{"id":163784,"date":"2026-02-04T17:24:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T17:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/163784\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T17:24:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T17:24:40","slug":"while-sacramento-sleeps-these-night-workers-keep-the-city-moving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/163784\/","title":{"rendered":"While Sacramento Sleeps, These Night Workers Keep the City Moving"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This story is part of our February 2026 issue. To read the print version, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n


\n
\n <\/p>\n

\n Sacramento may not be known as a city that never sleeps, but
\n after the offices close and the storefront grates roll down, a
\n contingent of workers heads out to keep the region running after
\n dark. At Comstock\u2019s magazine \u2014 whose office is reliably closed by
\n about 5 p.m. \u2014 we\u2019ve long been fascinated by the graveyard
\n shifters and midnight-oil burners who prepare each new day for
\n us. But in the years we\u2019ve discussed doing a story like this,
\n none of us early birds have been enterprising (or insomniac)
\n enough to head out to the workplaces that stay open from dusk to
\n dawn with a camera, notepad and energy drink in hand.\n<\/p>\n

\n That is, not until photojournalist\u00a0Fred Greaves\u00a0pitched
\n the idea of a \u201cWhile You Were Sleeping\u201d photo essay as he
\n shot\u00a0the 2025 Young
\n Professionals<\/a> issue. Over the course of several weeks last
\n year, he shadowed construction workers, emergency veterinarians,
\n diner cooks and other workers who say they appreciate the slow
\n rhythms and cool temperatures of the night shift. This might be a
\n recurring series \u2014 there are more 24-hour workplaces we haven\u2019t
\n covered, from doctors\u2019\u00a0offices to donut shops. Do you have
\n an idea of where we should go next? Send us a message on Instagram<\/a> or
\n Facebook<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

49er Diner<\/p>\n

Powering the graveyard shift with food and conversation<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Pedro Hernandez is the waiter, chef and greeter at the 24-hour
\n 49er Diner off El Centro Road and I-5 in Natomas. Long-haul
\n truckers stop in at all hours overnight for a hot meal and cup of
\n coffee to keep themselves fueled for their trips. \u201cI like to talk
\n with the people I make the food for,\u201d says Hernandez, who has
\n been working at the diner for 15 years. \u201cThe people all the time
\n say \u2018Thank you, Pedro. It\u2019s good.\u2019\u201d He also washes the dishes,
\n mans the cash register and prepares burritos for the morning
\n shift. \u201cI like graveyard. I go home early morning and sleep six
\n to eight hours.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Late-Night Dining
\n Returns to Sacramento<\/a><\/p>\n

Fix 50 Project<\/p>\n

Roadwork after dark keeps one of Sacramento\u2019s busiest highways
\n moving<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Caltrans began the $483 million Fix 50 project in March 2021 to
\n add HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes and repair aging pavement
\n on the heavily trafficked Highway\u00a050\u00a0corridor. It might
\n be the middle of the night, but cars and trucks are zipping by
\n Gustavo Pena, foreman for Bay Line Cutting & Coring. His crew was
\n contracted by Caltrans to repair spacer joints on the bridges.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Pena likes his work, knowing that the nighttime hours are the
\n only times his crew can do repairs when traffic is reduced. He\u2019s
\n been doing roadwork for 25 years and finds it satisfying to see
\n the progress of a project.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Caltrans has not given a date for the conclusion of the almost
\n six-year Fix 50 project.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

UC Davis Emergency Veterinary Hospital<\/p>\n

When the barn goes quiet, night-shift vets take over<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Monica Mason is a large animal technician with UC Davis Emergency
\n Veterinary Hospital in Davis, meaning she works with animals
\n ranging from horses to livestock and even a zebra. The hospital
\n can provide simple farrier (hoof) care to the most complex of
\n surgeries for large animals. The mother of two children, ages 6
\n and 15, Mason likes the overnight shift because it gives her more
\n time for them during the day. She likes the quiet and less
\n busyness of the overnight.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cYou get to just handle all these guys and nurse them,\u201d Mason
\n says. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice, it\u2019s quiet. You don\u2019t get the heat in
\n the summer. (In the winter) it\u2019s a wonderful heated barn. It\u2019s
\n beautiful.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0A Rare Breed:
\n Veterinarians who travel let pets stay comfortably at home<\/a><\/p>\n

Nightmare Muscle<\/p>\n

Fitness fanatics seek focus with post-midnight lifts<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Nightmare Muscle is a 24-hour gym on Franklin Boulevard in
\n Sacramento \u201cwhere hustle meets muscle and greatness is forged.\u201d
\n It\u2019s a gym for power lifters, such as Gibran Medina, who likes
\n the \u201ctop of the line\u201d equipment. \u201cThis gym has always been my
\n go-to from day one. I can\u2019t imagine any other gym being better.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n And while you may expect the gym to be filled with heavy lifters
\n like Medina, there were more women there when photographer Fred
\n Greaves visited in the early hours, such as Rose Hoang, who works
\n out five days a week. She likes the community feel of the night
\n gym rats. \u201cAll the night owls are here,\u201d Hoang says. \u201cIt\u2019s less
\n packed here at night. No waiting for any racks. I get to play
\n music and blast it as loud as I want. It\u2019s quite peaceful.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Filling a Niche:
\n Boutique gyms are helping satisfy the growing demand for unique
\n workouts with activities such as rock-wall climbing and mixed
\n martial arts<\/a><\/p>\n

Sacramento International Airport<\/p>\n

While pilots rest,\u00a0crews keep the runways ready<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n The flights and the runways come to a near stop for a few hours
\n overnight at Sacramento International Airport. That\u2019s when Adam
\n Baldavia, airport operations officer, and his crew can do runway
\n inspections and other repair jobs that make the airport work.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n (Shutterstock photo)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cOvernight shift is great, because not only do you get to have
\n the whole entire airport to yourself, but night shift inspections
\n are the best because you get to see everything from the lighting
\n to the people, and you solve problems efficiently. You have very
\n few people at night, and everyone on staff becomes super close to
\n each other. Everyone here is always on. It\u2019s always working. And
\n so you feel like I\u2019m part of a family, almost.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Smoother
\n Ride Ahead: Sacramento International Airport has found ways to
\n avoid a financial fiasco despite a huge drop in passengers due to
\n the pandemic<\/a><\/p>\n

\n \u2013\n<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date on\u00a0business in the Capital Region:
\n Subscribe to the Comstock\u2019s newsletter
\n today.<\/a>\n<\/p>\n