City Realist

The American River Flood Control District has worked to prevent levee failure for almost a century. The district maintains 40 miles of levees along the American River and protects residents in East Sacramento, Sierra Oaks and nearby neighborhoods from floods.

District staffers mow levee slopes to reduce fire danger. They repair encroachments and respond to levee weak spots during storms. It’s essential work. An assessment on your property taxes pays the bills.

Do you feel good about Sacramento?

Consider the declining state of Downtown, the impact of homelessness, the degradation of parks and infrastructure, and lack of safety many residents feel.

The city needs a leadership change—a clearer vision about what makes the community livable.

Thankfully, Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilmember Katie Valenzuela will soon leave City Hall. Their policy decisions (with complicity by council colleagues) led to a record deficit during a period of all-time high revenue.

Another deficit involves the lack of fiscal responsibility within city leadership.

Sacramento has abundant park acreage with great amenities. But our parks are falling apart. Why? Because the City Council underfunds the park system.

In June, the city boasted in its City Minute newsletter, “Sacramento Parks Earn Spot Among Best Cities in National Ranking.” The accolade came from Trust for Public Land, a San Francisco nonprofit dedicated to park expansion. Rankings are based on access, investment, amenities, acreage, equity and maintenance.

I had to laugh. A decade ago, the city’s ranking was much higher. It dropped like a rock. At first, the Great Recession caught the blame. Now the problem is misplaced priorities by the mayor and City Council.

The City Council closed a $66 million deficit when it adopted a budget for fiscal year 2024–25. The good news is City Manager Howard Chan successfully avoided employee layoffs.

On the downside, departments must reduce budgets by 10%. Fees for services are going up. Some services and vacant positions are gone.

Most residents won’t see dramatic changes. City staff will work harder with less, capital improvement projects will be shelved, roads will deteriorate further.

Overall, the budget outcome wasn’t too painful. Sound good? Think again.

I dug into the budget to better understand the consequences of the strategies used to close the deficit.

You’d think he’d learn.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg recently brought a resolution to City Council calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Hamas-Israeli war. The outcome? Mayhem at City Hall.

Public comment on the resolution included 79 speakers and showcased disparate points of view. The meeting halted when shouting and belligerence boiled over. Police cleared the chambers and arrested 12 protestors. Cops broke up a crowd blocking the garage at City Hall.

Steinberg spent a lot of time negotiating with local Palestinian and Jewish groups to craft his resolution, a wholly symbolic document. Perhaps he thought his mediation skills would stand as a testament to his leadership.