Sacramento City Council Meeting - March 12, 2024: Consent Calendar, Commission Reports, and Public Comment
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Sacramento City Council Meeting - March 12, 2024
This regular City Council meeting convened at 5:06 PM and adjourned early at 8:01 PM due to a disruption in the chamber. The agenda included a special presentation, consent calendar items, and separate discussions on the Active Transportation Commission and Disabilities Advisory Commission annual reports, as well as the renewal of the Sacramento Tourism Marketing District. Public comment was extensive, particularly on issues of accessibility, active transportation safety, and the accuracy of past meeting minutes.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approved minutes from multiple prior meetings (Motion No. 2024-0050).
- Item 2: Adopted Resolution No. 2024-0071 increasing the SB 1383 Local Assistance Grant award from $864,034 to $1,349,680.
- Item 3: Passed Motion No. 2024-0051 supplementing legal services contract with Murphy, Austin, Adams, Schoenfeld, LLP by $450,000 (total not-to-exceed $549,000).
- Item 4: Adopted Resolution No. 2024-0072 approving the Personnel Resolution for Unrepresented Officers and Employees.
- Item 7: Received and filed the Planning and Design Commission 2023 Annual Report.
- Item 9: Adopted Resolutions No. 2024-0073 and 2024-0074 determining mailed-ballot election results and enacting changes for the Greenbriar Community Facilities District No. 2018-03; passed for publication an ordinance to levy a special tax.
- Item 10: Continued to the March 26, 2024 meeting (confirmation of SETA Executive Director).
- Item 11: Approved Motion No. 2024-0053 authorizing a professional services agreement with Berkeley Strategy Advisors, LLC for Economic Gardening 2.0 Program (initial term $236,850, total not-to-exceed $1,228,500 over five years).
- Items 13–17: Received and filed notifications of subdivision map approvals (Panhandle Phase 1, Delta Shores MDR-8 Phase 2, Ventris Place, 2612 27th Street, Greenbriar Phase 2 Village 6).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Several speakers criticized the accuracy of recent meeting minutes, alleging that the council had unduly limited public comment on ceasefire resolutions and misrepresented events. Speakers requested edits to the minutes, including adding context for recesses.
- On Item 5 (Active Transportation), over 40 e‑comments and many in‑person speakers urged the council to provide a full hearing and increase funding for active transportation. Speakers cited statistics: Sacramento has the highest pedestrian fatality rate among major California cities, with 23 pedestrian deaths in 2023; Vision Zero goals have not been met; and traffic fatalities and severe injuries have increased 50% since 2018. Many advocated for quick‑build bikeways, traffic calming, and a shift in budget priorities.
- On Item 6 (Disabilities Advisory Commission), speakers called for a dedicated ADA coordinator, accessible public meetings, virtual comment options, and improved drop‑off access at Golden 1 Center. One speaker described a brain‑stem stroke survivor’s difficulty accessing the arena, noting that the L Street drop‑off had been restricted to paratransit and VIP vehicles.
- On Item 8 (Tourism Marketing District), four hotel and short‑term rental operators spoke in support of renewal, citing that Visit Sacramento filled over 332,000 room nights in 2023 and that the district supports thousands of local jobs.
Discussion Items
- Item 5 – Active Transportation Commission 2023 Annual Report: The item was pulled from consent for separate discussion. Councilmembers and public speakers emphasized that the report’s recommendations (including increased funding, quick‑build projects, and construction detour policies) are critical to reversing rising pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. Mayor Steinberg suggested a future ballot measure to fund quality‑of‑life improvements. The item was ultimately continued to a later meeting (per minutes).
- Item 6 – Sacramento Disabilities Advisory Commission Annual Report: Councilmember Talamantes and Vang led discussion. Councilmember Vang urged a monitoring process for board and commission recommendations, a report back within two months, and a meeting with the Sacramento Kings to address Golden 1 Center ADA drop‑off issues. The motion passed unanimously (8‑0) with directions to PMP, staff, and the Racial Equity Committee.
- Item 8 – Renewal of Sacramento Tourism Marketing District No. 2024-01: This was a public hearing only; no action was taken. The final public hearing and assessment vote are scheduled for March 26, 2024.
Key Outcomes
- Item 5 (Active Transportation): Continued to a future meeting; no vote taken.
- Item 6 (Disabilities): Passed Motion No. 2024-0052 to receive and file the report, with directions: (1) PMP to develop a process for monitoring board/commission recommendations; (2) staff to report back to council and the Disabilities Advisory Commission within two months on status of recommendations; (3) City Manager to coordinate with the Sacramento Kings and DAC within two to three weeks on short‑term ADA drop‑off solutions; (4) the Racial Equity Committee to invite the DAC to present.
- Item 12 (Third-Party Appeal of Contemporary Commons): Continued to March 26, 2024, without hearing.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 8:01 PM after the chamber was cleared due to persistent disruption from a member of the public.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon, everyone. The Sacramento City Council will please come to order. Would the clerk call the role to establish quorum? Thank you, Councilmember Captain. Mayor Pro Tem Telemantes. Councilmember Valenzuela. Here. Vice Mayor Maple. Here. Councilmember Gatta. Here. Councilmember Jennings. Councilmember Vang. Here. And Mayor Steinberg. I am here. Vice Mayor Maple, would you please lead us in the land acknowledgement and the Pledge of Allegiance? All right, certainly. Please stand if you are able. Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands to the original people of this land, the Nissanon people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Miwap, Putwin Wintum peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the Native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous people's history, contributions, and lives. Thank you. Please remain remain standing. Salute and pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Vice Mayor. And a very good uh afternoon and evening to my colleagues, the city team, and most importantly, the members of the public who are here and who are watching this uh either online or on television. Um we do not have uh a long meeting tonight, I don't believe, although I think there are a number of people here who want to testify on matters not on the agenda. We begin with a presentation recognizing Girl Scout Troop 1089, presented by Vice Mayor Maple. Thank you, Mayor. Um, and this is really special for me. Uh, had the opportunity to meet with this troop and uh and want to share a little bit about what they're what they are doing, what they've done, and then I'll invite them up to speak. Um, first, I would this is not just 1089, just to clarify, it's also including individuals from Troops 1105, 917, and 793. Um, and they designed and built their own amateur long distance radio and then use it to contact an American astronaut on the International Space Station. Pretty incredible. Oh, yeah. They were selected by NASA as one of only 11 groups across the nation this year to participate in this program. As a part of the amateur radio uh on the International Space Station program, each scout received a unique merit badge for their work and participated in six session uh a succession educational program focused on space, the International Space Station, and radio communication. Projects like these are so important for encouraging women and girls to pursue their careers in science and technology, aka STEM. And it's also important that they start moving down that path when they're young, right? So doing this work now is gonna help you build your future career and your path in life. And so I'm really thrilled to welcome you up to the podium. If I could have Fred and Elsa and others behind them come up and speak, you just can come up to the microphone right here. Welcome hi, my name is Fred. The contact itself is just such a success, which makes me so happy, but it makes me really grateful to think about like all the people in our community who came out to support us. So, for example, like Katie Maple came for one of our sessions where we were just getting ready, and that was super exciting. And then the amateur radio communication society helped us out so much, not only building the radio, but Jen was like foundational and our project success, which makes me so happy to think about all the people that contributed to our project and helped us out. Yeah, and um, I agree. I think that I speak for all of us when I say that this is like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we're so thankful for all the support from the River City um Amateur Radio Club and Ares, and it's definitely gotten all of us more invested in STEM subjects, and we're all really honored to have this opportunity.
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