conversation with J-E Paino of Ruhstaller Brewing in Sacramento. Not only did he restart the once-largest brewery west of the Mississippi, (Ruhstaller Brewery operated from 1881 to 1933, and Paino opened it up again in 2010), he's the only beermaker in California, besides the mega-big Sierra Nevada Brewing, to grow his own hops. Sacramento used to be the largest hop-growing region in the U.S. in America, till Prohibition shut that all down. Now Paino wants to restart that industry too, and make this area the Napa Valley of hops.

(The great photo of Paino in his Dixon hop field is by Sacramento photographer Carlos Eliason at elias-visuals.com)

He brought a few Ruhstaller 1881 Red Ales that we drank while talking-- which is probably why this short conversation that was supposed to be 20 minutes max actually went to 50 minutes. But Paino is a good conversationalist with a great story, so it's all a worthwhile listen. We did break it down in the "Podcast Timeframe" below so you can go to specific sections if you want.

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* O to 1:20 min - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 1:20 min - Details about our next event - "Food for Thought: The Brewmasters"

* 2:30 min - Why J-E Paino is sitting here in the recording studio

* 4: 25 min - California as the (former) hop-growing capital of the United States

* 5:50 min - How did this weed-looking plant turn into a primary ingredient for beer?

* 7:40 min - How Sacramento became the Beer Capital of the West Coast -- and how/why it lost the crown after Prohibition

* 11:30 min - What the hop industry in California looks like now

* 14:40 min - Why Paino decided to be the lone-wolf brewer to grow his own hops -- and how Darrell Corti of Corti Brothers is involved

* 19:25 min - The hop-harvesting process, from climbing the vine to baling, boxing and brewing

* 24:45 min - How this year's harvest was different and stood out from the past five

* 31:30 min - Paino's other California-based hops suppliers -- and why Black Ops helicopters may fly in if he grew a specific type of hops

* 35:25 min - Does it really matter where the hops in your beer are grown?

* 41 min - What's stopping California from being the Hops Capital of the U.S again?

* 43:45 min - Can craft beer-loving Californians change their taste buds to like "non-standardized" beers made with local hops?

* 48:30 min - How beer lovers -- and potential hop growers? -- can get up and close with the hops at Ruhstaller's farm in Dixon

We're running a monthly series called "Food for Thought," in-depth conversations with groundbreakers who run farms, restaurants, wineries, breweries and bars around California and are shaking up the way we eat and drink.

Our third talk is with "Los Autenticos," four well-known restaurateurs known for their Mexican cuisine. All of them have opened up new hotspots in Sacramento during the past year, and they're intent on serving authentic food and drink the way it should be prepared -- and serving it up in settings that reinforce the fact you are indeed eating the "real" thing.

To get an early start on celebrating Mexico's Independence Day, we talked with the four señores at Casa de Español, a great place to celebrate Latin American culture, to hear how their cultural roots and backgrounds led them to their present roles as Sacramento's ambassadors of Mexican cuisine.

PANELISTS

* Art Aguilar and Max Archuleta - this dynamic duo teamed up to open the open-air Midtown's Cantina Alley in February, an immediate hit.

* Ernesto Delgado - A native of Napa, he came for school in Sacramento, where he learned to appreciate Latino culture. He started with Tequila Museo Mayahuel, then La Cosecha on Cesar Chavez Plaza, and Mesa Mercado in Carmichael's Milagro Centre.

* Lisandro “Chando” Madrigal - he helped his dad open and run a tortilla factory in Tijuana, where he learned about the recipes and flavors of the local street food. In Sacramento, he opened Chando's Tacos, generally considered the best tacqueria in town. His latest place: Chando's Cantina, next door to the Governor's Mansion, which has higher-end but just-as-authentic food.

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

(the song you hear in the intro is a fitting one -- "Flor de Huevo" by Los Lobos)

* 7:20 min - "There have been days when I wake up at 5, I tell my wife, 'I’m craving tacos birria.' We pack the kids in the car, we drive to Tijuana and we go eat. We’re that crazy" - the panelists introduce themselves

* 25:40 – "We need to educate people about what a real taco is about and how to eat this food”- Chando moves from tortillas in Tijuana to partying with Jerry Brown

* 35:10 – "From age 16, I knew I wanted to run a restaurant, probably because that’s when I started selling Chiclets" - how Ernesto learned to appreciate his Latino culture

* 43:50 – "On our last trip to Mexico, Max made sure we got a meaner dog" - creating the visuals at Cantina Alley

* 50:10 - "I’m down with the brown" - educating people vs. accommodating them when it comes to the food

* 55:15 – “I hope to change the tortilla game in high-end supermarkets” - changing the sameness, and influencing the local food ecosystem

* 1 hr, 7:40 min – "You put out an ad and the reality is you get 30 male applicants vs 1-2 female applicants” - getting more women into the male-dominated Mexican food scene

* 1 hr, 15:25 min – "Go out to the peach tree orchards and you'll find verdolaga" - what local crops California farmers can grow for great Mexican food

* 1 hr, 22:25 - "Now my answer is, ‘I’m the only crazy, idiotic one who believes I can make a difference'" - helping the Sacramento community in the role as a restaurateur

Wide Open Walls (WOW) is the official name for Sacramento's annual mural festival, now in its second year. Between August 10-20, 2017, 50 artists from 12 countries are painting 40 individual surfaces, from small-business walls and back-street alleys on the Grid to silos and water towers in the suburbs.

When they look around Sacramento, what will catch their eye? When they put down their brushes and paint-sprayers, what will they leave behind for us?

Street art is a big deal around the globe -- think Montreal with its own famous Mural Festival, Wynwood Walls in Miami, San Francisco's Mission District.

As the capital of the (currently) 5th largest economy in the world, is it Sacramento's time to join the ranks of international cities known for their colorful, vibrant street-art scenes and communities? If so, what should those look like? What images should be on those walls? Who decides what they should be and where they should go? And how do the non-painters of us living here figure into creating a world-class street-art scene in Sacramento?

We hosted a WOW-focused panel on August 9, 2017, at Beatnik Studios, which showed work from every local artist participating in WOW.

PANELISTS

* Raphael Delgado, a Sacramento artist who recently returned from a residency in Montreal, home to the largest street art festival in North America -- his WOW mural will be on the wall of Jalapeño's on 21st Street in Midtown Sacramento

* David Sobon, founder and producer of Wide Open Walls, and a member of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission

* Mike Testa, the brand-new CEO of Visit Sacramento, the city's convention and visitors bureau, which is a big sponsor of Wide Open Walls

* Demetris "BAMR" Washington, a Sacramento-based artist who has painted more than 20 murals throughout the city, with his latest one being for WOW and located in South Sacramento

PODCAST TIMEFRAME

* 0 to 1:50 - Intro to California Groundbreakers

* 1:50 min - "'Hey, I curate a gallery, come jump in my car!" - - The panelists introduce themselves

* 5:20 min - "It was nothing more than being inspired by walking the dog with my wife in the alleys of Sacramento" - Comparing and contrasting last year's inaugural mural fest to this year's WOW

* 11:20 min - "It's something that media will be interested in across the country" - How (and why) the City of Sacramento is supporting WOW

* 15:15 min - "They're so into what we are doing, so we have to dictate the trends" - How Raphael Delgado gets inspired, both here in town and outside the U.S.

* 19:05 - "They have something to say, so they use my voice" - How BAMR does his murals

* 22:05 - "We'd like to give everybody complete control, but we also have sponsors that need to be taken care of" - What WOW artists are told before they start painting

* 25 min - "It's 90 feet wide, 25 feet tall and it's filled with poetry" - Should Sacramento's street art reflect the city itself?

* 31:50 min - "Put us in the ring with the best in the world. We'll be all right" - What's the right mix of international artists and local artists for the WOW festival?

* 37:15 min - "We're going to go paint in areas that are not cool" - Incorporating residents and the community into WOW

* 44:55 min - "You're living in a dream world" - The artist/sponsor collaboration, and how that affects the final work

* 50:10 min - "Find people who are willing to push" - Cutting the red tape to get artists working more closely with businesses, nonprofits and government agencies

* 58:05 min - "It boosts the esteem of an entire community of people" - the political and economic impact of WOW

* 1 hr, 2 min - "Great ideas are only great ideas unless people take them off the paper they're written on" - When did this start happening in Sacramento?

* 1 hr, 6 min - "Suddenly we see not only Downtown and Midtown full of murals, but the entire region" - What the goal is after WOW ends on August 20