Last September The Bee published a story about poverty in Arden Arcade. It was kind of a striking story for those of us who live here. It wasn't remarkable because of the subject matter, a sad situation most local residents know about. No, it was noteworthy because it broke from the usual way the Downtown Sacramento Power Elite speaks of Arden Arcade. Most of the time, we're just ghetto this, crime that. The Bee's story said that there are real people here, dealing with real problems like poverty and high rents elsewhere. It put a spotlight on refugees, many of whom live in some of our community's worst apartments. When it comes to low incomes, we're #1, said The Bee.

Then today there came one more article in the Bee about Arden Arcade. This time it told another familiar story -- familiar to local residents, at least -- about the massive gap between the rich and the poor in Arden Arcade. We're #1 in contrast between the well-off and the down-and-out, too, says The Bee. The phenomenon of local affluence is an important adjunct to the earlier tale of local poverty. Yet The Bee story did not mention that, in general, zip code 95864 is the land of milk and honey, whereas within zip codes 95825 and 95821 one can easily find considerable adversity and tribulation. Nor did it mention that the County avoids, for the most part, burdening our "good" neighborhoods -- like the ones where our Supervisor or her campaign donors live -- with low-end land uses and businesses like income-restricted apartments, discount stores, x-rated massage parlors and the like.

Maybe in time The Bee will seek a deeper understanding of Arden Arcade. Perhaps, too, The Bee will someday stop misleading people into thinking that Arden Fair Mall is one of our community's assets when, in reality, the stores are in the City of Sacramento. Or that the American River Parkway's William Pond Recreation Area runs along our southern border when, in fact, it sits in Carmichael, about a mile east of us. We invite The Bee to learn more about Arden Arcade right here in this web site, which seeks social and economic justice, fairness and prosperity across the entire community.