Sacramento City Council Meeting - May 28, 2024

The Sacramento City Council convened at 2:04 p.m. on May 28, 2024, at City Hall, Mayor Darrell Steinberg presiding. All council members were present except Councilmember Jennings (who later participated). The meeting covered a consent calendar of 13 items, a corrected audit of board diversity, administrative steps for a library parcel tax ballot measure, and an update on the homeless response system.

Consent Calendar

• Items 1–13 were adopted in one motion (moved by Councilmember Kaplan, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Talamantes, all aye). Key approvals included:
  • Item 1: Regulations for candidate statements for the November 5, 2024 municipal election.
  • Item 2: Resolutions calling a municipal election and placing the Sacramento Public Library Combined Parcel Tax Measure on the ballot.
  • Item 4: Authorizing an EPA grant application for the Shasta Park Facility Rehabilitation and Replacement Program, including a $1 million fund transfer from the Shasta Park Reservoir project.
  • Item 5: Updating the Comprehensive Flood Management Plan.
  • Item 6: Increasing a contract with Derotic LLC for vehicle response equipment by $600,000, to a total of $900,000.
  • Item 7: Awarding a $460,404 contract to TJR Resources Inc. for the Wood Park Community Garden Project, with an $80,000 fund transfer from Measure U Park Improvements.
  • Item 8: Approving annual reports for six Business Improvement Areas (Del Paso, Downtown Plaza, Franklin, Old Sacramento, Stockton, Sutter) and setting public hearings for June 18, 2024.
  • Item 10: Adding $20,526 for geotechnical analysis on Natomas interior levees (total contract $1,433,509). Councilmember Kaplan noted a contractor performed work outside scope without prior approval but staff negotiated resolution.
  • Item 11: Increasing the Ford light-duty vehicle purchase contract by $2 million, to $4.9 million.
  • Item 12: Suspending competitive bidding to authorize a $2.5 million, five-year agreement with Endress+Hauser for equipment and technical support.
  • Item 13: Accepting $2,874,428 in state funding for the CaliforniansForAll Youth Service Corps and executing a $124,092 amendment with Urban Strategies, Inc.

Public Comments & Testimony

• On Item 13 (Youth Service Corps): Four speakers (Atlas Jackman, Maximilian, Kiki Moore, Brandy House) from the Sierra Service Project expressed full support for the program, describing its impact on workforce training, community gardens, and tiny home construction. They requested additional funding to extend the program from eight weeks to a year. Councilmembers acknowledged their advocacy.
• On Item 16 (Homeless Response): Robert Copeland criticized the lack of demographic details (income, age, disability) and questioned why only 15% of housing retentions were tracked. He urged the council to work at the state level on poverty issues.
• On Matters Not on the Agenda: Michael Welton reported his Section 8 voucher was terminated because he was homeless and missed paperwork deadlines; he requested assistance. Robert Copeland criticized City Manager Howard Chan's reported bonus compensation (64 weeks of bonus income) as a misalignment of priorities amid a budget deficit.

Discussion Items

• Item 14: 2022 Audit of City Board, Committee, and Commission Diversity – Interim City Auditor Farishta Ahrary presented a corrected report, acknowledging a mistake in the original July 2023 report that omitted a data set from March 2022. The updated report removed inaccurate findings and used the correct data. Councilmembers Guerra, Vang, and Kaplan praised the transparency. Councilmember Vang requested that the application questionnaire include disaggregated categories for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities to improve outreach. The motion (by Guerra, seconded by Vang) passed unanimously with the direction to incorporate disaggregated data.
• Item 15: Library Parcel Tax Measure – Impartial Analysis and Argument Authors – Councilmember Vang moved to authorize Mayor Pro Tem Talamantes as the author of the argument in support of the Sacramento Public Library Combined Parcel Tax Measure (a renewal, not a tax increase). The motion passed unanimously.
• Item 16: Homeless Response System Updates – Peter Bell and Lisa Bates from Sacramento Steps Forward presented first-year results of the Coordinated Access System (CAS). Key data: Over 37,000 callers connected to resources; median wait time under 5 minutes; 2,133 households moved from crisis resources to housing in 2023; 805 households prevented from homelessness using $2.2 million (85% remained housed after one year); shelter utilization averaged 93%; however, only 33–34% of shelter demand was met, and median time from assessment to shelter enrollment was 10 days (for those who got in). 73% of referrals resulted in enrollment; 27% missed intake appointments despite offered transportation. Councilmembers Valenzuela, Maple, Jennings, Pro Tem Talamantes, and Mayor Steinberg discussed the need for more outcome-based accountability, better data on inflow into homelessness, and integration of wraparound services. No formal action was taken; the report was received and commented.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar adopted (Items 1–13) with unanimous vote.
• Audit Report approved (Item 14) with direction to disaggregate Asian demographic data; motion passed 8-0.
• Library measure argument author (Item 15) authorized; Mayor Pro Tem Talamantes will write the argument in support; passed 8-0.
• Homeless system update (Item 16) received and discussed; no vote required.
• Public comments on vouchers and city manager compensation were noted for follow-up.