The Rancho Cordova Podcast

In today's podcast episode, we have a special treat for you as we revisit our conversation with Mayor Linda Budge in honor of our city's 20th anniversary.

Long serving City Council Member Linda Budge. We discuss her early life growing up in the UK as a military brat, and get into her many visits to Taiwan with her family, her education and first jobs. We discuss how she arrived in Sacramento and her eventual entry into city government. Vice Mayor Budge discusses many of the projects she is involved in today as a City Council Member. 

Linda was instrumental in the incorporation of Rancho Cordova as a city in 2003 and has been a powerhouse in Rancho Cordova City Politics since then.

Rancho Cordova is the first city in Northern California to bring citywide, Gigabit plus broadband delivered by an extensive fiber network that, once built out, will reach every house and business in Rancho Cordova. It’s just one of the initiatives that give Rancho Cordova it's Smart City status. Rancho Cordova FiberCity® will be more than just a superfast fiber internet connection to homes and businesses. It will futureproof the area for generations to come, bring you more choices of providers, boost its economy, and enable Smart City applications  to make for a great city to live, work and play 

On today's show, we have a conversation with Alana Thornburg who is the Community Relations Specialist here in Rancho Cordova for fiber city powered by Sifinetworks. Alana is born and raised in Rancho Cordova so she knows and understands the city well. Sifinetworks is the company that under is FiberCity® brand will fund, build and operate city-wide, open access 100% fiber networks across the US and they are currently here in Rancho Cordova to make us the first fiber city in northern California.

On today’s episode of the Rancho Cordova podcast we bring you something a little different.

As many of you know this podcast is brought to you by the California Capital Film Office here in Rancho Cordova where we also operate a 70 seat live performance space, Cal Cap Black Box Theatre.

Alessandra Assaf hasn’t been on a theatrical stage for nearly two decades, so when she headed down on Saturday mornings to a local theater for a writing workshop, she didn’t think much would come from the experience. She stayed focused on her writing and never thought a return to the stage was in her future.

Well, Ava Gardner, the late, great Hollywood star, had other plans for Assaf.

From that writing workshop emerged Twelve O’Clock Tales With Ava Gardner, a new solo show co-written by and starring Assaf.

The show takes place in 1974 when Gardner is on the set of Earthquake, her first Hollywood blockbuster in quite some time, according to press notes. While in her dressing room she reflects upon her life, from growing up in North Carolina to her advocacy of civil rights to her many films and romantic relationships over the years including Frank Sinatra

Alessandra recently performed 12 O’clock Tales in Los Angeles to rave reviews and we are delighted to bring her and her show to Rancho Cordova and Cal Cap Black Box Theatre.

Allesandra and I talked about her life growing up in New Orleans, living in Europe for several years, and finally landing in Los Angeles and Hollywood to pursue an acting career.

I really enjoyed speaking with Allesandra Assaf and I hope you enjoy the show.

If you’d like to purchase tickets to 12 O’clock Tales playing July 21/22/23 please visit www.calcapblackbox.com

Miller coached for over 40 years within the Sac-Joaquin Section, compiling a 254-90-4 record as the head coach.

He was at Rio Americano from 1974-80, at Cordova High from 1981-93 and 1999-2007, and he was at Johnson from 1996-97. His 1985 Cordova team was a Sac-Joaquin Section championship winner and was the Section's first 14-0 football team.

He is fondly remembered by many for turning Cordova football from a hot Saturday afternoon event to a cool Friday Night game. He was the defensive coordinator at Folsom in 2010, when the Bulldogs went on to win the Section D2 championship as well as the CIF State D2 championship bowl game.

Max was a true innovator with his high scoring offenses and featured some of the most electric players the area has ever seen.  He helped continue a tradition that Ron Lancaster built and then he took it to another level.  All in all he was a fixture in the community as will always be known as the winningest high school football ever in the Sacramento area.

Robert J. (Bob) McGarvey started a committee in favor of Rancho Cordova incorporating as a city in 1986 and chaired the committee until Rancho Cordova voted for cityhood in November 2002, as well as served on two other incorporation committees. He was one of five community leaders elected to be the first Council Members and served on the City Council for 18 years.

Bob has been a steadfast leader in many community, church, and school organizations and activities. He was named Rancho Cordova Man of the Year by The Grapevine Independent Newspaper in 1987. Robert J. McGarvey Elementary School was named after him in 2016. He was named Rancho Cordovan of the Year in 2022 by the Cordova Community Council. Bob is currently a member of the Folsom Lake College Philanthropy Board, Folsom Lake College Veterans Committee, Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito & Vector Control Board, Rancho Cordova Food Locker Board, and Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce. He also has been an active member of the Mather Restoration Advisory Board since 1994 and the Cordova Community Council since 1975.

During his tenure on the City Council, Bob formed a Sister City Citizens Committee that resulted in Turrialba, Costa Rica becoming a Sister City with Rancho Cordova. He started the annual Rancho Cordova Veterans Day and Memorial Day celebrations. Bob also worked for 11 years to open Mather Veterans Village, the first permanent supportive housing development for homeless and disabled veterans in the Sacramento region.

Bob retired from PacBell after 33 years working in the central offices and network operation center. Even in his retirement, he serves his community as a substitute teacher. He served in the Air Force from 1961 to 1967, the last 2 ½ years of active duty was serving at Mather Air Force Base, and the last two years were in the reserves.

Bob received an Associate Degree from Sacramento City College and a Bachelor's Degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento.

On this week's episode we speak with Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester.

Kathy Lester was raised in Rancho Cordova and enlisted in the Army after High School. She attended the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA where she became fluent in Russian, and served as a crypto logical linguist. Additionally, she was cross trained as a combat medic and range master. Kathy served both stateside and in Korea and Japan while she was attached to the 373rd and 368th Military Intelligence Battalions.

She was awarded the Combat Lifesaving Medal, the National Defense Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.

During our conversation, we really got to know Kathy Lester and we discussed all things policing in the City of Sacramento. 

A founding member of the first women’s professional baseball team to play against men, Clark was a pioneer for women in sports at a young age. Before playing softball with California State University, Fullerton and professional baseball with the Colorado Silver Bullets, she was the first girl to play in Rancho Cordova Little League in the 1980s.

Since our debut opening in 2017, Hummingbird Theatre Company has been working day and night to achieve one main goal: to bring quality Performing Arts Theatre performances to the community of Sacramento. Our mission is to bring theatre to the people, making this amazing art form accessible to all. Through high-quality entertainment and stellar arts training, we strive to make this world a better place by bringing shared joy and laughter: a shared human experience to our fellow man.

Danielle Mercado has been directing for several years and is arguably the most promising upcoming talent on the local theatre scene. With years of experience working with children and young adults, she is a wiz at developing performers' talents and bringing a cast together to create something truly remarkable.  She brings substance, humor and quality to performances, and her personality shines not only on the stage but off. Her approach to story telling is unique in that it appeals to the greater public who are not regular theatre goers or Shakespeare experts. Making the arts accessible and enjoyable for everyone is part of her ongoing mission. She works closely with her actors and students to help them realize their greatest potential, and teaches them the importance of serving others as opposed to grabbing the spotlight. In this way she makes everyone a star.

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Mercado holds a Master of Arts in Directing from Roosevelt University Chicago College of Performing Arts- B.A. In Theatre Arts Sacramento State University- Miss Sacramento 2007 Scholarship Winner- Miss El Dorado 2005 Scholarship Winner- Miss California Participant- Imagination Theatre Director Scholarship- Capital Stage Assistant Director- Sacramento State University Teaching Artist and Assistant Director- Miss Sacramento County Board of Directors- Bradshaw Christian School Drama Teacher and Director from 2010-2015

Jeffrey Lambert CFP® helps individuals and families to use their financial resources to achieve their unique goals and to live more meaningful and fulfilling lives. He is a nationally recognized CFP® practitioner who has played a significant role in the development of the financial planning profession including as founding board member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA).

Jeff is a Fee-Only, NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor and has won many awards including Sacramento CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ of the Year. Mutual Funds Magazine listed Jeff among their 100 Great Financial Planners both times it was published.

He is co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Personal Finance for Entrepreneurs published by Entrepreneur Press. Mr. Lambert is an adjunct faculty member at UC Davis CFP Professional Education Program where he was Program Director for 16 years responsible for the curriculum, hiring and supervision of faculty and student mentoring.

Jeff has been quoted in Money Magazine, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, the Sacramento Bee and Mutual funds magazine. He has served on the Accounting Advisory Board at American River College and on the Sacramento County Treasury Oversight committee, a group responsible for maintaining the integrity of the county’s 4.5 billion dollar investment funds for the county and for local agencies.