Measure U Community Advisory Committee Meeting – November 21, 2022

The Measure U Community Advisory Committee met virtually on Monday, November 21, 2022, from 6:05 p.m. to 8:20 p.m. The committee considered consent items, discussed the development of FY2023/24 budget priorities including focus groups, received an update on the Participatory Budgeting Pilot Program, and heard reports from ad hoc committees and the City Manager's Office. Two committee members announced their departures, and public commenters raised concerns about outreach and delegate selection.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1: Approved the minutes from the October 17, 2022 meeting.
• Item 2: Approved the updated Agenda Log.
• Item 3: Received and filed the Ad Hoc Committees Membership Roster.

The consent calendar was passed in a single motion with unanimous approval (12-0, with Member Mora absent).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Lambert Davis (on Item 4 and general matters): Expressed support for using Measure U funds in underserved communities like Del Paso Heights, emphasized the need for local facilitation and outreach beyond those who responded to the survey. He noted he had applied to become a proposal delegate multiple times but was never selected, suggesting intentional exclusion of homegrown residents.
• Barry Boyd (on Items 4 and 5 and general matters): Questioned the preliminary nature of the PB vote results, citing a text message that listed winners before the meeting. He argued that prioritizing participants with the least civic engagement could disadvantage experienced community advocates. He also urged equitable funding for District 8 (Medavie) and referenced a presentation on housing needs.
• Public comments on matters not on the agenda: Both speakers reiterated concerns about systemic inequities in city funding and the need for deeper community engagement.

Discussion Items

• Item 4: Development of FY2023/24 Measure U Budget Priorities and Focus Group Implementation Details

  • Member Marbella Sala proposed conducting focus groups with the approximately 500 survey respondents who expressed interest, using stipends, local facilitators, and translation services. Estimated cost of $5,000 per session.
  • Chair Flojaune Cofer suggested leveraging existing ad hoc committees to develop a proposal for the January 2023 meeting, and emphasized the need to set clear expectations to avoid trust-breaking experiences.
  • Members Cathy Creswell, Elisabeth Pray, Marjorie Dickinson, Kim Williams, Jose Goris, Theresa Riviera, and Debra Oto-Kent supported the idea, stressing the importance of educating participants, using local facilitators, compensating community members, and targeting historically underrepresented neighborhoods.
  • Staff member Ash Roughani clarified that the survey was citywide and that focus groups could be opened beyond the 500 respondents. He noted that new ad hocs cannot be formed per recent council action, but existing ad hoc committees (Spending Oversight and Budget Development) could take on this work.
  • Assistant City Attorney Brett Witter confirmed that the committee currently lacks authority to create new ad hocs, but planning could proceed within existing structures.
  • Outcome: No formal vote; direction given for interested members (Sala, Riviera, Cooney, Goris, Dickinson, and others) to work through the Spending Oversight ad hoc to bring a detailed proposal to the January 23, 2023 meeting.

• Item 5: Participatory Budgeting Pilot Program Implementation Update (Oral Report)

  • Christania DeLeon (Participatory Budgeting Project) reported on the voting phase (October 11 – November 11, 2022). A total of 853 votes were collected, exceeding the 10-20% increase target over idea collection (550 ideas).
  • Preliminary priority projects:
    • Northeast (District 2): Neighborhood cleanup grants ($60,000), Second chance career opportunity for youth ($50,000), Garden farmers market ($50,000), and four others (totaling $475,000).
    • Southeast (Districts 5,6,8): Teaching tech ($100,000), Additional literacy support for elementary students ($100,000), South Sacramento Entrepreneurial and Career Academy ($125,000), Transportation van for underserved youth ($75,000), Beautification project ($75,000).
  • The total for Southeast projects leaves $25,000 to be allocated by proposal delegates, making results preliminary.
  • Selection Panel: Six Measure U committee members (Sala, Riviera, Cooney, Mora, Oto-Kent, Dickinson) and an equal number of proposal delegates will finalize criteria and select implementation partners from December 2022 through February 2023.
  • Member Sala questioned the overlap with existing city cleanup grants; Roughani noted the PB grant would be significantly larger.
  • Chair Cofer and Member Oto-Kent thanked the ad hoc, staff, and community participants, acknowledging the pilot’s learning curve.
  • Public commenter Barry Boyd contested the “preliminary” label, citing a text message that listed the same projects as winners. Staff clarified that delegate input on the remaining $25,000 is needed before finalization.
  • Member Goris raised the issue of Lambert Davis’s missing delegate application; staff apologized and stated all received applications were accepted.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar approved (12-0).
• Focus group planning: The committee will use existing ad hoc committees to develop a proposal for the January 2023 meeting, including budget estimates for facilitation, translation, stipends, and outreach. No vote was taken, but consensus was expressed to move forward.
• Participatory Budgeting: The preliminary project results will be finalized after proposal delegate review. The selection panel (six Measure U members and six proposal delegates) will begin work in December 2022 to implement projects.
• Member departures: Members Elisabeth Pray and Dana Kivel announced they would not return for the next term. Committee members expressed gratitude and acknowledged their contributions.
• Upcoming meeting dates: The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 23, 2023, followed by March 20, 2023.
• City Manager’s Office provided information on funding opportunities (Youth Resiliency Fund, Climate Corps, SHOP 916) and committed to a more detailed economic development update at a future meeting.