Akaal Pet Hospital is located at 6081 Greenback Ln. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– A local pet hospital has reopened after closing abruptly in March due to the loss of the location’s sole veterinarian.
Akaal Pet Hospital announced plans for a formal grand reopening for Friday, Sept. 20 from 4-6 p.m. to celebrate reopening of the business with a new veterinarian, following the sudden spring closure.
“We have staffed the clinic with an experienced veterinarian who has transferred from another clinic,” AmeriVet Head of Communications Roberto DeLeon informed The Sentinel on Wednesday.
According to Bernadette Carlos, Akaal Pet Hospital’s receptionist, the hospital reopened on July 15.
“We have a lot of return customers, and they are happy,” Carlos said.
The new veterinarian, Dr. Ankur Gill, comes to the clinic after practicing in the Bay Area, Carlos said. Gill has been a practicing veterinarian for seven years and has spent the last four years at Aborn Pet Hospital, according to an announcement on Akaal Pet Hospital’s Facebook page.
Akaal’s grand reopening event will allow residents to meet, greet, and ask questions of Gill. The event will also include giveaways, including veterinary care coupons.
In a prior interview after the March closure, DeLeon said the pet hospital had “a lot of local clientele” and that AmeriVet would work “diligently” to staff the clinic so it could reopen. Akaal Pet Hospital joined AmeriVet in 2019, according to AmeriVet’s website.
Akaal Pet Hospital is located at 6081 Greenback Ln. and bills itself as a “one-stop-shop for all your pet’s health and wellness needs.” Adjacent businesses include Grocery Outlet, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Petco, and Dollar Tree.
From left to right: Vice Mayor Dr. Jayna Karpinski-Costa and Councilmember MariJane Lopez-Taff were appointed Mayor and Vice Mayor on Sept. 11, 2024. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– As of Wednesday night, Citrus Heights has a new mayor and vice mayor.
The City Council on Sept. 11 voted unanimously to appoint Jayna Karpinski-Costa as the new mayor and MariJane Lopez-Taff as the new vice mayor. Karpinski-Costa was previously serving as vice mayor, and Lopez-Taff was serving as a council member.
Up until this month, the mayoral seat was held by Bret Daniels, who was serving a four-year term on the Citrus Heights City Council after having been reelected in 2020 for the district 1 seat. Daniels announced his resignation to the City Council at the end of August, and his resignation was official as of Aug. 31.
According to the city’s website, one of the City Council members is typically appointed by a majority vote from fellow council members for a period of 12 months. The new mayor and vice mayor were elected after Daniels served only 9 months as mayor. Daniels previously served as Vice Mayor in 2023.
Due to Daniels’ resignation at the end of August, the City Council District 1 seat was left vacant, which prompted the City Council to nominate a new mayor.
In the case of a vacancy, the Council is also mandated to either fill the vacancy with an appointed individual or conduct an election within 60 days of the vacancy. On Wednesday, the council voted unanimously to keep the district 1 seat vacant until the Nov. 5 election occurs.
A fire gutted a motor home parked behind Hobby Lobby on Sept. 14, 2022. // M. Hazlip
By Sara Beth Williams– In the first meeting without former Mayor Bret Daniels, the Citrus Heights City Council on Wednesday reversed course and voted unanimously to not include an exemption for passenger vehicles from the city’s illegal camping ordinance.
Councilmember Porsche Middleton and Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa said preceding the vote that they trust the police department to compassionately exercise discretion when it comes to citing persons who are sleeping in vehicles, and said they were against exempting passenger vehicles within the illegal camping ordinance.
At a previous meeting on Aug. 28, the City Council initially voted 3-1 to support amendments to expand the definition of camping to include motorhomes and other vehicles, while exempting passenger vehicles that are legally registered and insured. During that meeting, then-mayor Daniels noted that some people may be sleeping in their cars out of necessity, because “that’s the last thing they own and pay for.”
Karpinski-Costa, who was appointed as mayor during the Sept. 11 meeting, said she had personally slept in her vehicle during a period of “probably two years, off-and-on” when she had a job but was in school and had to decide between paying tuition and paying rent. Although previously voting in favor of allowing persons to sleep in passenger vehicles, the mayor said the police chief had later “assured” her that if he saw a student or someone with a legitimate reason temporarily sleeping in their vehicle, their situation would be handled compassionately, and they would apparently not be targeted for enforcement action.
On Wednesday, Police Lt. Wesley Herman presented to the council the option of proceeding with approval of the amended illegal camping ordinance with new added verbiage regarding exempting passenger vehicles. He also offered the second option of further discussing more changes to the ordinance.
Herman said after examining ordinances from neighboring cities, Citrus Heights “was the exception” in that the city code did not initially contain any vehicular-camping regulations. Herman also said other jurisdictions do not exempt passenger vehicles from their illegal camping regulations and that most ordinances have made camping in any vehicle illegal. He also said motorhomes could potentially be considered “passenger vehicles,” if such an exemption was approved by the council, leading to enforcement difficulties.
“I can’t in all good conscience condone a bunch of motorhomes parked along the side of the road,” Councilmember Tim Schaefer said, although seeking to carve out a narrower exception for smaller cars.
During the prior August council meeting, the Citrus Heights Police Department first presented proposed amendments to the city’s illegal camping ordinances to the council in response to “significant blight issues” throughout the city. The original amendments aimed to expand the definitions for vehicle-based camping, and add “more stringent regulations on camping on private property,” according to a staff report.
On Wednesday, council members heard from local homeless advocates, who cited an increase in unhoused individuals needing to sleep in their vehicles because of a lack of available housing throughout the region. One resident also spoke in favor of a full ban on sleeping in vehicles, warning that allowing anyone to sleep in a passenger vehicle would result in an influx of more people coming into the city from other jurisdictions to sleep in their vehicles.
Schaefer motioned to remove the exception to passenger vehicles from being cited for illegal camping, and the motion was seconded by Vice Mayor Lopez-Taff. The motion passed 4-0, meaning a total prohibition on sleeping in any vehicle will be in place.
Want to share your thoughts on Citrus Heights’ camping ordinance? Click here to submit a letter-to-the-editor.
Circus Caballero is returning to the Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights Sept. 19. // Circus Caballero
By Sara Beth Williams– The Circus Caballero will again return to Citrus Heights this year, with showtimes beginning Sept. 19.
The circus announced on their social media several upcoming show dates for the Sunrise Mall, beginning on Sept. 19 and running through Sept. 29. The circus will perform once in the evening Monday through Friday, twice on Saturdays and three times on Sundays.
The circus bills itself as an “international family circus” and frequents many California cities. Circus acts include acrobatics, magic, dancing, jumping and other feats, according to the company’s website.
General admission tickets for afternoon and evening shows begin at $35 for adults and $25 for children, but cost can increase depending on choice of seating. Matinee 12 p.m. showtime tickets cost $10. For showtimes, seating, and ticket information, visit circuscaballero.com
Latest police logs in Citrus Heights show an increase in reports of theft, along with a drop in vandalism and overall incidents.
A summary of the most recent seven police logs are listed below, from Sept. 5-11, 2024.
Animal control: 35 (up from 20)
911 hangups: 35 (down from 46)
Code enforcement: 29 (down from 36)
Traffic accidents: 38 (down from 41)
Vehicle violations: 187 (down from 320)
Theft: 47 (up from 36)
Homeless-related: 21 (down from 23)
Vandalism: 4 (down from 9)
Violent/threats: 28 (down from 32)
Disturbance: 79 (down from 86)
Suspicious circumstances: 156 (down from 172)
All incidents: 1171 (down from 1282)
See full police activity and arrest logs on the city’s website: click here.
Citrus Heights police resumed publishing of daily incident logs in March 2023. The department notes that its logs “are not intended as a full and complete list of all police activity,” with some information not displayed for legal reasons, such as arrests of minors. As such, police advise that summary totals based on public logs may differ from weekly incident and arrest totals posted by police on social media.
The department notes on its website that: “All arrested suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty. Additionally, the original crimes, nature of offenses, and charges may be amended or dismissed as further information is made available.”
Editor’s Note: police log summaries are published with assistance from AI, but edited by humans. Please contact us if you spot an error.
Due to circulating threats of violence on social media, police presence was increased at Mesa Verde High School on Thursday morning, Sept. 12, 2024. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Threats of violence on social media allegedly targeting a local high school have been labeled a “hoax,” San Juan Unified School District Director of Communication Raj Rai said Thursday.
The Citrus Heights Police Department confirmed on Sept. 12 that information regarding possible threats to school sites began to come in Wednesday night, Sept. 11, but that threats were “vague.” Lt. Bill Dunning with the Citrus Heights Police Department said that officers spent the night contacting “numerous students” and, after investigating the threats, determined that any threats to local school sites “were not credible.”
Dunning said online threats named “Mesa” but did not include the full name of Mesa Verde High School.
“There are numerous schools that begin and end with Mesa,” Dunning said, adding that the San Juan Unified School District Safe Schools team, which has been in contact with the police department, indicated Thursday morning that the threats were “unfounded.”
Dunning said, “out of an abundance of caution,” police presence was increased at Mesa Verde High School on Thursday morning.
In a phone call, Rai said according to the Regional Threat Center, several different social media posts indicated “general threats of violence,” while some posts named school sites, and that it was happening across the region.
“It’s looking like it’s a state and nation-wide hoax circulating on social media channels like Snapchat,” Rai said.
Several parents on social media reported receiving emails from school principals both in Citrus Heights and outside of the city regarding “circulating” social media posts “indicating the threat of school violence at a number of locations.”
An email shared with The Sentinel from Mesa Verde High School said in part, “We are closely monitoring the situation with the district’s Safe Schools team and have no evidence to suggest there is an actionable threat to our school community.”
In the email to parents, the district also encouraged parents and students to consider the “impact and dangers of sharing rumors on social media” and to discuss with students “the importance of reporting any safety concerns to a school staff member or local law enforcement promptly.”
Club Studio Fitness is located at 5419 Sunrise Blvd. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– A new fitness club based in Southern California is preparing to open its doors in Citrus Heights after months of being under construction.
Club Studio Fitness recently announced in a video on Facebook that staff have migrated from their satellite center to their official location in the Sunrise Village shopping center and are preparing to open to the public. According to staff who spoke with The Sentinel over the phone, the fitness center anticipates opening to the public “within the next week or two,” and the entire center is currently getting a “deep clean.”
Previously, the club had utilized a smaller satellite site located at Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard next to Red Lobster where customers could purchase memberships in advance while the main location was under construction.
The new fitness center bills itself as state-of-the-art and will offer several high-end services for members, according to Brandon Garcia, the studio’s general manager. Services include nine different fitness classes, a weight room, a recovery lab that includes hydromassage beds, compression therapy, cryotherapy, and red light therapy, and a med lab, which will include vitamin B12 shots, IV treatments, Botox, and facials,
The fitness center features a wide range of fitness classes, including yoga, hot Pilates, high intensity interval training, a trampoline class, low impact fitness classes, and boxing and weightlifting classes. Garcia told The Sentinel previously that all classes will be identical across company locations, but the rest of the center is designed to be unique to each city.
The studio’s website lists two membership tiers. The classic memberships begin at $129 per individual member and include access to multiple sites also owned by Fitness International, including LA Fitness, City Sports Club, and Exporta Fitness.
The first Club Studio opened in December in Irvine, California. According to the center’s website, the club currently has a location in Long Beach, and is also adding a new studio location in Elk Grove and Walnut Creek. The club has also expanded, with a location in Texas and multiple locations coming soon to several other states.
Club Studio Fitness is located at 5419 Sunrise Blvd.
Several classic cars lined up in Garsh Field at Rusch Park on Aug. 31 during a memorial honoring former Citrus Heights Little League Coach Jerry Garcia, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Citrus Heights Little League is inviting those who knew Jerry “Garsh” Garcia to a classic car show on Sunday, Sept. 15 at McDonald Field.
The event is slated to take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature live music, a classic car contest, food, and adult beverages.
Citrus Heights Little League wrote on the event page that the goal of the event is to celebrate the life of Garcia, who served on the Citrus Heights Little League board and served as a coach for over five decades. Organizers of the event are also seeking to “give our baseball families a chance to relax and enjoy a day without kids.”
Garcia passed away on July 30 at 75 years old. A recent memorial was held in his honor at Garsh Field at Rush Community Park on Aug. 31 and drew an estimated 350 people.
The classic car is open to the public but is for those 21 years and older. Tickets for entering classic cars cost $15. For more information and to register a classic car, visit the event’s Facebook page.
By Sara Beth Williams– The Citrus Heights City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to keep the District 1 City Council seat vacant until the Nov. 5 election.
During discussion at a Wednesday City Council meeting, the four current members of the council agreed there was “no need” to appoint someone to fill the vacancy at this time. Jayna Karpinski-Costa, who was voted in as mayor during the Sept. 11 meeting, also noted that the board positions held by former Mayor Bret Daniels were being filled by other council members.
“There’s a great election underway and viable candidates for the district,” newly appointed Vice Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff said preceding the vote.
“We’re pretty good together,” Karpinski-Costa said of her fellow council members. Councilmember Porsche Middleton agreed, stating that “we can handle this.”
Preceding the decision to leave the District 1 seat vacant until Nov. 5, Councilmember Tim Schaefer nominated Karpinski-Costa to become Mayor and Lopez-Taff to become Vice Mayor. The vote to approve both was unanimous.
Due to Daniels’ announcement of resignation at the end of August, the City Council District 1 seat was left vacant, and council members were mandated to either fill the vacancy with an appointed individual or conduct an election within 60 days of the vacancy.
If the City Council chose to appoint a replacement, according to the city, the appointment would have to take place no later than Oct. 30, after an application and interview process. Any appointed person would only hold office until the Dec. 11 council meeting, at which point the successfully elected candidate would take over.
According to the city, since the vacant District 1 seat is already scheduled to be filled at the Nov. 5 election, “it is not necessary for the City Council to call a special election for this purpose.”
In his resignation announcement to the City Council, Daniels requested that the council leave his seat open and “let the citizens decide” who the next council member for District 1 will be through the Nov. 5 election process.
Several police vehicles were on scene investigating following a deadly collision involving a motorcyclist on Antelope Road near Mariposa Avenue, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– A motorcyclist died Wednesday afternoon following a vehicular collision on Antelope Road in Citrus Heights.
Citrus Heights Police announced in a press release Wednesday evening that after responding to multiple reports of a collision between a motorcyclist and a vehicle on Antelope Road near Mariposa Avenue on Sept. 11, police arrived and found a motorcyclist “lying on the ground.” After attempting lifesaving measures, the motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Officers cordoned off Antelope Road in both directions between Mariposa Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard Wednesday afternoon while the scene was being investigated. The number of vehicles involved in the collision was not immediately known. Police officials confirmed with The Sentinel Wednesday evening that those known to have been involved remained on the scene to talk with police.
Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the collision, according to police. Witnesses on scene reported high speeds preceding the collision, but police officials did not indicate whether speed was a factor and are still investigating what led to the collision.
The identity of the deceased motorcyclist is being withheld, pending notification of the next of kin by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.
The Police Department is asking any witnesses to the collision to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5500. Additionally, the police advise that drivers should be “attentive to the roadway and other motorists” while on the road.
The collision occurred around 2:50 p.m., police said. Both directions of Antelope Road were shut down for several hours, with heavy traffic observed on Mariposa Avenue as a result. By 8 p.m. the roadway was observed to have been fully re-opened.
