Good evening.

And welcome.

Thank you.

The meeting is now called to order.

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Thank you, Chair.

Commissioner Ford.

President.

Commissioner Robbins.

Present.

Commissioner Laver.

Present.

Commissioner King.

Here.

Commissioner Flores.

Present.

Vice-Chair Gaines.

Present.

Commissioner Kengis.

Here.

Commissioner Kengis.

Here.

Commissioner Kengis.

Here.

Commissioner Kengis.

Here.

Commissioner Boone.

Present.

And Chair Vazquez.

Present.

Thank you, Wavah Korm.

Wonderful.

Thank you so very much.

I would like to remind members of the public and chambers that if you would like to speak

on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip when the item begins.

You will have two minutes to speak once you're called on.

And after the first speaker, we will no longer accept speaker slips.

We will now proceed with today's agenda.

Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people

and tribal lands.

To the original people of this land, the Nisenan people, the southern Maidu Valley and

plains, Miwok, Patwin, Wintoon 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

and acknowledgment and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples history, contributions,

and lives.

Thank you.

Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for

which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

You may be seated.

And before we get started today, we have a new commissioner today on the dais.

Welcome.

Welcome.

I would like for us all to introduce ourselves to you and for you to share a few words about

yourself as well.

Would you like to go first, Commissioner Laver?

All right.

So I'm very grateful to be here tonight.

There are many people to thank over the more than 30 years that have been involved with

our parks.

A few are Phil Pluckybaum, Jackie Beecham, Shannon Brown, Bonnie Williamson, Annie Page,

Jenny, Ray Trethaway, Heather Fargo, Jeff Nittka, Sean Joey, Matt Dennis, Jason, Steve

Lopez, Barbara Smith, and many others.

I appreciate your kindness.

I thank my wife, Linda, and our children.

My first involvement with the parks department was in the Northern Sacramento Rails and Trails

Project in the mid-90s.

A team of volunteers planted a few thousand trees and shrubs and then had the privilege

to help maintain the trail for years after.

I maintained a section above I-80 to Bell Avenue.

It was a wonderful opportunity to give back to this community and partner with the city.

In the early 2000s, our family began efforts to advocate and promote the addition of more

universal and accessible features in our current and new playgrounds.

In 2005, our son, Johnny, was asked to help dedicate the new playground on Southside Park.

Thus started my 20-year commitment to assist this historic park.

In 2019, after our son passed away, we started an effort to add the city's first wheelchair

merry-go-round with private funding.

I'm thankful to Shannon and all her staff and GTS that made this possible.

I thank all the donors for their continued support.

We are blessed to continue to add more rich features.

Two will be added soon.

I just found out last week with Jason's help and everybody, we're going to add two new features.

Also, we have a project with St. Francis High School.

They're painting some signs with two or three special kids.

They're going to be permanent signs, they're going to be scanned, and it's unreal.

So thank you for this opportunity to serve the city of Sacramento.

I look forward to working with all of you and making a positive impact.

Thank you so much. Welcome aboard. It's great to have you.

We'll go around district by district and say a little bit about ourselves and introduce us to you.

I wasn't ready for this.

Mark, I work with you on other initiatives, so I don't know that I need to introduce myself so well,

but I am happy to have you. District 1 is here to support any initiatives that you're going to be spearheading.

I'm happy to support you and also get aware of our infrastructure here with the commission.

Welcome.

Mr. Robbins?

Yes, welcome to the team, Maria. I'd love to have you as my neighbor.

Mark secretly had a counter with me already with Santa and Tomas,

so he's seen both sides of Robbie already, so there won't be no surprises anymore coming in here.

But a pleasure to work with you. Can't wait to do many, many great things with you.

Well, Mark, welcome. Yes.

Thank you.

We're so lucky to have someone with so much knowledge and experience.

I can't wait to learn from you.

Your story really resonated with me because that's how I got involved in my park, just those small steps.

And that's how I joined the commission as well. So welcome.

We're glad to have you and I can't wait to get to know you better.

Thank you.

And I'm Victoria Vazquez, District 6.

I think the last time I saw you might have been in the yard at Sacramento Tree Foundation,

picking up some trees for one of your many planting projects.

No longer with Sacramento Tree Foundation.

Great. I'm now working for a nonprofit network statewide, but still an urban forestry.

And really looking forward to working with you here on the commission.

So welcome aboard.

Yeah, I'll introduce myself as well as Vice Chair Gaines tonight.

Also as new appointees for the next four years.

So appointed tonight again for the next term is me, Victoria Vazquez and Vice Chair Janine Gaines.

Let's go to Commissioner Flores.

Thank you, Chair. Hi, Mark. Long time no see.

We had a great coffee chat on Monday.

It was like 90 minutes and we walked Southside Park and I felt like we didn't even get to even half of what

you are, what you would bring to this commission and what the commission can bring to you.

I know some of the talking points, some of the questions you had.

This is always the fun in this part of being a commissioner is always welcoming a new peer,

a new colleague to the commission.

And at first they're like, there's so much new stuff.

It's like, yes, everyone feels that way.

But over time, you're going to learn quickly that once you put in your sweat equity,

we put in our sweat equity next to you, then you get to know who we really are.

So we look forward.

I know I look forward to partnering with you and any other questions, tips, advice.

You know, we're all here for you.

That's what being on this parks commission means to the City of Sacramento.

So welcome.

Hi, nice to meet you.

I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't met you since it sounds like everybody who's besides me.

So I'm Jeanine Gaines.

I am, as Victoria said, this is the start of my second term here on the Parks Commission.

In my day job, I'm a public health communications consultant.

So really focused on mental health for young people is my primary focus.

And yeah, like I said, it's been four years since I've been on this commission.

I'm an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation from Shawnee, Oklahoma.

So I will always advocate for Native rights.

And so you'll hear that a lot.

And I was also born and raised in South Sacramento.

So I'm always advocating for that as well.

So I'm great to meet you and I can't wait to learn more about you.

Hey there, I'm Nikki Kangus.

I'm super excited to collaborate with you.

I'm a commissioner at large, but I also live nearby Victoria and District 6.

And I'm really excited to learn from you as well with all your rich experience that you bring.

Hi, Mark.

I'm Sierra Boone.

You probably don't remember me, but I do remember you.

Being here in the chambers, your story really resonated with me and was incredibly impactful.

So thank you for joining us.

And I'm sure you're going to make amazing contributions.

Well, thank you, commissioners.

If you've got any questions for us, just let us know.

You can reach out anytime.

And we're here to work with you and serve the public together.

So welcome aboard.

All right.

Well, now we're going to move on to our first item of business today.

And that would be the approval of the consent calendar.

Do I have any members of the public who wish to speak on this item?

Thank you, chair.

I have no speaker slips for this item.

Great.

Any commissioners?

Okay.

Do I have a motion to pass the consent calendar today?

I second.

All right.

We have a motion by commissioner Ford, a second by vice chair gains.

All in favor say aye.

Any opposed?

Okay.

The motion passes.

And now we will move on to our first item of business,

which will be the selection of the chair and vice chair for calendar year 2025.

Madam clerk.

Thank you, chair.

Hello, this is Sapphire Zong from the city's clerk's office.

There's no staff report.

I mean, there's no staff presentation on this item.

As all information is detailed in your staff report.

However, I would like to remind the commissioners of a few things.

Nominations for these position will be heard for the chair position first,

and then followed by nominations for the vice chair.

Commissioners may nominate another commissioners or themselves for the chair or vice chair position.

A commissioner may serve as the chair or vice chair for no more.

Then two calendar years.

The newly elected chair and vice chair will start their term at the next regular meeting.

As of the current roster, commissioner floris and chair Vasquez are not eligible to serve as chair.

And commissioner gain is not eligible to serve as vice chair as they have already served two

calendar years.

So at this time, if you would like to nominate commissioner,

please add your name to the speaker queue.

Thank you.

Thank you so very much.

And I'll take a moment to say thank you so much for the last two years as your chair.

It's been an honor to serve.

Thank you to councilmember garras office for appointing me again and for appointing me the

first time.

Thank you to this body for electing me as your chair and having the faith to lead us

two years in a row and one year as vice chair.

It's been an honor and a pleasure.

I really enjoyed working with members of our public in all of our districts,

not just district six and especially with staff.

It's really been an honor and I'll leave it there.

So we do have someone up in the queue.

We have commissioner floris.

Thank you chair and you know with the staff report and also want to acknowledge

your three years of service on the as vice chair and chair for these last two terms and

starting next, you know, starting next meeting, there's going to be two former chairs serving

on this commission and you know, it's always a tough act to follow, right?

You know, we do things in our own ways and now we're going to have a new person

follow now two chairs and that could be difficult at times, but I think this person who I'd like

to nominate to be our chair in this upcoming year is would be more than capable to lead this commission

in their in their own personal style.

I know like last year, you know, one of our main event topics along with the budget situation was,

you know, you know, the parks plan 2040, but there was also other items that we get to talk

about throughout the year and there was one item that kind of flew under the radar because we were

talking about other other things and this person really championed, heard an update, didn't feel

like it was fair and equitable and so she asked staff E teams like, hey, can we take a look at

this? She partnered with another commissioner and it's like, hey, can we, is there something that

can be done to change some rules or let's take a look at it and E team said, you know what, let's

take a look and they saw that thing there was there's always room for improvement and the E team

took that and said, you know what, there is room for improvement here and thank you for your guidance.

This is what we're coming up with and then we had just a regular item on one of the months and

we moved on to the next item, right? But I know this person championed it in the background with

the power of her, with her council office and I know it was a big win to her, but she's the type of

person that doesn't celebrate big wins because at the end of the day, she's helping out folks across

not only her district but across the city and if she feels that there's something that's

inequitable or not fair, she'll raise it, work with the appropriate people and then try to create a

solution and then brought others along in that journey to receive a successful outcome. And I

know I texted her and said, you know what, I saw what you did, that was awesome, you know, let me

give you your flowers. We didn't necessarily do it up here, but I just at least want to acknowledge

that. So I know in this upcoming year and I'm being a little long-winded, but one thing I know

I'm looking forward to in this term should she become the chair is not in her leadership as the

chair, but in our discussions and our coffee chats is upskilling the next person, the next set of

commissioners to be leaders in the next year in 26, 27, 28, right? That's what I'm looking most

forward to in this commission going forward. So I'm, I would like to nominate the current vice

chair, Janine Gaines, for chair in 2025. Thank you. Commissioner King. Yes, I would also like to

second that nomination for Janine. I have seen amazing work from her not only in just her strong,

powerful advocacy for equity within our city and just fairness, especially on this council

commission and in all that she does. So I just really appreciate that and I, I strongly, strongly

advocate for you to be chair. So I'm so glad that you're here and yeah, that's all I have to say.

All right. Thank you. We have a nomination by commissioner Flores and a second by commissioner

King. Madam Clerk, please call the roll please. Thank you, chair. Commissioner Ford.

I

commissioner Robbins. I

commissioner labor. I

commissioner Kane. I

commissioner Flores. I

vice chair Gaines. Hi

commissioner King is I

commissioner Boone. I

and chair Vasquez. I

thank you. Motion passes.

Wonderful. Congratulations. Absolutely. Yeah, I'll finish up this item and then I'm going to hand

this meeting over to you, chair. All right. Do we have a nomination for vice chair, please? Commissioner Robbins.

Yes, I just can't believe that a lot of us are starting our third year coming on here and how time

has flying. We came a long way from earlier when we were first on it was like the Brady Bunch with

a bunch of squares on the screen and we're at home with our cats and dogs on our laps and now

we're here in city hall where a lot of people just make things happen. We were sharing the same

seats, a lot of leadership and just amazing person that I just know is just like inspires me every

time that I'm here, ask the right questions. It does the right things without asking just does them. And

so I just I repeat this every time when I see her. I was like one of these days I'm going to be working

for you and this is just the first step of many steps you're going to do. So I wanted to

nominate commissioner Boone for all the hard work she's done and deserves with the vice chair nomination.

Thank you.

Thank you, commissioner King.

Well, I wanted to nominate you, but no, I um, so I second that nomination I for commissioner Boone.

Um, the friendship that has grown between us has been so powerful and I can just see how organized,

how methodical you are, all that you do with this commission and in all your other work,

I can see your vision and I can't wait to see what you do next. So, um, yes, I'm so excited.

Commissioner Ford.

Sarah, I support that nomination and I'm just so impressed by your leadership. You're a doer. I

think that your ability to I just over the last two years, you taking on the fundraising efforts for

our 916 day has been amazing. Your ability to collaborate not only with commissioners, but staff

very, uh, very proud that you're leading this effort and super supportive of you.

So, yeah, agreed. Will you please call the roll? Thank you, chair. Commissioner Ford.

I. Commissioner Robbins. I. Commissioner Labor. I. Commissioner Kane. I. Commissioner Flores. I.

Vice chair Gaines. I. Commissioner Kingas. I. Commissioner Boone. I. And chair Vasquez.

Hi. Thank you. Motion passes. Thank you. All right. And as the clerk has informed me,

even though chair LaValle and I had to jump right in after the nominations,

I guess you get to wait until the next meeting. So there's that. So I'll take us through the rest of

it. Congratulations to you both. All right. Our next item of business and will be number four,

parks and community enrichment commission 2024 annual report in 2025 work plan.

Good evening commission. Welcome Mark. Excited to work with you. So welcome to the commission.

Look forward to working with you. Have in the past for our volunteer recognition,

but look forward to you on the, on the commission. This is actually Jackie's presentation, but

the 2024 PC PC annual report in October 2024, the city council revised section of the city code

that defines the powers of this commission to include the preparation of an annual report

to city council regarding the activities of the commission and recommendations regarding the status

of parks in the community. So I wanted to discuss that with you all. This is the first time that we

are doing it. It is your annual report, not mine, but what I'm trying to do is be a liaison and

help you the best that I can to go over a lot of the highlights that we had last year that include

our volunteerism, our nine one six day, the tree plantings, the volunteer numbers that we have,

the fundraising efforts as Joe Flore as eloquently plant, you know, said, changed some rules in some

of the ways that we were doing things as a department based on some of the things that you

suggested. These are all things that I want to add to the report. All of the things that we approved

as a body are going to be included in there as highlights, the things like the parks plan,

some of the park namings that you all put forward to council that you approved, the site plans, etc.

But I wanted you guys to take the time now to chew on potentially some other milestones or

accomplishments that you guys saw in 2024 outside of the hours that we spend in chambers, you know,

as a group and what you do in your communities as an extension of, you know, Yip See and parks and

recreation as a whole. So I wanted you to take some time. What I plan on doing is

filling out a report with the highlights, share it with the group, and then when we can come back

in February, take anyone's input. Is there other things we'd like to add? The big important thing

though is goals. It's like goal setting for the 2025 upcoming year that is part of the 2024 plan

that we submit. And so thinking about what that looks like as well as a body and what we are

trying to achieve in 2025. So excited about this. Other commissions already do it. Now all commissions

are doing it. So excited to, so it's your voice is getting heard. You can make recommendations. It's

the goal setting and the recommendations potentially as a body that you guys want to put to paper.

So we can make sure that it goes to PMP and then the council hears that voice from you all

is the goal. So I just wanted to share that so you guys can chew on it. We are going to put it

as one of the items for next month to discuss now that we've heard this and I will provide

additional information via email so you guys can have some some of the things that I show as

accomplishments or highlights for the year and then we can take input from there moving forward.

So that's the first piece, the 2024 annual report. With that, just going to move over to the work

plan for 2025. I put on here highlighted what we kind of already have at the forefront for our

February meeting to try to to try to plan. We have the annual report discussion that I just talked

about. We have our Camp Sacramento annual update with the feedback that we received last year

from from the commission and we'll be incorporated in that. We also have our 916 day kickoff where

Deanna will now get us rolling on 916 day items again and the schedule and everything she needs

for us to be successful this fall and then our expanded learning annual update. So for February,

I feel like we have a solid you know material to share with the commission but just reminding

that we do still have our PCEC follow-up log that was really effective not on everything we do or

questions I get asked for in this room come back with full presentations but we still are able to

provide you guys with the necessary information that you requested or tried to to make sure that

everything that you guys are wanting information on we're able to provide that and so I feel like

that commission follow-up log worked really well. It was also a status check for our team to ensure

that hey these are some things that we're supposed to be providing to the commission and just a reminder

hey we got to get that information over however we can get these questions answered is the goal.

I also want to put on there that there are standing work items that we do have to

you know do as a body which is our budget deferred maintenance park operations park safety

community centers annual updates so we include those but I'm basically opening up the floor as we

always kind of do to try to hear some potential items in 2025 that you guys would like to hear or

get more feedback or information on we will take those down and when we provide the work plan next

month for adoption hopefully include some of those items and if they're not included have it in that

follow-up log as the mechanism of which we are going to provide you this information or try to

to do so moving forward again that was suggestions on things you'd like to see some of the reports

you know in Jackie's director updates are all reflection on input that we received from the

body and try to incorporate to make this a collaborative team effort so with that I open

it up to you all for the discussion.

Careful do we have any members of the public who should speak on this item?

Thank you chair I have no speaker slips on this item.

Great commissioners.

Commissioner Ford.

Hi wait just to clarify for the goal setting we're doing that next meeting or do you want to hear

some initial ideas now?

That you could do it now if you want ideas but the goal I mean it was to to bounce it off the

team you can do that the goal was to hear those next time so we can incorporate it in the annual

report if everyone's like yeah let's put that on there our version of that and we could wordsmith

it and do all of that but it's up to you.

Thank you.

Well I would like to say that I would love to think about how we expand programming to the

North Natomas Community Center as well as assessing obviously some of the successes of already the

other community centers and their impact to community so I know most of us have community

centers around our community so wondering if the commission is interested in looking at more

programming expansion improvement and also just fundraising I think you know obviously we are

in a budget deficit and so thinking about ways to support programming and I and also I think

outside of community centers right any other programming that we think is essential and that

is vulnerable specifically for youth and seniors so just throwing it out there. Thank you.

And Raymond just to clarify do you want things we want to go into the report right now or the

2025 items to discuss right now? We can we can do both if you guys want to do the work plan piece

like with the goals we can do that first and then if you want to talk about some specific items that

you would hope that we can potentially bring some presentations back to to the group on you can do that

after. Great thank you vice chair or chair Gaines thank you. So one question I have when is the

report due? We don't have a due date it's just beginning of the calendar year so we're working

on it as a body the sooner the better just I just I don't want to drag it on for five months and then

we finally turn in our 2024 report hoping I can incorporate a lot of the highlights the information

that I'm listening tonight and put that in a template for you guys and then hopefully we can

just fill in some blanks next meeting and then the goal would be to bring it back on the as a consent

item and you guys all adopting it as the as the work plan for the or the annual report for the

for the body and then we will pass it on to PMP. So after the March meeting is the goal because

we would talk about it next month then you would bring the final back March for us to correct.

And then one item that I'd like to add to our work plan would be like an standing item and it

could probably just be in the director's report of an ongoing scholarship update I know that's been

huge for this year and we're facing another deficit this year so I think to continuously

talk about how that's working in ways that we can ensure communities able to access would be great.

I'm not sure if this would be something that we'd need a presentation or agenda item for but

I would love to get kind of an update on accessibility like ADA compliance in our parks

as well as an update on access leisure programming so maybe that's folded under a community center

or park safety presentation but just thinking with that lens when we do get updates on those items.

Commissioner Ford.

For the annual report I'm wondering in terms of highlights I know for myself there's other

activities that I take on beyond just like commission meetings and just

in according the efforts within the commission we do a lot of actually volunteer work and so do we

want to incorporate that as like a commission itself or as individual districts like how would

you envision that? I think I mean it's how you guys want to do it but I think it would be those are

some of the highlights like I don't know that you know outside of here that you guys could

collaboratively talk through and say overall this is the volunteer hours as a group that we've done

or some other things outside of things you know we directed or you know work together on because I

think that's important as well and again that's kind of the piece of the report is not only what

you do in chambers but everything that you guys are doing as an extension of your districts and

community that help that's helping with the community enrichment piece of you know parks and

recreation. Thank you. Thank you and I just kind of want to add you know the purpose of these

there's a lot of examples out there I believe that this started in 2022 that every advisory body

was to do an annual report but in late last year it was added to our powers and duties as a parks

commission so there are several examples out there you can read the active transportation's

annual reports you can read the police commission's annual reports and see how they've done it you can

rewatch their commission meetings and see how they've collaborated to create their reports as well

and see how long it took them to create it or what they present and then the purpose is

that you present it to the pp and eboard and it has the what you want to bring to the council

so when the report is approved then it is presented to the full city council so the 2025

work plan and recommendations that we want to work on would be presented to them so that's

really our opportunity as a commission to have an audience of the city council so it's like the

purpose of the of the report chair um yeah for commissioner ford you know I follow

district one on instagram so I know you've done a ton of tree plantings and you've had other

events um that you've done with your council district so I definitely think that those should

be highlighted um you know and I know that other commissioners have um participated even just like

passing out candy at the Halloween event at your community center I think all of those things

we should think about including because we're um not to act like our commission is the best but

it is and we get an opportunity to really be in the community and so I think that we should really

highlight that as much as possible commissioner floris thank you former chair

on the same wavelength as commissioner ford and and chair

gains uh it's going to be a new vernacular this year um you know and also in the spirit of efficiency

like last december we we we celebrated the volunteers that we most of us recommended and I

think putting um along with very active commissioners and on their side things that they do in their

districts but we have names and photos of volunteers who are putting in that sweat equity and so

highlighting that in a 24 report to you know to the the council commission gives that that more

oomph right because we there's real names there's real organizations that we are partnering with

right I know my two awardees were 2024 project based uh partnership so uh since we already have

that staff report right like that's already we can dump that into that that bucket and then I think

also if we're I know we codified the the park's 40 plan towards the end of the year um I don't

know if this is probably in the 25 bucket but in the annual report we celebrate all the wins that

we did do in spite of in in in in with budget challenges and upcoming budget challenges like

we have to celebrate every win to show that we do bang for the buck because sweat equity is the you

know the the um is what we can provide in lieu of dollars sometimes right uh but then how in 25

and maybe this is a january 26 thing is how are we also mindful of the document that was codified

and we're trying to achieve the goals that that is high level um so like a running like a running

tally of like how are we accomplishing the goals we set out to do in the next 40 years right I don't

know how that would look like but at least be mindful of it's like hey if we we got to plan a

million trees well in 25 we planted x amount of trees right so uh something to keep that metrics

and that accountability because then we are accountable to we put blood sweat and tears

into that document so let's highlight what we are doing in that case so um that's the high level

spitballing and to give us another month to think of other hyper specific cases to highlight but I

think in the spirit of efficiency we already have a lot of these documents already so let's just

to the format that they need also but we got let's highlight our partners again right so and to your

point that's one of the things that I'm taking on you know with my team to try to help is just

everything that we brought here that you guys have accomplished whether it's you know anything you

passed a motion on um gave feedback on we made changes to trying to highlight all those things

but again all the other pieces that you guys are talking about is that extra it's like okay I can

I can do something around that to try to make it as easy as possible to where you guys are generally

just probably wordsmithing or adding hopefully some additional information that you want so we can

you know move it forward but I want it to be your voice I think the big thing is the goals

and then overall what your recommendations would be

Vice Chair Boone I just had um to clarifying questions Ray um and it's can you go back to

the previous slide because I don't know if that was a okay um in this and uh Commissioner Floors

touched on it briefly but with the tree plantings do we explicitly call out like how that is um

not just in response to but like helping the tree canopy and how that's working toward that goal

of expansion do we is that within our jurisdiction yeah yeah because I just think that would

really strengthen like the narrative of um not only are we actively working to reach that goal

but those volunteer hours are volunteer hours and obviously there's a dollar associated with that

labor so it's just show that like the investment um we make in our programming to get people out there

is like there's a there's a dollar amount tied to that um so those are my two questions I didn't

know if it fit though in that no it definitely does and I feel like the impact of not just saying

hey we planted a hundred trees here's the volunteerism behind that and potentially the money or

hey we achieved a certain percentage of x goal yeah for the city so like I know we're trying to

reach a number and so every year we're gradually getting there thank you

Commissioner Kengis uh question for you too Ray would it be helpful for staff if we formed

like a committee to work on this um for Brown Act reasons so that we could collaborate with

each commissioner to get their thoughts and then kind of um provide you all of that content like

from one point of contact I think I think the goal was for me too and Jen Gors here so she can

elaborate I think the goal was to kick it off today provide a template then have a discussion

next month and if we because like you said if we're trying to shoot for a goal for March I think

that would be another way that we can get this accomplished to where we aren't violating any

Brown Act or any of that um if we have another continued discussion next month and more time

is needed to finalize the document amongst a couple of you that is definitely something we

can do in Jen I don't know if you want to take it from there not sure if my microphone's on but um

yeah you guys can certainly appoint an ad hoc next month if um if it after Ray puts together a draft

and you guys provide some more input and have time to think of some more things if there's more

work that's needed that you think needs to be done in the interim between the February

meeting and the March meeting we can certainly um look at creating an ad hoc at that meeting

wonderful and being mindful that we might have a new commissioner next month as well

to add to that 2025 work plan for district two um it's a great bit of input thank you

so that 2025 plan would include our work plan for next year as well so is there anything else

any other items commissioners wanted to bring forth that you wanted to add to our agendas for 2025

I just wanted to remind too we do have the flexibility and as current events start to

happen where things are coming up within our department we always try to bring it to you

guys first um so that way you have the the time and opportunity to your input and feedback

for things that we're trying to do so yeah we will adopt a 2025 plan that hopefully will be our

roadmap for the year along with outlining our meeting dates etc but just being mindful that

as you guys know we do kind of deviate throughout the year depending on current events that are

happening around the city they prioritize as opposed to deviate all right wonderful I would

like to add to the work plan for next year the beginning of the implementation plan for our

parks plan the strategic planning you know understanding how that's going to come to be

what it's going to look like what's the timeline for that and updating our website and the name of

reaching out to the community I hear a lot of feedback from district six that people can't find

information about parks on the city's website I think a really good example of that is if you

google our outstanding volunteer award that it's a very outdated page from like three years ago

even though we take pictures of our volunteers that win awards every year that'd be a really great

place for us to be able to share that information inspire more volunteers I know our social media

is doing really well but making sure that our website is updated with parks information so that

funders know how to reach out to us too and know things that we're looking for as well

in regards to 916 which also is a year out of date that page so website updates strategic

planning for our master plan those are my two requests please commissioner flores

thank you I'm thinking of the the report we have to give to council and I was in a meeting

yesterday with yipsi staff and park rangers giving out stats right like how we highlight that you

X amount of calls we serve these amount of people I know we say it in like budget time you know I

know those stats are compiled but like it's another point of reference that neighbors get to hear

that sometimes they don't because like last night in a small community meeting you know when the

ranger was saying some great stats it was the first time they heard it and it's it's it's it's

always mind-boggling sometimes how sometimes information doesn't get to the neighbor sorry so

we have to say it's so many different times in so many different forms so just always highlighting

the successes that you know X amount of calls we did this partnerships with other agencies right

because some of these items are multi jurisdictional across city departments too so just even hey we

work with these folks and it's just reinforced again and again because we're going to need those

same talking points later on in the year when things are scarce so

great thank you so I'd encourage all commissioners to reach back out to their council members

offices see what they want to have answered for the year see what they want to work on for the year

and make sure that we're bringing that back to Raymond sooner than later maybe in your development

meetings this month and if you missed that definitely by email or by our next meeting

so we can get it going wonderful thank you so much Raymond would you like to add anything else

all right okay joe is your hand still up or okay that's okay then we'll move on to item five our

youth parks and community enrichment department overview 2025

okay

good evening commissioners welcome to our newest commissioner mark labor happy to have you here

this is actually a great opportunity to share this presentation as you are going to be brainstorming

some ideas for the work plan moving forward so this is a nice little refresher on yip see and

some of the highlights and data from the last year to share with you and I have all of our team

our leadership team here joined us today as well so again welcome to all of our new and our new

commissioner and our returning commissioners looking forward to working with all of you over

the next year congratulations to our new chair and vice chair we're excited to work with you as well

we want to take this opportunity to provide an overview and share with you what our role is in

serving the Sacramento community through our parks and recreation system

I'll be introducing a reminding you kind of what each of our areas of operation are

and also our team was able to provide some updated metrics from 2024 that will be useful

as we all work together collaboratively with our team and you and providing advice and recommendations

related to parks and community enrichment so first as a reminder our mission vision and values

is to it's our mission is to empower our youth strengthen our neighborhoods and provide life

enriching programs for a beautiful livable community we value innovation collaboration safety

equity inclusion and more our department operates through multiple units that support

goals of creating pathways for youth development quality parkland and recreation facilities

lifelong learning recreation community livability and strong neighborhoods and we'll always strive

for excellence in our service to our Sacramento community

UPSI operates and this current fiscal year is 67 million dollar budget of which 46 million dollars

is funded by measure u this includes 709 fte and that equals 1593 full-time and part-time staff

these are areas of operation shown here serve in all of these areas serve the essential functions

and deliver core services that address some of the major quality of life issues across the city

that includes youth development access to safe spaces for our youth and families and our more

vulnerable populations climate and sustainability efforts and much more

first we have our administration and fiscal services team that directly supports the UPSI's

budget and fiscal services human resources procurement administration administrative

operations and lease management which also includes our city-wide golf courses this team

also supports various commissions including our parks and community enrichment commission

the anland memorial commission and gifts to share

the administration team manages over 34 million dollars in grant funding to support

several grant funded programs and projects you heard from them late in 2024 these projects

support priorities of infrastructure investment and our parks and facilities climate and sustainability

efforts and of course investment in our youth through community-based programs and services

the park safety unit is comprised of 15 budgeted park safety staff we have currently three vacancies

this team is responsible for the public safety service and preservation of all 237 city parks

bike trails aquatics facilities and community centers in open space our park rangers operate from

6 a.m. to 10 p.m. 365 days per year with an on average of two to three rangers on shift at one time

they respond over 4,000 calls for service annually and the park safety team plays a

key role in the city's incident management team and rapid response efforts responding to over 3,000

rapid calls last year they are also tasked with the crime prevention through environmental

design or step-ted especially event support and city-wide park permit distribution

the park planning and development services unit includes 14 full-time employees they are all funded

through capital improvement projects comprised of measure you grant and piffing quimby funds

this team delivers millions of dollars in park projects and infrastructure investment that directly

supports access to safe space space in our parks and facilities in our advanced planning section

which is part of ppds the team has spent the last five years developing the park's plan 2040 that

all of you are very involved in that was adopted in 2024 and outlines our strategies for the future

of parks integration in sacramento currently the park development team has over 66 active park

projects valued at 39 million dollars they completed 24 million dollars in deferred maintenance

projects since 2020 in addition to deferred maintenance and new development projects staff

also support several additional citywide projects most recently we have the in district 1 west shore

park north and thomas regional park field lighting meadows phase 3 improvements in district 2

rent field renovations the mama mark splash pad that was just recently completed robertson restroom

replacement that's underway softball complex and lighting at the sacramento softball complex

felman hawk park that we know is currently in progress the north gate

restroom replacement project oakbrook community garden wind park building and the list goes on

epsi's been working diligently to address the deferred maintenance

burden in our parks facilities and pools this includes safety and accessibility issues such as

park restroom replacements major irrigation renovations sports court resurfacing projects

and field and playground replacements deferred maintenance projects are funded using a combination

of grant funds and a reallocation of measure u funds remaining at the end of each fiscal year

and f y 24 so the last fiscal year 70 percent of deferred maintenance projects completed were

supported by the department's measure you carry over savings from the prior fiscal year 23

and while funding for deferred maintenance is significantly limited staffs drive to focus

to focus on projects that prioritize the health and safety and will improve the quality of life

for our youth and families some of the deferred maintenance projects that we most recently

completed we had the haggenwood kings court in district 2 that was completed in district 3 we

had the ninos park basketball court soccer field and site furnishings done in district 4 the o'neill

park restroom placement restroom replacement was completed and district 5 the chorally park

playground replacement was completed and d6 we had the camille park irrigation improvements

that were done in a district 7 we resurfaced the garshabin parking lot our park maintenance

division that many of you are very familiar with is supported by 125 dedicated full-time employees

they're a sponsor for the daily care and maintenance of 237 parks community gardens bikes trails

parkways dog parks our sacraments historic cemetery and open spaces spanning over 4,360 acres

that are used daily by youth and families citywide last year this division supported over 5,000

organized youth and adult sports events 475 park events 18 and 18,000 volunteer hours this

division is also tasked with responding to over 3,000 individual requests or three-one-one requests

annually for additional services of matter or matters of special concern including safety

environmental sustainability litter removal removal and vandalism

so within our developed park plan the park maintenance team focuses its efforts on the

following core services that are listed here as supported by measure u so that's weekly mowing

daily inspection cleaning and waste pickup in our parks basic sports field preparation and

maintenance on a seasonal basis irrigation inspection and repairs as needed seasonal

weed abatement and fire and fuel modification playground infill and safety material which

is rotational or as needed mulchina perennial shrub beds we also have park beautification

and non-core landscaping services that are performed as needed or as funding becomes available or as

you know on an overtime basis our department operates 15 community centers citywide where

we provide primarily free programming and access to safe space for over 20,000 visits by youth and

teens through in-person after-school programs many of our summer camps preschool programs and

teen events we saw a 39 percent increase in participation over the last year centers also

provide essential programs and services for older adults where participation and offerings have

also increased significantly with over 34,000 visits in 2024 also in 2024 we saw over 31,000

visits to our wellness rooms at community centers citywide in addition to direct program delivery we

work very closely with youth serving nonprofits and our community partners that utilize our community

centers and for programs and services we waived over 220,000 dollars in rental fees last year

through the council approved fee waiver in resolution fee waiver and fee reduction resolution program

here you'll see a significant increase in program visits across community centers from 2023 to 2024

we saw a 74 percent increase in older adult visits citywide and an increase in youth and teens as well

last year over 13,000 meals were distributed to older adults through our meals on wheels program

and over 2400 youth were served in programs where they were also provided lunch or supper

and our reservations office it office issued nearly 3,000 park permits and 700 field allocations in 2024

as demonstrated our community centers support several core services and city priorities including

safety where we're providing access to safe spaces for youth and free child care programs for working

families we have daily meals for our youth and older adults and access to wellness and technology

resources in all of our community centers and our centers also play a really important role in

supporting emergency response efforts they activate as emergency shelters during extreme weather

hazardous air quality events our aquatic section operates 17 pool citywide this includes the

regional aquatics complex and they serve over 100,000 visits to recreation swim each season

other programs include swim lessons water safety classes swim team junior lifeguard lifeguarding

fitness classes and special events these programs support safety for people of all ages by providing

access to a safe swimming environment and drowning prevention programs through water safety education

and our very comprehensive swim lesson program yip sees a quadics program is recognized by the

american across as one of the state's top training providers we certified 267 lifeguards this last year

in 2024 we awarded over 62,000 scholarships and reimbursements to youth across sacramento including

free swim lessons and lifeguard training scholarships again an expansion of the youth scholarship program

that we enhanced at the end of last year and here you'll see our 17 aquatics facilities where we

offer safe swimming opportunities to residents throughout the region seven days a week during

the summer months and 10 months out of the year at the north toms aquatics complex supporting the

core services again of safe and affordable swimming environments water safety education and

drowning prevention especially important in a city surrounded by rivers and lakes also supporting

youth development with the majority of our aquatic staff being between the ages of 15 and 24

here's a quick snapshot of participation in recreation swim by pool in addition to visits

from community youth from community youth teens and adults this also includes some of our department

youth programs also include schools that come and utilize our pools and other organized community

groups meadow view cloney and north newtomis saw the largest number of participation in 2024

these three hub locations equitably support service in the south central and north areas of the city

in f y 24 we established the youth development administration team within yipsi to better

align some of our city resources and our the city as a whole in our ability to equitably

support youth initiatives opportunities and relationships with our youth serving organizations

and with our community care holders to better serve sacrament as young people

this small but mighty team is responsible for the implementation of the council adopted citywide

youth development campaign plan including management of grants that support youth development

services and opportunities they're also responsible for the implementation of the sacramental

children's fund or measure l that you're probably familiar with where we are currently identifying

a panel to review applications for recommended funding to city council

and from f y 24 to date the youth development admin team supported $14 million in grant programs

and initiatives with over 80 funded by measure you some of these grants include sac town youth

nights the organizational resiliency fund and other programs that support community based

organizations and addressing priorities of youth safety violence prevention and economic development

and under resourced communities our civic engagement team includes four full-time staff

and support for the sacramental youth commission and summer city hall programs the youth commission

strives to advance the quality of life for sacramental youth and does so with the guidance

training and support provided by adult allies in the civic engagement unit our summer city

hall program served 68 high school students last year engaging them in education around

local government structure and youth development and both both of these programs support services

and priorities of youth safety diversity equity and inclusion and of course workforce development

our expanding learning unit provides before and after school programs for over 4 000 youth

across the city in four different school districts and at 24 elementary and middle school campuses

the fourth our program is our fee based year-round licensed child care program where we serve

over 2000 youth at 18 school locations providing critical child care support for working families

we also work very closely with child action and school districts to remove barriers to access

with to quality child care with financial assistance and then start is supported by

aces grant funds and measure you serving over 2000 youth annually and free and and free before

and after school programs on school campuses this includes daily hot meals for all of the

participants our summer oasis very popular summer oasis program it's a camp program that provides

low-cost summer programming to keep youth engaged during out-of-school times in the summer months

our workforce development unit provides work-based learning programs and paid work experience for

youth ages 10 to 18 where they have opportunities to gain skills that lead to successful and

employable adults over 5th over 1100 young people participated in programs like young leaders of

tomorrow prime time teen wio a junior rec aid and the north thomas workforce development program

also our l&l program that was quite busy supporting our 916 events providing over 1.1 million dollars

in direct investment in the hands of young people through salaries and stipends

and then next we have our older adult services section that operates the heart senior center

to provide opportunities for health and wellness so social connections and resources for adults aged

50 and older over 3000 older adults participate in programs each month including daily meals and

weekly food distribution and access to safe space and social services and social referrals

the older adult services team also supports more than 80 families and caregivers through triple r

which is our low-cost licensed adult day program for adults with dementia at three different locations

across the city and here we have our additional community enrichment programs that support a

variety of core services for youth and families of all ages and abilities our youth and adult sports

program focuses on fitness and creating social connections through a variety of sports programs

and our skate parks over 5000 youth and adults participate each year in sports sports leagues

such as our junior giants program nfl flag football junior mba and programs at the sacramento

softball complex many youth many of the youth programs are free or low cost for youth ages

five to 24 our access leisure program provides accessible programs and opportunities for youth

teens and adults with disabilities this includes adaptive sports and social programs outdoor

recreation and summer camps access leisure served over 1600 participants in the last physical year

and accommodation requests for inclusion and yipsi activities increased over 40 in the past year

you heard about that during the access leisure presentation last at our last meeting as well

and yipsi also operates camp sacramento in eldorado national forest that supports mental and physical

wellness throughout our recreation nature and environmental education

our permitting and event section is responsible for permitting city parks in the public right of

way for special events more than 600 permits were issued in fiscal year 24 totaling over 1300 actual

events this section also issues neighborhood block party permits and provides event support

services for council office events and they're responsible for event logistics including securing

park reservations and coordinated park rangers maintenance and any equipment needs for all of

these events due to the influx of special events over the last few years and as a part of the

fiscal year 25 budget the city of sacramento has added a division in the convention and cultural

services department to help streamline entertainment related permits so yipsi is going to continue to

focus its efforts on special events that are hosted in and around parks so now that we've heard

about many of the programs and services as a sort of refresher maybe something new you learned

about what we offer here's a quick highlight reel that our marketing team put together just to share

a few special moments from uh 2024

so

Thank you, everyone.

That concludes my presentation.

There's just a finishing slide.

There's a little mix you'll see of some participants, many of our parks, and of course our incredible

stuff behind the scenes to make all of that happen.

I'm joined, as I mentioned, by many of our leadership team tonight.

We're happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Do we have any members of the public who should speak on this item?

Thank you.

I have no speaker's clips on this item.

Full Commissioner Kinges.

Just thank you so much for all of the work that you do.

You manage such a tremendous body of work.

It's remarkable.

I know the team is small.

Well, with 709 FTE, but the leadership team itself is managing so much work, and everybody

does such an amazing job.

It's really appreciated.

I also wanted to shout out the Yip-Z marketing team.

It's really remarkable to see the increase in visits to the community centers, especially,

and the engagement with older adults.

And I know that they have such a huge hand in making that a reality.

So they're just amazing, and they do beautiful work.

That reel was awesome.

And I just wanted to ask a quick question about Measure L.

It's being called the Sacramento Children's Fund, so I'm just curious how it impacts the overall operating budget,

and if all of the monies are being allocated toward youth serving organizations and programming,

or if any will be diverted to parks and maintenance?

Sure.

So there's a commission that oversees or that supports the implementation of Measure L,

and we have staff that also supports that commission.

The commission put together a strategic investment plan, or SIP, to basically identify where they wanted or how they wanted the funds,

how they recommend that the funds be allocated.

And so it identified a percentage that would stay internally with youth serving city services

and a percentage that would go externally to community-based youth serving organizations.

So you can read more about the strategic investment plan on our website under Measure L.

It's a pretty detailed and lengthy report, and again, it's full of recommendations.

We also have to follow what the measure indicates, right, the language in the charter or the measure language indicates.

And so, you know, YFCE has, will be applying.

We have to go through a competitive process to qualify for any of those funds.

We have applied for some of those funds.

There's a panel that is currently being established right now that will review all of the proposals and recommendations.

They will then bring to council what the recommendations are for how that funding should be allocated.

So we are hopeful that we will be able to secure some of those funds to continue enhancing the programs and services that we provide.

There is a requirement as part of the measure that you have to maintain a certain baseline.

The city has to maintain a baseline investment in youth services.

So as a city, despite budget reductions, we have an obligation outside of Measure L to continue making an investment in primary youth services based on that baseline calculation year,

which was two years ago.

And follow up question.

Is there a timeline that the panel is going to be reviewing and awarding the grant monies?

So I believe they're currently going through a conflicts check right now to establish the panel and the goal is that they would be the RFP has closed.

The goals that they will be reviewing those proposals within the next, I would say, month and a half or two.

Is that correct?

Yeah.

Chair Gaines.

Yeah, that was, it's amazing to see it all rolled out like that.

Like we kind of sit in it, you know, once a month for a year, but to really see like it all come together.

I know I was harp on the youth workforce, but I mean to see $1.1 million back into our youth and not just to those youth, but to their families.

The community back into the economy.

So, you know, when I, when I see these things and we talk about, you know, the budget deficit that we're facing for the next few years, I just never think these things should count.

You know, because that money is money that is being reinvested back into the Sacramento economy.

And so, you know, city council, I'll be making that point all year long leading up to the budget just because that's so amazing to see that.

I did have one clarifying question.

You'd mentioned the grants portfolio of $34 million.

Now, is that on top of the $67 million budget or is that part of the $67 million budget?

That's in addition to.

Okay, awesome.

And a lot of that it's managing external grants that we're sort of working with organizations to facilitate those grants.

Awesome, which is also something that should not be counted because we're giving that money back to the community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And that's a recommendation that you can make in your yearly report, which typically in a, if we weren't starting so late, would get to city council before budget.

So that's a really good opportunity and a vehicle for you to make those recommendations.

Yeah.

Wonderful.

Any other commissioners?

All right.

Well done.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank them.

All right.

And then bring us to our next item item five or excuse me, not item five.

The youth parks and community enrichment directors report.

Thank you, director Beacham.

You're probably sick of hearing from me.

This will be more of right now relevant information, some highlights from December and what we have coming up in the next couple of weeks or before our next commission meeting that I think all of you may be interested in hearing.

So quick recap on our park ranger unit.

In December of 2024, they responded to 546 calls for service at 183 rapid calls.

And something really special to highlight on New Year's Eve, Ranger Lopez responded to report of a single vehicle accident at Miller Park.

And it involved a vehicle that had crashed into the river with SPD Ranger Lopez provided life saving measures to rescue this individual from the water and get them to safety without incident.

So incredible work from our park ranger out there on New Year's Eve.

Our park planning team.

Very excited to share that Ray Eames Park is now open to the public is a small half acre park and includes a playground and a picnic area.

And then Vine Park, it's located in Township nine in District four is also now open to the public.

This is a one acre one acre park and includes a playground picnic area and a small dog park.

In our aquatic section, I mentioned all of the lifeguards that we hired last year and provided scholarships to will recruitment is kicking off this week.

We have visits to several high schools and recruitment visits are going to continue citywide throughout the spring.

And spring 2025 lifeguard certification courses are now open for registration scholarships are also available for qualified applicants.

And you can visit city of sacrament.org or sorry dot gov slash aquatics for information on core states.

You can also find the scholarship information there.

You can also find application information there.

Everything is all in one place.

So please encourage really anyone over the age of 15 15 and up to come and apply.

We obviously hire youth but also encourage our older adults to come and join us out on the full deck.

We have a youth workforce development section.

We're excited to share the 2025 date for the youth resource and employment fair.

That's going to be on Saturday, March 8th from 930 to 12 registration is going to open in mid February.

It's for youth ages 13 to 24.

We will make sure to share that registration information with you as soon as it becomes available.

And then landscape and learning interviews are going to be conducted next week at South Natomas, George Sim, Belle Coolidge and Sam and Bonnie Penel Community Center.

We have 254 applicants invited to interview to fill 72 spots for spring youth aid positions.

At our community centers.

A few updates from some of our community centers here.

So South Natomas Community Center coming up on Friday, January 24th from 630 to 830.

We'll have our hotspot remix event.

It's a teen paint night.

Again, it's out the Thomas Community Center.

It's a free event for youth ages 13 to 17.

We'll have appetizers, sparkling cider and participants are going to get to paint a canvas and create these art that they can take home with them.

Wednesday, January 29th from 3 to 6pm are rec express and teen scene programs are going to be having a lunar New Year celebration.

This event is planned for and by our participants.

It is also free for the after school program.

This event, it's an extension of last year's Friendsgiving in November and December's Gingerbread House Decorating Party.

They're both highly attended by South Natomas Youth and Teen participants.

So they're very excited to put on this event for all of them.

South Side Clubhouse on Friday, January 17th from 630 to 830.

We have another hotspot remix program.

This will be a trivia night.

That's also free for youth ages 13 to 17.

Also really happy to share Oak Park Community Center on December 19th, hosted the annual Keepin Oak Park Warm event.

And that featured many local organizations.

We had the Sacramento Library there, Memorial Life Church, Habitat for Humanity, the Council Office from District 5 was very involved as well.

They provided over 300 community members with warm clothes, hot cocoa, and help with connecting them to local resources.

And in partnership with Youth Explosion, Oak Park served 500 people with food, household supplies, and holiday items on Saturday, December 21st, just before the holidays.

At Kaloma Community Center, we have our taught day out.

It's called Let It Snow.

That's going to be on Saturday, January 18th from 930 to 1130 a.m. for ages three to five years old.

And due to popularity, our REC preschool program has added a Tuesday and Thursday class from 830 to 1130 for three to five year olds also at Kaloma Community Center.

George Sim Community Center on December 19th, hosted an all senior event at the Community Center to close out 2024.

So despite the low cost fee that was included to allow these types of special events to continue.

And we had overwhelming participation with 139 seniors in attendance.

So very successful event.

Our Access Leisure program is hosting a free open house on Saturday, this Saturday, January 11th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

And that will be at the North Ntomas Community Center.

So come and check out what programs they have to offer.

Access Leisure also has a scholarship.

They also offer scholarships.

They'll have their adaptive sports bikes, arts crafts, bingo, and much more.

For our Youth and Adult Sports section, skateboarding lessons for youth started at the 20th and B skate park this week.

You can check out our website for more details about Monday night youth skate nights.

Those are provided by in partnership with Project LifeLong.

Skate nights are currently available for registration for youth 8 to 17.

Lifelong skate nights welcomes youth of any experience and level, even first timers.

And the skate nights are a great place to hang with friends and meet new ones.

Also stay tuned for more from Project LifeLong and partnerships some programs will be offering throughout the year.

Junior MBA practices also begin this week for youth ages 5 to 14.

The youth will run through the beginning of March.

We are still looking for volunteers.

So to learn more about those opportunities, you can reach out to Scott Jensen from our sports team.

And Spring Adult Co-Ed Leagues are also available for adults 18 and up.

We have Co-Ed, women's men's options at the softball complex at Grant Park and at Tahoe Park.

We have recreational intermediate and competitive leagues.

They begin the first week of March and we're still taking registrations for teams.

I have a handful of park maintenance updates to share really quickly as there may be some questions.

And I'll kind of move north to south.

So in the north area we had several canopies at a couple of parks in the storm we had in December that were damaged.

They've already been removed and staff are in the process of having those remade.

We had some concrete repairs completed at Burberry Park and also in front of the North and Thomas Aquatics Complex.

We have a Regency Tree planting that I'm sure our commissioner will be speaking about as well.

Sorry, I won't take that from you.

We have a tree planting.

I'm sorry, we replaced five trees at Roble Park.

And our team is also monitoring, many of you are familiar with a very large tree planting event we had at the Sac Northern Bike Trail.

As expected, we've had some trees that have been damaged or vandalized, but the team is closely monitoring that and replacing them as they're able to.

We're also performing ball-filled improvements at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

Also excited to share that the concrete pads were installed at Southside Park recently and we will have new concrete tables, benches and trash cans that are going to be delivered and installed by the end of next month.

We completed a field renovation at Grant Park.

We've also had renovations underway at Glenbrook Park and also Glen Hall Park where some field renovations will be coming next week.

And then aeration of all the sports field in District 4 is going to be completed by the end of this month.

We're replacing the Mangan Archery Hay Bales this month as well.

And we had four mainline irrigation repairs completed at Granite Regional Park.

All of the sports fields in District 6 and District 8 are going to have centralized irrigation controllers by April.

And installation for that will begin next month, or the end of this month, excuse me.

We've performed two cleanups along the Del Rio Trail in District 7 and also along the Del Rio Trail we are currently placing 136 2,000 pound boulders along the Del Rio Trail to prevent vehicle access.

Public Works is going to be adding ballards at six entrances along the Del Rio Trail.

And we have some additional tables and trash cans that will be placed also along the Del Rio Trail.

One of our ball fields at Bill Conlon Park will be renovated next week and is going to be completed within the week.

And then lastly, we invite you all out to join us for two Rose Pruning events that we have at McKinley Park Rose Garden this Saturday the 11th and next Saturday the 18th.

The events are from 9 to 11 30 a.m. Volunteers are needed to prune shape and prune and shape our roses. It's free to attend.

Volunteers are going to be given instructions. They'll be given all the equipment that you need to participate.

So please come out. We would love to have you. And that concludes my director's updates.

Thank you so much. All right, we'll now move on to commission our comments, ideas and questions.

Chair Gaines.

Oh, I actually had some questions about the director's report.

So you had mentioned that L and L interviews are coming up. I don't know if we're able to get those dates if there's still volunteers needed to support interviews.

Anybody?

I'll invite Sean up to share with us if there is a need for volunteers. I'm not certain if there's a need still.

I appreciate the offer support. We actually are staffed well enough to do the interviews for next week.

Wonderful.

Thank you.

I still like to do it. So keep us in mind, but that's great.

And then also, well, I guess for the job fair, if any support is needed, like if you need us to volunteer just to send that out so we can get that on our calendars.

Absolutely. Definitely.

Be in touch.

Perfect. Thank you. And then I know we are in tree planting season.

So do any trees need to be planted? Like should we be planting stuff? Anything that we need to do?

If you're interested in supporting tree planting event, you can go through our volunteer coordinator. We have a tree planting, you know, volunteer form that you can complete.

Actually, Commissioner Flores just went through that. Correct.

So if there's something you want to support, let us know.

We can also let you know if we have any events coming up that we might be able to use some help with.

Yeah, I know sometimes it is dependent on, I might say there needs to be trees there, but there's no irrigation. So we can't actually do that.

So if there's anything that you guys know is ready and just needs the manpower to shoot that over to us.

All right, Commissioner Revers.

We have to have older trees. We could mass plant in between. And so you want to space out.

And so I'm actually having a point with our arborist tomorrow to scout out some parts. So that's a possibility.

So.

Okay.

Commissioner Ford.

I'm just going to wait for the commissioners comment section.

Wonderful. Then I'll just add, you know, tree plantings take several months to plan and get going.

It might be a little late to start a new planting for this season, but definitely scouting them out now can get you in for the fall.

Awesome. Okay. Commissioner, would you like to start us off for our public comments or commissioner comments?

Yes, would love to.

So just a few updates and I could share. Well tree planning.

So our district started last year planning for the year. So we have, I think a tree planning event till tree planting season ends.

So we'll be having a monthly through, I think, April at the end of the end of the end of, I want to say actually March because April that we can no longer plant trees.

But anyhow, we have a planting event coming up.

So if anyone is interested in joining us, let me share the details.

It's going to be on January 18th. We're going to be planning about 17 trees at Regency Community Park.

We already have about 50 volunteers signed up. So if you'd like to join, please come. We always love additional support.

I'll also note that I and my daughter Zoe took on an initiative last year collecting backpacks for our unhoused community.

And so we're going to be hosting, we're collecting backpacks now through February 16th where we'll hold an event at Cesar Chavez Plaza Park.

So if you'd like to donate backpacks, bring some next meeting and I would love to share those with our community.

So those are my two updates for our district. I also want to know, and I apologize to Park staff. I wasn't at our district meeting.

I wasn't available, but I got a couple of reports. One is at the North Natomas Regional Park.

Some of the trees that we planted last year were damaged and so just want to coordinate efforts to replace them.

We do have a planning event there, I think in a couple of months. So we could address it then, but I just wanted to point that out.

There's also reports apparently, I don't know if this is true, that there's volunteers that are removing palm trees from the regional North Natomas Regional Park.

Again, it may not be true, but just wanted to put it out there. I think some folks have been taking their own liberty and approach.

So just let's keep an eye on that. That is all from me. Thanks.

Thank you. Commissioner Robbins.

I just want to take a moment and congratulate our new leadership in here and thank all the leadership here.

Thank you. Commissioner Flores.

Thank you. You know, hopefully it's hopefully Commissioner, Commissioner Mark doesn't mind.

Part of the things that we talked about during the coffee chat is as much as it is important that what we do here on a Thursday night, the first Thursday of the month.

It's also what we commissioners can do. Like I mentioned in an earlier report, joining these community meetings with Yipsi staff and being their supplement and also being a neighbor voice and enhancing their talking points.

The community meeting I was at last night included park rangers, included Joey from Maintenance and Dennis from Volunteer.

So just, and then just the item number four of just how robust Yipsi is and then having a piece of it at a community at the hyper local level.

You know, I know I've said this in all the coffee chats with you all.

That's where the real commission work happens is being standing side by side with Yipsi or being that supplement and saying, yep, they do the great work.

So therefore we have to support them in other endeavors.

And it was a Wednesday night. That's where the true work of what we do here matters to our neighbors.

And so just want to just, you know, shout out and they're the rock stars. I just I'm a volunteer at the end of the day, but but they had all the great stats just like the park ranger had the stat about the New Year's Eve event and the ballards and explaining the ballers.

I know you talked about it like, hey, ballers got delivered at the Del Rio Trail, but because it was a Del Rio Trail meeting, Joey took the time and say, OK, this is why this is how heavy this is all the trucks.

That's why you're going to see this, you know, so just, you know, taking that customer service aspect of it. So thank you.

Thank you.

I have a question about our open seats. Do we know if the youth seat is open? Do we have applications? Is there is it just open until filled? I don't know if anyone can answer that, but I'm very curious about our youth seat.

Jacob Bredberg, Office of the City Clerk, we're currently accepting applications for that seats and applications will remain open until the seat is filled. I believe it is a personnel and public employees committee seat.

So once we have some valid applicants, we will bring those to the PNP committee for review.

Is there like a certain number you wait to get before you take it there? Like do you close it when you get three or I'd like to advertise the position or to help to recruit. So what's the best way for me to do that?

Any help from the commission is, is yeah, very helpful to kind of get the word out there. At this time, we don't have any applicants for the youth seat. We have seen very few come through for that position. So yeah, if you would all help us get in the word out there, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Absolutely. So I would encourage everyone to find a superstar youth in your area, someone who'd be interested in some leadership, someone who's looking to, you know, participate on the civic level.

Because I feel like this is a really welcoming place to be for you and to try out leadership roles and to feel supported and to actually make a difference and get to shape their, their local parks.

So that's a personal challenge I would throw out to all you commissioners to help to recruit a new youth seat. And with that, we will move on to public comments and matters not on the agenda.

Oh, well, quick chair, I just wanted to say, I would also encourage, because I totally agree with you about this youth seat and how important it is to our people who work in like the youth development section.

It sounds like we have thousands of youth who've been in L and L and done programs and been participating anyway in parks and have skin in the game.

So I don't know if there's like an email list or anything like that. But if we're able to reach out to those youth and get this up in like community centers, because they're already participating.

So to be able to have their voice up here, I think would be really valuable.

Fantastic. Thank you. Sorry, I didn't see your hand there. All right. Do we have any members of the public who would like to speak on public.

Thank you, Commissioner Vasquez. I have a one speaker slip from Tonya Johnson.

So much. Come on up.

I transitioned pretty quickly there. No worries.

Good evening. I don't want to take up too much of your time. I've lived in Sacramento for about 30 plus years, and this is actually my first experience in this forum.

So bear with me. Basically, I have what I'm concerned about is the code enforcement issue. The property was a probate property.

We've had it for 30 plus years. I have an elder deaf mute uncle that I care for now. So I'm caregiving a lot. I haven't had time to address this as much as I like.

I'm concerned because there were a few code enforcement issues with the property. And I've done my very best to resolve those.

My mother was an amputee in a wheelchair and she was limited with what she could do with that said.

My concern is I have talked to the code enforcement officer, the supervisors, and I'm not really getting clarity or any conclusive information as to how I can resolve the matter.

I do know that the address where we reside, this has been an ongoing concern with a specific neighbor that has been very adamant about enforcing.

And we all want the neighborhood to be a certain standard, but this seems a little bit overzealous.

And so at this point, the fees that it costs, I did try to appeal it. I've written letters. I've addressed it to the best of my ability.

And so they, the enforcement officer came out. I asked for a meeting with the enforcement officer to address it directly. And I think I got cited there. Go ahead. I'm sorry.

Does your property connect to a park?

No. No, it's a single home.

And what type of code enforcement are you looking for? I'm not quite sure we're the best venue for you.

So it started with a vehicle on an unpaved location, which is grass, because we have a truck and we're actively moving.

I appreciate that very much. And I'm so sorry that you waited until the end of this meeting, but this particular commission cannot help you with that.

But Director Beecham can maybe point you in the right direction.

Yeah. I'll have our assistant director get your information and we'll refer it over to our community development department and have someone contact you.

Okay.

Shannon Brown is right here.

I was told to address the council. So I was, I should have started with that asking. I'm not familiar with this.

No worries. Shannon can get your information.

No, we're happy you're here. She can get your information. We'll make sure to connect you with the right folks.

Okay. Perfect. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you for your comment. I have no more speaker slips. Wonderful. All right. Well, this will conclude our meeting for the evening.

Thank you everyone for your participation.