Sacramento City Council Meeting - June 18, 2024: Appeals, Contracts, and Policy Decisions
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Sacramento City Council Meeting - June 18, 2024
The Sacramento City Council convened on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at 2:05 PM at City Hall, with Vice Mayor Maple presiding. Mayor Steinberg was absent. The meeting included a special Juneteenth presentation, a consent calendar of 29 items, three public hearings, and a discussion calendar item on janitorial/security service contracts. The meeting adjourned at 5:20 PM.
Special Presentation/General Communications
- Recognizing the Legacy of Daniel Blue: Councilmembers Kaplan and Jennings presented a resolution honoring Daniel Blue, a founder of St. Andrews AME Church, on the eve of Juneteenth. Pastor Jason Thompson spoke about Blue's legacy of civil rights and community building.
Consent Calendar
All 29 items on the consent calendar were approved unanimously (8-0) without public comment, except for individual councilmember comments on selected items. Notable approvals include:
- Item 2: Suspension of competitive bidding for the Med Center Reservoir Improvement Project (two-thirds vote required).
- Item 3: Acceptance of a $342,060 Caltrans grant for the Howe Avenue Transportation and Vision Zero Plan.
- Item 6: Ten resolutions approving FY2024/25 Property and Business Improvement District (PBID) annual reports and assessments.
- Item 13: Amendment to the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement for Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA), expanding the board from five to seven members and granting the board authority to appoint/dismiss the executive director.
- Item 14: Budgetary adjustments and agreements with the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District for the EV Blueprint Phase 2 Infrastructure Project (total funding up to $2,341,260).
- Item 17: Cooperative purchase agreements for IT goods/services totaling up to $27,860,000 for FY2024/25.
- Item 25: Pass for publication of the 2024 Title 17 Omnibus Ordinance relating to planning and development code amendments.
Public Hearings
Item 30 – Citywide Landscaping & Lighting Assessment District FY2024/25 Annual Proceedings
- Conducted a public hearing (no public comments). The council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2024-0212 confirming the budget and levying assessments. Councilmember Guerra directed staff to address maintenance concerns for large open spaces along 21st Avenue.
Item 31 – Fiscal Year (FY) 2024/25 Business Improvement Area (BIA) Annual Proceedings
- Conducted a public hearing (no public comments). The council unanimously adopted six resolutions confirming annual reports and levying assessments for Del Paso, Downtown Plaza, Franklin Boulevard, Old Sacramento, Stockton Boulevard, and Sutter BIAs.
Item 32 – Third-Party Appeal of Contemporary Commons (Z22-079)
- Project: Proposed demolition of an existing office building at 707 Commons Drive and construction of 24 condominium units within six fourplex buildings. The appeal challenged the Planning and Design Commission's approval of the tentative map and CEQA exemption.
- Appellant Arguments (Carr Kunsey, representing 200+ residents): Requested rejection of the tentative map to allow for greater setbacks, rejection of the CEQA exemption to permit historic preservation review, and cited inconsistencies with the Campus Commons planned unit development (PUD) standards, loss of 10 private protected trees, and incorrect information about adjacent building setbacks.
- Applicant Response (Catherine Bardas Mary): Emphasized that only the tentative map was at issue; all other approvals were final. The project would provide much-needed for-sale housing and homeownership opportunities, compatible with adjacent neighborhoods.
- Public Comments (16 speakers): Majority opposed the project as designed, citing concerns over tree canopy loss, inadequate setbacks (8-11 feet vs. 25-30 feet in the neighborhood), garbage can logistics, and historic character of Campus Commons. Three speakers supported the project as consistent with zoning and addressing housing supply.
- Council Discussion: Councilmember Kaplan recused herself. Councilmember Guerra moved to deny the appeal and approve the staff recommendation, with direction to begin a historic district review for Campus Commons and to coordinate with solid waste services on garbage can placement. The motion passed 7-0 (Kaplan recused).
Discussion Items
Item 33 – Ordinance Amending Section 3.56.070 Relating to Janitorial and Security Guard Services Contracts
- Proposal: To require janitorial and security contractors to adhere to California Labor Code Section 238.5 (wage theft disclosure and liability), effectively limiting contracts to unionized shops; also to apply prevailing wage instead of living wage, and to allow vacation/seniority transfer.
- Staff Presentation (Diana Reyes Zanaska, Procurement Manager): Estimated a 7% cost increase ($500,000–$650,000 annually) due to reduced competition, and noted that current living wage ($18.50/hr + $7.47 health benefits) exceeds prevailing wage ($16.88–$24.22). Lincoln Training Center, which employs disabled workers, would be ineligible to bid.
- Public Comments (8 speakers): Union representatives and janitors supported the change, citing wage theft issues and the need for health benefits. A disability advisory commissioner opposed, warning it could exclude workers with developmental disabilities.
- Council Discussion: Councilmember Valenzuela proposed amendments: (1) apply only to new/amended contracts, (2) accept a letter of intent instead of a full collective bargaining agreement, (3) exempt on-call emergency services. City Attorney Alcala Wood requested additional time to review the amended language. Councilmember Jennings expressed concern over missing information and the absence of Lincoln Training Center.
- Outcome: The council voted 8-0 to continue the item to June 25, 2024, for a final vote on an ordinance implementing the proposed policies, with direction for the city attorney to work with SEIU on clear language.
Public Comments – Matters Not on the Agenda
Three speakers addressed the council. Howard Levine raised concerns about tree removal policies. A speaker criticized council behavior during previous meetings. Another speaker made remarks deemed not relevant to city business and was asked to conclude after exceeding time.
Council Comments and Reports
- Councilmember Valenzuela requested an investigation into possible Brown Act violations related to closed-session salary discussions, suggesting rule amendments for transparency.
- Councilmembers provided announcements for upcoming community events, including a press conference on pedestrian fatalities, Juneteenth celebrations, and summer concert series.
- The council adjourned in memory of Zong Char Muah, a community member who died in a drowning accident.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: All 29 items approved unanimously (8-0).
- Public Hearing 30: Resolution 2024-0212 adopted unanimously.
- Public Hearing 31: Six resolutions adopted unanimously.
- Public Hearing 32: Appeal denied; Resolution 2024-0219 adopted 7-0 (Councilmember Kaplan recused). Direction given to begin historic district review for Campus Commons and to address solid waste logistics.
- Discussion Item 33: Motion to continue to June 25, 2024, passed 8-0, with direction to bring back an ordinance reflecting proposed policy changes.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Welcome everyone. I now call this meeting at the Sacramento City Council 2 p.m. meeting to order at 2.05. So apologies that we're just a few minutes late here. Madam City Clerk, will you please call the roll? Member Kaplan. Here. Member Tal. Mayor Pratim Talamontis. Member of Alan Zweila? Here. Member Gera? Here. Member Jennings? Here. Member Vane? Vice Mayor Maple. I'm here. All right. Thank you so much. Madam City Attorney, do you have anything to report out of closed session? There's nothing to report out at this time. All right. Thank you so much. Councilmember Kaplan, would you mind joining it or leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and the land acknowledgement? Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous peoples, indigenous people and tribal lands. To the original people of this land, the Nissanon people, the Southern Maidu, the Valley and Plain Miwok, the Putwin Wintoon 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 an active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples' histories, contributions, and lives. Thank you. Please remain standing. Pledge. I pledge allegiance to the side 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. All right. Thank you, Councilmember Kaplan. All right. And we are going to start off today with a very special presentation recognizing the legacy of Daniel Blue on the eve of Juneteenth. And we'll get started with Councilmember Jennings. Thank you very much, Vice Mayor. I am honored to co-lead this special presentation with Councilmember Lisa Kaplan in recognition of the life and legacy of Daniel Blue, a Sacramentan whose life brought light and true change to the lives of so many and whose achievements have shaped California history by paving the way for citizens of all backgrounds to achieve great things in an environment where all are treated as equals and discrimination of any kind is rebuked. Like so many in our state's history, Daniel Blue came to California from another part of the nation in search of new opportunities for himself and his family. There, through an incredible initiative, through his incredible initiative and determination, he built his fortune mining along the Sacramento River, our own Sacramento River. He didn't keep that wealth for himself. He used the wealth to purchase his freedom and begin building a community by establishing with the many members who are in our presence today, the St. Andrews African American Methodist Episcopal Church, a place of gathering and so and solidarity that would become and has become a vital institution in furthering abolitionism and other social justice causes. The Congregation of St. Andrews would go to play an essential role in successfully advocating for many of the earliest pieces of civil rights legislation in California history. Among the many inspiring accomplishments of Daniel Blue in his career is marked by California's legal rejection of the injustices that come along with slavery. Daniel successfully engaged with the Sacramento Superior Court to secure the emancipation of a 12-year-old girl who had been enslaved in what would become the state's defining case on this issue.
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