City, County and Neighborhood News
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Offensive Fences
Temporary chain-link fences showed up overnight. Stretched across the Sacramento River levee, blocking the gravel path, disheveled and lurching like drunks after a party. One fence ran into the water, breaking federal and state laws.
Somehow, the fences were approved by state officials from the Central Valley Flood Protection Board.
In May, a staff member at Central Valley Flood issued temporary permits for two private, cross-levee fences and gates in Pocket. The new barricades went up fast.
They were erected by property owners near the river, the small, loud group that spent years fighting to keep the public away from the levee.
Jail Brake
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors endured a controversial hearing last December about overcrowding and the quality of inmate care at the Downtown Main Jail and Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove.
Testimony pitted law enforcement supporters against social justice advocates. Supporters urged financial investment to improve jail conditions. Advocates argued against more money for incarceration.
In the background, warnings from a federal judge about constitutional rights violations at the jails drove concerns about a potential court-ordered mass release of prisoners.
Tensions flared. Supervisor Phil Serna said support for jail enhancements came from “fear mongering.” By a 3-2 vote, the supervisors compromised. They agreed to consider capital improvements and work toward incarceration alternatives.
Action At Last
Every crisis needs a solution. Every solution needs a plan. Homelessness plagues our city, especially since the pandemic and calamities of methamphetamine and opioid addiction.
Against this background, Sacramento Steps Forward recently held a conference titled “All In” to unveil the Local Homeless Action Plan. It’s a regional blueprint for resources and a collaborative, cohesive approach to the crisis.
The event provided insight into the challenges of moving people off our streets and away from the American River Parkway. How to use limited resources more effectively was also discussed.
The action plan contains targets for numbers of people served, housing production and service provisions. It’s an important acknowledgement that the burdens of homelessness must be shared by the county and city.
Pave it
Things look good on new sections of the Sacramento River levee. The roadbed gravel is neat and smooth, baking in the summer heat. But wait until winter. Things get ugly when rains come.
I have an idea how much money it costs to repair the levees and bolster them with slurry walls. It’s a big number. The project, which has taken about three years and isn’t finished, carries a price tag of $1.8 billion, paid by taxpayers. Who can bring context to that much money?
People visit the levee to inspect their investment. They walk along the new gravel roadbed and enjoy the views. Sometimes they see new damage, months after Army Corps of Engineers contractors finished another section of seepage walls and levee rehabilitation.
Out & About May 2023
Find out what is going on in Sacramento during the month of May!
Runway To Safety
Maybe it wasn’t the smartest move, placing the city’s public safety headquarters at the end of a deadly Executive Airport runway, in a building where a jet crashed and killed 22 people. But so far, so good. The police and fire headquarters survived two decades without incident.
Now Gerald Thomas, a thoughtful Inside Sacramento reader, thinks the runway, known as 12/30 in aviation vernacular, can perform a lifesaving role. With minimal fuss, the runway can transform into an escape route for thousands of residents fleeing high waters from a levee failure.
