Sacramento City Council Meeting - May 19, 2026
Sacramento City Council Meeting - May 19, 2026
The Sacramento City Council met on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 5:06 p.m. for a regular meeting. Key agenda items included a public hearing on the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan fee adjustment and continued deliberation on the Fiscal Year 2026/27 Proposed Budget. The meeting also featured a CalFresh Awareness Month proclamation and public comments on a proposed cannabis ordinance.
Special Presentation
- CalFresh Awareness Month: Vice Mayor Talamantes and Mayor McCarty proclaimed May as CalFresh Awareness Month. Representatives from River City Food Bank and Alchemist Community Development Corporation spoke about food insecurity and the importance of CalFresh benefits, noting that one in four Sacramento residents is at risk of hunger and that $1.79 is generated locally for every dollar spent on CalFresh.
Public Hearings
- Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan Fee - 2026 Adjustment: The council conducted a public hearing and adopted Resolution 2026-0130 by a four-fifths vote (8-0-1, Mayor McCarty absent). The adjustment includes a $536 per-acre increase for mitigation fees (1.1% increase for projects with land dedication, 1.6% for those without), bringing total fees to $33,817/acre (with land dedication) and $47,567/acre (without). The fee takes effect immediately due to urgency procedures under Government Code section 66017(b). Staff noted that new case law from Palo Alto required a Nexus study and additional noticing, causing a delay. One public commenter (Keon Bliss) criticized the council for not exploring other savings to avoid cuts to community programs.
Discussion Calendar
- Fiscal Year 2026/27 Proposed Budget Deliberation and Council Direction: The council continued budget hearings from May 5 and 12. Finance Director Peter Coletto presented a financing plan to restore $1.8 million in programs using savings from park maintenance contracts ($200,000), freezing community ambassador stipends ($108,000), Department of Community Response savings ($500,000), reducing commission meetings ($35,000), and a reduced contribution to the economic uncertainty reserve ($973,000). Councilmembers debated the impact of cuts, particularly to the community ambassador program (18 stipended ambassadors, $108,000) and reductions in board/commission meetings (proposed from 10 to 5 per year for 10 commissions). Numerous public speakers urged preserving the ambassador program and Hart Senior Center services. Councilmember Kaplan proposed freezing 17 firefighter positions instead of eliminating them, but Mayor McCarty ruled the discussion out of scope. After debate, the council passed Motion 2026-0117 (7-2, with Councilmembers Kaplan and Vang voting no) to adopt the proposed restorations and financing plan. The motion included directing staff to explore grant funding for the ambassador program and to assess board/commission meeting needs.
Public Comments - Matters Not on the Agenda
- Multiple speakers addressed the proposed cannabis ordinance that would remove faith-based organizations from the sensitive use zone list, arguing for equal treatment. Speakers included clergy and community members. One speaker requested a temporary cannabis event permit policy.
Council Comments & Reports
- Councilmembers announced upcoming events: Memorial Day ceremonies, farmers market openings, and a scholarship program. Mayor McCarty reported traveling to Florida with Visit Sacramento to explore expanding festivals.
Key Outcomes
- Adopted Resolution 2026-0130 (Natomas HCP fee adjustment) by 8-0-1 vote.
- Passed Motion 2026-0117 (budget restorations and direction) by 7-2 vote. The budget will be finalized at a public hearing on June 9, 2026.
- Directed staff to assess board/commission meeting frequency and explore grant funding for the community ambassador program.
- Meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Ready whenever you are. Okay. I'd like to call this meeting in order at 5 06 p.m. Clerk, please call the roll. Bless you. Thank you. Councilmember Kaplan? Here. Councilmember Dickinson? Councilmember Plucky Baum. Councilmember Maple? I am here. Mayor Pro Dem Guerra? Here. Councilmember Jennings? Councilmember Vane? Here. Vice Mayor Telemontes? Here. We have a quorum. Wonderful. City Attorney, is there any report out from close session? Okay. And so today we will do the Grant Union J R O T C Color Guard to present colors first, because they practiced it. And then we will do the land acknowledgement, and then we will do the Pledge of Allegiance. So go ahead, Grant Union. Color. Can we stand up? If everyone could please stand. Thank you for standing for the land acknowledgement. This is the opening acknowledgement in honor of Sacramento's Indigenous People and Tribal Lands to the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley, Plains, Mewak, and Patton Winton. 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 today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples' history, contributions, and lives. Thank you. And now if you would join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, I pledge allegiance to the United States of America. And to the Republic for the United States. Thank you. And thank you to the Grant Union JROTC for this lovely presentation of our colors. So today we have one special resolution, and this is for CalFresh Awareness Month. If I can have Amanda and Sam come to the podium, please. So May is CalFresh Awareness Month, a time to set highlight a critical resource that helps families and individuals access healthy, nutritious food. In Sacramento County, one of four neighbors is at risk of hunger, a reminder that access to food remains a real and growing challenge. CalFresh helps thousands of households stretch limited but with strict stretch limited budgets and helps prevent impossible choices between food, housing, health care, and other basic needs. This year, that work is even more important. Recent changes to the program are impacting eligibility, benefits, and work requirements, making it more complex for households to navigate and even stay on CalFresh. That's why we have two very trusted community partners here today. River City Food Bank, who has been serving Sacramento for 58 years, and Alchemist CDC, who helps with address food disparities and access to healthy food, green spaces, and entrepreneurs, and runs a mobile market and food deserts. Beyond food distribution, they help neighbors apply for, renew, and manage CalFresh benefits, ensuring people can access support today and into the future. CalFresh strengthens families and our Sacramento community. For every dollar spent on CalFresh, approximately $1.79 is generated back into the community through retail sales and farmers market.
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