Vice Chair we're ready when you are. Okay. All right thank you everyone. I'm calling

calling to order the Sacramento the City of Sacramento Disability Advisory Commission

meeting for Wednesday June 4th 2025. Clerk can you please call the roll. Yes thank you Vice Chair.

Commissioners if you can please unmute your microphone. Commissioner Greenbaum. Present.

Commissioner Barnbaum. Present. Commissioner Patel is currently absent she will be arriving late.

Commissioner Wilson. Present. Commissioner Dyson. Present. Commissioner Tuzan Boyd. Present.

Commissioner Mercer. Present. Commissioner Carr. Present. Commissioner Crowley. Here. Chair Kramer is absent and Vice Chair Ellis. Present. Thank you we have a quorum. Thank you. Just a reminder to our folks in the audience who have joined us in person. There are speaker slips available here at the front to your left and my right. If you would like to speak on any item on the agenda or any item not on the agenda we

will reserve public comment for items not on the agenda for the end of the meeting.

And without any further ado we will open our meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and land acknowledgement.

Chair Emeritus Crowley would you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone please stand. Face the flag.

Face the flag. 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.

And Chair Mercer would you please lead us in the land acknowledgement.

Please rise for the opening acknowledgement in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands. To the original people of this land the Nisanan people the southern Maidu Valley and Plains Miwok Patuan Wintu people and the people of Wilton Rancheria Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

May we acknowledge and honor the native people came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing together together today in an active practice in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples history contributions and lives. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. You all may be seated.

Before we get into our regular agenda we have a few awards and acknowledgements.

And we're going to start off with awards and acknowledgements of our commissioners who will be departing the commission.

And hopefully we'll return at some point but for now their term this is their last meeting and I would like to welcome to the podium.

Um.

Misty Alifrangi the chief of staff for council member Kaplan to honor Commissioner Tucson Boyd.

Hi good evening.

My name is Misty Alifrangi chief of staff for council member Lisa Kaplan.

Thank you for giving us this time to recognize and honor Commissioner Boyd.

Tucson Boyd.

Um.

Brandy is a very special part as you all probably feel to this commission.

To the community and to district one.

Um.

Being a district one resident we have to like slide that in there a little bit as well.

We appreciate um all of your advocacy and during our limited time uh here at city hall we've uh just seen her always reach out.

Go to bat um advocate for the needs and the things that are right and just and fair and equitable.

And we truly appreciate you Brandy for all the mini hats that you wear um throughout uh the city throughout our district and on this commission.

We truly appreciate your time um and I just wanted to read this certificate of recognition.

Council member Kaplan is actually traveling with her family and it's very sad that she cannot be here but um I know she'll connect with you when she's back.

Um so Brandy Tucson Boyd in recognition of your outstanding dedication and years of service to the city of Sacramento Disabilities Advisory Commission.

Since 2016 you have been an advocate for accessibility and equity serving as vice chair in 2019 and 2020.

And as chair in 2021 and 2022.

Your leadership commitment and advocacy have made a meaningful impact on improving the lives of individuals with disabilities in our community.

On behalf of the district one office and our community we extend our sincere appreciation for your tireless efforts and lasting contributions.

Thank you Brandy.

And thank you.

And thank you Samo and to Alice as well.

As well.

And thank youちゃん.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I really appreciate that all three of our

parting commissioners held the seat that I'm sitting in now.

So I really appreciate your service and your support,

both Brandy, Alice, and Moe, your presence.

I think I can confidently speak for everyone that all three of your

presences will be deeply missed.

And I welcome any commissioners who would like to speak and share their thoughts.

We can do it now or we can also do this at the end of the meeting.

Okay.

Yeah, if you would like to, or if Brandy, Alice, or Moe would like to share anything.

I'm just going to correct the record.

I was never in your seat.

But I hope to come back maybe and do another term.

And I wouldn't mind over at that point going over and doing it.

And just let me go over and second my thanks over to Brandy and also to Moe.

You guys have been just really dynamic leaders and helped me figure out my way as I was a commissioner.

And really made me more effective.

And I'll miss you guys a lot.

It looks like we have Moe next up in the queue.

Thank you, everyone, for just the time.

What a joy to have people represented.

And for District 1, thank you for acknowledging a true citizen of service.

Everything that you shared.

I mean, more than can be expressed in words.

It's an honor to have everyone serve.

And with the turnover and with all of the historic events that have happened, I agree that it takes the dedication of a commission like ours to be able to serve the interest of those who cannot represent themselves in the way they fully want to.

And it's just an honor to have been able to spend the time that history has allowed an unprecedented amount of time to be able to see the change and to be the voice so that people now can embody what their passions, desires, and visions are for their community and the city to then see forward because the infrastructure was there.

And it was a joy to be able to see that transformation and the coming of a new age.

And I'm very pleased to continue to be a part of it and to be seeing my children and having things of grandeur like what would aging look like for me with all of the policies.

It's just a wonderful process.

And so there's no goodbye really because the nature of the ordinances and how this all works just means there's a lot of speaker slips to fill out.

So I just wanted to say thank you.

And especially for those who are serving and for the staff who have been dedicated currently and setting a precedence there.

We as citizens can't do it without you.

And it's just a joy to see the high level of caliber that comes from within the staff as well.

Brandy?

I'm sorry.

Commissioner Tucson Boyd.

Thank you.

I'll have more comments to share during Commissioner comments.

But I just wanted to read something from disability advocate Robbie Crowe, which I really take to heart for our work in the community.

And which has led my heart serving with you all here on the dais and those who preceded you.

You can't tell a disabled person that they're being included.

You need to show it in your actions.

Inclusion isn't something you say.

It is something you do.

If a disabled person still can't apply, attend, take part or thrive, then they're not being included.

They're being talked at.

Inclusion means removing the barrier, not just acknowledging it.

Inclusion isn't about saying the right words.

It's about making the right changes and doing the right things.

So I want to thank Council Member Kaplan's staff, Misty, Mateo, for being here,

your acknowledgement of my service, and to my partners in crime, Mo and Alice,

and those of you that we recently come to know.

It's really been a pleasure sitting here on the dais and serving with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mr. Jesse.

Yeah, thank you.

I just wanted to say it's been quite the adventure coming up as staff

and being the staff and the coordinator for the Disabilities Advisory Commission

and watching your passion for the issues.

And it was an adventure.

It was, I guess, rewarding to be part of the first annual report that you brought forward

and going through the P&PE committee and then going through a pretty raucous night at Council,

but seeing it get approved.

And then the revisions we made together on the follow-up log.

And I really felt like when I first came on, that was difficult to manage.

But then hearing your feedback, hearing what was important, and say, okay,

how can we put this together and move forward together on it brought a lot of, I guess,

personal professional satisfaction with that.

And I also wanted to introduce my division manager, came Ophelia Avalos,

to say a few words to.

So thank you.

Yes, please come on up.

Good evening, everyone.

Ophelia Avalos, Engineering Services Division Manager in the Department of Public Works.

And on behalf of the whole department and the city, as Misty said, I want to thank all three of you,

Commissioner Tuxom-Voyd, Commissioner Mercer, and Commissioner Crowley,

for your service here on this commission, outside all the endless hours you've worked outside the commission hours,

and your leadership in the community on bringing these issues and the importance of these issues to our staff

and to our team that are delivering these projects.

It's really important.

I think we've created a great partnership together.

And so that's what the community is about, and that's what the city is about.

I think it's, you know, you, every, every comment you've made has made an impact on the growth of the city.

And it's, I hope you know that.

I hope you felt that as you're, as you guys are going through the, through the steps.

I know the, Commissioner Boyd, you had a big part in the Golden One Center and all of that.

It took a while, but we got there.

And so, but every, every milestone that we had in our projects and, and even being,

it was impressive how the, the relationship grew as, you know, in, in, as you guys formed the DAC commission

and with every month that you came, that you came together, you made a very big dent in, in our world.

So I just, in a good way, and so I just want to thank you so much, all three of you, for your service

and for your diversity and your opinions and, and your guidance that we have really taken to heart.

And, and, and it's very important.

So thank you for everything.

And, and we hope to see you around.

Thank you.

Any other comments from our commissioners before we?

Okay.

Seeing none.

Thank you so much.

And like I said, we'll probably have more to say at our concluding commissioner comments and acknowledgements at the end.

But, um, our next item is also of a celebratory nature.

Um, and it's fitting that we honor folks from the community as well beyond, uh, the dais.

And so I'd like to turn it over to, uh, commissioner to some boy again, to kind of, um, explain the Tim Haley awards for us

and a little bit of the history.

And then we'll, we have, uh, uh, a few more awardees to award this evening as well.

So this is, uh, night two of the fourth annual Tim Haley awards with a full dais.

We had a full, um, um, um, I don't know, what would you say?

Roster of folks that we wanted to recognize with the annual Tim Haley awards.

Um, the disability advisory commission presents these awards, recognizing the commitment to advancing inclusion,

access and equity for individuals with disabilities.

And these awardees have gone above and beyond in serving our community and their efforts to embody the commission's vision of the Sacramento,

where all residents, regardless of ability, are fully included and supported.

These awards are named after one of our former commissioners, Tim Haley, who passed away in early 2020.

And, um, we're the brainchild of our former chair, Will Kennedy, who really wanted to, um, have the commission,

not just review projects and make recommendations, but again, acknowledge those in our community that make our city a livable,

um, um, a livable space and inclusive for all individuals.

Um, to, uh, tonight, um, I'm going to be sharing an awardee, um, that came through a community nomination.

After our initial year of awards, it was really important to me to connect with previous recipients and members of the community for nominations.

Um, those in the disability community here in Sacramento, very typical of Sacramento just in general,

but particularly in the disability community is very interconnected, um, through services, through resources.

Um, someone always knows someone that you already know.

I'm actually nodding in the audience.

So I had, um, recognized John and Vanessa of Fly Brave the first year.

That we gave these awards.

Those awards were virtually presented.

Um, our second year awards, we delayed, um, until, um, I think March or May, because we wanted to give them, um, in person.

And our commission was the first in-person public meeting here to held at city hall post pandemic.

And so that was a great celebration.

So here we are, year four.

And I want to share some words about, um, Sacramento Sheriff Deputy Kathy Bakarich, if you want to come to the front.

And Kathy was nominated by Vanessa of Fly Brave.

Um, Kathy has been providing events, activities, and workshops for our community for four years, more than four years.

Both Kathy and Vanessa worked together through a common goal to bridge the gap between law enforcement and individuals with disabilities.

She has been instrumental in helping Fly Brave move its law enforcement programs forward and gives 110% doing so.

She has helped, she has helped Fly Brave create a basketball program that buddies up sheriff's deputies with individuals with developmental and physical disabilities

to learn more about each other and building community bonds.

And Fly Brave just marked its third year of this camp in March.

Kathy is also a mom.

Both of her sons are on the autism spectrum.

And she has a huge heart and understands this journey very well.

Through the Sacramento Sheriff's Activities League, she has done the following for individuals and families who have loved ones with disabilities.

She has hosted a swim party and barbecue, created an in-classroom training program with Fly Brave to teach new academy grads about autism before they begin their career in the field.

She helped create the basketball program.

She teaches art at the Fly Brave store.

She is available for any parent in need of support or services.

She also allowed Fly Brave graphic artists to create this year's Bears with the SAL logo for Adoption Day, which is coming up in November.

She is on the front lines protecting our community and at the same time teaching her coworkers, volunteering, and creating outreach opportunities to spread awareness and inclusion for those who are oftentimes misunderstood or overlooked.

She also comes out for the Cops and Coffee event that I've co-hosted with Fly Brave for the last four years.

And finally but not least, Kathy is a bright light in our world and congratulations for being a recipient of the Tim Haley Award for 2025.

Thank you.

I'm gonna call and if I get a volunteer to take a tour.

And if I get a volunteer to take a tour, it's for me.

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Ophelia and I went to high school together too.

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And Vanessa.

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We didn't find out until like a year ago, but.

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PowerPoint was about as dry as you could get.

So it was, you know, thankfully the stories I had made it a little bit interesting,

but I brought in Vanessa and John.

And since they came in to help teach the classes, they get rave reviews.

Everybody loves it.

They all remember.

They come into her store to shop.

And I think it's really important that we get our law enforcement officers the training

in how to recognize that somebody has a disability

and different ways that they can communicate with them, even if they're nonverbal.

So, I mean, this is my passion.

Kids are my passion.

And I've been doing it for 25 years now, and I'm going to continue until I can't, because I love it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner.

I have the honor of presenting Judge Andy.

Sacramento Superior Court of California with a Tim Haley Award tonight.

Judge Medrick's years of service addresses one form of oppression,

when people are not free to be their authentic selves.

Judge Medrick addresses this issue by helping the disability and LBGTQ plus communities

to be open and part of the legal community.

Judge Medrick sits as a co-chair of the Sacramento County Superior Court's Education Committee

of Community Engagement and Fairness Committee, focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion training

for judicial officers, staff, and deputies.

Judge Medrick's years of service.

Judge Medrick, she is the chair of the Sacramento County Superior Court's Membership Committee,

part of a statewide effort begun by Governor Newsom's judicial appointment secretary, Secretary

Luis Suspedes, to increase the number of diverse judicial candidates.

Judge Medrick, she is also a past co-chair and current judicial advisor to SAC Legal.

And she also spearheaded a team informing the Disability Inclusivity Bar Association of Sacramento,

the first in the state.

And we are now joined by our brothers and sisters in Santa Clara, as well as one of very few in the country.

And it is in this arena where Judge Medrick has become such a valuable mentor, encouraged me,

me to be visible, more visible about my disability, as well as a dear friend.

Additionally, she is the current vice president of the California Judges Association, LGBTQ plus judicial officers of court.

And she sits on the California Judges Association's Elimination of Bias and Inequality and Diversity and Inclusivity committees.

In each of her roles, she puts 110% effort.

It is amazing, and she is truly inspiring.

She often speaks publicly about her intersecting identities as Jewish, disabled, and transgender in the legal profession

in an effort to reduce oppression and increase inclusion and visibility of those communities.

In 2023, she helped lead DBOSS.

And again, that's where I have had the honor to become quite close to Judge Medrick and present this award tonight.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

First of all, I just wanted to acknowledge Alexa, who is actually co-president of DBOSS,

and Ms. Tucson Boyd, who had also a critical role in helping us develop the Bar Association for Disabled Lawyers and Allies.

Before I was appointed to the bench, I was a disability rights lawyer for many decades.

And I loved that work.

It was my life's work.

And now I'm a judge, and I'm a little less able to be an advocate, but I advocate in other ways,

such as trying to make the courtrooms accessible and inclusive to all who come to us.

So I really admire the work that all of you do to help make Sacramento a more inclusive city,

and I'm really proud of the work that you do, and I thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Bondman?

You're up.

Thank you, Vice Chair Ellis, City Clerk Cecilia, and staff to our commission, Jesse.

It is with distinct honor and pleasure that I'd like to present a Tim Haley Award to Dr. Flojean Griffin Cofer,

Ph.D. and epidemiologist.

Dr. Cofer is the product of two public school teachers in math and English,

and came to Sacramento focusing on public health from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Cofer is an excellent role model of a community organizer, and I met Dr. Cofer at a Dr. Martin Luther King March for the Dream in 2024.

At the time, I was working with another doctor, my good friend and friend of the organization I'd belong to to help get the Golden One Center,

and DOCO, to what it is today, Dr. Richard Pan, who is a close friend of my other good friend, Angelique Ashby, our state senator.

So many of us in that organization were working for Dr. Pan.

When the primary results came in, I knew immediately who to go to, and I began immediately working for Dr. Flojean Cofer.

And it was the best decision I've ever made.

As a person with and on the autism spectrum myself, high-functioning autism, I've been classified with Asperger's syndrome.

I've considered over the months that I've gotten to know Dr. Flojean Cofer as my best friend.

Her great work in the arena of public health, whether through the California Department of Public Health, Sacramento County Department of Public Health,

or Public Health Advocates, has really focused on why people get sick, but also has focused a good amount of time and effort on people with developmental, intellectual, cognitive, and learning disabilities,

and people who have experienced trauma.

She really emphasized a lot of that among all the issues during the campaign for mayor 2024,

and continues to work on things in public health and in that arena.

It's her love and her passion of work, and she has a very special talent for that.

She was involved in a case that directly involved me back in March,

where I was taken by law enforcement to Kaiser after having mental health breakdowns.

As many, but I don't know if most of you know, but I'll let all of you know here in the room today,

I myself work at a public agency.

And I try to ignore national and international news as much as possible.

And focus just on local stuff.

Unfortunately, when you have a group of coworkers that say to you,

oh, did you hear, oh, did you hear, I'm like, no, I tune it out.

And I'm being told by coworkers, not news personalities, what's going on.

Things make me really upset.

The health and human services secretary, for example, had said something about autism.

I heard about it from a coworker, and I got really upset.

It was disgraceful.

And to this day, the national administration makes me very embarrassed.

I didn't vote for that.

I don't want that.

And I hope we get rid of that soon.

And having a best friend in my life as Dr. Cofer really brings me back to, you know,

the circle of focus on local and regional.

And I think that more is possible for Sacramento really embodies Dr. Cofer,

not just for the city, but for the seven-county mega region.

So I would like to present a 2025 Tim Haley Award to Dr. Flojean Griffin Cofer.

Thank you.

Let's go to dinner.

Wait for me.

Wait for me.

What's up?

I'm on a panel.

We can hear you.

Thank you.

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Thank you.

Well, I want to start by just saying thank you to Michael for this award.

I did not know this was happening, so he was just like,

you have to be at the Disability Advisory Committee meeting.

And I was like, okay, I'm going to try my best.

I'm running between things, but I'm going to do my best to get there.

And then I'm like, oh, my goodness, that's me on the screen.

So thank you.

I really appreciate you.

And it truly has been a pleasure getting to know you and certainly becoming friends.

You know, I'm grateful for this award.

And I really have to credit so many of my life influences for, you know,

my interest and commitment to making sure that we build an inclusive community.

You know, growing up, there was a woman who was really close friends with my mom.

Her name was Florence, and everybody called her Flo.

So immediately I was like, she's the coolest person ever.

And she was the only other Flo I knew.

And she also used her chair to get around.

And so my mom would, they were in a lot of activities together,

and she would always take her to things.

And I remember asking my mom at one point why Miss Flo would always say at the end of everything,

hey, my mom would say, hey, you know, the next meeting is da-da-da-da,

so I'll meet you here and I'll pick you up there.

And she'd say, well, you know, if it's not too much trouble.

And I was like, I know she wants to go.

She always does.

We always do this.

Why do we have to do this dance?

And I remember my mom saying to me one time when I asked her, well, she feels like her existence is a burden,

and she shouldn't.

And that's why I always offer, and that's why we go places together.

And I distinctly remember I was eight years old when the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990.

And I remember, you know, throughout my time in late elementary and middle school,

as, you know, some of the places that we frequented started having to add in ramps

and having to add in all these accessibility features,

how much easier it was to be able to get her in and out.

Because sometimes it would be my mom and my dad or my mom and me, you know,

kind of trying to get, you know, her wheelchair in and out of places that weren't designed for her.

And so it reinforced to me, it wasn't until the ramps came in that I realized what she was feeling

every time that had to happen and how much of a relief it was to her.

And so that opened my eyes at a young age to the ways in which we design our physical spaces,

but also the ways we design our communities.

And so throughout my life, I have been fortunate to have friends who have had all manner of abilities and disabilities

and who have enriched my life.

And so I am grateful for this award.

I am grateful for this in particular committee.

You are a committee that I love to come and be before and to follow the work of.

And so I'm really just grateful for Sacramento being a city where we really try our best to do a better job,

where our arts community, where, you know, our public transit,

all of us are really trying to work together.

And I hope that I can say, you know, on behalf of the public health community that we are with you,

that continue to demand of us what is owed,

because this is a part of making sure that we have a thriving and welcoming community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Vice Chair Ellis.

Thank you.

Yeah.

I'd just like to say, I didn't really know too much about the commission and committee process at the city of Sacramento,

but it was in December on a WhatsApp chat.

There was a conversation about it.

And I want to thank Dr.

Flo of, because if it wasn't for Dr.

Flo, I would not have known about this or three other commissions after researching from the conversation on WhatsApp.

And thanks to her and Council Member Dickinson and Chief of Staff, Brian DeBlanc, I have been nominated to be on this commission.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Wilson would actually like to make a comment, if that's okay.

Yeah, Commissioner Wilson, please.

I just wanted to say, I remember Dr. Thurman last year.

She reached out to resources for good independent living

because she really wanted to take the time to try to understand our community.

Can we really appreciate that?

I've heard a lot of good things from a lot of our consumers for the retroactions.

So I want to say thank you.

Keep doing what you do.

Thank you.

And Commissioner Patel.

Hi, good evening, everyone.

Bear with me.

I pulled my glasses off as I literally ran here.

And so I'm going to make sure I can read all the words I wrote.

I have the pleasure of honoring Ms. Danielle Christie.

Thank you, fellow commissioners.

And thank you all for being here.

It is with immense pride and admiration that I get to honor Danielle,

someone who works to truly change lives, including my own,

someone who has championed inclusion, not just as a professional mission,

but as a deeply personal calling.

Danielle has spent the last two decades working as a school psychologist,

walking alongside students from preschool to high school

in a wide variety of educational settings.

Whether public school, charter school, non-public environments, and others,

her focus has remained unwavering.

Every child deserves to be seen.

Heard, and most of all included,

her dedication to creating inclusive classrooms

where students with disabilities learn alongside their typically developing peers

has transformed school communities.

Most notably, Danielle played a key role in building an inclusive program

at an innovative charter school in Sacramento.

I feel like today comes full circle,

because until I sat here after running from the parking garage,

I did not realize I was running from coming from our eighth grade graduation.

And on the stage tonight,

a student who I had the pleasure of having in my kindergarten classroom nine years ago,

the second year of that program she began to build,

needed more support than any student we had had come through our doors.

And I learned alongside Danielle.

I went to Chime Institute.

We learned by the experts

and continued to build our program.

And I may have mascara under my eyes,

because I didn't get to check the mirror.

As I watched this student,

a student who is nonverbal,

has autism and Down syndrome,

sit amongst his peers of 109,

completely participate in that graduation,

and walk across the stage just like his peers,

receiving his award

in the same way as his peers,

all on his own.

He needed a little extra practice,

but we all get what we need.

And that is something I have learned from Danielle.

So I got here and I thought,

what a momentous day to come running from that to celebrate her.

She played a key role in building the program that exists today.

Because true champions do not stop at one success,

she went on to support other schools

in building inclusive programs of their own.

She's a Best Buddies Champion of the Year,

but she's so much more.

Danielle's story doesn't stop with her work

and professional achievements.

In 2013,

she became a proud parent of a child with autism.

Navigating the world of disabilities

from the mother's side

helped her navigate the world in both.

As an expert mother,

it gave her a powerful but unique perspective

that deepened her commitment,

her advocacy,

and her understanding.

Danielle's work is rooted in empathy.

It's driven in research.

And it is fueled by her vision

of a more inclusive world for all.

She reminds us that inclusion isn't just a goal.

Inclusion is a mindset.

It's a daily choice.

And it's a promise

that everyone should make to each other.

Please join me in celebrating

our champion for inclusion,

Danielle,

whose unwaiving dedication

continues daily,

opening doors and changing lives.

applause

Thank you.

Thank you.

I just want to thank you all so much tonight. Hearing about everyone's amazing accomplishments

just reminds me the importance of community and that the disability community is one of

the best communities I'm honored to be a part of. As I sat here and heard about so many

amazing things that everyone in this room has done, I realized that one of the things I

learned early on in my work was that I read I think it was from the woman who advocated

for Americans with Disability Act. Her name is escaping me, Judy. It will come to me.

But she said nothing about us without us.

Judith Heumann.

Yes, Judy Heumann. Judy Heumann. And I just sat here and saw so much representation. And

I have fought so hard for that to keep happening, that people have a seat at the table. And

so I just want to thank you all for really empowering that work and really just demonstrating tonight

how important and moving that is. I can't not share a quick story that happened so very

recently that showed me the power of inclusion and what really inclusion means with my son.

He's in fifth grade. And he has a lot of things going on. But he is just such a joy. And he has been at his school since kindergarten and part of the community. And so he's gone through kinder through fifth grade with these kids.

And recently they had a substitute who didn't know what my son needed. And the sub was having a hard time getting the class under control. And she decided to turn the volume real loud on a video they were watching. And my son has major sensory sensitivity.

He asked for his headphones. And she said no. Nobody is wearing headphones. You can't have your headphones. So he walked out of the room because he was completely flooded and overwhelmed. And she said you cannot walk out of the room. She, you know, reprimanded him for not following directions. And she grabbed him by the arm. And the class was

up in arms. This class of 11 year old fifth grade students stood up for him that day. And they went to the office and they got help. And the school told the sub what she needed. And my son belonged. To me inclusion is so much more than just having a space. Being at the table. It's belonging. That you have this deep sense that somebody misses you if you're gone. That somebody stands up for you. That they speak up if they see something happening.

So I just want to thank everyone. So I just want to thank everyone. That made that moment happen in so many other people's lives. Tonight. And thank you Ashley for the amazing work you do. And my family. I wouldn't be here without them. These are some of my best friends. And I just am so grateful. Have a wonderful night. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Very inspiring stories this evening indeed.

So, and thank you all for coming and thank you all for all the great service you do for

our community.

With that, we will move into our formal agenda and our first item of business is to approve

the consent calendar.

So can I get a motion to approve the consent calendar of our meeting minutes from May and

the follow up log?

Motion to approve the consent calendar.

Motion to approve from Commissioner Toussaint Boyd.

A second?

I second that motion.

Is that Patel?

What's that?

Alexia Greenbaum.

Alexia Greenbaum.

Okay.

Clerk, when you're ready, please call the roll.

Yes.

And to confirm, we have a motion by Commissioner Toussaint Boyd, a second by Commissioner Greenbaum.

We do not have any public speakers for this item.

And commissioners, if we can please unmute your microphones to do the roll call vote.

All right.

Thank you.

I do not know if I can please take a motion for a vote.

All right.

And I will answer your questions.

Thank you.

Commissioner Greenbaum.

Aye.

Commissioner Barnbaum.

Yes.

Commissioner Patel.

Aye.

Commissioner Wilson.

Aye.

Commissioner Dyson.

Aye.

Commissioner Toussaint Boyd is absent.

Commissioner Mercer.

Aye.

Commissioner Carr.

Aye.

Commissioner Crowley.

Aye.

Commissioner Crowley.

Aye.

Commissioner Crowley.

Aye.

Aye.

Chair Kramer is absent.

And Vice Chair Ellis.

Aye.

Thank you.

The motion passes.

Thank you.

And then we'll move on to our first agenda item.

And again, for anyone in the public who would like to make public comment on our formal agenda items, please feel free to submit a speaker slip to the clerk.

So we may have you address us and give your public comments.

Our next item is item three, Two Rivers Trail Phase 3 update.

I believe that is going to be presented on by Adam Randolph, senior engineer.

Hello.

Thank you to the commission.

I feel like I have a very boring topic after all the fun earlier.

So today I'm here to speak on our Phase 3 project for Two Rivers Trail.

I think this is a largely new commission from when I was here previously for the Phase 2.

So we're planning on walking through the general project, what the overall trail looks like, and then we'll focus into the Phase 3 project and kind of where we are now and where we're going.

So Two Rivers Trail is the city's vision for a continuous riverfront bike trail along the American River.

Currently we have multiple phases in progress or already completed, but the overall concept was developed in the early 2000s.

In 2006 we built the first section of the trail, which extends from Tiscornia Park to State Route 160.

And this is a levee top trail running along the river.

In the, well, I will say it's, the Phase 2 is kind of a blurry line on here of trail network that was built by our Parks Department within Sutter's Landing Park.

And then our formal Phase 2 project is a project that's actually under construction right now, which is a riverfront trail mostly along the base of the levee between H Street Bridge and we can basically say Business 80 Bridge.

It's actually up to the railroad tracks directly adjacent to the Business 80 Bridge.

Currently about 70% of that trail has been constructed.

The only reason the remaining 30% is left is because we're waiting on adjacent projects being built by other agencies to be completed before we can actually get in there and build that last little bit.

Our Phase 3 project is what we're really starting to dig our teeth into now.

And this project is looking at what it's going to take to fill the gaps in the system.

So we already said we have the west side of the trail constructed basically from the Sacramento River, Discovery Park, Tiscornia Park, up to State Route 160.

We have the east side of the trail done, which is H Street Bridge, and really that connects into an existing county trail that runs all the way to the city limits at Watt Avenue.

And that comes all the way to the Union Pacific Railroad tracks next to Business 80.

What our Phase 3 project is going to do is build out the trail network within Sutter's Landing Park and basically create a nature loop trail within the park,

which can be connected to that Phase 1 project at a later date.

And I'm going to dig into that a little bit in a second, too.

And then we're going to fill the small gap that's left next to Business 80 between the trail that was built by our Parks Department

and that Phase 2 project that we're building right now.

And that leads into the last connection that we're looking at for the future, and that's what we're calling our Phase 4 project.

I'm bringing this up because we're currently doing environmental clearances on both Phase 3 and Phase 4 at the same time,

so both of them are pertinent.

That Phase 4 project is looking at how to cross that last set of train tracks that we're running into,

as well as how to get across State Route 160, which is kind of a big piece.

And actually, I'm going to take a step back into our Phase 3 project, and we can see it on the screen right now.

So we are, as part of this project, we're building that loop through Sutter's Landing Park that I mentioned.

But then on the west side of the railroad tracks, we're also building a connection through the River District

that goes from the Sac Northern Trail up to, or up Sproul Avenue,

and it's actually going to connect into the Dos Rios RT station,

and it connects into our 12th Street Class 4 bikeway that we built a few years ago,

which provides access to that Phase 1, Two Rivers Trail.

So it's a bit of a workaround right now until we can get that Phase 4 project implemented.

So kind of the meat of why are we here specifically is what we're doing to ensure that accessibility components

are incorporated.

And the primary things, and I feel like a broken record because it seems like I say these things every time I come here,

but we're always looking to make sure that we're meeting our guiding documents.

And specifically with transportation projects, with projects in the public right-of-way,

we're looking at guidance from the public right-of-way guidelines.

We're looking at guidance from Caltrans, their design information bulletins, speaking to the ADA.

And honestly, we're always trying to look for the best practices that we can incorporate.

So this project specifically, we're going to be addressing any curb ramps on any intersections that we may be coming through,

ensuring that those are fully ADA compliant.

Any signals that we're going to be touching are going to have APS push buttons installed.

And really the lion's share of this project is the trail system itself.

And that's where we're ensuring that it is built to be as accessible as possible.

And that means compliant grades.

That means smooth, even surfaces that are easier to traverse.

It means no abrupt grade changes or excessively steep slopes so that as many people as possible are able to access this project.

I'm going to go through this and I'm realizing I missed something on our phase four,

so I'm going to step back to that after we go or finish this section.

So when we're talking about those accessible components, a large, the trail, all of the grading information that I'm talking about applies everywhere.

And that's slopes that don't go up more than 5%, so 5 inches for every, or 5 feet for every 100 feet,

are the maximum allowable slopes that we're allowed to use.

And we are only coming close to that in one section that I'll, is what I'm going to jump back to.

As far as curb ramps and signal improvements, we have multiple intersections that we're crossing with this project.

In Sutter's Landing Park, we have 28th Street, and this is the intersection that occurs at McKinley Village Way,

where we're basically going to be building out the west side of this intersection,

or oddly enough, the right side of the picture that you're looking at here.

And we're going to be designing that such that it's more of a traditional intersection.

It'll have accessible ramps on all of the corners.

It's going to also specifically segregate pedestrian and trail traffic from heavy truck traffic,

which is a current issue that we have at this corner.

For that river, for the river district connection that we're discussing,

the challenge that we have with this trail is that we're crossing two of the busiest roads in Sacramento,

being 16th Street and 12th Street.

And this was a challenge for the project, figuring out what the best locations for those crossings would be

and how to address them.

So here we're looking at the 12th Street crossing.

And again, for this crossing, we'll be looking at signal improvements, both for bikes and pedestrians.

We'll be looking at installing APS push buttons at these locations.

We'll be looking at improving curb ramps.

We'll be looking at ensuring that there are continuous navigable sidewalks along the entire stretch of it

so that we truly have that connection from Sac River, sorry, from the Sac Northern Trail

all the way to our terminus at Dos Rio Station at the 12th Street, Class 4.

And then that brings us to where Dos Rio Station is.

This is looking at Sproul Avenue, looking on 12th Avenue, sorry, North 12th Street.

And here we will be connecting directly into those improvements that RT is currently building with the Dos Rio Station.

So all of the work, there's actually a brand new crosswalk, a brand new pedestrian phase going in at this location

with the RT Station.

And our goal with this project is to tie into that work as seamlessly as possible

so we can keep that functioning well.

Jumping back, I actually want to touch on our Phase 4 improvements

because I really glossed over those by mistake.

This is one of the most challenging parts of our project.

And this is the reason it's Phase 4 instead of Phase 3.

Crossing a railroad track is a major challenge, a major amount of effort that everyone has to go through

to get Union Pacific to bless any plan set.

For this project, the only way that Union Pacific will let us cross their tracks,

and when I say the only way, I'm saying that with Public Works having spent 13 years of effort trying to do it other ways,

is to cross over the top of those tracks.

What that means is a bridge over the railroad.

So for that, you notice there's kind of a windy path with that blue line.

That's to ensure that we have adequate length on that crossing,

that we can keep those grades under that maximum percentage that I was discussing

so we can ensure that that's a fully accessible, fully usable crossing.

There's no reason to build it if people can't use it.

On the same note, when we're looking at crossing State Route 160,

we're looking at crossing under that bridge.

Luckily, Caltrans is a lot easier to work with than UP,

which is amazing to say if anybody's worked with Caltrans.

So wait, it's easier to work with the government than a private company?

Depends on that private company.

When that private company was granted by Congress.

So when we're looking at these improvements,

I just wanted to highlight that because those are honestly

two of the biggest accessibility challenges we have in this project,

just those steep grades, those high climbs, those drop downs that we're doing.

So I wanted to make sure we were fully transparent

with what we're looking at on this project.

Now, what we are doing right now,

at this stage, we've done feasibility analyses.

We've actually done a lot of public surveys.

We've looked at different alternatives for the project.

Now we're at the point where we are digging into the environmental clearances for the project.

Concurrent with that, we're trying to find or locate funds,

what our potential funding sources are going to be to build that Phase 3 project.

So what that means, when we did our Phase 2 project,

we actually cleared most of this trail through Sutter's Landing Park.

So the majority of the environmental study has been done for this already.

However, with what I described on that Phase 4,

crossing under Caltrans, crossing over the railroad,

that was never looked at.

So what we're looking at now is preparing what's referred to as a subsequent environmental impact report,

which means we're looking at all of the additional impacts that we have on top of what we had looked at previously.

Currently, we are preparing that draft.

I'm sure Pamela behind me would tell me I've got an email that I haven't reviewed yet,

and I need to get on it to make sure we hit our deadlines.

Our goal is to have the draft environmental impact report ready for public review at the end of July.

That's why I'm here today.

I wanted to make sure that we made it before we got to review

instead of in the middle of review when we only had two weeks left to comment.

The review period lasts for 30 days,

so we're going to be or have it open for a review at the end of July.

It'll be or comments will be requested by the end of August,

at which point we will look through everything,

incorporate as many comments as we can,

prepare responses and rationale for why we're doing things,

and we'll be taking that final environmental impact report to council.

So I'm sure a lot of people on this commission already know,

but the city has an environmental page on its website

where you can look at all of the environmental reports.

It's not actually all impact reports,

so I'm not sure how good that name is.

But more importantly, I have a project website that is nice and simple.

It's cityofsacramento.gov slash tworivertrail.

From there, you can sign up for a mailing list for the project,

or you would be notified when that EIR is available for review,

and we'll also have a link on that webpage that can take you to that EIR

so you don't have to come up with a convoluted name.

The purpose here tonight is really to request all of your feedback.

I would love for you to be able to take a look at that document,

express any questions, any concerns,

any comments that you may have.

The best route for comments is to go to our environmental planner.

His contact information is listed here.

It'll also be listed in the document.

It'll also be listed on the website,

so it doesn't have to be saved here.

But I would love as much feedback as we can get on that document.

Overall for this project, we've done our feasibility analysis.

We're working on our environmental clearances right now.

Once that environmental clearance is done,

we will be digging hard into our final design.

If everything goes well,

and if we could locate those funding sources that I mentioned earlier,

then we're hoping to be able to construct this project

about two years from now.

With that, I'd love to answer any questions.

Thank you.

And I appreciate that we were able to get you

before the EIR goes out.

I have made that mistake before,

and I'm trying to learn from it.

I really appreciate that effort.

I know that's a lot to ask.

So my thanks and thanks on behalf of the commission.

But in addition to any commissioner comments tonight,

I would welcome all of us to,

including those in the public,

to submit written and other comment

through the 30-day period online,

or however else you are collecting comment for that.

Before we get to commissioner comments,

Clerk, do we have any public comment on this item?

Thank you, Vice Chair.

We have no speakers for this item.

All right.

Then we'll just go right into,

I kind of see we have a couple folks on the queue.

Yes.

It looks like we have Commissioner Barnbaum.

Commissioner Barnbaum.

Yes.

Thank you.

First, I just want to make a comment,

and then I'll have some questions.

Just from experience,

I've been at many Capitol Corridor joint powers

authority board meetings,

and Union Pacific comes up a lot.

It is very difficult to work with them compared to Caltrans.

And I just know that from experience.

It's really difficult,

especially when you hear comments

about Capitol Corridor riders want,

you know, hourly service from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.

We can't do it.

It's capacity constraints.

Union Pacific won't allow it,

nor won't they allow more than one round trip to Auburn.

They'll allow more trips to Roseville,

but not to Auburn.

Union Pacific.

Anyway,

my questions are,

you talked about in the presentation

a bit of a challenge crossing Highway 160,

if I recall you saying that.

And it made me think or remember,

I think there was a city council meeting

followed by local news that matters coverage

on Highway 160 reimagining

or a decommissioned 160 in North Sacramento

as it was like it divided North Sacramento.

And still to this day,

people can't or don't go onto Del Paso Boulevard

to go to the businesses

or really provide into the economy of North Sacramento.

And I know my council member had mentioned

that it was a deterrent about 160

just being there,

taking people around Del Paso

and straight through to other communities.

Has the decommissioning of Highway 160

come across staff's attention

since that council meeting

when looking at what you just presented today?

I will say I've seen those,

I've seen the news stories.

Yes.

As far as that whole process goes,

that's going to be a planning effort.

It's not going to be so much in the engineers' hands

for quite a while, I would assume.

Mm-hmm.

Regarding what we're looking at with this trail,

relevant to what the status of 160 is

and how it's going to be used,

most likely those bridges

are going to be staying where they are.

Okay.

Whether they're put to different use

than they are right now is a fair question.

So to get across that area,

the challenge is we have to get under the bridges.

And honestly, Caltrans is the least of the concerns there

as long as,

or the major concern we'd have with Caltrans

is if they had any plan for replacing those bridges

because then we'd piggyback on that process.

Yeah.

For what we're looking at,

our real challenge is to get under those bridges,

we have to build into the water a little bit.

And if you can imagine building into the water

in the American River,

I mean, I think you've heard presentations

about Truxell Road.

Yeah.

It's not a fun process.

So it's a massive permitting effort.

It's a expensive endeavor.

And that's really the challenge

that we have to work through on those bridges.

Caltrans, as long as we don't affect

the integrity of their bridges,

we don't anticipate a whole lot of issues with them.

It's really the cost and the effort

of getting the approvals

and being able to build in the river

that is our constraint there.

Okay.

And then you did mention about

kind of going in tandem

with work around the area

that SAC-RT is doing

with regard to the Dos Rios station

and other work in the vicinity.

It was my understanding,

I believe, this fall,

but not until the fall

between Halloween and Thanksgiving.

The blue line in that vicinity

will be shut down

due to major work at Dos Rios.

Is that around the time frame

you were doing some stuff in tandem

so that there would be

no train traffic interference going through

and bus bridges would be operating instead

so as to be less interference?

No, but.

So we are,

we're well behind RT's project

as far as when we're going to construction.

So they will be complete,

everything will be operational out there

by the time we get to construction.

Oh, okay.

That said,

we're going to be tying in

on the east side of those tracks.

We're not looking at modifications

over the tracks.

We're not looking at anything

that would provide a challenge

with RT services

or anything that would be

any monumental effort

with us having to coordinate

our construction

with when those tracks

are out of service at night.

So the main,

the main thing

that I was trying to explain on there

was that we're taking into account

all of what RT is building right now.

We're not looking at things

as is shown in the picture of,

you know,

no station there,

no crossing,

anything like that.

We're making sure

that we take all of RT's improvements

into account in our design

so we can be as efficient as possible

and also so that we're not interrupting

any of the intentional improvements

that they're doing.

Okay.

And then my last question was,

just for clarification,

I heard you say

there will be a 30-day comment period

for the EIR,

but it's looking like

it won't open

until about sometime

in the second half of July.

Yeah.

And we were kind of talking offline

before we started our meeting.

Likely,

but it's not fully confirmed yet.

We may have our next meeting on,

I think it's Wednesday,

August 6th.

If,

I think what I heard you say correctly,

would you be able to come back

to the commission

and,

Mr. Vice Chair,

can I recommend,

if that is the case,

we re-agendize this

during the 30-day period

on August 6th meeting

and we can provide comments

on the record

as a sitting commission.

I think what we can do

instead of having

the formal staff presentation

come back

is just so our staff

can add it to his report.

Okay.

And just have it

as a quick update

and reminder

that the EIR is open

and how to give comment there.

I think that's probably

the best approach.

Yeah.

And did you or staff

want us to individually register

for the mailing list

or just as a commission today,

should we just go on record

collaboratively,

all of us would like

to be on the mailing list

and in the EIR 30-day comment

period?

Yeah.

I think each and every one

of us should be

on that mailing list.

I am.

I have been for a while

so I get those emails

so I highly recommend it

and to give comment

when these projects come up

both here at the commission

but also as individual residents

through the,

that's what it's there for,

the public process.

Did you have anything, Jesse?

Yeah.

Thanks for clearing that up,

Vice Chair Ellis.

You know,

our policy is to bring a project

before the commission one time.

It's just so we can do business,

so we can advance projects.

So we understand

the desire for report backs

and so I think my commitment

is to handle that,

working with the project managers

just to provide that

in my staff oral report

or to say,

you know what,

it's out for review now,

you know,

you know,

please, you know,

submit your comments

or this project

may be going to council

at a certain date.

but just as a matter of practice,

it's one time

that a project's going to come

before the commission.

And we also have our follow-up blog

where things also like this

get kind of documented as well.

But you got Vice Chair Ellis,

if you wanted a,

oh, yeah.

There we go.

Yeah, if you wanted that second part

instead of each of us

trying to remember

to register individually,

that if you wanted

that second part,

which I said,

just have the whole commission

generally speaking,

just get on the mailing list.

I'll make that motion.

I liked your comments after that.

I think it's just something

as individuals we can do.

But yeah.

Thank you for your support.

Thank you.

Maybe a point of order

from the city attorney

just on motions in general.

I think you're just asking me

the process.

For making motions.

If something is on,

if there's an agendized item

to be voted on,

that's appropriate

to make a motion on.

If it's just a matter for discussion,

I think anybody on the commission

can make a request

of city staff,

but there's no,

there's nothing to vote on.

Yeah, because this is,

this is just a purely discussion item.

It's not an action item.

So, yeah.

But thank you.

I appreciate the support.

And then,

are there any other comments we have?

Actually,

no.

Okay.

Do we have it?

Oh,

Commissioner Crowley.

I was just wondering,

since there's an anticipated difficulty

related to the bridge

and the water and all,

is there any thought yet

as to what percentage

of the budget

occupies that space?

And then,

what would be the alternative

that was considered

to avoid complications like that?

So,

currently,

if we're talking

construction budgets,

zero percent.

That's why,

or that's specifically

why we separated it

into a phase four,

because it was just

prohibitively expensive

with the funding

that we have right now

to be able to address.

We wanted to make sure

as long as we're doing

an action

as labor intensive

as an environmental clearance

that we include that in there

so it facilitates it

in the future.

But,

there are not currently

any plans

on funding

the design and construction

for those improvements.

Thank you.

I'll just add my comments

as Vice Chair.

my questions

were very similar

to Commissioner Barnbaum

about

Route 160

and how that could

interplay

with what you're trying to do.

Because the last thing

we would want to do

is spend,

you know,

a lot of money

and put in something

that we want

in the current iteration

of what we know

to be now

and then

this other plan

goes into motion

and it could

really disrupt

what was already

planned for.

We've seen that

in,

you know,

with other projects

and so it's,

it's,

I'm glad to see

that what we're trying,

what you're trying

to build in here

is kind of future-proofing,

right,

is what I kind of heard.

So that way

whatever does

or does not come

of the,

I guess,

blue sky

of what they want

to do with 160

at this time

because it seems

very nebulous

at least from

what I've read.

It's interesting

but it's probably

very,

very far away

from ever coming

to this commission

anytime soon.

And so I appreciate

the comments

from Commissioner Barman

and how you addressed

it with this

particular project.

It's really great

to see this project

really come to fruition

and I think

it's been,

as you said,

many,

many decades

in the works

and we're at a,

this is kind of,

you're linking together

a lot of different pieces

and these are kind

of those finishing touches

I kind of look at

between phases

three and four

of really getting

the access

along the river

and even down

to the river

in several spaces

in our city.

So my much appreciation

for the report

and for coming

before us this evening.

And with that,

without any other

comments or questions

from commissioners,

we'll move on

to our next agenda item,

item number four,

accessibility

at special events

presented by,

and I am going

to apologize in advance

if I mispronounce

your last name,

Judy,

Judy Matsui-Juri?

Yes.

Got it.

All right.

Supervising engineer

and before you get started,

I just really want

to kind of preface

for the new folks

coming before us.

this item,

like many items,

I feel like,

but this one in particular

has been a long time coming

because I know

this came up

when I served

on the commission

back in 2016

and then I know

it most likely

had come up

many times

in my absence

from the commission

and I did,

you know,

voice it

when I first rejoined

last summer

and we added it

into our work plan

and this is kind of

how things

kind of come full circle

in terms of,

you know,

getting it into the work plan,

bringing attention to it

and how we can plan for it

and bring this item

before us.

So,

I really want to,

in advance,

thank you in advance

for all the work

that you've put

into this project,

in particular

of the accessibility issues

that come up with

at our special events

because they're really,

you know,

as we've shared

in the past,

repurposing

the public right-of-way

into things

that it really

wasn't meant for.

It was meant

to be a road,

not,

you know,

a farmer's market

or,

or we're going to have

pride here

in a few weeks.

So,

it wasn't designed

necessarily,

it was meant for cars

to drive along,

not for people

to mill around

and do different activities

and concerts

and whatnot.

So,

really appreciate

the effort

that you've put forth

in this item.

So,

but,

without any further,

thank you.

Thank you.

So,

Vice Chair Ellis,

commissioners

and city staff liaison,

Mr. Gothen,

my name is Judy Matsui-Drury.

I'm a supervising engineer

in the Department

of Public Works.

Thank you for the opportunity,

much awaited,

to speak on this

very important topic,

accessibility

at special events.

The City of Sacramento

endeavors to be known

as the City of Festivals

for events

that fall within

the fabric

consistent with

family-oriented themes

for entertainment

and activities

that tie the region together,

events that promote

the City of Sacramento,

and events that engage

in substantial economic benefit

for our city.

As part of the commission's

2025 annual work plan,

city staff were requested

to review how accessibility

is addressed

in the special events

permitting process.

I'm going to have to ask

how to advance this one.

Oh, it's this way.

Okay, got it.

Let me move on.

I'm going to move over

to this.

Okay, you don't have

to read this text.

It's just an excerpt

from the special events

permit application.

Within the application,

there is a section

on accessibility

that provides general reference

and guidance

on the organizer's

responsibilities

for special events.

In general,

and in very simplistic terms,

the special events

permit application process

involves an applicant,

otherwise known

as an event organizer,

submitting a special events

permit application online.

Then key city staff

are tasked with reviewing it.

In some cases,

for a larger event,

a committee is formed

to review the application.

And if there are any comments

or special conditions

that are noted by staff,

these conditions are added

to the permit

as a condition of approval

upon issuance.

It is ultimately

the permittee's

responsibility

to address accessibility

in accordance with

federal, state,

and local laws.

Okay.

In response

to the commission's request,

I have reviewed

the application process

and have been researching

an approach

to improve accessibility

guidance within

the special events

permit application.

For some time now,

I've been meeting

with the city's

special events program manager

and several city staff

that are involved

in the permit review process.

We've been meeting

to discuss

and identify opportunities

to improve guidance

that helps the prospective

event organizers

make these events

accessible to everyone.

I've reached out

to other cities,

done online researching

for resources,

reviewing publications,

and identified some materials

that were helpful

in structuring

a baseline format

of information

to supplement

a special events

permit application.

And as I work through

kind of some initial

outreach and effort,

I've identified,

along with some

of my colleagues,

really three key parameters

that are key

to making any additional

guidance to event

organizers effective.

Okay, this information

or guidance needs

to be easy

to implement

and follow,

consider typical

or common use cases,

and consider feasible solutions.

And as I mentioned earlier,

we want to be a city

that is a desirable location

to host fantastic events.

And we recognize

that event organizers

are not subject matter experts

on accessibility issues.

Accessibility issues.

And they have a lot of things

they're trying to coordinate.

They have a tight timeline

and they typically

have a constrained budget.

So,

let me just flip

to this next page.

So,

this is just a screenshot

of a draft information fact sheet

that was included

as part of the staff report

where we really tried

to streamline the information,

fit it within about

one to two pages

of information,

something easy to read.

Ideally,

the feedback we received

is something more

like a checklist,

maybe some illustrations

or some pictures,

and again,

some common use cases.

And in this case,

for the city of Sacramento,

it's a lot of downtown events

or events on Capitol Mall.

And so,

let's see,

here we are.

So,

I'm here today

because I am seeking

your input

on this content.

I'm working with

the special events

program manager

to meet with

some of the event organizers

to get their feedback

on this material as well.

And I'll use that time

to explain really

the importance

of this supplemental information

and hopefully get their buy-in

because that's really

going to be the most effective way

to get things implemented.

And so,

it's also good to understand

the challenges

they're facing right now

putting these events together.

And we,

as city staff,

really try to be helpful

for them

and the process

they have to go through.

So,

as we go through this outreach,

we endeavor to have

an improved informational resource

and guidelines

for a better permitting process.

And

that concludes

my events presentation.

And I'm available

for questions

and receive your feedback.

but I do want to have

the opportunity, though,

to say this

in case I don't

at the end

and I forget.

Just thank you

to Commissioner Tucson Boyd,

Commissioner Mercer,

and Commissioner Crowley

for your service.

I know we worked together

a few years ago.

That was a tough time,

a lot of transition

during COVID.

But,

you know,

you all made me

a better engineer

and employee

of the city of Sacramento

and just those challenges

that we went through

and I really appreciate

your work.

So,

it's,

a lot of what we do

has changed

the way I do business.

So,

thank you again.

So,

anyway,

back to this.

So,

any comments,

questions,

or feedback?

Great.

Madam Clerk,

do we have any public

comment on this item

before we go

to the commissioners?

Thank you,

Vice Chair.

We have no speakers

for this item.

Great.

And then do we have

any commissioners

wanting to speak?

Yes,

we have Commissioner

Tucson Boyd.

Commissioner Tucson Boyd.

Surprise.

I'm shocked.

Judy,

if I may,

I do want to

acknowledge just

as you did,

Judy was staff

support to

our commission

during a difficult

season,

not just because

of the pandemic,

but because of

something that

one of the staff

members for the city

was going through.

And so,

you know,

pitch hit it.

And I know

she spent a lot

of long hours

on top of her

day job supporting

our commission

and I appreciate

that.

And I know

that some of my

comments at the end

of our meeting

tonight will be

acknowledging

just how we

have come full

circle on a lot

of things

in the time

that I've been

able to sit up

here and serve

the city.

So,

thank you.

And thank you

for your

presentation.

I also echo

what Vice

Chair Ellis

said.

This issue

came to me

from a

constituent.

Actually,

Mr. Mendoza

from the

State Council

had attended,

I believe it was

the Pride event

on the Capitol

Mall and he

brought forth the

concern about the

exhibits and the

vendors that are

placed on the

medians which are

not accessible.

And as much as he

enjoyed the event

and enjoyed

participating,

you know,

was not able to

fully participate

and appreciate all

of the effort that

these organizers put

in because he uses

a motorized

wheelchair and he

just couldn't get

to those spaces.

Those spaces are

also barriers to

people with visual

impairments,

just navigating,

you know,

the unknown.

It's not marked

the way our curb

cuts are and,

you know,

no audible signals

to tell you where

to go.

And,

you know,

we're not just

talking about

individuals with

disabilities but

our aging population,

you know,

we want to be

accessible to

everybody and

accessible doesn't

always have to

mean disability,

right?

So we really

appreciate the city

tackling this.

One of the things

that we did as

part of our effort

to make access

to Golden One

better is there

was a task force

and I think it's

really important

that as a team

and not as the

subject matter

experts on disability

that you get input

from individuals

who are navigating

these spaces

and participating

in these events.

There's some obvious

folks here on the

dais who would

probably be willing

to participate

just even in,

you know,

informal meetings

giving some feedback

of what it's been

like if they've

tried to attend

events,

what they could

anticipate,

what are some

changes or

accommodations

that wouldn't

just benefit

them but others,

you know.

And then,

of course,

we have our

community partners.

We have a lot

of, you know,

advocacy groups

in our community

that I know

that your division

in particular

does reach out

to when it comes

to projects.

So whether it's

Society for the Blind,

United Cerebral Palsy,

Walk Sacramento,

all of those folks

have connections

and community

that could provide

input.

I think that would

be really valuable

to you.

And I just think

that Sacramento

really prides itself

in being on

the cutting edge.

We do have a long

way to go

to be fully inclusive

and this is definitely

a step in that

direction,

per my comments

at the beginning

of this meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner Barnbaum.

Yeah.

There.

Were you

looking for

suggestions,

I heard too.

Were you looking

for suggestions

for new ideas

of city events

providing full

accessibility?

One idea

I just had

at the top

of my head.

I don't know

whether Sacramento,

Stockton,

or Modesto

have really

stepped up

to recognize

our four

primary stations

delivering

local news.

and I would

like to see

an event

annually

recognizing

the news

personalities

of our

four local

stations

and what

they do

for the

viewers.

I don't know

if that's come

to your mind

or if that's

something you're

looking for

this evening.

I think

we're focused

on

kind of

helping to

guide

special event

organizers

when they go

through the

permit application

process for

special events

provide them

more information

to help them

improve the

accessibility

at their

events.

So really

like I can

go back to

this.

I call it

like a writer

or an

informational

fact sheet

or resource

that can be

part of the

permit application

process for

the event

organizers.

So something

more like what

was attached

in the staff

report.

I don't know

if I can

flip back.

Something along

these lines

this is a

starting point

and so

you know

as time

allows for

this meeting

I am very

open to hearing

kind of feedback

suggestions

of how

we might

the type

of information

or the content

that's here

or maybe a

better way

of presenting

it.

Ways to

communicate

as Commissioner

Tuthon Boyd

mentioned

just maybe

another way

to do

some stakeholder

outreach

to get

additional

input

which I'm

listening to

and will

kind of

pursue

and that's

kind of

the scale

or the

nature

of the

feedback

I'm

seeking.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Did that

answer your

question?

Yeah.

Commissioner

Patel.

Yeah.

Hi.

Thank you

for being

here tonight.

I was

really excited

when I was

reading the

brief that this

was up

today.

And,

you know,

in the

brief it

talked about

the number

of events.

My husband

is part

of many

of them

and so

I map

many of

them and

see the

problem

that our

city has.

I think the

brief said

500 or

more.

So my

feedback and

wondering

in a

meeting,

after a

meeting,

I think

Commissioner

Greenbaum and

I were

talking about

the

farmers

market.

And we

were talking

about what

you have

in your

starting point.

We're like,

it's not that

hard.

It's these

very simple

solutions.

So I

appreciate this

so much.

My feedback

and questions

are around

material

and

advertising

that this

is happening

at events

because,

so I'll

start on

the advertising

piece first.

I know

often

my students,

their parents

even try to

keep their

kids home

from some

of the

field trips

or keep

them at

school

because I

think it's

not going

to work

for them.

And so

I think

without

some sort

of advertising

plan,

which I know

I'm kind

of far

down the

road,

without

sort of

some way

to reach

out and

advertise

that things

are going

to be

different

at events,

I think

that people

just write

it off

before they

have a

chance

because it's

hard.

So something

that I think

is really

important to

consider

as this

happens

is what

does that

look like?

And maybe

that's on the

event staff,

but just

something I

wanted to

kind of

highlight.

And then

the material

piece that

I wonder,

you know,

I think

anyone who's

done a

special event

and looked

up,

well,

let's use

tents.

No one

tent company

is the

same.

Some

material is

really thin

and junky,

some material

is really

strong.

If it

rained that

day,

you want

the company

who had

the good,

strong

material for

your tent.

And so

if we

consider

that idea,

and to

your point,

you talked

about the

staff don't

have the

knowledge that

the DAC

has,

don't have

the knowledge

that you've

gained,

they aren't

going to

know.

And so

they may

attempt and

strive to

follow a

guide like

this,

but epically

fail.

And it

could be

dangerous.

They may

get a

company or

a place

that has

things that

don't work.

We all

know our

city,

some curbs

are this

deep,

some curbs

are this

deep.

And so

my suggestion

or wondering

is how

do we get

the city

or Department

of Public

Works to

just simply

own the

material?

The renting

of the

material is

so expensive.

The finding

of the

vendors is

confusing.

housing.

And that's

time-consuming

on these

events

staff.

And if

our city

just said

we have

500 events,

we know

a barrier

is cost,

we own

the material

and we

can rent

it out

at a

lower cost

and we

know it's

the right

thing.

And you're

smiling,

so I'll give

you a moment.

No,

I know

that's

great

feedback

and it

seems like

a common

sense kind

of solution.

What does

happen is

just maintaining

that supply,

storing it,

and getting it

back when it's

been deployed.

And so

we don't have

the staff,

very small

special events

staff.

It literally,

I think,

I think there

may, it's less

than a handful

of people that

are reviewing

these applications

and we

have one

main program

manager,

Melissa Romero.

Very limited

staffing and

I've discussed

that with her

and that was

something that

has been raised

and there's

not a way to

get the supplies

back.

So if we have

portable curb

ramps,

was something I

asked her about

and she just

said,

typically just

like solid

waste,

trash cans,

portable

toilets,

portable message,

changeable message

signs, those

are all provided

by the

event organizers.

So this

wouldn't be seen

as anything

different.

We don't have

the, again,

we don't have

the staffing

to maintain

or manage

that.

I don't even

know that even

as a public

agency we could

like endorse

a vendor and

say here,

use these people.

So I mean,

those are some

of the things

we are challenged

with.

But I'll still

note that,

that that was

something and

maybe there's

some creative

solutions that

allow that to

be more cost

effective for

the organizers.

I'll bring

that back to

the special

events program

manager.

Thank you so

much.

I had written,

I kind of

wondered if

the number of

barriers to that

first idea

were a lot.

And maybe that's

a desired state

over time.

You said may

or may not be

challenging,

but my second

wondering and

thought was

at minimum

having,

if possible,

having a

vendor list

that you've

done the

materials,

you know,

vendor A,

B,

and C.

And ideally,

the city

partnering with

a vendor with

a contract to

lower the cost.

If we want this

to happen,

we have to,

the guide is the

first step,

but we want

them to actually

take the step,

pulling that

barrier away.

I know that

some events

that our city

loves aren't

going to happen

this year because

the cost of

the performers

and many things

has exuberantly

grown and the

ticket sales have

gone up and

therefore the

purchasers have

gone down.

And so just

finding ways to

reduce the

cost if you

say,

yep,

this vendor is

proven and

we have a

contract so

they will be

cheaper,

maybe removing

some of those

barriers to

that staff.

I'm still

going to look

into that

because that

is,

and actually

the special

events program

manager was

going to come

tonight,

but there

should have

conflict.

And so I'm

still going to

explore that and

see if there's

again a creative

solution.

But just that

first blush,

those were some

of the challenges

we've already

discussed,

but I'll

follow up on

that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I just

want to add

an echo that

I agree with

Commissioner Patel

and I'll

reserve my

comments for

the end.

Commissioner

Wilson.

So I

think having

something that's

like easy to

are, you know,

can responsible

like convince

latter to like

be able to

read this

information to

make their

event like

more accessible.

One thing I do

worry about is

say if there's

like an event

planner that

got approved

in an event,

they said

they're going

to be

accessible.

But what

happens when

I got the

event that

they failed

to follow

some of

these accessibility

like accessibility

guidelines?

Who

holds them

responsible for

not following

through?

I think

you're

generally

asking about

enforcement.

So if

they're not

following

through,

that is

always a

good,

that's a

tough one.

Also it's a

staffing and

resource issue

as well.

Just like a

lot of the

event organizers

for example,

some of the

major events

will need

traffic control

and some of

the event

organizers

will need to

hire, you

know, the

police department

or other

kind of city

staffing to

help manage

those events

and those

are costs

for the

event organizer

and so

the enforcement

is similarly

challenged.

I don't know

if they would

necessarily

want to fund

kind of some

self-enforcement

but what we

do have,

what the city