Sacramento City Council Meeting - March 3, 2026
Sacramento City Council Meeting - March 3, 2026
The Sacramento City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, convening at 5:07 p.m. and adjourning at 6:21 p.m. The meeting included a special presentation for National Engineers Week, public hearings on historic preservation and cannabis regulations, a discussion on extending a CORE program dispensary opportunity, and public comments on a proposed microcommunity, a confiscated teepee, and other community concerns.
Special Presentation/General Communications
- National Engineers Week: Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra presented a resolution recognizing National Engineers Week. Two students from Sacramento State's Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers were recognized. The students shared their career aspirations.
Public Hearings
- Item 1 (Orbit Station Landmark): Ordinance listing 2240 Northgate Boulevard as a landmark was continued to March 17, 2026.
- Item 2 (Cannabis Land Use Ordinance): Withdrawn.
- Item 3 (Cannabis Consumption Lounge Fees): Withdrawn.
Discussion Items
- Item 4 (CORE Program Dispensary Extension): Staff presented two options regarding the storefront cannabis dispensary opportunity for a CORE program participant whose permit expires April 1, 2026: (1) allow the opportunity to expire and give it to the next highest-scoring RFQ participant, or (2) adopt a resolution extending the opportunity by one year (to April 1, 2027) and also extending the application period for new applicants from five to six years.
- Public Testimony: Seven speakers addressed the council. Jarrett Hill, the applicant, described losing his original site to a fire, securing a new location with a CUP, and needing a one-year extension. Other speakers supported the extension, citing the applicant's diligence and the barriers faced by equity applicants. One speaker, Zion Taddis, criticized the CORE program for low success rates (less than 4% of license holders from the equity community). Michael Milton and others expressed general support for cannabis businesses and equity.
- Council Deliberation: Councilmember Kaplan moved to adopt a one-year extension (to April 1, 2027) but not to extend the opportunity for new applicants from five to six years. She requested a status update by December 31, 2026. Councilmember Dickinson raised the equity of also allowing the next person on the list to proceed, but after discussion, the council decided to wait for a market study and Title 17 changes expected in April. Councilmember Maple supported the motion, noting the challenges for CORE applicants.
- Vote: Motion passed unanimously (9-0; all members present voting aye).
City Manager’s Report
- City Manager Maraskeshia Smith announced a Pothole Blitz to focus on filling potholes. Councilmembers were asked to compile lists of streets from constituents within two weeks.
Public Comments – Matters Not on the Agenda
- Eleven speakers addressed the council on various topics:
- Microcommunity Proposal (North Natomas): Several residents (Lena Shea, David Weitzel, Rick Locke, Rosie Lair, Gary Fleshman) expressed strong opposition to a proposed microcommunity (tiny homes) at Elk Central Road and Arena Boulevard, citing proximity to schools, parks, lack of transit, lack of indoor bathrooms/kitchens, and concerns about public safety and budget deficits. They requested that an alternative proposal from Councilmember Kaplan be placed on a future agenda.
- Confiscated Teepee (Native American Sacred Item): Multiple speakers (Liana, Sierra, Rosa, and others) demanded the return of a teepee seized by Sacramento Police. They argued it was a sacred religious artifact used in ceremonies and labeled as a "tarp" to avoid accountability. They threatened legal action under the Native American Freedom of Religion Act.
- Business Break-ins: Ernesto Delgado reported two break-ins at his businesses (Mercado Urbano and Octopus Peru) in two weeks, requesting more police attention.
- Public Safety and Policing: LR Roberts complained about inadequate response to threats and thefts, and criticized police for focusing on homeless individuals while ignoring violent threats. Another speaker (Michael Milton) urged the city to build apartments instead of tiny homes.
- Protest Encampment: A speaker (Fayo) criticized the city for not returning the teepee and for police harassment of protesters at the ICE facility.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted Resolution No. 2026-0055 (unanimous): Extending the CORE program storefront dispensary opportunity for one year (new expiration April 1, 2027) for the current applicant (Jarrett Hill). The five-year timeline for new applicants remains unchanged. Staff will report back by December 31, 2026 on progress.
- Public Hearing Items: Item 1 continued to March 17, 2026; Items 2 and 3 withdrawn.
- Pothole Blitz: City Manager will coordinate with councilmembers to collect pothole locations for a targeted blitz within two weeks.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We're gonna be getting started with this meeting of the Sacramento City Council. This meeting is now called to order at 5.07 p.m. Please call the role. Councilmember Kaplan. Councilmember Dickinson. Councilmember Plecky Baum is expected momentarily. Councilmember Maple. Here. Mayor Potemgata. Here. Councilmember Jennings. I'm here, Madam Clerk. Council Member Vang. We expect Mayor McCarty momentarily and Vice Mayor Talamantes. All right, thank you. Councilmember Vang, please lead us in the land acknowledgement, and I'll do the Pledge of Allegiance. Yes. Please ride if you are able. To the original people of this land, the Nissanon people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Mewak, Putwin and Wentu Peoples, and the people of Walton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the Native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples, history, contributions, and lives. Thank you. Hello, Pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands for my nation and the God. Liberty and Justice for awesome day. Okay, there is no report out from closed session since we didn't have it. And moving along to uh Mayor Pro Tim Gera's National Engineers Week, and he's an engineer himself, so perfect for this resolution. Thank you very much, Vice Mayor. It is my pleasure to do our resolution recognizing National Engineers Week. And to receive it today, we have two students from Sack State's Math Engineering and Science and Achievement Program. Let's give them a big round of applause. And also our staff from the podium here. Welcome both as well. As well, come up as well, yes. Um, and um uh one one, you know, National Engineers Week, it's always in February, and it's in the middle of February, and it lands on a uh starts on a very special day, and that's on George Washington's birthday on President's Day weekend. And the reason that is is because George Washington, our first president, was also an engineer. And uh, you know, go figure. We have an uh engineer who who knew how to solve problems, and uh and is most notably. So we uh we honor uh uh all of our engineers, and when you become an engineer or computer scientist, um uh you uh you take an oath to uh using your skills, problem solving to better the needs of society. And um, and so I'm excited today to not only uh uh recognize Julio Tavita Escobar and Brian Mejia Nunez, who are both uh part of the Sacramento the at SAC State, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, which I was a member of uh a long time ago, over 20 years ago, uh, as the vice president of the student chapter, and it's great to see them here. Uh they're both seniors uh at SAC State uh and uh and are interested in this. Uh now before they start, because I'd love to have them say a few words. I also want to recognize and ask if we have any engineers in our room, and I see Ryan Moore over there over there, at least one more, an engineer, to please stand up and join them uh here at the podium. All our engineers, we have many. We have civil, mechanical uh and I do want to recognize our city staff uh because they have uh done uh some tremendous work excitingly, right, with a lot of us pulling us together to figure out how we work as a team to get the funding and prepare for the i Street Bridge. You know, build talking about the most iconic thing on bridges, building bridges, and uh this team here of our city uh workers, uh uh computer scientists and engineers. Uh they are leading our way not only in our IT management, but also uh the future of AI. We're started using AI already, so we have engineers and computer scientists of all skills and trades here today. And so I want to just thank you know uh Ryan Moore and his team and all those in public works and Department of Utilities.
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