Of the thousands of pictures I made during 2021, hundreds of them ended up on CapRadio’s platforms and beyond, and 21 are in my year in review. There are five themes that the photos fall under, so rather than a list of my favorite images, let’s explore last year’s main topics that I covered visually for CapRadio.
Vaccination/Reopening
The COVID-19 pandemic was top of mind going into 2021. The hope of a return to pre-pandemic activities was short-lived. After vaccination rates didn’t reach levels public health officials wanted, and then the delta variant, among other problems, meant “reopening” would not be as fast or smooth as hoped.
Luther Burbank High School hosts a vaccine clinic in its gym Tuesday, April 13, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Program Manager Ryan Saechin checks Luke Henley's, 5, temperature before allowing him onto campus at John Cabrillo Elementary School, Thursday, April 8, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio 
Mitch Toro's "advocacy" class meets at Encina High School in Arden-Arcade, Thursday, April 8, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Alejandra Gonzalez wipes away her daughter's tears, Valeria Ugalde, 9, after getting a COVID-19 vaccine at the Pannell Center in Sacramento, Friday, Nov. 19, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Sutter Health Park requires masks and social distance at a River Cats Game, Wednesday, April 7, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
More:
- Photos: What In-Person Classes Look Like In The Sacramento Region
- Photos: Sacramento River Cats Welcome Fans Back For First Time Since 2019
Housing
The pandemic exposed long-building inequities, and one of the most visible was housing. Whether it was rents rising ever higher or the ever-growing unhoused community, it seemed to be on the mind of residents and in the news often in 2021.
Machines ready land for development in Winters, Calif. on Monday, March 8, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
A flooded encampment along the North edge of Sacramento's city center, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Vigil attendees march from Sacramento City Hall to the county administration building on Feb. 5, 2021, as part of a memorial for unhoused people who died in a recent storm.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
More:
- Nixing Single-Family Zoning: Will It Make Housing More Affordable?
- Homeless Sacramentans describe how they survived the weekend’s historic storm
- ‘We Really Want To Figure This Out.’ Sacramento City, County Government Divided In Struggle To Confront Homelessness Crisis
Wildfire
“Fire season” reached a height this summer and set new records for destruction across the state. Here in Northern California, the Caldor Fire entered the Tahoe Basin, a nightmare scenario, yet was halted due to the efforts of firefighters. Thousands of homes were destroyed and many more people were displaced statewide after evacuation orders from the barrage of fires.
A burned sign greets travelers in Grizzly Flat, Calif. Tuesday, August 17, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Fire crews manage a back fire in Sly Park, Calif., fighting the Caldor Fire on Monday, Aug, 23, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Firefighters protect homes in Christmas Valley from the Caldor Fire Monday, Aug. 30, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Jeff and Linda Sprague of Mendocino watch the Salt Fire spread in Shasta County, June 30, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Helicopters draw water from Jenkinson Lake to drop on the Caldor Fire Monday, Aug. 23, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
More:
Recall Election
The recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom was cooking for a long time, and amidst the chaos of fire season, Californians went to the polls. Unlike previous elections, the recall was the only item on the ballot in Sacramento County. Statewide, the recall election itself cost nearly $300 million. Newsom defeated the recall effort.
Patricia Perez of Sacramento County votes at Oak Park Community Center on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Election inspector Candice Hampton takes a photo of David McKinney, a Sacramento County voter, dropping off his recall ballot at the greater Sacramento Urban League polling location on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Ballots are checked to make sure they will be counted by the machines properly at the Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections Office on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
More:
Sacramento Life
With so much of daily life in flux, communities in Sacramento provided respite from the chaos from wildfires, pandemic, housing and elections. Here are five images of life in the region as it unfolded.
Kristen Cox, Pamela Gustava and Shannon Brinkley walk as part of a walking group to stay active and social during the pandemic, on Monday May 17, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Traditional red envelopes are part of a drive through Lunar New Year celebration in Sacramento, Calif. On Feb 19, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
San Juan Unified School District employee and Afghan refugee, Abdul Safay, puts up signs at a food distribution and resource fair catering to Afghan families on Thursday Aug. 19, 2021 at Encina High School.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio 
A vigil gathers Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at Sacramento City Hall to honor victims of the shooting spree in Georgia targeting AAPI women.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
Yer and Rocky Vang prepare corn for sale at their plot in a garden on Lemon Hill Ave on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
More:
- CapRadio Instagram
- A Neighborhood In Transition: Sacramento’s Little Saigon Grapples With Culture And The American Dream
- Sacramento’s Afghan Community Fears For Friends, Family As Taliban Take Over Afghanistan
- ‘We Have Been Targeted’: Sacramento Asian American Community Demands More Support, Unity After Atlanta Killings
- Hmong residents connect at Sacramento’s community gardens, but want more city support to grow more food
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