OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Sacramento City Council Budget Deliberation Meeting – May 12, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodySacramento, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:56:38
Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

IT, we have some music.

0:07

In the background.

0:16

We're live.

0:19

Okay.

0:24

Everyone can please have a seat.

0:27

Clerk, I'd like to call this meeting order at 5.06 p.m.

0:33

Thank you.

0:34

Councilmember Kaplan.

0:37

Councilmember Plucky Baum.

0:39

Mayor Pro Tem Geta.

0:41

Councilmember Jennings.

0:43

Council Member Vang.

0:45

I expect Mayor McCarty.

0:47

Councilmember Dickinson momentarily.

0:49

Vice Mayor Talamantes.

0:51

You have a quorum.

0:52

Councilmember Pluggy Baum.

0:53

Please lead us.

0:56

Thank you.

0:57

Please rise if you're able.

1:02

In honor of the Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands, to the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains, Miwok, Pat Winwintu, Peoples and the People of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

1:17

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 together in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples history contribution and lives.

1:33

So pledge.

1:37

The United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:41

One nation under God's civil with liberty and justice for all.

1:47

Thank you so much.

1:49

Do we have any closed sessions report-outs?

1:51

We didn't have a closed session.

1:52

Not to report out.

1:53

Okay.

1:54

All right.

1:54

And today we have a special presentation in Jewish American Heritage Month by Councilmember Kaplan.

1:59

Next to you, Vice Mayor, I apologize.

2:00

It was my error.

2:02

That's going to be on the 26th.

2:04

Tonight we have Sacramento the Entrepreneurial presented by Councilmember Plucky Baum.

2:08

All right, go ahead.

2:09

Councilmember Plucky Baum.

2:10

I'll start talking, and while I do, if can't come on up.

2:16

There we go.

2:18

Last year we had a strategic retreat as a council.

2:20

We uh discussed the uh important priorities of the city and and uh one of if not the top priority for the city was economic development.

2:27

Uh we all know that small business is the cornerstone of uh any economy and and uh um America the entrepreneurial is a uh important opportunity for for our city and for this region to invest in and support uh small businesses.

2:41

Uh I personally almost never want to be first at anything, maybe other than elections, but this is an opportunity for the city to do something important and and be a uh first and a leader in the space.

2:50

So uh Cameron, please tell us a little bit about what America the Entrepreneurial is doing.

2:54

Terrific.

2:54

Well, and I'm excited, uh Sacramento's the the first in California to recognize America the entrepreneurial.

2:59

Uh my name's Cameron Law.

3:00

I'm a California uh coalition manager for a group called Right to Start, and uh the right and right to start is that we believe um every American has the right to start a business and uh this campaign is in celebration of America's 250th birthday and really inspiring our entrepreneurial roots and looking at the future of America through entrepreneurship and you know you might be asking why is entrepreneurship such a core thing to be focusing on.

3:24

Um one of the main things is uh entrepreneurship and new business creation is a proven net job creator.

3:29

So when we think about driving growth in the city of Sacramento in our region, empowering entrepreneurship for job creation is a vital thing that we need to be focusing on.

3:38

Secondly, is when you think about um tackling poverty and uh inequality um for every percent increase in entrepreneurial activity, you drive 400 of average household growth in a particular community, so by empowering entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial activity, we can start to tackle poverty in our community um going forward.

3:55

And so I'm just really proud that the city of Sacramento is um you know joining in to this America the entrepreneurial campaign.

4:02

Um, one of the key elements is entrepreneurs don't really have a have a voice, they're often building um and they're trying to navigate all that's ahead of them.

4:09

And so right to start is a re a really key component to giving entrepreneurs that unified voice and signaling that they have value in our community and driving the future of our region.

4:17

So really thank you uh for this recognition and uh look forward to um being the first uh amongst many things around entrepreneurship.

4:25

So thank you for the recognition.

4:26

Thank you.

4:27

Uh mayor and council, if uh it's appropriate, I'd love to invite them down to uh take a quick picture.

4:33

You can do it from the back, or you can join us up front.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget and Finance████████████████████████████████████████40%
Youth Services███████████████████19%
Public Safety█████████9%
Senior Services███████7%
Homelessness██████6%
Parks and Recreation█████5%
Economic Development███3%
Transportation Safety██2%
Workforce Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Sacramento City Council Budget Deliberation Meeting – May 12, 2026

The Sacramento City Council met on May 12, 2026, at 5:06 PM in a regular session to deliberate on the Fiscal Year 2026/27 Proposed Budget. The meeting included a special presentation on the "America the Entrepreneurial" campaign, extensive public testimony, and adopted two motions directing specific budget restorations and financing strategies.

Special Presentation

  • Councilmember Pluckebaum presented "Sacramento the Entrepreneurial" as part of a national campaign to support small businesses and entrepreneurship. Cameron Law from Right to Start highlighted that entrepreneurship drives job creation and can reduce poverty.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Violence Prevention & Youth Programs (GPIT): Multiple speakers, including Crystal Gonzalez, Brian Baltasar Martinez, Frederick Adams Jr., and Sakari Harris from the Sacramento Youth Center, urged full restoration of GPIT violence prevention funding, citing 586 direct youth served last year, 6,497 hours of life skills programming, and 3,002 hours of social justice programming.
  • Senior Services: Patty Waite (AARP), Antonia Lopez (Club Los Manitos), and Gregoria Moranda emphasized the importance of Hart Senior Center, noting that 137 Spanish-speaking seniors attend the Manitos program, with 40% over age 89. They opposed cuts to staff and hours.
  • Parks & Pools: Will Green and Christina Rogers advocated for maintaining park maintenance workers and pool hours, describing parks as essential for mental health and youth recreation.
  • Homeless Services: Nick Goling (The Gathering Inn) cautioned against cutting homeless response funding, noting visible improvements. Kayleigh Olgerson (Sacramento Metro Chamber) urged long-term sustainability and warned against cuts to Old Sacramento.
  • Police & Public Safety: Antonia Lopez (East Sacramento Community Association) requested keeping 26 park maintenance workers, fully staffing pools, and maintaining fee waivers. Chris Valencia (North State BIA) urged caution on cuts that could hinder economic development.
  • Scooter Enforcement: Stephanie Duncan and Karen Corbes called for stronger enforcement of scooter parking to prevent ADA hazards and generate revenue, noting that in 2025 only 19% of 4,800 scooter-related 311 reports resulted in fines.
  • Project Labor Agreements: Eric Christin (Coalition for Fair Employment) attributed budget deficits partly to project labor agreements, citing one bid for Fire Station 14 that came in 33% over budget.
  • Other: Annabelle Gonzalez requested a plain-English homelessness budget sheet. Lambert and Rick offered general commentary on accountability and remote work.

Discussion Items

  • FY 2026/27 Proposed Budget Deliberation: The council reviewed eight member proposals totaling roughly $9 million in potential restorations against a $66.2 million deficit. Finance Director Pete Coletto and Budget Manager Mirthala Santizo presented the proposed $1.7 billion balanced budget (general fund ~$900 million), noting 75% of balancing strategies are ongoing.
  • Council Deliberation: Mayor McCarty proposed focusing on the top three common restorations: violence prevention GPIT grants, wading pools, and recreation swim hours, with $1.9 million in financing from parking enforcement vacancies and shifting HHAP-6 funds.
  • Additional Restorations: Councilmember Guerra proposed a package including North Sacramento Economic Development ($260,000), North Sacramento Code Enforcement ($200,000), Hart Senior Center ($274,000), park maintenance workers ($570,000), Summer at City Hall ($132,000), violence prevention ($270,000), and YPCE workforce development ($107,000), financed by reducing commission meetings, freezing community ambassador stipends, eliminating park maintenance contract savings, and reducing the Economic Uncertainty Reserve.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion 2026-0112 (Passed unanimously 9-0): Directed restoration of the top three councilmember restorations (violence prevention GPIT grants, wading pools, recreation swim hours) using $1.9 million from shifting HHAP-6 funds from FY28 to FY27 and parking enforcement vacancies.
  • Motion 2026-0113 (Passed 6-3; Dickinson, Guerra, Jennings, Maple, Pluckebaum, McCarty yes; Kaplan, Talamantes, Vang no): Directed one-time restorations of North Sacramento Economic Development, North Sacramento Code Enforcement, Hart Senior Center, park maintenance workers, Summer at City Hall, violence prevention grant funding, and YPCE workforce development positions. Financing sources: Parks maintenance contracts savings, freezing community ambassador stipends, reducing commission meetings (excluding Planning Commission), DCR savings, and reducing the Economic Uncertainty Reserve contribution.
  • Council Comments: Councilmember Guerra requested outreach on McKinley Park parking restrictions. Councilmember Dickinson announced a community festival at Mama Mark's Park on May 16.
  • Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 9:02 PM.

Meeting Transcript

IT, we have some music. In the background. We're live. Okay. Everyone can please have a seat. Clerk, I'd like to call this meeting order at 5.06 p.m. Thank you. Councilmember Kaplan. Councilmember Plucky Baum. Mayor Pro Tem Geta. Councilmember Jennings. Council Member Vang. I expect Mayor McCarty. Councilmember Dickinson momentarily. Vice Mayor Talamantes. You have a quorum. Councilmember Pluggy Baum. Please lead us. Thank you. Please rise if you're able. In honor of the Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands, to the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains, Miwok, Pat Winwintu, Peoples and the People of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples history contribution and lives. So pledge. The United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God's civil with liberty and justice for all. Thank you so much. Do we have any closed sessions report-outs? We didn't have a closed session. Not to report out. Okay. All right. And today we have a special presentation in Jewish American Heritage Month by Councilmember Kaplan. Next to you, Vice Mayor, I apologize. It was my error. That's going to be on the 26th. Tonight we have Sacramento the Entrepreneurial presented by Councilmember Plucky Baum. All right, go ahead. Councilmember Plucky Baum. I'll start talking, and while I do, if can't come on up. There we go. Last year we had a strategic retreat as a council. We uh discussed the uh important priorities of the city and and uh one of if not the top priority for the city was economic development. Uh we all know that small business is the cornerstone of uh any economy and and uh um America the entrepreneurial is a uh important opportunity for for our city and for this region to invest in and support uh small businesses. Uh I personally almost never want to be first at anything, maybe other than elections, but this is an opportunity for the city to do something important and and be a uh first and a leader in the space. So uh Cameron, please tell us a little bit about what America the Entrepreneurial is doing. Terrific. Well, and I'm excited, uh Sacramento's the the first in California to recognize America the entrepreneurial. Uh my name's Cameron Law. I'm a California uh coalition manager for a group called Right to Start, and uh the right and right to start is that we believe um every American has the right to start a business and uh this campaign is in celebration of America's 250th birthday and really inspiring our entrepreneurial roots and looking at the future of America through entrepreneurship and you know you might be asking why is entrepreneurship such a core thing to be focusing on. Um one of the main things is uh entrepreneurship and new business creation is a proven net job creator.

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