City Realist
Better Safe
Better Safe Flood risk is too great to delay levee repairs By Jeff Harris May 2025 In the winters of 1986 and 1997, the American River levee system sustained so much erosion damage that catastrophic flooding was imminent. Thankfully, through good management of the...
Double Crossed
Sacramento is defined by its rivers. For the city to function, it needs bridges over those rivers. Bridges stimulate economic development.
Look at Portland, another city with two great rivers. Twelve bridges cross the Willamette, with two more over the Columbia. Many are multimodal, with room for cars, trains, cyclists and pedestrians. Their connectivity brings growth and prosperity.
By comparison, Sacramento has only six bridges, including the Tower and I Street spans. The I Street crossing was built in 1911, when communication was by telegraph. By all accounts it needs replacement.
Dollars and Sense
Leyne Milstein has her work cut out for her. Appointed interim city manager after Howard Chan’s dismissal, Milstein is guiding Mayor Kevin McCarty and the City Council through a difficult budget cycle.
A $77 million deficit looms, less if state funds for homelessness materialize.
Milstein is the most dedicated city employee I know. She’s been on the job for more than 20 years. We talked about the budget, her interim role and the future.
“I love this city,” she says. “I have stayed because I love the mission of following the money and making Sacramento a better place.”
Milstein became interim manager thanks to her budget experience. She became the city’s finance director in 2008 and has been running budget preparations since 2017. She knows where the skeletons are buried, unlike an external candidate.
Full Agenda
From immigration policy to human trafficking legislation, Maggy Krell has a long list of goals as the city’s new state Assembly representative.
Housing comes first. Throughout the campaign and since her election last November, Krell listened to constituents. She found clarity in the public’s priorities.
“What I’m hearing is the cost of living and specifically the cost of housing is too high in California,” she says.
Krell’s approach to housing solutions involves collaboration with city and county leaders. One possibility is to repurpose unused state properties for housing and educational uses.
Sky High
If you haven’t visited the Aerospace Museum of California, January is the perfect time.
The Smithsonian-affiliated Aerospace Museum is the greatest aviation show in town.
Located on 7 acres at McClellan Business Park, the museum showcases planes from past to present. There are rockets, space travel displays and World War II aircraft.
Flying has long been part of my life. A pilot for 42 years, I’m on the museum board. I wish I had a museum like this to visit when I was a kid.
Fresh Start
Two questions linger from the mayoral election. What challenges face the apparent winner, Kevin McCarty? What improvements do residents want?
For answers, let’s start with the legacy of departing Mayor Darrell Steinberg. He was elected in 2016 on the promise to resolve homelessness. He leaves behind a broken promise.
Soon after arriving, Steinberg alienated the County Board of Supervisors by condemning their response to homelessness and mental health problems.
