Along North 12th Street, X Street or Alhambra Boulevard, the ubiquitous presence of unsheltered people and their tents, shopping carts, plastic bags, bicycles and detritus suggests Sacramento has no clue how to handle homelessness.
But that impression is wrong. The city does have a clue—recorded in a secret little publication called “Homeless Services Division Playbook.”
She asked for a No Parking sign. City Councilmember Steve Hansen built a gate instead.
She lost access to her property. And the public lost a historic access point to the Sacramento River Parkway levee in Little Pocket.
Months after Inside Sacramento and retired attorney Jim Geary asked the city for documents relevant to Hansen’s new gate on Riverside Boulevard, important evidence has emerged.
Sacramento received some good news recently. You might have missed it. There was no announcement, no media briefings. There were a few brief and whispered acknowledgements around City Hall, the kind where someone smiles tightly and says, “I just want you to know.”
Here’s the good news: There will not be another strong mayor campaign in Sacramento, at least not in the bankable future, and not conducted by Darrell Steinberg. After 11 years of plotting and dreaming that extended across two uniquely ambitious mayoral administrations, reality has been accepted at the center office on the fifth floor at City Hall.
We asked. And Sacramento City Councilmember Steve Hansen refuses to answer questions about why he opposes public access to the Sacramento River Parkway in Little Pocket.
By keeping silent, Hansen appears to favor the interests of about 40 Little Pocket homeowners while he blocks public access for Sacramento’s 500,000 residents.
Hansen is upset about a column I wrote last month for Inside Sacramento. I criticized the councilman for pushing the city to fence off public access to a parkway near the levee at 35th Avenue and Riverside Boulevard. At Hansen’s request, the city barricaded the access point in May.
