Sacramento’s top stories: $10M settlement, Freeport Bakery sold. Here’s what to know

Sacramento’s top stories on Tuesday span a major legal payout, a beloved bakery changing hands, transit access planning and new leadership at a science museum. Here’s a quick rundown of what happened around the region.

Read more Sacramento’s top stories: $10M settlement, Freeport Bakery sold. Here’s what to know

• The city of Sacramento paid a $10 million settlement to Alexcia Ceja after animal control officer Jennifer Channell allegedly ran a red light in January 2022 and crashed into Ceja’s vehicle near El Camino Avenue and Lexington Street in North Sacramento. The settlement was signed in February. City spokesperson Jennifer Singer said Channell remains employed as a senior animal control officer and declined to say whether she was disciplined.

• Freeport Bakery, a Land Park landmark at 2966 Freeport Blvd., has been sold to Lisa Calk, owner of Ettore’s Bakery & Cafe, with the ownership change taking effect in September. Founders Walter and Marlene Goetzeler are retiring after opening the bakery in 1987 and building it into a Sacramento institution. The shop became famous for its pastries and cakes, including a viral 2016 Ken doll cake wearing a tiara and pink dress.

• Sacramento Regional Transit is surveying riders about access to the Roseville Road light rail station, which has been hard to reach since a 2021 fire closed the nearby Grand Avenue bridge. Potential improvements include reopening the bridge, better lighting, public art, traffic calming and improved ADA accessibility. A public workshop is expected in late September or early October, spokesperson Jessica Gonzalez said.

• Carlos Gonzalez-Jaime has been named executive director of the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity, effective Oct. 1. He has served as founding director of Transform in Fort Worth since 2022 and previously spent 13 years in senior leadership at Hewlett-Packard. He replaces interim executive director Daniela Calvitti and said he plans to spend his first 100 days on a “listening tour.”