Lawmaker finds peace, welcome at W. Sacramento motel
The governor's suite at the Hyatt, it's not.
But Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, says the simple room he rents month-by-month at the Welcome Grove Lodge in West Sacramento suits him just fine.
He's called it his home away from home three or four nights a week for 10 years.
Never mind that the budget-priced motel has seen better days, or that it sits on what used to be a notorious stretch of West Capitol Avenue.
Torlakson, 60, a leading candidate for state superintendent of public instruction, says it's affordable and near his running and cycling route along the Sacramento River.
That makes it a good fit for the lanky fitness buff known for his frugality.
Other lawmakers rent apartments downtown or room together in suburban houses.
Torlakson said the century-old Valley oaks and chirping birds at the Welcome Grove remind him of camping trips when he was young.
"The place is an enclave of peace and tranquillity," said the former state senator and longtime Contra Costa County supervisor.
On weekends Torlakson returns home to the house he shares with his wife and children in Pittsburg.
Monday to Thursday, he occupies a room in the 1960s-era motel along West Capitol.
The small motel is part of an 8-acre property that includes 28 classic auto-court cottages and 77
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