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Let's call this meeting in order. Sacramento City Council

Please call the roll. Thank you. Council member

Kaplan. Here. Council member

Dickinson is expected momentarily. I'm

Vice Mayor Talamantes. Here.

Council member Pluckibama is expected momentarily. Council member

Maple. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Guerra. Here.

Council member Jennings. Here.

Council member Vang. Here. And Mayor McCarty. Here. You have a quorum.

Thank you. Council member

Vice Mayor Talamantes, can you do the pledge and the land acknowledgement?

Please rise from the opening acknowledgements and honor sacrament

of the council.

indigenous people and tribal lands.

To the original people of this land.

The Nisanan people, Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains,

Meewalk, Patwin Wintun 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 together to gather today in an act of practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous

peoples history contributions and lives. Thank you.

Salute. 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, invisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Mayor, you have a special presentation, Juneteenth resolution presented by Council Member Jennings.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

For our council members who have had Juneteenth events in their districts, would they raise their hand, please?

All right.

So just to let you know that everyone has been involved in Juneteenth as a holiday and I have a resolution recognizing Juneteenth and honoring the Sacramento black community.

And, uh, uh, it has a lot of where as is and one therefore, but, uh, I'm, I don't want to read the whole thing to you, but I want to read one very important part because there's been an individual in Sacramento that has been instrumental to the success of Juneteenth in the city of Sacramento.

Um, so let me read that one as whereas, whereas the city of Sacramento recognizes the importance of community driven events that honor Juneteenth and provide space and education reflection and joyful celebration for over the past two decades.

This individual, Gary Simons and Sacramento Juneteenth incorporated.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You can applaud.

Go ahead.

Gary Simons and Sacramento Juneteenth incorporated have brought the community together through the annual Sacramento Juneteenth festival, which this year includes Sacramento Juneteenth Southern soul festival.

And the beloved gospel under the stars, and the beloved gospel under the stars, and the beloved gospel under the stars, and the beloved gospel under the stars.

And let me see you.

Let me see.

Did you have a good time?

Come on, come on.

I was there.

So which includes Sacramento Juneteenth Southern soul festival and the beloved gospel under the stars concert held at William Land Park.

This event offers powerful opportunities to honor black history, enjoy music and culture and uplift the next generation.

And therefore, let it be resolved by this mayor and this council in the city of Sacramento that June 19th is hereby recognized as Juneteenth day in the city of Sacramento.

We honor the lasting contributions of the Sacramento black community and express our deep appreciation to the organizers leaders neighbors whose Juneteenth celebrations continue to bring people together fostering understanding and keeping the spirit of freedom and progress alive in our city.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce the sum and present to others, the man of the hour, Mr. Gary summons.

Well, that was a lot there.

That was a lot there.

Council member.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We're right here.

Council member James, let's let Mr. Simon speak first.

But before you go to Gary, I just, I just want you to know that many of us were out there.

Yes, sir.

This week.

And, you know, Juneteenth is a couple hundred years in the making, of course, but in the last five to 10 years, more of a public dialogue on what is Juneteenth.

But for 20 years, you've been making sure that the city of Sacramento recognize it and celebrates it.

It's our essentially our black holiday in the city of Sacramento, focusing on our history, history of our country, but also what we have here in our city today.

And, you know, there, there is a lot of discussion as far as should cities and communities and states celebrate it?

Should it be a national holiday?

Should it be a state holiday?

But most importantly, are we, what are we doing about it on a regular basis?

And so I just want to acknowledge you and the Juneteenth committee for stepping up for 20 plus years.

Thank you.

Thank you, mayor.

And thank you, Rick Jennings.

On behalf of the Sacramento Juneteenth committee, I like to send greetings and salutations to the mayor and the council.

We've been doing this event for the last 22 years.

Roger Dickinson, Lisa, all of you, most of you I know, and Katie.

So thank you all for your support over the years.

It's been a labor of love.

When we started this process, I was with the Visit Sacramento at the time and Mike Tester is here today.

And we started this journey a long time ago, again, 20 years ago, with Sonya Bradley and myself.

And we, we're still here.

We're still standing.

So thanks to my team, Mr. Jeff Bassett, Sonya Bradley, Ursula Johnson, John Bradford, Marquise Marcel,

Carlene Travis and our anchor, Ms. Gloria Robinson right here.

She does, she does the, she's the vendor coordinator.

So you know how crazy that can get.

But to the city of mayor and city council, thank you for your continued support.

We hope to keep this process going.

We hope to continue to celebrate Juneteenth because it's not just black history.

It is American history.

And it needs to be told and continue to be shared with the community.

So on behalf of Sacramento Juneteenth Incorporated, I thank you all.

We have two council members sign up to speak.

So council member Maple and then council member Dickinson, then we'll take a group photo.

Well, I just wanted to first say, thank you to council member Jennings for, for bringing this forward.

But also just say to Gary, thank you for all you do.

I have to say that you're one of the best communicators I've ever met.

I'm getting emails about the events that are in the pipeline for next year already.

Making sure that's on all of our calendars.

I think that's really incredible.

But I also really wanted to uplift.

I know you talked about a lot of the fun events and that they're all fun.

But one of the things that I love the most is how much you uplift the youth too.

So you're doing, you're doing contests, you're doing poetry contests, writing at the Oak Park Community Center.

You're making sure that you're carrying forth that legacy to the next generation too.

And I think that's really important.

So just want to thank you for all the work that you do.

And then Councilmember Dickinson.

You know, I just can't help but share, I think it was 22 years ago when you were at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, now Visit Sacramento.

We had a conversation and you said, I'm going to put this event on in Land Park this weekend called Juneteenth.

And I will admit to the own failure of my education that I wasn't sure what Juneteenth was.

I had some vague idea but didn't really know that much about it.

And so went to the event, got a great start.

All those who have been with the event for all these years who have built it into the concert and the other aspects of it.

I'm not, I don't think I've missed any over those 22 years.

Maybe one or two here, but not too many of them.

And it's just gotten better and better and better over the years.

But I think the real, the real indicator of the success of broadening the education of all of us is that when Councilmember Jennings asked how many of us had Juneteenth events in our district, I think all of us raised our hands.

It's not just a series of events at Land Park or a reception at the State Library or the Gospel Concert.

It's now a community-wide celebration, which tells me that as some of my colleagues have already advocated, it's time for the city of Sacramento to have Juneteenth as a holiday for the city.

Thank you, Gary.

So we're going to make history right now.

We're going to take a picture that will allow us to know on this day we celebrated Gary Simon and the Sacramento Juneteenth Incorporated organization, and we made history right here in City Hall.

Join me in the middle.

Come on.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

One more.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So, Mayor, before I move on to the second special presentation, I inadvertently didn't ask you if we had a closed session report out.

Yes, we had closed session, but nothing to report out.

Thank you.

And our second special presentation is Planning Academy graduation, and you are presenting.

Yes, I have the pleasure of presenting this today and recognizing who's the person that's going to be your spokesperson today?

You.

Oh, come on up.

Yes.

Stacy.

Stacy.

I'm sorry.

It's Stacy?

Stacy Tulls, yes.

Stacy Tulls.

Well, as you're getting ready there, I just wanted to acknowledge that this is the City of Sacramento Planning Academy, and there are 20-something of you that went through a 10-week or so process to better learn about city planning and what it means to adopt a general plan, to rezone some land in your neighborhood, develop affordable housing, focusing on our streets and communities, because there's nothing more than local government action than planning and land use decisions.

And 20-plus years ago, the City of Sacramento had so many people that showed up here essentially hot about some land use decision in our neighborhood, and they said, you know what?

We should create a little school where we bring a couple dozen people once a year to engage them about what is land use, what is city planning.

And I will note that 23 years ago, in the second class, I was one of the classmates, the participants.

Oh, wow.

All right.

Me and my classmate was now the chief of staff for Roger Dickinson, Brian DeBlanc.

So we were in this together, and I remember there was a big project in your district, Rick.

It was the islands at River Lake in Pocket, and that was the big, like, case study.

We went out there and saw it firsthand, and, you know, it really taught me a lot and lessons that I learned and utilized to this day.

So one of you hopefully will be mayor one day.

Maybe it won't take 23 years.

But I just want to acknowledge this is a great city asset we have, and you know firsthand.

You all went through the program.

I know it's hybrid now, and I'm sure it was important to go out and see the city firsthand.

So thank you for stepping up.

And whether or not you're a council member or a mayor, you'll know more about planning and land use.

And there'll be some project in your neighborhood.

You'll be able to talk to people about, you know, how it really goes down as far as creating and crafting a city like the city of Sacramento.

So thank you for participating.

And with that, Stacey, do you want to say a few words?

Absolutely.

I so appreciate that introduction because it tells me two things.

Sacramento is committed to informing and engaging its citizens, and that there is a bright future for everyone who went through this planning academy.

So good evening, Mayor McCarty, city council members and staff.

My name is Stacey Tolles, and it is my honor to speak on behalf of the 2025 Planning Academy cohort.

Now, I'm a grant writer, and I work with nonprofits and municipalities across the United States.

I've lived in four different countries as an adult, and I am from Sacramento.

Okay.

It is with that global experience that I and the nearly 40 participants in this year's Planning Academy that I can truly say Sacramento is one of the best cities in the world.

And we are proud to call this city home.

Yeah, go on.

Step for that.

Thank you.

I applied to Planning Academy because, like many in my cohort, I've always been curious about how our city gets built, where housing is zoned, and who gets to decide how streets are shaped, and how we invest in the livelihood of all of our neighborhoods.

As a kid, I lived in about four of the different districts represented.

So I've been all over Sacramento, and I love the commitment to investing in those neighborhoods.

Through Planning Academy, each week, I sat beside people with different backgrounds and visions for Sacramento.

But we were all united by the belief that together we can make Sacramento an ever better city.

In fact, it is our honor and responsibility to do so.

Planning Academy equipped us with knowledge, tools, and relationships to effect positive change in our communities.

I especially appreciated the walking tours, going out and seeing our city, as Mayor McCarty mentioned.

Our walking tours were kind of like living history exhibits that I feel every Sacramentan should experience.

So kudos to our Planning Academy coordinators for putting that together.

And this program, I want to say, is not just civic education.

It really was civic empowerment.

It shows that informed residents become stronger advocates, better collaborators, and more connected neighbors.

So to everyone that supported Planning Academy, to each of you, to anyone who spoke to our cohort, and especially to my fellow cohort members, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for supporting Planning Academy, and let's go change the world.

There we go.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All righty.

Thank you very much.

Any seeing other comments from Council members, you all want to come up, and we'll do a group picture.

Thank you.

Aloysium Zoom количечит!

Can I text it to you if it was that ok?

I don't know.

Otherwise, I have to pull it for our learning.

No. That works.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

One here please.

Thank you.

One more.

One, two.

One more.

One, two, three.

One more.

One, two, three.

Thank you.

Okay.

And then if you put in your number, I'll send it to you right now.

Thank you.

Thank you. Have a good day.

Thank you.

That should be a requirement.

Yeah.

We need to shrink that.

We need to shrink it too.

We need to get rid of the large ones.

Okay.

Please begin.

Mayor, we now move to the consent calendar.

Are there any comments from council members?

I do have one speaker on the consent calendar.

Just a quick comment on item eight.

Looks like council member Kaplan, you're the only one with comments.

You want to proceed?

Thank you.

Again, just want to call out when people ask why is the city of Sacramento experiencing a budget deficit?

This is just one incident where you look at authorizing our insurance broker to renew the city's contracts for insurance.

The increase in one year, the total contract is 25.3 million where we expect the increase from year to year.

This next year is an increase of 5.8 million for all of our insurance.

So definitely something to be aware of and call out.

I know staff is hoping to have that less than 5.8, but it should be noted when we have an approximately 60 million dollar budget deficit, 5.8 million of that is increase in insurance coverage.

Thank you, council member.

And I have one speaker.

Delta pick mellow on item 11.

Thank you.

Thank you, mayor and city council members.

My name is Delta pick mellow.

I'm the executive director of the Sacramento history museum.

And I'm also representing here.

I'm on the board of directors with the Sacramento historical society.

And I understand that you will be reviewing an ordinance on the land park bowl on Freeport Boulevard.

And I just wanted to express our interest in its cultural significance.

It's not only a historical landmark, but it's a cultural historic landmark.

The land park bowl has been home to the Japanese American community for since the 60s, when it was a time that many Japanese Americans were not welcome in public places still.

And it also was the home to the first LGBTQ bowling league at a time when, of course, that was very difficult for that community.

We are very interested in seeing this be preserved as a historic landmark because of these reasons.

And there are interested parties that would like to see it either put back as a bowling alley if the company so chooses or to be used as a community center of some sort.

It was very, it had very minimal damage to it.

And we would like you to consider that it be preserved.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

I have no more speakers.

We can entertain a motion.

Okay.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any no's or abstentions?

Seeing none.

Passes.

That motion passes.

That was a motion by Council Member Geta and a second by Maple.

And unanimous vote.

Next item.

So next item is item 14, which is a public hearing Cotton Lane Apartments Rezone P24-022.

And I have no public comment on this item.

Okay.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

If you were expecting Danny Abbas, my staff member, he is unfortunately ill and wasn't able to make it.

So I'm stepping in tonight.

So before us, we have an item for a 54-unit department complex located on the northwest corner of West Stockton and Cotton Boulevard.

The entitlements include the mitigated neck deck, environmental document, and also the rezone of the property to enable the multifamily.

Staff recommends this proposal based on the need for housing in the area.

This will provide a diversity of housing that's much needed.

It will be market rate, but even with that, the close proximity to Consumers River College, the library, and the light rail station, we believe is advantageous.

And helps support the need for that rezone.

So with that, we recommend approval of the housing project based on the findings and substitute the conditions of approval.

Entachment 5 of your staff report.

We have staff available here and also the applicant and his engineering team is here as well.

So we're open for questions.

Council Member Vang.

Thank you so much, City Clerk.

I just wanted to take this moment to thank City staff, Marcus, and our partners for all your hard work to get us to this moment.

This is a rezone to ensure that we could build more housing in this area in particular.

And I also want to thank all the residents who reached out to us even during office hours to have a conversation about this project.

And so with that, I'd be happy to open and close the public hearing on this item and move the item to action.

No public comment?

No public comment on this item.

No public comment.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Seeing any no's or abstentions.

One absent.

Talamantes.

Thank you.

We now move to item 15, also a public hearing, which is Sacramento urban forest plan.

And I do have 11 speakers on this item.

I think I have a presentation.

Is it?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Looks like staff is working on your presentation.

It was attached to the staff report.

See, I can email one right now.

Okay.

My apologies.

The staff in the back, it is part of the staff report.

You want me to send it to the clerk or to the agenda?

Send it to agenda.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes.

I'll do it.

You're receiving.

Yes.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Staff, I just added it to your team's chat.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mayor, I can do tree jokes if you'd like.

Go for it.

Why are trees great at networking?

Because they're always branching out.

Okay, do you have more?

I can keep going.

Do you have more?

Which dating app do trees use?

Timber.

Hey, trees got to have love too.

Yeah.

How about the finale?

Finale.

What did the tree like best about Star Trek?

Do tell.

Star Trek.

The captain's log.

Nice.

Okay.

I don't know if that was a program.

Looks like we have our presentation.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

The trees grow.

Save us.

Save us.

Save us.

Save us.

Save us.

Well, thank you for the jokes, for the humor and for your patience, Mayor and Council.

Good evening.

It's great to be here with you today.

I'm Rachel Patton and I serve as the city's sustainability program manager.

And I'm here tonight because we've reached the final step of what has been a seven year process

to develop the city's urban forest plan.

This important effort marks the city's first formal commitment to update and establish policy

and goals for our community's trees in over 30 years.

And I'd like to spend a few moments recapping our progress, highlighting a few key aspects

of this plan, and then sharing next steps.

The adoption of the urban forest plan is necessary to ensure that we have policy guidance to address

the needs of our community's urban forests.

The urban forest plan is a subsequent project under the city's 2040 general plan and climate

action and adaptation plan.

And it carries out the ambitious urban forestry goals that were established by the council

through those documents last year.

The plan reflects the priorities of the community and will serve as the city's 20 year guiding

policy document for the vision, goals, and implementation actions related to tree

preservation, enhancement, and stewardship, and will direct staff work plans related to trees

across multiple departments.

The development of the urban forest plan focused on evaluating the city's tree canopy, incorporating

best management practice, and aligning tree priorities across city planning efforts, as well

as establishing policies.

And the vision for that plan was co-created with input from our partner advisory committee,

which established several important principles to serve as the cornerstone for this effort.

Those included centering community investment, recognizing trees as a part of Sacramento's

legacy, community character, and critical infrastructure, advancing racial and social equity, prioritizing

sustainable management and growth, and combating climate change.

The urban forest plan itself consists of three primary components.

One, a background section that outlines the status of Sacramento's urban forest, including

both assessments for citywide tree canopy, as well as detailed evaluation of the city's

publicly maintained trees.

And then importantly, number two, a policy and program framework that details five goals for

the urban forest with 53 subsequent policies and implementation actions to achieve those goals,

grow our canopy cover, and address the challenges facing our city's trees.

That's followed by an implementation strategy that assigns a lead and support city department,

and a timeframe of completion to each of the 53 recommended policies and actions.

As I mentioned, the policy framework and implementation strategy provides detailed guidance on how to

achieve the following foundational objective, which was established in the 2040 general plan

and climate action and adaptation plan.

And that goal is to increase our citywide tree canopy cover from 19% to 35% by 2045.

This goal will essentially double our 1 million trees in the city to about 2 million trees.

From the outside of the plan development process, extensive and diverse public engagement helped ensure

the urban forest plan reflects the needs and desires of Sacramento's community.

Our public engagement took place in two major phases.

Phase one consisted of early planning and information gathering to develop the administrative draft

urban forest plan.

Outreach for this phase included convening a partner advisory committee that included over

30 civic and industry leaders providing technical guidance and consultation with staff, a community-wide

survey, and 13 pop-up workshops.

Phase two was the public review and comment of the draft urban forest plan.

Outreach for this phase included an online workshop, staff presentations and attendance at over

20 community events and meetings, and presentations to eight publicly noticed city commissions and

committees.

In total, thousands of participants provided input and informed the development of the plan

for you today.

The urban forest plan identifies six key challenges and issues that are facing the urban forest that

complicate achieving this 35 percent canopy cover goal.

And without intervention, these issues may threaten the long-term health and success of the city's

tree canopy.

The most significant challenges facing the city of Sacramento's forest include that the

vast majority of Sacramento's urban forest is managed by private owners and public agencies

that are not the city of Sacramento.

An increase in financial resources that will be necessary for the city to implement its current

and new responsibilities assigned under this plan.

City policies that support Sacramento's continued growth must consider protecting and expanding

tree cover as a part of those land use planning policies.

And then the impacts of climate change and other environmental threats.

The key strategies identified in the urban forest plan to address these challenges include protecting

existing trees, enhancing city operations, supporting private property owners and other public agencies,

to increase tree planting and care, and prioritizing trees within our planning and development, as well as our roadway network.

The urban forest plan was developed with a guiding principle of equity, that all communities are entitled to the same access to tree canopy and its benefits,

and that inequities in tree canopy must be addressed.

The city's average canopy cover is 19 percent, but some areas have up to 40 and others have less than 10.

This is primarily the result of zoning and land use, but does also correlate to race and income.

The impact of this distribution is that some areas of the city are exposed to higher levels of heat,

poorer air quality, and greater impacts from climate change.

To address this, strategies such as tree planting and private investment will need to be strategically targeted

to ensure we are achieving equity in our tree canopy.

Urban forestry priority intervention areas were identified using census tract level priority metrics,

which included state and federal designation as a disadvantaged communities, canopy cover below 25 percent,

and daytime summer land use surface temperatures of 103 degrees or higher.

The urban forestry priority interventions area map shown on the screen will be utilized to support strengthened interventions,

such as grant applications, in areas of the highest need in our city.

This concludes the high-level overview of the urban forest plan.

In terms of next step, following adoption tonight, staff will begin implementing the urban forest plan,

following the implementation strategies, priorities, actions identified in the plan.

Staff will also return annually to report on progress to city council.

In closing, staff's recommendation is to, one, adopt a resolution determining that the Sacramento urban forest plan

is a subsequent project under the environmental impact report for the 2040 general plan,

and two, adopt a resolution adopting the urban forest plan, including the revisions and additions in attachment to of the supplemental materials.

Thank you so much.

Myself and other staff are available for questions on this item.

Okay.

Thank you.

We'll certainly come back to you, but first we have public comment.

Thank you.

I have 11 speakers.

The first is Michael Bevins, Alex Bink, Alejandra Cervantes, Colleen Pineda, and Alyssa Lee.

I did want to go first.

I don't know much about trees, but I have many people behind me who do know more, so I will keep it very broad.

Thank you for, I assume you're going to pass this resolution.

And like always, it's how do we then fund it to make it actually happen?

So I hope that is something you will fund to follow up.

So trees, or nature in a sense, is an essential infrastructure.

We need to, for safety, for comfort, for beautification of our city, and especially where the trees are not currently.

I only suggest is that when you do implement it, you kind of have a formula that it's spread out where the trees are not currently, not just where people want them.

You control the streets, so maybe focus on what you do own, and by all means involve private citizens to plant trees in their place also.

But what you control is the city, mostly the streets, and your current park, so plant trees there where they are currently are not there.

And I'll end it there.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Alex and Alejandra.

Hello.

I am a D4 resident and community organizer with Rewild Sacramento.

I support the adoption of the new urban forest plan.

A large body of scientific research now proves that trees are not merely an aesthetic asset.

They are critical, life-saving infrastructure that protects our communities from extreme heat, air pollution, and traffic violence.

This plan is full of excellent ideas, but lacks a clear roadmap to achieve its ambitious goals,

particularly in neighborhoods that lack trees.

As outlined in the plan, community involvement will be essential for the success of this plan.

However, the plan lacks clear mechanisms to facilitate this involvement.

I believe a letter shared with the council by Trees for Sacramento proposing a working group with the community will be essential to support the efforts of both the community and the city.

As an organizer of community tree plantings, I often encounter roadblocks created accidentally or due to a lack of city planning or capacity.

In addition to the working group, I echo the findings of the plan in asking the city council to identify adequate funding for full implementation.

In a climate emergency, it is essential that the city fund urban forestry as a core essential service, not a luxury for only some residents.

Finally, I wanted to underline the lack of public street trees in many neighborhoods.

This problem must be addressed if we are to meet the plan goals.

I believe the most effective strategy will be to ensure that all new and redesigned streets be required to include adequate planting space for large canopy trees.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Alejandra, then Colleen.

I don't think Alejandra is here, so I'm Colleen.

I'd like to echo everything that Alex just mentioned on how to make the plan come to fruition as soon as possible,

because it is very critical to have this come to fruition as soon as possible so that we can benefit from the health outcomes.

And I'd like to cite an article from Omar et al.

2006 in the Journal of Health and Place that conducted a survey of about 7,910 residents in urbanized counties in Sacramento, Solano, Placer, and Yolo.

And they also measured the tree canopy in each of those areas.

And the results of this study suggest that more neighborhood tree cover in urbanized areas, independent from green space access,

is related to better overall health, primarily through lower overweight, obesity, and better social cohesion,

and to a lesser extent through less type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma.

The key contribution of this research is specifically focused on tree cover as differentiated from other types of greenness

by using a highly accurate measured neighborhood tree cover derived from high-resolution combination of lighter and imagery data,

and by adjusting for neighborhood access to parks and open spaces.

These findings add to the existing evidence base suggesting that an important role for trees and nature in providing human health at the community scale in urban areas.

Again, that's Omar et al. 2016 in the Journal of Health and Place.

Thanks.

Thank you for your comments.

Alejandra is not here, so the next speaker is Alyssa Lee, then Ryan Foster, Daniel Patelsky.

Hello, Council.

My name is Alyssa Lee.

I live in District 4.

I'm representing Strong SAC Down today, and we're very proud to both support the adoption of this plan

and to sign on with Trees for Sacramento in their support of the plan

and also their request for the City Council to direct the creation of a collaborative working group

between city staff and key community stakeholders who are knowledgeable, passionate, and super dedicated

to making this ambitious goal happen.

We are the City of Trees.

I have no doubt that every single person here is utterly committed to this goal.

So what we really need from you from a great city is two things.

We need funding.

And I know we just went through a budget process and there are no easy choices.

And then we also need a lot of people power to make this goal happen.

Rachel's team is amazing and has put together a great plan, and they cannot do it alone.

Great cities make great ambitious goals, so we've got that covered.

Great cities also work really, really closely with their residents because they know that the city

doesn't end at the dais and it doesn't end at your positions.

We are all part of this, and I can attest to working with folks like Alex Bink, who just spoke,

and Karen Jackson is going to speak.

They live and breathe doing community tree planting work.

They are ready with people every single weekend if you would let them.

And there are so many ways that we need to get creative about how we're going to fund this,

where we're going to put all the trees, how we're going to reach neighbors who don't know

what they can do about needing trees in their area, who are concerned about trees that are dying

and falling over in the sun in the summer.

There is just such a wealth of knowledge, so I really urge you to not just pass this plan,

but to really dedicate funding toward it and to create this collaborative working group

with community members to plant trees, both private spaces, public spaces, all of it.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Ryan?

Ryan?

Ryan?

Hello.

I'm Ryan.

I live in District 3, and I've gone to a couple tree plantings as well.

I'm really excited about this plan, and I think an awesome way to help get this done would be

engaging local students, because I know how empowering it felt for me to plant a tree.

And I think for young people, you don't always have a whole lot of agency as a kid.

And I think getting young people out there and planting trees in their community would

give them a sense of agency and a lot of connection to their community.

And I think that would be a great way to get tree planting done.

So I love this plan.

Thank you for your comments.

Daniel Patowski, then Karen Jocks.

Honorable Mayor, City Council Members, City Manager, and City Clerk,

Dan Paskowski.

I'm a degreed arborist who has lived and worked in Sacramento's urban forest for the past 34 years.

I was a Sacramento City arborist for almost 30 years, retiring in 2020.

I urge you to approve this plan.

It's been ongoing for seven years.

It is missing a key component.

It's about management, the management of the public trees.

And I worked on the original urban forest management plan.

And this is just called the urban forest plan.

I'm also asking you to consider the amendment that Trees for Sacramento is putting forth.

I know some of their members have spoken with the City Council Members, but please consider

their amendment because there's some oversight.

But I'm asking all of you to be bold.

I want you to be bold.

What Sacramento needs is a tree commission.

Sacramento needs a tree commission because we need the oversight.

This was put forth in the 1994 urban forest management plan.

It was put forth in the 2003 best management practices.

Management has vehemently opposed a tree commission because they don't want oversight.

Why is that?

Well, when urban forestry moved over to public works, $3 million of general fund money got reallocated.

If there was a tree commission, this urban forest plan would have taken seven years to complete.

And so I'm asking you to put forth Sacramento needs a tree commission.

Be bold.

Thank you.

Karen Earth, our next speaker, then Wes to Sam's, then Troy Sankey.

Good evening.

I'm Karen Jacques.

I'm a longtime Sacramento resident, and I have advocated for trees and loved our urban forest for as long as I've lived here.

And I came here in 1982.

I really want to thank Rachel Patton and all the other city staff for both working to get a lot of input from the community

and for putting together a document that now needs to be operationalized.

And if we can get together the money and the additional planning that it's going to take,

then we can meet the 35% coverage climate goal, and we can meet it in every neighborhood,

because tree equity is a huge issue.

And some neighborhoods have them, and some neighborhoods don't.

And climate change is worsening dramatically.

And the greatest cause of death due to climate change is heat stroke and related heat illnesses.

And we've got communities that are at risk because they don't have trees.

I've submitted more detailed comments to you in writing.

What I want to say tonight as a member of Trees for Sacramento is that the working group that we're proposing,

I think, is critical as a way for the community and the very committed, knowledgeable staff to continue working together

to figure out how we can get planning and tree ordinance that better support and protect our existing trees,

to figure out how we can maximize community involvement, maximize grant money, maximize getting young people,

many more of them interested in trees,

and just give to Sacramento all of the gifts that trees provide.

And I support every word that elicit.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Our next speaker is Wes Sams.

Hi.

Wes Sams, CEO of the Curiosity Collaborative and lead organizer of the City of Trees Parade.

And I'm a little bit out of my lane as a Mardi Gras parade organizer,

but I thought I'd branch out and support this really wonderful, progressive urban forest plan

that you guys have put together and also support the Trees for Sacramento amendment

to make sure that we're collaboratively involved with the community as we're moving it forward.

Making sure that this is fully funded to realize its goals is going to be really important.

And it should be a priority for a number of reasons.

One was because of the public safety issues that were brought up.

They slow down traffic in streets.

They provide tree canopy cover that keeps our streets cool and protects especially our urban areas

from the heat island effect that comes from climate change and just from the heat in general.

And the number one killer of all weather phenomena is not tornadoes or hurricanes or floods or landslides.

It's heat.

And so if we want to be insulated from that, we need to double down into our identity as the city of trees

and make sure that we're even more so in the future.

The other last reason is that this actually supports the economy in Sacramento

by making our streets more walkable, more inviting.

They're an attraction for people who want to come and visit us here.

And so investing in our trees is investing in our city.

And you could say that money figuratively is growing on trees.

So plant some more.

Thank you.

There we go.

Well played.

Next speaker is Troy Sankey.

And then Lori Stetson will be our final speaker.

Hi.

Troy Sankey here.

I live in D4.

And I am in support of this plan for a lot of the same reasons as the people before me.

But I wanted to talk about the bottom line.

What is this in terms of money?

Well, a street cheat canopy produces a net positive return on investment in ways that are directly measurable according to this document.

But I wanted to add that it gets better.

But wait, there's more.

The cost benefit modeling software that most cities use, and that is what is used in this document, is called iTree.

It's relatively sophisticated, but its estimates are pretty conservative and slightly behind the latest research.

There are additional benefits not accounted for.

These include positive impacts to property tax revenues, localized incentives for tax bolstering infill development,

and finally, shaded streets result in slower wear on asphalt surfaces.

A study from Modesto has shown that tree-lined streets lasted twice as long between routine seals and resurfacings when compared to adjacent unshaded streets.

Our climate is pretty similar to Modesto's, so that's relevant.

These benefits can only be realized when trees are actually planted.

Space can be constrained in our most underserved neighborhoods.

So we need to allow trees to take precedence over car traffic throughput, car speeds, and parking.

The story of our trees doesn't end with this plan.

We still need to follow through with updating our street design standards, and trees will need to be front and center in that plan as well.

Thank you for listening.

Lori Stetson.

Lori is our final speaker on this item.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and Council Members.

There's Lori Stetson, Trees for Sacramento, and we appreciate the time to speak tonight.

We've been working with the city since 2015 on the general plan amendments, on the ordinances, and the urban forest plan.

You know trees are important because they're the most effective way to meet the city's climate actions, as others have said.

We support this plan, but the challenge is implementation.

This is the beginning of trying to reach our, I'm sorry, I have allergies, of reaching our plan goals.

And the best way to do that is collaboration because the city admits in their staff report they don't have the staff or the funding right now.

We have expertise.

We want to bring it to the table.

We proposed an amendment that would establish a working group with city staff and key tree community people.

People, our amendment is not intended to set city policy.

Our organizations want to share their expertise and help identify different actions that the city doesn't have time to do.

We want a collaborative process on that.

Examples include research, grant writing, contacts with state and other governmental entities, including ESRI and some of the aerial mapping folks.

So there's a wealth of opportunities out there and also a wealth of community contacts.

So a working group, in summary, would create a more open and collaborative process for implementation, engage communities in planned policies, and create more public support, and create more transparency in the urban forest plan and city activities.

And we can share that with the community.

We've already done that, working with city staff by holding forums, bring other folks in, and highlighting what the city is doing.

So this, we think, is a best way.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Mayor, I have no more speakers on this agenda item.

Thank you, Larry.

Thank you.

That concludes public comment.

Council members?

Mayor Potem-Gatta?

Thank you very much, Mayor.

First, let me thank you very much, Mayor.

First, let me thank Rachel Patton and all of the city team and our arborists and Lucinda Wilcox for all of their hard work on this.

This has been a long haul.

You know, and in fact, yes, let's give them a big round of applause.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Because I still remember, it was almost 10 years ago, one of my first meetings that we tried to pull together was a State of the Trees event on the Elmhurst Park Strip.

And, you know, Lucinda was there, going to bring up the Urban Forestry Master Plan and start talking about how we can do that.

So it's been a while.

It's been a long time coming to get to where we are today.

And I think the fact that our city staff and public works staff has been so committed.

And in partnership with our advocates and our community members, you know, I do want to thank, I know she couldn't make it today, but Francesca from the Elmhurst Neighborhood Association,

always been very active on making sure that we're, you know, maintaining our tree canopy.

So in my district, there's a tale of two worlds.

There's, you have Elmhurst, which is, you know, the, has an amazing tree canopy in parts of Tahoe Park.

You have these old Chinese elms that cover each other up and they're in a great, create so much shade that even the roads are covered in shade.

And then you have south of Fruit Ridge where the tree canopy is almost non-existent.

And so there is retention of trees and then all the expansion of the canopy.

So, and both of those need to happen.

And I appreciate where we're moving on this because we're looking at both of those places.

Two things here.

One, the majority of the land is private land.

So I think it's important that we start pushing on and advocating and showing leadership on the public sector that, of how important this is so that where the most of the land is can follow suit.

I think we have to show leadership first, you know, and, and bring everyone else along.

And so I think the fact that we're looking at, at what we do in our public space is important.

I know my colleagues have mentioned how it's important that our school districts, and I do want to thank the Ayer District and our arborists and the Sacramento Trees Foundation for the work we've done in the past to make those efforts to increase the amount of tree planting that we've done.

But it doesn't happen unless we have a thoughtful strategic plan.

And that plan got us here.

But to achieve it, to get to that next phase, we do think need that similar collaboration.

And all of us will probably have our time here.

There'll be different people on this dais and this seat.

And I think what's important is that we create the infrastructure, the vessel, and the place for us to continue that work.

And that's why, you know, one, Mr. Mayor, I'm going to move the item and, and also amend the item by adding an additional section to the resolution to, to state.

And I'll ask the city attorney to whether it's, it's section three.

And then we amend section three as section four.

I'll leave the semantics and technical nature to the, to the staff there, but create a section that says to establish a working group with city staff and, and key tree care holders.

The working group will review and jointly develop ways to effectively implement plan strategies, policies, and actions subject to city approval.

And my staff has talked to think, I think to our city staff on, on some of this approach.

Uh, but I do want to, uh, make that motion, um, to make sure that we, uh, uh, institute a working group in, in this process.

And I know, uh, thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Uh, uh, uh, supervisor.

But I do know that we're only a small portion of it.

Uh, the last thing I'll say is yes, we are the, the center of our County.

Our heat Island effect is affects us all, but I think Sacramento has to lead that.

So then our County and our neighboring cities can jointly move the, uh, move in that direction.

And then lastly, I will say also the air quality issues that we face, we're in a non-attainment zone.

And if we don't increase our tree canopy, even with all the electrification and everything we do, we're going to continue to face those issues.

Um, the next 10 days, our forecast is over 90 degrees.

And I think all of us would be much more appreciative if 30 years ago, someone decided to plant more trees and have this master plan in place.

So thank you, Mr. Mayor.

And Mayor Pro Tem did that motion can include opening and closing the public hearing.

And yes, open and open and close the public hearing.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Thank you.

And that was a second by Council Member Dickinson.

Thank you.

And I would be glad to repeat the, uh, the language for the record.

Yeah.

And I'm happy to repeat it.

And I know exactly which section it should go in.

So I'll repeat it.

Yeah.

Yes.

Well said.

Council Member Maple.

Well, it sounds like there are multiple of us on here that all agree.

Um, cause I certainly had the same notes and was going to second, but happy to support the motion.

Um, I was hoping if, uh, the staff could put up the slide where you can see the map.

I think that's really important.

Um, while you do that, I, um, you know, I, I think for me and looking at my colleagues who represent some of the areas with a lot of the red, um, I think we know this intuitively.

We know this from our community members.

We know this because we walk these streets every day and, and know what it's like, but I think it's important for the public to see.

I think it's important for, um, the rest of the, all of us on this side is to take a look and notice that there, there are true inequities, um, in our city.

And they, they are primarily in areas of town where we see that there are other challenges as well, including income, challenges, being able to get around town, access to transit, you name it.

Um, and so it compounds.

And so I'm, I'm, I was really heartened to see that there is that focus on equity in this plan.

And I just want to thank you for the seven years of work that it's gotten so long before I was here, um, that have gone into making this plan what it is.

Uh, I'm heartened to hear from the community members.

I got a lot of, um, really positive feedback from constituents and beyond about the plan and how ambitious it is.

I think we have to be ambitious in order to achieve the goals that we want to achieve.

Um, but I also think that like anything, like with our budget, like with the policies that we have in place, it's important to focus our energy on the places that need it the most first.

And so, um, that is, that is a key concern to me.

Um, and I, and I appreciate that equity is a part of this goal because as you can see, there are huge spaces of red in our city.

Um, and those are the places where people need the trees the most, where they, where the air quality is, is poor, where people are struggling to breathe and, um, are, have huge heat, like heat waves.

And they're trying to walk to the bus.

It's, it's really challenging and I see it every day.

And so I, I love this plan because it focuses on that.

One question that I have is I know, you know, in South Sacramento, there's a number of organizations that are doing, um, doing some of this work already.

And so I'm just curious what's kind of the plan to work with those groups.

I think of like communitry is one of them, but there's quite a few so that we're kind of not reinventing the wheel or doing duplicative efforts in South Sac.

Whoever wants to go.

Um, well, I, there are a lot of community advocates who are advancing this issue in their own neighborhood as is very apparent from the support that is out today and, and, um, on public comment.

Um, I think there are a lot of strategies within this plan that recommend and are going to require collaboration with those groups.

That's something that, um, regardless of an amendment, we're intending to continue to advance aggressively to continue to have that partnership, open communication,

and really supporting the work that's happening in the community.

Um, that'll happen in all sorts of ways, um, through developing, um, educational materials, through collaborating on plantings that happen within the public realm, in those communities that folks are interested in, whether that's in parks or along streets.

Um, helping support grant applications or things like that that are advanced by those community groups.

So there's a lot of opportunity, um, and it's incredibly critical that we, we do have that collaborative relationship because 90% of our forest is, is in those spaces where the public, you know, is owning and maintaining that property.

Awesome.

Uh, and then another question I have is, you know, obviously we have a lot of projects and developments in the pipeline.

I think of some of our complete streets projects like what's happening on Franklin right now.

Um, and hopefully more in the future.

I know we have a lot of these plans in the pipeline and hopefully we can get them funded.

Um, so is there a plan to kind of coordinate with those projects to make sure where we can, uh, create space and, and plant trees as we're already ripping up the ground that we're doing that?

Absolutely. Um, and I think that's one thing that while we've been developing this plan, we also know that, you know, those are once in a lifetime opportunities.

So we haven't been waiting. Um, Franklin Boulevard is a great example. We're including robust street tree planting it with that project as it happens. Um, that's something that there's a formal policy in this plan, but we're starting to continue, we're starting to do already, um, is really ensure that trees are incorporated when we redevelop streets.

Um, street design standards were also mentioned in public comments. So I do just want to note that that's a really important thing.

That's another place that we're collaborating really closely with our transportation planners, um, to ensure that when we update those standards, that we're not just looking at safety, but trees as a mechanism for that safety and making sure that we're incorporating adequate tree canopy along our streets when they get planned.

Awesome. Yeah. I just want to make sure that also that the public knows that because, um, I did hear some questions, but I was really excited to see that, especially on Franklin Boulevard, that's a part of my district that, um, has severe challenges with the appropriate shade and people trying to get around in the heat and stuff.

And so we really appreciate that. So thank you. I'm excited about this plan. Um, only one, uh, last thing that I wanted to mention is of course, great plans are only great plans. If they can one be implemented well and to be funded. Um, and we know that funding is a big challenge for us right now as a city, but it doesn't mean that we can't find ways to make it work.

And so my thought or suggestion, I'm not sure if this is part of the motion or if it's just direction moving forward is that this come to budget and audit, um, uh, in the coming months as we get ready for our next budget cycle, which, you know, never seems to end. You end one and then you go right back into budgeting. Um, so that it's front of mind for us and that we continue to have that conversation. So thank you so much.

Council member Vang.

Thank you.

Thank you, city clerk.

First, I just wanted to take a moment just to say thank you to all the residents who came out today to speak.

And I also want to thank Rachel.

Thank you so much for your heart work and all the residents and community partners who participated in the workshops and the surveys and the events to get us to the final working draft that's in front of us.

I also just want to take this moment to also give a shout out to the Meadowview Urban Tree Project as well.

I know they sent in lots of comments and also work with our coalition of tree care holders as well.

And so I want to give them a shout out.

I think, you know, we all know we pride ourselves as the city of trees.

And yet it is no secret that, you know, there are specific neighborhoods north, south Sacramento, south Natomas that lacks tree canopy in our city.

And as you heard from Rachel and you heard from some of my colleagues and some of the speakers, we know that in those red areas are where our low-income communities are.

And oftentimes it is in these neighborhoods where they suffer poor health air quality and just reduce overall health and well-being in those areas.

And so increasing tree canopy is a matter of health equity and really health justice in our city.

But I'm excited that we have a blueprint, a formal blueprint in front of us with an implementation strategy.

And so I do want to uplift a few because I think it's important to acknowledge the hard work that has gone into this plan.

The first piece is I want to say thank you for having the youth component to the plan.

That helps us cultivate a really youth engagement in the urban forest plan to continue tree stewardship.

I think that's really important because I see a lot of adults in this space.

But our young people will inherit a world with challenges that they did not create.

And so it's important that we center their voices in this plan.

And so I saw a call out for the youth piece.

So really just want to say thank you for that.

I also appreciate the outline of the implementation, the 53 policies and action items.

And in particular, actually naming which department is going to lead it.

How many years is it going to take for us to complete it?

And so I appreciate that as well.

And so I wanted to name that.

But I think one of the most major concern as we are talking about this implementation is that as a mayor and council, we have to grapple with the funding piece.

Right.

It is estimated that in order to fully implement the current plan that is in front of us, it's going to take 12 to 13 million dollars annually.

If we are to do it and actually implement it.

Right.

And as we consider our budget for next cycle, as we work with community on a potential park bond, I know there was a call out for potential fundraising.

I really encourage my colleagues to add funding in the next year's budget.

And I appreciate Councilwoman Maple saying, let's bring this to budget and audit to see what we can do.

And so I know there are a lot of tough decisions that have to be made.

But I think that if this is a priority, then we can find one million or so dollars in the budget to make it happen.

It all really is dependent on our priorities in the city.

I support Mayor Pro Tem's recommendation one on the collaboration piece.

Right.

Good plans and ideas go to diet implementation if you don't have a work group.

And so I appreciate the amendment to the policy action work plan.

And I actually think it could fall under the engagement strategy piece under page 102.

So it could be following policy action 4.1.5.

I think it fits in really well and happy to also provide the language that Mayor Pro Tem provided in terms of establishing a working group, an advisory committee.

In the language, it does say subject to the city approval.

And so ultimately city council still have the ultimate say.

But I think having that working group is of utmost importance given the knowledge and expertise we have in the community.

And then I do actually have a second amendment.

And hopefully the motion on the table, the motion on the table will accept this too.

Is that during the briefing with my staff, it was mentioned to my staff that we actually don't have current data on existing public areas available for tree planting.

I don't know if this is true or not.

Rachel, if you can come up here.

In the plan, one, I just want to appreciate that we do call out ways to incentivize tree planting on residential and private properties.

We know that many of the areas are private property.

So we really want to incentivize folks to plant trees on private property.

But I also think it's really important that as a city we lead.

Do we have data on public properties, on public areas of where we can't plant trees?

Do we have that analysis?

We do.

I think what came about in the briefing is that we didn't have, it would need to be investigated.

We didn't have access to that information at the time.

We have a robust inventory of our street trees that does include identification of vacant stalls where tree planting is possible.

Okay.

And we do also have access to our parks information of where there is passive recreation area and parks that would accommodate trees.

So I think that's something that, I think the question was like exactly how many trees could be planted in D8 on public property.

And it was something that we couldn't answer at the time.

But we could figure that out with the data that we have available.

Okay.

Well, that's good.

I was actually going to add an amendment.

But if we have that data, then that's great.

I think, so for me on the equity piece in particular, right, knowing that we have the data, I do think it's really important that if we do have that data, it's really important for us to identify those existing public areas that is available for tree planting in those red areas in particular and making sure that we start in those area strategically.

Right.

So if there could be a commitment to that, that would be great.

So it's great that we have that data already.

So you don't have to do that analysis.

So that's really great.

So I don't think I need to make that amendment.

So I think the only amendment is making sure that we have a work group with the city department and make sure that we can implement this plan.

And it sounds like the other, it's more of a direction, maybe not an amendment, but a direction for this item to go to budget and audit to have a conversation of what it will take.

What dollars can we find our budget to add this to next year's budget cycle?

So those are all my comments.

Thank you.

Councilmember Kaplan.

Thank you, Mayor.

I will also echo it should go to budget and audit because one of the recommendations is invest in tree canopy.

And the only way to do that is partly through our budget.

So I spoke to staff about this because when we see a map, people imply things with map.

People make assumptions about maps.

And I just want to, and I brought this up to city staff and they did get back to me.

The specific area I actually object to the color about is my North Lake community, which is in the very-

Is it behind us?

Oh, okay.

It is the Northwest, the brand new, former Greenbrier.

It's in yellow.

If the rest of my district, mostly of North Natomas, is orange, this is a brand new community that is just now being constructed.

And all it has is dirt and houses.

It doesn't have tree canopy.

So I am very, and I know you guys looked and you said there's no data.

I can tell you the data is I visually go out there and it has less trees than the rest of the area in orange.

So I know a lot of policies and decisions are made based off of what people see.

And so I wouldn't be doing my job if I wasn't fighting that.

Just go look.

You will determine that that area qualifies for orange, if not red, because it is extremely brand new and had nothing on it, no base.

And the canopy is metal over the playground.

So that's my little spiel on why I think North Light should be orange.

Natomas is new.

We do have less canopy than a lot of the area.

One of the things that our predecessors did right is with new development coming in requiring a certain amount of tree canopy to be planted.

And I know that is in our general plan as well.

One of the questions I do have, because I've seen it on a couple other items, when new development or modernization on something comes in and trees are removed, generally we require the replacement.

Correct?

Correct?

Well, but we're removing mature trees and planting them with two baby trees that may or may not survive.

This is something I am interested in.

Why are we not actually knowing we need to plant more?

Actually, if two are removed, not requiring three or four to be planted, because there is a 50-50 whether a tree planted at tiny is actually going to grow to maturity.

So was that discussed or looked into?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Actually, the rule since 2016, when we updated the tree ordinance, is where the replacement requirement is inch for inch.

So if a tree has a trunk diameter of, say, 30 inches, they have to plant 31-inch trees.

So it's much more than just one or two.

It can be 30.

It can be 15.

It depends on how big the tree was.

So it is taking into account what we call the temporal loss, the time it takes to reach maturity.

That was all factored into that at that time.

And there's certainly room for improvement.

That's what a lot of this process is going to be about, is reviewing that and seeing if it's working.

But that was factored in and considered at that time.

So is it actually in our general plan?

Because I could go back and several items that show two trees had to be removed, required developer, or required person to plant two trees.

I'm not sure specifically which projects you're thinking of.

But in the city ordinance, 12.56, it's required.

The tree replacement requirement is inch for inch.

Okay, that would be interesting in a report because I've seen several instances that actually maybe that's been waived and it doesn't specifically call it out.

But I've seen just mature trees removed and just too required to be planted.

Would you be able to send us the projects so that we could investigate that specifically?

That would be helpful.

Thank you.

Really appreciate that.

I will also, so we've got this plan.

If we move forward with a project and let's say eliminating seven acres of urban forests,

how, why are we approving this plan but then giving council a certain amount of ability to get rid of urban trees and urban forests?

So I think one of the things that is a part of this plan is really kind of getting to that heart of how can we make our development process goals coexist with our tree canopy goals.

One of the challenges that we encounter, trees are often approved, that permit process is approved, is because property owners have a right to make good use of the land if it's consistent with the general plan.

So that's often how they're getting approved.

Certainly it's something that we want to minimize that when it happens as much as possible.

So we've been coordinating really closely with the community development department on ways that we can establish stronger minimums of tree requirements in development,

as well as create flexibility and creative design solutions within planned development process so that we can work with developers to design sites so that we're maintaining as many protected trees as possible.

But there are instances when trees need to be approved for removal because it prevents someone to make good use of their property.

And that's good explanation because when some people read you did this but then you approve this and who has authority to do what,

which it is important, as you pointed out, 90% of the property owned in the city of Sacramento is private or other entities and not city owned.

One of them, the entities that owns a lot of land that I would like to see collaboration with is our local school districts.

There is a significant amount of trees that can be planted on our schools to benefit our children that I think that is an opportunity that's been somewhat missed a little bit.

I think that's a little bit more about, but I think that's a little bit more about, but I think that's kind of what I would like to see.

And if the working group keeps coming, how they're working with schools to do this because it benefits everybody.

It also benefits children.

Thank you.

Long time coming.

Really appreciate it, but I will agree with what my colleagues have also brought up.

A plan is a plan is a plan, and it's great, but if it builds dust on a shelf and we don't implement it, what is that plan worth?

And I hope we take the time to integrate, make this a priority, and fully find a way to implement it.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Council Member Dickinson.

Well, thank you, Mayor.

And I want to join my colleagues in thanking everybody who's been involved in this, certainly the staff and the community members who participated in this.

There's much, from my point of view, to like in this plan.

And I think it represents an excellent work product.

So I want to give credit to those who've been instrumental in its drafting and development.

Like my colleagues as well, you know, I'm not actually going to remind any of you or let any of you know the first year I joined the board of the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

You might think I've been around for a while.

But I do want to emphasize a couple of the same themes that we've heard from others, equity being at the top of that list.

And just to put a little bit finer point on it and looking at the data from the report, Ben Ali, for example, has 17% tree coverage.

Del Paso Heights has 16%.

Old North Sacrum has 14%.

Robla has 13%.

Strawberry Manor has 12%.

Even when you look at parks, Mama Marks Park is 20%.

Nuevo Park is 15%.

Robla Community Park is 7%.

And it's, I mean, we can see the map, but I think when you start looking at some of these numbers,

it reinforces the point on the issue of equity.

And I think it tells us where our emphasis and where our effort needs to be focused.

I also want to emphasize the heat island effect, particularly as it relates to parking lots.

Obviously, streets and roads are another source.

But, you know, we have this 50% shading requirement in parking lots, or we did.

But we haven't succeeded with it very many places.

And I do think that there may be opportunities to work, even with existing property owners with parking lots,

to improve the tree canopy for those parking lots.

I know there was a project down in South Sacramento.

The Tree Foundation was very involved in a couple of years ago, as I recall, maybe longer now,

that actually came back in and retrofitted, in effect, retrofitted a shopping center parking lot with trees.

So I think that's another point of emphasis for us,

because those are sources of such huge heat generation,

that it's something not to be, it's certainly not to be overlooked.

The interesting thing about a lot of neighborhoods that have a high percentage of rentals that don't have homeowners

is it can be very challenging to get trees planted on property in those neighborhoods.

As anyone who has tried this knows, because the tenant doesn't have the power to say,

yes, please plant a tree, and landlords often don't want them,

because they don't want the expense or the obligation of maintaining a tree.

So I think, to some extent, while that's still a worthwhile effort to make,

public land becomes, and street frontage become much more crucial in some of those areas,

and maybe more practical for actually succeeding in planting trees in under-canopied neighborhoods.

So those are a few of the things that I have made, have noticed, have observed,

in particular over the time I've been involved in trying to increase our tree coverage and tree canopy

throughout our county, as well as our city.

In terms of what's before us, obviously I seconded the motion.

I very much support the idea of having a working group along with us.

I also think that we should have with the council periodic and regular check-ins.

So a number of people here have said a plan is a plan, and that's fine,

but it's not good enough if we're not doing anything to make sure that that plan becomes reality.

Well, one of the ways we can check in is by having at least an annual update to the council

on how we're doing with implementation of this plan.

And I don't know that that needs to be incorporated into the motion necessarily.

I'll leave that to the maker of the motion.

But at least if we can concur in that as a direction, then that would be, from my point of view,

that would be something that makes sense.

I also want to touch this issue of removal in a little bit different context.

We have a lot of people who individually take out their trees for various reasons,

not so much new development, but they're homeowners or landlords, but they remove their trees.

I know I have had conversations with Ray Trethewey over the years about this phenomena

that we actually can, in some cases, lose more trees than we plant.

And when I say we, I don't mean the city.

I mean collectively we as a community.

So maybe that's a matter of trying to elevate education and encourage people.

If you need to or you want to take out a tree in your yard, maybe you can replace it.

You can replace it with a free tree from the tree foundation,

or you can replace it with a tree from SMUD, something of that kind.

But make that part of our messaging to the community that when you take a tree out of your yard,

that's not just a loss to your yard, that's a loss to our community.

So that's just a thought.

It's absolutely critical.

We're known as the city of trees for good reason,

but we also need to make sure that the reason is we're the city of trees.

And so I, again, think this plan is an excellent step in the right direction.

We need to make it a reality,

but I think the commitment of the council is very strong in this regard.

And I know the commitment of the community is as strong, if not greater.

So thank you with that.

Mayor.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor Talamantes.

Agree with Council Member Dickinson's comments.

And we are the city of trees and the city of allergies.

And I absolutely get horrible allergies, but so worth it so that we get some shade.

But I'm happy to also send this to budget and audit.

And I think maybe it'd be fun to have a competition up here

on which council member can plant the most trees in their community

and set up some parameters.

And that includes development and everything else.

So for city staff, when you come to budget and audit,

give us some fun parameters to work around.

And that way we can keep it front, mind and center as we move forward.

Council, kind of council member Dickinson said,

like, how do we get periodic updates?

And if we do a competition,

then it's something that we continually think about and talk about and act on.

So that's about it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And clearly we are a city that loves trees.

I know everyone's hit it, hit it.

By the way,

can we change that thing down in Sacramento in your district

to be the city of trees again?

Yes.

The tower?

The water tower.

The water tower.

That's a controversial subject.

Mike Tess is in the audience.

I have some spray paint.

I've climbed up there before.

Sorry.

Yeah, I just want to note that I'm all in on this,

and I think everyone's hit it.

But I want to also talk about that map.

And, you know, it's something that you see.

It's striking.

It's intuitively you see.

Those are, you know, the more economically challenged neighborhoods.

As Council Member Dickinson noted, those are the high-rent neighborhoods.

And, you know, I'll just say that, as you know, in the last year,

I went out there knocking on doors for hours and hours and hours.

And I remember one day I was in one of these neighborhoods,

and it was kind of red, and it was so hot.

And I said, I have to go.

And I called up.

I said, give me a land park precinct or a river park,

because it was just too hot.

And when I went over there, I felt like it was 20 degrees cooler

with the same temperature out, 105 or whatever it was.

And so, you know, as someone who's been out there on hours and hours on end,

I felt it firsthand last year.

And then fast forward a few months ago,

we're going around talking to neighborhood groups,

and I heard this, Maya, one of your neighborhoods down there.

And one thing I really like about Sacramento,

when I was a neighborhood activist in Tawa Park,

I remember they, back then, the Tree Foundation and SMUD came to the neighborhood

and talked about the free trees and free planting,

and the neighborhood association agreed to step it up

and help out and do their own outreach.

And so it is hard to get people to sign up on their own,

especially renters and all these other issues.

But I really like these programs where we have activist groups,

youth groups, neighborhood groups,

that go and want to do this and help us expand our tree canopy.

So as we go through this working group and through the budget and audit process,

there's no free money.

Money doesn't grow on trees, right?

That I would hope that we could prioritize helping some of these active organizations

and groups and volunteers to, you know, help people help themselves.

So that's the one actual item that I would zero in on,

because most of these are on private property as noted.

So with that, enough has been said.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

He knows your abstentions. Hearing none.

Unanimous passes. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay. And I have no PowerPoint presentation.

Let me just get to it.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council.

I'm Tina Levo, your nighttime economy manager.

Joining me is Dustin Hollingsworth,

assistant director of the Convention and Cultural Services Department.

In 2023, legislation was approved that defined entertainment zones

as zones that may be created by local ordinance

and authorized consumption of alcoholic beverages

in public spaces during special events.

At that time, these zones were limited to San Francisco.

In 2024, legislation was approved that expanded the ability

to authorize entertainment zones to jurisdictions throughout the state.

On April 8, 2025, staff presented a report to the Law and Legislation Committee

providing information on entertainment zones

and proposing establishing entertainment zones in Sacramento.

The committee supported staff's proposal and passed a motion directing us

to afford an ordinance related to entertainment zones

to the full city council without committee review.

So that's why we are here today.

We are asking the city council to adopt the proposed ordinance

to allow entertainment zones in Sacramento.

These zones would be areas where bars, restaurants, wineries, and breweries

could sell alcoholic drinks to go during special events.

People would enjoy their drinks in outdoor plazas, sidewalks, or streets

while experiencing creative programming like live music.

These zones would support local businesses, spur economic development,

and create a festive neighborhood atmosphere.

The proposed ordinance is a two-tier approach

to creating and implementing entertainment zones.

First, the ordinance designates the maximum geographic boundaries

and hours of operation of entertainment zones.

These zones are subject to additional conditions

or permitting requirements.

And then city staff will develop management plans

to further regulate the operation of the zones.

Staff worked with key stakeholders, including Visit Sacramento,

as well as several P-bids,

to identify initial entertainment zone locations.

Three entertainment zones are included in the proposed ordinance

and noted in the maps attached to the staff report.

The proposed zones are located at 20th and K Streets,

Alley-Yusefi Square,

and the area around our convention center.

Several things were considered when selecting these initial zones,

such as prioritizing locations that frequently host special events,

those areas that have existing infrastructure to act as boundaries,

and community partners who are sufficiently resourced

to act as entertainment zone leads.

We wanted to begin with a smaller number of zones

to ensure program success

and to determine if any adjustments would be necessary

before expanding the program throughout the city.

Staff are already working with other P-bids and interested parties

to identify additional zones throughout the city.

And in accordance with state law,

any new zone would be brought to the city council

for full review and approval.

Each entertainment zone will have a specific management plan

to regulate operations and ensure public safety.

Management plans include things such as

designated an entertainment zone lead,

requiring a special event permit with requirements

that limit consumption of alcohol beverages

to public areas approved by that special event permit,

requiring geographic boundaries marked via signs,

sidewalk decals, or other city-approved methods,

requiring a security plan approved by the police department,

requiring age verification process to ensure

that anyone consuming alcohol is 21 years of age and older,

and requiring operators to sell to-go alcoholic beverages

in approved containers.

Front Street, San Francisco's first entertainment zone,

is an excellent example of how a zone can positively impact an area,

drawing more than 21,000 attendees across four events.

It has given a major boost to its bars and local businesses,

and our office is unaware of any significant issues

or problems related to these events.

San Francisco currently has over 20 approved and pending zones,

and earlier this month,

Santa Monica launched its first entertainment zone

during its Pride on the Promenade event.

Now, I understand that there may be some concerns

about entertainment zones,

so I want to address them.

First, we're not trying to be New Orleans or Las Vegas.

Entertainment zones will not allow the consumption

of open alcohol containers in public spaces 24-7.

Open consumption would be limited to city-permitted special events

and only allowed within the approved event area

within that entertainment zone.

Folks aren't allowed to bring outside alcohol

into the entertainment zones.

Only businesses with liquor licenses

who have registered with ABC

and are within the entertainment zone

may sell drinks for open consumption

during special events.

And as you know, public safety is always our primary concern.

These zones will be managed by a lead organization

who will work collaboratively with participating businesses

to ensure events are safe, as well as fun and vibrant.

The goal is to develop entertainment zones

that will enhance the experience for those attending special events

in Sacramento while increasing revenue-generating opportunities for businesses.

So this concludes my presentation,

but I want to go ahead and thank folks that work with me on this.

Teamwork makes the dream work, and we had a really great team.

I want to acknowledge Carlo Felix, our senior planner with community development,

Melissa Romero, program manager with the entertainment services division,

John Adair, my nighttime economy administrative analyst.

I also need to acknowledge a vendor car with the deputy city attorney

who really stepped up and helped us get this cross the finish line.

And I also want to thank our partners,

Visit Sacramento, Midtown Association,

Downtown Sacramento Partnership,

and the R Street Partnership for their collaboration and support.

So with that, Dustin and I are available to answer

any questions that you may have.

Okay.

Comments?

Yes, Mayor, I have seven speakers on this item.

The first is Mike Testa.

Following Mike is Madeline Noel,

Jameson Parker, Wes Sams.

Mayor McCarty, members of the City Council, Madam City Manager,

my name is Mike Testa,

and I'm the President and CEO of Visit Sacramento.

As you know, there are a lot of great special events here

in America's Farm to Fort Capital.

Oh, these events are designed to...

Well played, well played, well done.

Create fun for our residents,

create fun for our visitors,

and entertainment zones will add fun,

more fun to that,

by encouraging movement,

which creates energy and commerce.

You think about events 15, 20 years ago in Sacramento,

we had beer gardens,

which was kind of like beer jail.

You had to finish your drink before you could go anywhere.

It got better over the years.

You could get a facility permit,

but when you look at events like the Farm to Fork Festival,

we blocked Ilfern Isle.

We blocked House.

We blocked Old Soul.

We blocked Camden, Spint and Larder.

We had 100,000 attendees on Capitol Mall,

but none of those businesses benefited

because of the required fencing.

And you look in San Francisco,

what's been done there,

businesses report an increase of 700 to 1,500 percent

of sales during special events.

These events are powerful for businesses.

When people circulate,

when they can move about

and enjoy the fun of an event,

throughout the event,

they become customers at multiple businesses

and revenues increase for everyone.

Visit Sacramento highly encourages you to pass this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madeline and then Jameson.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the council,

interim city manager, and city staff.

My name is Madeline Knoll.

I'm with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership,

a property-based improvement district

serving our neighborhood here in the heart of Sacramento.

And I'm here to express our strong support

for Entertainment Zone ordinance.

Events are powerful tools.

They bring people into the heart of our city,

activate our public spaces,

and showcase the vibrant character of our city.

Entertainment zones take this a step further

by giving local businesses the opportunity

to participate directly,

creating lasting benefits

to both our community and our economy.

This ordinance is built upon the model

successfully piloted in San Francisco

over the past year

and includes clear permitting processes

and operational guidelines

to ensure that public safety

and a high-quality guest experience

are at the forefront of the planning

and the activation.

By supporting local jobs,

increasing sales tax revenue,

and creating high-quality

and well-managed activations,

entertainment zones will add additional flexibility

and vitality to Sacramento's

growing social economy

and ensure that our locally-owned small businesses

are part of the benefit.

Our team would like to extend our gratitude

to Tina Levo and John Adair

and the entire team at the City of Sacramento

for their leadership on this initiative.

All the community engagement that they've done

has been very thorough and thoughtful,

and we look forward to continuing our collaboration

and partnership with them

to bring the entertainment zones online.

We respectfully ask for your aye vote

to bring this creative and economic driver

to Sacramento.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Jameson Parker, then Wes Sams,

then Bob Simpson.

Good evening, Mayor, Councilmembers.

Jameson Parker with the Midtown Association.

We're a property-based improvement district.

Here in the central city,

representing over 1,300 property owners

with the mission of making Midtown

the Center for Culture, Creativity,

and Vibrancy in our urban core.

And boy, we're excited to be talking about this ordinance

because it's not very often we get to say

an ordinance embodies that mission entirely.

I really want to start by thanking city staff

with Tina John and the rest of the team

that have worked tirelessly

to bring this ordinance forward.

At its core, this is an opportunity

to encourage economic development,

invest in our community,

and streamline permitting processes.

This designation will provide a structured

and responsible framework

to activate our public spaces,

support small businesses,

and continue to establish Sacramento

as a destination for entertainment.

We've seen how this model

can be successful in San Francisco.

We've had an opportunity to work

with our PBID partners in the city

to really talk about what has worked well,

what could have been done better,

so we can build a system

that is really focused on accountability,

the operations and safety of events,

as well as creating an inclusive

and an opportunity for all businesses to succeed.

We're excited to see and test this experience

at Midtown, at one of our most busy intersections

at 20th and K Street.

In the last several years,

we have invested thousands of,

tens of thousands of dollars

into supporting events at 20th and K,

including infrastructure like ballers

or road closure signage.

But more importantly,

it's about the investment and collaboration

in that space and supporting the businesses,

not the single venue that is operating

in a special event,

but those that are on that corridor

and how can they be uplifted

by special events in an entertainment zone.

So we're just grateful for the opportunity

to help push this forward

and we urge your support.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comments.

Wes?

Wes Sam's CEO of the Curiosity Collaborative

and lead organizer of the City of Trees Parade

and Mardi Gras Festival.

We have the largest Mardi Gras parade

in California here in Sacramento,

the City of Trees Parade.

We brought 20,000 people to the downtown area

in our 2025 parade

and we're getting bigger every year.

We tout ourselves as an opportunity

to bring together Sacramento's diverse communities

and celebrate the art, music, and culture

that we can spectacularly display on our streets

simply by closing the streets to traffic

and inviting people out.

I see this ordinance as an opportunity

to invite more people to openly explore

and experience downtown

and old Sacramento communities

where our parade takes place

and really participate.

Mr. Testa mentioned

that people used to have to be kept in beer jail.

This is taking down the fences

and opening up the community to experience more.

Nothing in particular

is dangerous about having

an alcoholic container outside.

We drink inside, we drink outside.

Having a container,

as long as it's not glass,

doesn't hurt anybody.

And so encouraging people

to enjoy the community

and be responsible.

These are things we can do.

We can treat adults like adults

and I encourage all of you guys

to support this measure.

Thanks.

Thank you for your comments.

I have three more speakers.

Bob, then Alex Torres,

then Ryan Foster.

Good evening, Mayor.

Council members, I'm Bob Simpson.

I've owned and operated

nightclubs and bars

in Sacramento

for the past 40 years.

This ordinance is going to be tremendous for us.

We have great leadership

with Tina and Dustin and her team

and I really support

or I really appreciate your support

of the nighttime economy for Sacramento.

Thank you.

Alex and then Ryan.

Mr. Mayor,

Madam City Attorney,

and members of the Council,

thank you so much.

Alex Torres,

wearing a few hats today.

I'm speaking to you

as a board member

of the Capital Venues Coalition,

advocating here locally

for Sacramento's indie music venue

and nightlife scene.

Also, I'm the state lobbyist

for the National Independent Venue Association,

representing over 500

independent music venues

and festivals in California,

so notably Channel 24

and Harlow's here in town.

And lastly,

I'm also the state lobbyist

for the California Nightlife Association,

representing bar, nightlife,

and operators

throughout the state.

Proud to call Mr. Simpson

a part of our leadership

and a great model operator

here in the city.

I had the pleasure

of working on the enabling legislation.

It took two attempts.

Mr. McCarty,

Mayor McCarty,

thank you so much

for the support in the assembly.

This is,

a lot of thought has gone into this,

a lot of safeguards,

and I think you have great models

as a sacramentan.

It's really great

to be able to see

Santa Monica

and San Francisco get theirs,

but now we get ours,

and I'm very excited

to see this move forward.

A huge thank you

to Tina, Dustin, John,

and the whole staff

for the engagement

with all stakeholders.

These businesses represent

a significant portion

of the sales revenue,

of the city's revenue

through sales tax.

This is an opportunity

to revitalize our downtowns,

and there's a select committee

in the assembly about this.

Assemblymember Matt Haney

has been really focusing on this.

This is one of those tools

in the toolbox.

I would note this also aligns

with the Music City survey

that was done

that talks about

how we can improve

not only the operating dynamic

for nightlife

and entertainment operators

in the city,

but also artists.

These are opportunities

for them to gig

at outdoor festivals,

block parties.

The opportunities here

are endless,

and so I look forward

to also not only seeing

what these look like

in Midtown,

in D4,

Councilmember Pluckybaum,

but what does it look like

in D5?

What does it look like

in D1 and D3?

So I appreciate

your support here today

or just a strong vote

in support.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Ryan Foster is our final speaker

on this item.

I'm really excited

about this plan,

and then also I think

it's really smart

that we're starting out

with only a few areas

and expanding out from there

once we get ideas from there.

I also think that

besides allowing alcohol

in the streets,

I think pedestrianizing

the streets outside

of these businesses

is really important,

even if it's just for

a few hours in the evening

while they're operating,

just because it increases safety

and makes it easier

to flow from one side

of the street

to the next.

I think including,

once we're finalized

on these areas,

maybe including

automatically retractable

bollards could be

a good idea

to make it easier

to have festivals

come and go

and events happen

without having to bring

things in as often

and make the area safe

and welcoming

for everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Mayor,

I have no more speakers

on this item.

Okay, thank you.

That concludes

our public comment.

We have Council Members

Plucky Baum and Maple.

I want to speak first,

but I just want to say

I'm in full support

of this.

Tina, thank you

for your presentation

and for engaging

potential areas

throughout Sacramento

where this could work.

And Mr. Torres was right.

This was a big debate

a couple years ago

on the Assembly.

I thought it was worth

taking a shot

and letting a few cities

try it out.

San Francisco

tried it out first,

and they're a different city,

more entertainment city,

but I think that

this is something

that we ought

to take a look at

and we're looking

at a few small areas.

I think it's important

to note that

we're not going

to be Mardi Gras.

This isn't New Orleans.

I will note

that there were

two big controversial bills

on this relative topic

and one was extending

alcohol sales

until four in the morning

and I vehemently

oppose that.

I think that's

not a good idea.

But this one

I thought was

a great idea

because you know

you can have it

more contained.

We can focus

on utilizing

law enforcement

and business organizations

to make sure

that we focus on

have good implementation,

not just a citywide policy,

but something

we could focus

on contained areas.

And I think this can,

you know,

help bring

what we want to see,

more activity

to our central city,

more economic development

in a targeted zone,

limited hours

in a limited space.

So I think

it's going to be

very successful.

I know there's a lot

of fear in this.

Whenever you talk

about change,

there's 50% of people

that are certain

that's going to be

an absolute disaster

and 50% that are optimistic

that it's going to be

kind of good.

So that's why

change is so hard.

But I think

this is a good proposal

and I am in full support.

I like the three areas

out of the gate.

So thank you.

Council Member Pluckibom.

I'll open and close

the hearing

and move to our

recommendation.

Yes.

Wonderful.

Council Member Maple.

Thank you.

And thank you,

Council Member Pluckibom.

I think that was important

given that the three areas

that we're proposing

are in your district.

So really exciting stuff.

And I just want to say

I'm excited about this.

I heard this in Lawn Ledge.

I was excited

to move it forward.

And one of the key questions

that I have is

what is the process

for establishing the zones?

I know you talked

about that a little bit.

But as Mr. Torres alluded to,

I have a really wonderful area

in my district

on Stockton Boulevard

that contains the Colonial Theater

and Colonial Cafe.

And it would be really cool

to think about

what could a future

district in that area look like?

And so just interested

in what the process is.

So our office

is working on the process.

So anyone who wanted

to establish the zone

would reach out

to the Office of Nighttime Economy.

What we would probably do

is sit down

and work with them

and have them identify

some key steps.

One would be

identifying the boundaries

that they want the zone

to be in.

By law,

the boundaries have to be

within the ordinance.

We'd have to bring that back.

We'd also want to have

an understanding

of what kind of

participating businesses

that they want to include

because part of the reason

why this was developed

was to increase businesses.

So we want to make sure

we do that.

And then finally,

we want to make sure

that we have a really good,

strong lead.

So the entertainment zone lead

is really responsible

for making sure

that they're managing

the participating businesses,

if there's any insurance requirements.

So we'd want to know

how they were going

to be organizing.

So we would just start

from there.

It wouldn't be

a full application process

for like the same things

like getting an entertainment permit.

There isn't a fee.

But we just want to make sure

that anyone who's interested

in having a zone

has the capacity

to be able to operate

and manage it safely.

Great.

Thank you.

And I just want to be clear.

I just came up with that idea.

I'm not speaking on behalf

of Colonial Theater

or Colonial Cafe in any way.

I can see Alex's eyes on me.

But I just think,

you know,

I'm just excited

about possibilities

in other parts of the city.

I know that was mentioned,

but we have a lot of opportunity

beyond downtown core,

but I think the downtown area

is the right place to start.

So excited to see

how that cracks out.

And what we can learn

from this beginning stage.

I want to thank you,

Tina and Dustin and Don

and everyone who worked on this.

I think it takes creativity

to figure out,

you know,

sometimes state laws

get passed in that building

down the road,

but they don't always apply

directly to cities.

And we have to figure out

how does it look,

what does it look like for us?

So just appreciate you

putting in that work

and being willing to be creative

and work in partnership

with our business community

to figure that out.

And one thing that I've noticed

when I go

and of the times

I've been in Europe

is we just have

very different relationships

with alcohol here in the U.S.

and restrictions and rules

and a lot of those

are not in our control

here at the local level.

But I just remember

being in Portugal one time

and there's little,

like little pop-up stalls

in the middle of

Sousa Chavez Park

where you can go get

an Aperol spritz

and sit at a table

with your friend and talk.

And it's just very,

it's very different

and a little bit less restrictive

and yet I didn't see,

you know,

people running around

crazy drunk

having issues there.

It's just part of the culture.

And so I hope that

as we start to update

and change our rules

that we can build that culture

and really a community, right?

Because that's what

these spaces create

is you have spaces

where people can come in,

spend time with their friends,

have fun,

go into the local businesses.

So if you're at an event

then you can just pop down

the street

into your favorite restaurant.

So it's really good

for everyone

to get people out of their houses

into the community,

talking to other people

and, you know,

patroning our local businesses.

So I'm really excited about this

and happy to second the motion

and move this forward.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Council Member Jennings.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'm very excited

about this as well

and want to make sure

that it is successful.

And so I'm trying to understand

how will we measure success?

I think one of the things

we're looking at is,

you know,

attendance at events

but also how it economically

benefits our businesses.

One of the things that,

as Mike mentioned,

just how many businesses

in San Francisco noted

it increased people coming

and enjoying themselves

and being able to be part

of the active space.

So, and I think we look,

we focus a lot

on the restaurants

but we're also looking

at other businesses

because there may be

a shop nearby

or other places

that benefit

by having people in the area.

So I think for us,

success will be event attendance

but also does it really

economically benefit

those businesses

that are now able

to participate

in special events

who before were precluded

from participating.

Will the local businesses

in the area

be able to come together

and talk about

the things that went well

and the things

that they want to build on?

Have you thought about that?

Oh, definitely.

One of the things,

one of our partners,

Midtown Association,

has already reached out

to their businesses

and is already developing

those relationships

that they work together

to be successful.

So I think that's why

we really want to have

a strong lead

is that that lead

should be the person

that brings that community

together so that

they can determine

what's working,

what's not working,

how do we want

to host these events

and what are going

to be the best opportunities

for us to draw attendees here

and then really increase

the revenue

for the businesses

that are participating.

Okay.

So I'm in favor.

I think the council member

has made it

that this is something

he wants to do

in his district

and he knows

his district best

and I'm in full support

and what I want to do

is I want to watch it

and see how it works

in his district

and then be next in line

to talk about District 7

and how we can make

it work there.

So you're the test model

and I'm going to support you

150%

and then learn from you

so that we can see

how we can make this work

in other districts as well.

Thank you.

Would they have a motion

and a second?

All those in favor,

please say aye.

Aye.

Noes or abstentions?

Hearing none?

Passes.

Thank you.

So we move to item 17

which is audit

of the city's homeless response

city motel program.

All right.

Good evening.

Mayor McCarty

and members of the city council.

I'm Farishtar Rari

or city auditor.

I'm here to present

the audit of the city's homeless response

for the city motel program.

With me today

are members of the audit team

Kevin Christensen,

Joyce Chi

and Chevelle Jackson.

The recommendation

that is before you

is actually first

to get a two-thirds vote

to temporarily suspend

the council rules of procedure

for chapter 15

B1

to bypass the budget

and audit committee

and come directly

to the city council

due to scheduling limitations.

Mindy,

do we have to get a vote first?

So may I read a motion

and a second

to waive council rules

or procedure

which is bypassing

the budget and audit committee.

We have a motion

and a second.

All in favor,

please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Passes.

Please proceed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The second recommendation

is to approve

the audit

of the city's homeless response

on the city motel program.

So as you know,

homelessness is a regional issue

requiring collaboration.

The city partners

with other agencies

and organizations

to serve people

experiencing homelessness.

Some key roles

and agencies

we refer to

in our audit

are as follows.

The continuum of care

is a framework

designed by HUD

to promote community-wide

commitment

to end homelessness.

The Homeless Management

Information System,

HMIS,

is a federally mandated

database used

to track services,

housing,

and outcomes

for people

experiencing homelessness.

In Sacramento,

it's managed

by Sacramento Steps Forward

or SSF.

And then also managed

by SSF

is a county-wide

coordinated access system

or CAS.

It's a nationally

recognized best practice

that centralizes

access to

homeless services

and ensures people

are connected

connected to housing

and support

based on their level

of need.

Finally,

for the city motel program,

the city contracts

with motels

and homeless service

providers

to offer motel rooms

and a variety

of supportive services

to eligible PEH,

people experiencing

homelessness.

So just real quick,

as shown on the slide,

a continuum of care

includes several types

of shelter and housing,

each designed

to serve distinct purposes

for immediate stabilization

to long-term support.

The responsibility

for funding

and operating

these options

is shared

across different entities

within the continuum.

Of note,

the city motel program

falls in the

emergency shelter category,

which is designed

to be short-term

to stabilize individuals.

Typically,

longer-term housing options

that serve those

with more chronic conditions

are provided by counties

as they receive special funding

to run these types

of housing options.

So the CMP program

started during the COVID-19 pandemic

with the specific objective

of providing emergency

non-congregate shelter

to homeless individuals

with pre-existing

medical conditions.

This program

has since evolved

and currently operates

as an emergency

non-congregate shelter,

serving homeless families

with minor children.

Over the course

of the CMP,

the program

has consisted

of four main components.

First was the hotline service.

It was initially used

for referrals

and intake.

This component

was managed

by Hope Cooperative,

but it's now integrated

into the coordinated

access system.

Then you have

the motel rooms

where we contract

with several motels

to provide

the actual rooms

with basic amenities.

And then you have

program operations

and service provisions

that are managed

by service providers

like Hope Cooperative

and City of Refuge

and Step Up on Second,

which is our current provider.

And then we have

move-in support

and landlord incentives,

which is assistance

for participants

transitioning

to permanent housing.

This is a newer component

that's currently provided

by Step Up as well.

So the city has spent

more than $28 million

for the operation

of the city motel program

from December 2020

through December 2024

and has served

about 3,400 individuals,

which averages out

to be about $8,300

per participant.

This figure illustrates

the total amount

of the expenditures

by contractor,

including all the motels,

service providers,

and the hotline manager.

And as you can see,

the majority of the funding

was spent on the motels.

So over the course

of the program,

the city has entered

into contracts

with nine operators

covering 11 locations

across the city

with a total contracted value

of approximately $37.1 million.

As of May 2025,

four motels

were actively participating

in the program,

which are indicated

by the green icons

on the slide.

And the remaining

seven red icons

represent motels

that were formerly

contracted with

but are no longer

in contract.

This slide provides

an illustration

of how individuals

access and navigate

the CMP.

Individuals enter

the system

through the coordinated

access system.

clients are assessed

using standardized

screening tools

to determine

the level of need

and assessment results

are entered

into HMIS.

The CAS system

staff match clients

to available shelter beds

based on the severity

of vulnerabilities.

This is an important point

because the city

does not have

any control

over what individuals

are assigned

to the CMP.

Additionally,

families with minor children

that have the most

severe vulnerabilities

are provided shelter

through the program.

Upon placement,

STEPUP conducts

case management

and provides services

to participants

such as document recovery,

benefits access,

behavioral health,

and employment support.

And then we also have

housing specialists

to assist with move-in,

life skills,

budgeting,

and community integration.

So moving into the findings,

we have six findings

in this audit.

Our first finding,

we sought to determine

information about

the number of participants

that have been placed

into positive housing.

So over the duration

of the program,

32% of exited participants

have secured

permanent housing.

This does exclude

the early participants

served under HOPE

cooperative.

As I mentioned,

they were initially used

to just help

with the COVID-19 pandemic,

and they were not required

to focus on permanently

housing the individuals.

We found that the city's

positive exit rate

appeared to exceed

the performance

of comparable shelter programs

in other California cities.

And then with comparing

with the national average,

it's pretty much in line

at 32.4%

for successful placements.

So in an effort

to understand

the operational status

of the program

and the participant experience,

we crafted a survey,

deployed audit staff

to three motels

in the program,

knocked on 118 rooms,

and were able

to conduct interviews

with 46 participants.

We found that overall,

70% of participants

reported being satisfied

or very satisfied

with the program.

However,

they did identify

some concerns.

So some was that

the room conditions,

while the majority

of the rooms,

which are about 80%,

met livability standards

with no issues identified,

about 20% did have

some issues

such as damaged walls.

In response

to the survey,

we also found

that 78%

of participants

felt that services

were sufficient

and about 22%

expressed a need

for more regular

and effective case management.

Notably,

because the participants

were granted anonymity

in the survey,

we weren't able

to compare their responses

to data in HMIS.

Finally,

we also found

that participants

found certain rules

were stringent

and not well communicated,

leading to a lack

of flexibility

for extenuating circumstances.

So some of these

were visitor prohibitions,

mandatory room cleanings,

and rules

barring leaving

adolescent-age children

in rooms alone.

In addition,

we came across

a few participants

that did not speak English,

which brings up

the concern

that the program rules

and contracts

are only offered

in English.

We recommend

that DCR

assess the participant responses

and feedback

to the survey

and consider

whether any changes

or modifications

are appropriate.

For a third finding,

we focused on data

that service providers

have been documenting

related to case management

services provided

to the participants.

Sacramento COC

established baseline

data collection goals

to ensure complete data

in HMIS.

And according

to the data quality plan,

certain data fields

including program

entry and exit dates

are baseline requirements.

However,

we did find

that data accuracy,

some data accuracy issues

and identified

three sub-findings

in this finding.

First,

inconsistencies

in critical data fields

including enrollment dates

and exit destinations

reduced the accuracy

of analyses

on both program

participation

and performance.

Second,

there were no services

documented in HMIS

for approximately

a third of the program

stays.

And finally,

service costs

are not tracked

in HMIS,

which limits

the city's ability

to systematically

determine the total

monetary assistance

that we're providing

to each participant

or whether the assistance

requires further review.

Incomplete data

may inaccurately reflect

participants' progress

and meeting programmatic goals

such as obtaining

necessary documents

or transitioning

to permanent housing,

which in turn

compromises confident

reporting on the

program's effectiveness.

So just a little more

information on this finding.

We went to conduct

our data analysis.

We downloaded

and compiled data reports

in HMIS

as of January 31st, 2025.

We found, like I mentioned,

some data accuracy

issues with multiple fields.

And then we also found

issues with the motel

data recording.

For example,

we found approximately

42% of participants' days

did not have a motel

location documented

in HMIS.

And as I mentioned,

it limits the city's ability

to accurately assess

participant outcomes,

track progress,

and evaluate

overall program performance.

DCR staff did acknowledge

the issue

and attribute it

to a mix of

system limitations

and real-world complexities

such as failed

housing placements

or changes

to household composition.

And as I mentioned,

a third of the services

were not tracked

in HMIS.

As a reminder,

the program started

as a COVID-19

response program.

And so in the early

part of the program,

robust data fields

and comprehensive data

input requirements

had not been established

by the COC.

In addition,

the HOPE cooperative

was, as I mentioned,

not required to focus

on housing placement

or providing services,

which explains the low services

documented for them.

program.

And we'd also like

to note that looking

at the slide

from right to left

follows the evolution

of the program in time.

So there does appear

to be continued improvement

of the data input practices.

And the current gaps

just highlight the need

for it to strengthen

data quality

and improve program

oversight

and effectiveness.

So to address

the data issues

identified in the finding,

we made four recommendations

to improve the completeness

and accuracy

of the data input

into HMIS

and increase the types

of information tracked,

such as entering

monetary assistance

into the system.

Our fourth finding

addresses the CMP's

overall design.

As I described earlier,

the program is

an emergency shelter program

that provides

non-congregate shelter

for families

with minor children.

However,

best practices

and guidance

on what an emergency shelter is,

how long individuals

should stay

in emergency shelters,

and the services

that should be provided

are different

depending on the source

that we're consulting.

So we had two sub-findings

for this finding,

and it was first

that the objective

does not fully align

with its current function

or contractual performance metrics,

and the CMP operates

beyond the typical

emergency shelter function,

both in lengths of stay

and in services provided.

And second,