New City Council maps spewed division across several neighborhoods. East Sacramento was shoved into Downtown. An African American political stronghold crafted for South Sacramento in 1991 was carved up and forgotten.
But mistakes in Meadowview and East Sac became a feast in Pocket and Greenhaven. The riverfront communities scored big with the new council maps.
Pocket and Greenhaven are finally united with Land Park as one district. This means important matters common to residents along the Interstate 5 corridor are now represented by one voice at City Hall.
Premier among the chores is completion of the Sacramento River Parkway bike trail, a gem promised by the city in 1975. Political cowardice and literal roadblocks stalled the project for five decades.
The bike trail along the levee will give residents and visitors a recreational treasure—an unbroken bike route that activates the city’s most beautiful geography from Freeport to Downtown.
Rick Jennings, whose City Council term began eight years ago with a controversy over river access in South Pocket, turned the river bike trail into his legacy. He overcame objections from a handful of property owners along the river, built political support and found money to fund parkway development.
With Jennings poised for a third term this year, the new map requires him to introduce himself to residents in Land Park and Curtis Park. He has a good story to tell.
Jennings is the City Council member who fought for public access to the river and levee. He’s the elected official who resisted political threats to secure dollars to pave the trail, a coda expected once levee repairs are finished. He’s the guy who worked with police to figure out safety and security concerns along the river.
I’d challenge any local politician to write a better victory speech.
Pocket and Greenhaven were politically separate from Land Park and Downtown since 1971, when the city switched from at-large representation to local district councilmembers.
Among the eight districts, Pocket and Greenhaven were linked to Valley Hi through Meadowview for five decades—a construct based on 1971 census tracts.
The arrangement meant the riverfront neighborhoods of Pocket, Greenhaven, Little Pocket, South Land Park and Land Park were denied a common advocate at City Hall. Instead, Garcia Bend was attached to Cosumnes River College.
Lynn Robie, Terry Kastanis and Robbie Waters represented Pocket for 31 years. They refused to prioritize the river parkway. Behind the scenes, they opposed it, influenced by people who lived along the river and saw the levee as their private playground.
The landscape changed in 2010, when Darrell Fong defeated Waters and became councilmember for Pocket and Greenhaven. Fong believed in the river parkway. He convinced City Hall colleagues to resurrect the levee bike trail.
Jennings replaced Fong in 2014 but wasn’t sure how to follow Fong’s progress. Jennings was quickly bombarded with complaints from property owners near the levee, loudmouths who know every phone number at City Hall.
But he soon realized property owners were a special-interest group without concern for the community. He couldn’t ignore them, but he refused to serve as their lobbyist.
Jennings summed up the situation when he told me, “The city made a promise to build the river parkway in 1975. We need to keep that promise.”
Political futures depend on that promise. Former Land Park Councilmember Steve Hansen ignored the city’s vow and refused to finish the levee parkway. He never explained why and paid the price.
Hansen’s arrogance was highlighted in these pages two years ago. Newcomer Katie Valenzuela came along, embraced the parkway, and kicked Steve into retirement.
Under the new map, Valenzuela represents Midtown and East Sac. Her focus is homelessness and housing. She now owns those issues.
Finishing the parkway is much easier than solving the eternal puzzles of homelessness and housing. Valenzuela may soon miss her old district. Meantime, the big winners are Rick Jennings and those of us who love the river levee parkway.
R.E. Graswich can be reached at regraswich@icloud.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
