This story is part of our February 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.
Sacramento may not be known as a city that never sleeps, but
after the offices close and the storefront grates roll down, a
contingent of workers heads out to keep the region running after
dark. At Comstock’s magazine — whose office is reliably closed by
about 5 p.m. — we’ve long been fascinated by the graveyard
shifters and midnight-oil burners who prepare each new day for
us. But in the years we’ve discussed doing a story like this,
none of us early birds have been enterprising (or insomniac)
enough to head out to the workplaces that stay open from dusk to
dawn with a camera, notepad and energy drink in hand.
That is, not until photojournalist Fred Greaves pitched
the idea of a “While You Were Sleeping” photo essay as he
shot the 2025 Young
Professionals issue. Over the course of several weeks last
year, he shadowed construction workers, emergency veterinarians,
diner cooks and other workers who say they appreciate the slow
rhythms and cool temperatures of the night shift. This might be a
recurring series — there are more 24-hour workplaces we haven’t
covered, from doctors’ offices to donut shops. Do you have
an idea of where we should go next? Send us a message on Instagram or
Facebook.
49er Diner
Powering the graveyard shift with food and conversation
Pedro Hernandez is the waiter, chef and greeter at the 24-hour
49er Diner off El Centro Road and I-5 in Natomas. Long-haul
truckers stop in at all hours overnight for a hot meal and cup of
coffee to keep themselves fueled for their trips. “I like to talk
with the people I make the food for,” says Hernandez, who has
been working at the diner for 15 years. “The people all the time
say ‘Thank you, Pedro. It’s good.’” He also washes the dishes,
mans the cash register and prepares burritos for the morning
shift. “I like graveyard. I go home early morning and sleep six
to eight hours.”
Related: Late-Night Dining
Returns to Sacramento
Fix 50 Project
Roadwork after dark keeps one of Sacramento’s busiest highways
moving
Caltrans began the $483 million Fix 50 project in March 2021 to
add HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes and repair aging pavement
on the heavily trafficked Highway 50 corridor. It might
be the middle of the night, but cars and trucks are zipping by
Gustavo Pena, foreman for Bay Line Cutting & Coring. His crew was
contracted by Caltrans to repair spacer joints on the bridges.
Pena likes his work, knowing that the nighttime hours are the
only times his crew can do repairs when traffic is reduced. He’s
been doing roadwork for 25 years and finds it satisfying to see
the progress of a project.
Caltrans has not given a date for the conclusion of the almost
six-year Fix 50 project.
UC Davis Emergency Veterinary Hospital
When the barn goes quiet, night-shift vets take over
Monica Mason is a large animal technician with UC Davis Emergency
Veterinary Hospital in Davis, meaning she works with animals
ranging from horses to livestock and even a zebra. The hospital
can provide simple farrier (hoof) care to the most complex of
surgeries for large animals. The mother of two children, ages 6
and 15, Mason likes the overnight shift because it gives her more
time for them during the day. She likes the quiet and less
busyness of the overnight.
“You get to just handle all these guys and nurse them,” Mason
says. “It’s really nice, it’s quiet. You don’t get the heat in
the summer. (In the winter) it’s a wonderful heated barn. It’s
beautiful.”
Related: A Rare Breed:
Veterinarians who travel let pets stay comfortably at home
Nightmare Muscle
Fitness fanatics seek focus with post-midnight lifts
Nightmare Muscle is a 24-hour gym on Franklin Boulevard in
Sacramento “where hustle meets muscle and greatness is forged.”
It’s a gym for power lifters, such as Gibran Medina, who likes
the “top of the line” equipment. “This gym has always been my
go-to from day one. I can’t imagine any other gym being better.”
And while you may expect the gym to be filled with heavy lifters
like Medina, there were more women there when photographer Fred
Greaves visited in the early hours, such as Rose Hoang, who works
out five days a week. She likes the community feel of the night
gym rats. “All the night owls are here,” Hoang says. “It’s less
packed here at night. No waiting for any racks. I get to play
music and blast it as loud as I want. It’s quite peaceful.”
Sacramento International Airport
While pilots rest, crews keep the runways ready
The flights and the runways come to a near stop for a few hours
overnight at Sacramento International Airport. That’s when Adam
Baldavia, airport operations officer, and his crew can do runway
inspections and other repair jobs that make the airport work.
(Shutterstock photo)
“Overnight shift is great, because not only do you get to have
the whole entire airport to yourself, but night shift inspections
are the best because you get to see everything from the lighting
to the people, and you solve problems efficiently. You have very
few people at night, and everyone on staff becomes super close to
each other. Everyone here is always on. It’s always working. And
so you feel like I’m part of a family, almost.”
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