No, no, don't worry about it.

Are you are you like the person doing the trivia or are you as a guest?

Or are you like a specific thing?

I think I told about the clean.

Let's call the meeting in order.

Please call the role.

Thank you, Mayor.

Councilmember Kaplan.

Councilmember Dickinson.

Vice Mayor Talamantes.

Councilmember Plecky Bombs expected momentarily.

Councilmember Maple.

Yes.

Mayor Pro Tem Gera is expected, is here.

Councilmember Jennings.

Councilmember Vang.

And Mayor McCarty.

Here.

You have a quorum.

Okay.

Okay.

Land acknowledgement.

Yes.

Councilmember Talamantes.

Please rise with the OP acknowledgments and honor Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands.

To the original people of this land, the Nissan people, Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Mewak, Pat Wayne Winton peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

May we acknowledge and honor the Native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's Indigenous People's History, contributions, and lives.

Thank you.

Salute, Claire.

One nation under God, indivisible.

Mayor, we had no closed session, so no report out.

You have two special presentations.

The first is Affordable Housing Month resolution presented by Vice Mayor Talamontes.

Thank you so much, Mindy.

So I do want to recognize May as affordable housing month, and I do have a special resolution and up here that will be accepting it, is Julia Lamas and uh with the Sacramento Housing Alliance.

If you can come on up with your staff.

So affordable housing.

We need it desperately in Sacramento to be able to fulfill our housing goals.

And especially affordable housing at 30% AMI, 40% AMI, 50%, 60, and 70.

Something that's within that's attainable and affordable to your average resident in Sacramento.

I personally grew up in an affordable housing development through the CHIP program where my parents built their home nail by nail, wood piece by woodpiece, and they had to do 40 hours of volunteer community service work every single week in order to be able to keep the home.

And so me along with 20 other families from all over California, Northern California, moved to Willows, California, where we all grew up together.

And when I was going to school, uh people weren't allowed to come over to my house for a sleepover because of where I lived.

And that hurt my feelings because I was like, I'm a resident just like you, and I go to the same schools just like you.

And that's where many residents, when they see affordable housing development projects coming to the neighborhood, they look frown upon it.

And that's not something that I am very amenable to because of the experience that I went to through.

And something that I want people to understand that affordable housing developments near your homes is a good thing.

Having income levels of all various prices is a good thing.

It's a good thing for integration, a good thing for diversity, and a good thing for our economy and for our community.

So with that being said, I'm inviting Julio Lamas to come accept this uh resolution and do some comments.

Welcome.

Good evening.

Council members and community members.

First, thank you for sharing that very personal story.

I think um it's important to recognize um that this is a very personal thing for many of us, and I want to recognize um and thank the the city of Sacramento for their continued commitment to advancing affordable housing.

Um on behalf of the Sacramento Housing Alliance.

Um honored to accept the resolution recognizing affordable housing month.

This moment matters, not just because it reflects the progress we've made, but because it reminds us what's at stake.

Affordable housing is often described in terms of units, financing, and policy.

And those are critical, but at this course about people.

Housing is not just infrastructure.

It's stability, dignity, and opportunity.

Here in Sacramento, we're at an inflection point.

We've made some real momentum.

Stronger tenant protections, new investments, and growing collaboration across sectors.

And the city has played a vital role and key leadership role in this progress.

But as we know, but we also know the scale of the challenge.

Rents remain out of reach for many working households.

And our unhoused neighbors remind us every day that our systems are still falling short.

That's why Sacramento Housing Alliance exists.

To bring people together and push for solutions that are both equitable and effective.

And we know what works.

Sustained public investment, strong tenant protections, thoughtful land use, and centering the voices of those most impacted.

So affordable housing month is not just a celebration.

It's a call to action.

A call to invest deeply in affordable housing, a call to protect residents from displacement, and to and a call to ensure that as Sacramento grows, it grows inclusively.

Because no one entity can solve this alone.

It takes partnership, all of us working with urgency and purpose.

As I step into uh this new role as executive director with the Sacramento Housing Alliance, I do so with responsibility and optimism.

This region has a leadership and the will to meet the moment, and we stand ready to work alongside each one of you.

Thank you again for this recognition.

Let's use this month not only for uh us to reflect on the progress, but to recommit to the work ahead.

Thank you.

And if I can, uh just a couple comments to add.

Um, I want to say first of all, thank you to the vice mayor for bringing this forward.

We know this is one of the most important issues to to Sacramentans.

It's certainly one that I hear in my district all the time, is the need for people to find and keep housing that they can afford, stay in their housing.

Um, and so I'm also really proud of the city.

Uh we have our pro housing designation.

I think we're the first in the state to do that, or one of the first.

Um we continue to double down on that.

We have produced some of the most affordable housing.

We're outpacing many, many places around the state.

Very proud of that.

But I was really struck by the vice mayor's story, her personal story of growing up and what that experience was like.

And so the last thing I want to add is one that um that I'm proud of is that we don't just build a lot of affordable housing, um, but we also focus on what it looks like, what the experience is like.

I think some of our you go to like Marisol Village, for example, in District 4 and other places, they're gorgeous, they're beautiful at homes.

You walk out, you're you wouldn't you would never know unless you knew, and and some of the places in my district, like along Broadway, we have senior affordable housing projects, they're really beautiful, they have great amenities on the inside and the outside, and so I think that that's the future as we continue to do this work is realizing that you should not have a different experience just because you're in affordable housing, you should you you should it shouldn't matter if you're in the same school, you shouldn't uh have your friends not want to come over to your house, for example.

And so I think there's been a lot of work done on that.

So I thank you for bringing this forward, and I think all those who are doing the work in this space.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Mayor.

Yes, and thank you, uh, Vice Mayor for this, and Julio, and uh congratulations on your new role coming from the California Department of Uh uh Community Development and Housing and using that expertise uh locally.

I think we're fortunate to that.

I think many of us who grew up in farm working community, you know, my younger sister and brother now, my younger sisters at SHIFTs over building farm worker housing.

You know, we we know what it was like to live in subpar housing, dilapidated housing, and and even some of the old uh farm worker housing uh that was out there, and even my younger brother now is uh is in the housing construction because when what it feels like when you don't have housing, what needs to be done to actually build what's dignified living in with that.

So thank you for that.

You and all the work that the housing alliance does, and thank you to all our city staff that work in partnership to make sure that this happens forward.

So, uh Vice Mayor, maybe come down and uh and all of us will take all the whole council.

Let's join us down here with our new executive director.

Let's get a big round of pause to our new executive director for Sacramento Housing Alliance.

You can hand me your talking points if you like.

You don't have to remind me of the same.

Okay, there's nothing.

Thank you.

They're allowed to be a little bit more.

And I think all of those two.

And I appreciate the the she didn't care what people think.

Okay, Madam Clerk, next item on the agenda, please.

Our next special presentation is AAPI Heritage Month presented by Councilmember Vang.

Council Member Bang.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Happy May, everyone, and happy Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander History Month.

As you all know, Sacramento is home to our vibrant, diverse Asian American Pacific Islander community that continues to shape our city's cultural and economic and civic life.

And nearly 20% of Sacramento residents identify as Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander, and more than 6,000 small minority owned businesses are owned by Asian American Pacific Islander.

And they contribute to our city's economy.

And so today I have the honor of presenting this year's Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Resolution to two organizations, but acknowledging three individuals and organization that has done incredible work in our Asian American community in our Asian American community.

And the third is Steve, our very own city staff, city attorney Steve, who represents the Asian American employees resource group.

This year's theme across the country for our API history month is protecting Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander immigrant and refugee communities to ensure a safe and inclusive Sacramento for all.

As many of as many of you all know across our country, right now in this moment, so many of our immigrant and refugee communities are facing growing uncertainty through increased enforcement, surveillance, and policy that impacts our family sense of safety and belonging in this country.

And right here in Sacramento, we have the responsibility, the responsibility to respond, not just with words, but with action and partnership.

Both of these organizations have done such incredible work in our community.

They are trusted messengers, deeply rooted in our community.

They connect families to resources, they provide culturally responsive support, and they advocate for justice and dignity.

Oftentimes I get phone calls from community members when someone's taken by ice, and there is no safety plan for many of our uh AAPI families.

And I, the first person on dial, I call Ngaoia, and she has a link of community coalition of culturally competent, um relevant programs and services to really provide for our families that are impacted with what's going on in our region.

And so I want to take a moment uh just to really celebrate uh Ngaoia's incredible work and also Moyes at the Asian American Liberation Network.

They work closely together.

I also want to ask Steve to come up here as well.

Um, and anyone that's part of the AAPI employees resource group.

Uh, want to take a moment to also acknowledge our incredible uh staff uh that is the backbone of our city.

Um our AAPI uh employee resource group uh is so important in the work that we do.

They actually restarted uh during the pandemic during COVID.

Um it had actually kind of dismantled, um, but it came back actually during the pandemic when I became a councilwoman in 2020.

Um, and it was the purpose of it when they came back was to actually hold space for our employees at the height of anti-Asian hate.

And many employees actually didn't feel safe.

They feel like they weren't being heard, and our city staff came together, restarted the group to hold like learning spaces to hold safe spaces to talk about the issues impacting our Asian American Pacific Islander community.

Um, and they continue to do the work to hold the space for our employees to build community and to support one another.

And so um all the work that we do from our nonprofits to our city staff is so important in making sure that we create the conditions for belonging for our diverse communities.

And so I love to take this opportunity just to hand the mic back to all of you and for you all to say a few words.

We can start with Ngao Ia and then Moyes and then Steve.

You all drop the mic.

Well, welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you so much, uh, council and mayor, and thank you for recognizing AA and HPI here at Titch Month through the resolution, protecting AA and HPI immigrant and refugee communities to ensure a safe and inclusive Sacramento for all.

I am Golia Yang, the director of Cal Defense, a community-driven initiative dedicated to protecting Southeast Asian and other refugee and immigrant families from detention and deportation.

Southeast Asian communities begin arriving in Sacramento and across the United States as refugees in the aftermath of the US wars in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

Today, more than 35,000 Southeast Asians call the city of Sacramento home.

Sacramento is also home to the largest Yumyan population in the United States and the second largest Hmong population in California.

We are your teachers, small business owners, homeowners, healthcare workers, public servants, students, artists, faith leaders, and neighbors.

We contribute every day to Sacramento's economy, workforce, schools, culture, and we work with you all to build Sacramento's future.

For many of us, Sacramento is the only home that we have ever truly known, whether we were born here or arrived here as refugee, refugee children and grew up in this city.

I'm honored and humbled to accept this resolution on behalf of so many community members and organizations whose labor, sacrifice, and leadership often go unseen.

I asked the mayor and city council to stand with Sacramento's AA and HP AA NHPI communities, not only in words but in action.

Help ensure that every AA and HPI resident and every immigrant and refugee family in Sacramento have the dignity, safety, and opportunity to continue calling this city home.

No family should have to live in fear of being torn apart by ICTention or deportation.

A truly safe and inclusive Sacramento is one where everyone and every family can live with the true sense of belonging.

Thank you so much for this honor.

Thank you very much.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Moyes.

As you mentioned, I am the organizing and advocacy manager for Asian American Liberation Network.

Councilmember, I think you said it best.

Our communities are not a monolith.

We're really diverse growing up as a South Asian.

I didn't even know that I was considered Asian.

And so having resolutions like these, having the broad pan-Asian organizing across all of our different diasporas across all of our different ethnicities, which is what Asian American Liberation Network is committed to is really important.

We are an organization that was founded in 2020, coming off of the wake of not just the crisis of COVID-19, but also the joint crisis that followed it of anti-Asian hate as well, holding lots of healing circles and programmatic spaces and resources for our community members.

Since then, we've grown and in the theme of tonight's resolution and keeping our communities, our immigrant communities in particular safe, have been working alongside a number of you on bringing forward policies.org/slash RISR toolkit that consolidates the region's um varied resources that many of the direct service providers like Cal Defense, like the Fuel Network, like the Refugee Coalition.

So many great organizations across Sacramento are serving our communities, and so we've we've created that pamphlet as well as a digital version on our website.

Um with that, uh I thank you.

Um thank you very much.

Yes.

Steve Yes.

Good evening, City Council.

Um, thank you very much for recognizing the uh Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Um my name is Steve Itigaki, and as Councilman Ravang mentioned, I'm a member of your city attorney's office.

Uh, and I'm also co-president of the city's API employee resources group, and I'm here with a couple of my colleagues from the ERG as well, Cassie Violetti from IT and Ryan Pham from Utilities.

Um I'm a proud fourth-generation American of Japanese ancestry, and as a person whose parents and grandparents were unjustly taken from their homes and incarcerated in prison camps during World War II.

Uh simply because of the way that they look.

I can attest to the importance of this year's theme of protecting immigrant and refugee communities.

I realize that I'm only here today because of my ancestors endured those discriminatory actions and persevered through those many years of horrible conditions.

And I understand that even today, immigrant and refugee communities need to be protected from ever having to go through uh those same things uh just so they can sow the seeds of success for their children and grandchildren.

So I thank you all very much for uplifting the theme of this year's uh API Heritage Month.

And uh on behalf of the ERG and in honor of this month, um, I am inviting you all to attend the API ERG's annual cultural luncheon that's being held in Williamland Park next week on May 14th.

We'll be celebrating the rich cultures and traditions and stories that make up the city's AANHPI community, and we'll also be supporting a local organization that offers protection as well, my sister's house, which protect provides a safe haven for AA NHPI women and children impacted by domestic violence.

I hope you'll see you all there.

Thanks.

Thank you so much.

Um, why don't we have you come up here and then all of all of our API staff as well come up and join us?

Goodness, yes.

Yeah.

If you're in the audience.

I was gonna say it's easy as you guys have.

Somebody else can take the photo.

Come on.

Leanne, Johnny.

Jump in there.

Come in in the front here, yes.

There you go.

You guys should get in the family, squeeze in nice for you.

I'm a booth.

Okay.

Have Austin take it.

That's never a good idea.

Yes.

Are we all in the shop?

Yes, you are.

Thank you all.

All right.

Official camera, one, two, three.

How are you doing?

All right, all right.

And as uh everyone goes, I just wanted to thank uh Steve, you know, uh, and also all the um uh AANHPI folks in the uh legal community, uh, and a special shout out to retired judge uh judge uh Charles Kobayashi who uh has uh has fought significantly on these issues as well, and uh our city of Sacramento has a long history of of legal fighters for those rights.

So thank you, Steve, and all those in uh in our city as well.

Uh very good.

Madam Clerk, uh next item.

We move to one item on our discussion calendar, it's fiscal year 2026-27 proposed budget overview.

All right, good evening.

So today I present my first uh proposed budget to this council, and I do so fully recognizing the significance of this moment for our organization and our community.

This budget closes a 66 million dollar gap, and it has required difficult decisions, careful analysis, and a great deal of thoughtful engagement along the way.

I want to thank the staff across the organization for their work on this budget.

Um they have been complex issues, we have evaluated options, and they have quickly responded to the change in direction.

Staff did so with professionalism and a sense of urgency.

The long hours, the thoughtful analysis, and the partnership brought us to this point.

So I'll extend my appreciation to the staff.

Over the past several weeks, this process included thoughtful discussions with the council and meaningful input from the community.

And this proposed budget reflects adjustments made in response to that feedback.

While not every request could be accommodated, the input we receive shaped a more informed and responsive proposal.

Some hard decisions had to be made.

Every option considered carried impacts, and those impacts are not abstract, they reflect our community services and workforce.

At stake are people, dedicated public servants with families, responsibilities, and lives, just like those of us who sit here.

That reality remained at the center of this process from the beginning.

Significant effort has been made to reduce the impact on staff where possible.

We looked at reductions, operational changes, and other strategies to preserve essential services and minimize harm to our workforce.

We must remember that government at its core is a people business.

The community depends on our services daily, drinking water, safe streets, emergencies, and infrastructure.

This budget reflects a balance between fiscal responsibility and service delivery.

It's grounded in the need to address the city's financial reality while continuing to protect its core services.

It also positions us to move forward with greater clarity and where we must make investments, where we must adapt, and where we must continue to make difficult but necessary choices.

Again, I want to thank the team.

So with that, I present you the city manager's 27-28 fiscal year budget, and I'll turn it over to the finance department.

Thank you, City Manager.

Good evening, Vice Mayor Mayor Pro Tem, Council members, members of the public, I'm P.

Coletto, the city's finance director.

Up with me on the podium is Mirthala Santizo, the city's budget manager.

Yeah, as the city manager mentioned, this has been a difficult budget year.

There are a lot of difficult decisions before council right now.

And as we present the proposed budget, I'd really just like to thank the leadership of mayor, council, the budget and audit committee, the city manager, assistant city managers, the partnership of the departments, input from the public, both through commissions and individually and groups.

And just a very special thank you to Mirthala and the budget team who's back here who have really been working around the clock to put this together and uh also while dealing with the crazy finance director.

So I thank you all.

So tonight we're going to present the proposed budget overview, how the proposed budget addresses the gap and how uh it impacts the city's financial forecast looking forward.

And with that, I'm gonna turn it over to Mirthawa.

Thank you, Pete.

Good evening.

Uh, this timeline shows how long the city has been working on the fiscal year 27 budget up to the end of June.

We started off in October with council adopting the budget development policy, and with uh with the departments kicking off the process with us.

Up until January, the departments worked diligently to provide reductions totaling up to 15% of their net general fund dependence.

And in February, we provided council the mid-year update with the updated forecast and deficit for fiscal year 27.

We also worked with the city manager to create the baseline balancing plan that was released in March, and council heard from the departments in March in these early budget work sessions.

The proposed budget was released on April 29th, and today we're kicking off a series of budget hearings with the plan to adopt in June.

We started off today.

We have budget on it with fees and charges.

And then later on that night, uh, there will be additional budget deliberations and uh counsel from direction from council.

Uh we come back the next week after that to present the measure you budget to the commission and then return to budget and audit and council later in the process to adopt the budget.

Okay.

So just to remind the council and public, the immediate budget challenge for fiscal 27 is to balance the budget with an overall goal to correct the structural balance imbalance in future fiscal years.

Potential cuts to federal programs could impact city programs, which would put additional pressure on the general fund to fund programs or cause eliminations of these programs.

Although the city budget and forecast assumes continued economic growth, increased geopolitical risks, inflation, imposed tariffs, and higher energy prices have increased economic uncertainty.

And long term, the city's unfunded pension liabilities, and capital needs will need to be addressed to ensure fiscal stability.

Okay.

This slide shows uh the forecast that was presented in mid-year back in February.

Uh the forecast shows the $66.2 million deficit that we had to balance in this process, and it grows up to $102.1 million in fiscal year 30.

And as mentioned in prior presentations, these deficits were not caused by an economic downturn, but due to expenses growing faster than revenues.

Okay.

So going through our budget overview, the uh proposed budget is balanced and closes an approximately 66.2 million dollar funding gap.

It is 1.7 billion dollars with 898 million of it being general fund.

And there is a reduction of 163.8 FTEs.

Okay.

So the next few slides will show a breakdown of the proposed budget.

Uh in this slide of the 1.7 billion dollars, general fund makes up more than half of it.

Uh enterprise funds is about 452 million, internal services funds is about 153 million, and other governmental funds is 220 million.

Okay.

This uh pie chart shows the breakdown of departments funded by the general fund.

Our public safety departments make up the majority of the general fund costs.

Uh what this doesn't show you is the two other large departments that we have public works and utilities, and that is because they are mostly funded by enterprise funds.

The following chart shows the uh general fund breakdown by uh the spending categories, and um as we have discussed in the past, uh the city provides a number of uh number of services that is provided by people, and so salaries and benefits make up the majority of the budget with supplies and services coming in second.

Okay.

This next chart shows us the net general fund cost by departments, and what that means is that there are certain departments that generate um revenues through fees or other sources of income.

And what this chart just shows just shows you is that public safety continues to make up the largest portion of the general fund reliance.

Okay.

This last pie chart shows a breakdown in revenue.

Property and sales taxes make up the largest portion of general fund revenues with fees and charges coming in third.

Overall revenues are increasing year over year, they're just not growing as fast as our expenditures are growing.

All right, so closing the budget gap.

Um, during this process, the following guiding principles were taking consideration while developing the budget.

Preservation of core services and minimizing impacts to the public and the staff was first priority, and aligning the budget to council priorities was also a top priority.

So the impact to the public and staff was our biggest concern.

And for the fiscal year 27 budget process, we asked all departments and charter offices to submit reduction plans.

That was 15% of their general fund reliance.

We also looked at citywide projects and other ongoing reductions that are citywide in nature.

Um we looked at more strategies than the projected deficit, and knowing that we wanted to provide council with options just during their decision making.

So now I'll pass the presentation to feet.

Great, thank you.

So as we're looking at the proposed budget, we really want to start at that March baseline.

So as you know, council in March, we held the early budget work sessions.

We released a baseline balancing plan.

Uh would have eliminated 99 vacancies in 103 filled positions.

Again, none of uh no sworn personnel being separated from the city.

Uh however, we had some pretty major service impacts in that March baseline, including eliminating the Magnet Academy, eliminating some of the specialized police police units, uh, really big cutbacks on community center hours and programming, um, full contracting out of park maintenance, uh reduction in the affordable housing fee program.

So that's the zero dollar impact fee, um, increasing parking fees, metering relocations, charging for residential parking, and really a lot of reduced capacity across many departments.

So this is where we started in March.

You can see that breakdown here.

I'm not going to go through all of it, but you can see we use a variety of strategies, combined mostly ongoing strategies, uh, but some uh significant expense reductions for our departments.

So our proposed balancing plan, uh, we we heard from the public, we heard from council areas of of concern about uh program cutbacks, and the proposed budget is making a number of restorations to programs that were either reduced or eliminated in the March baseline.

So the Magnet Academy is fully funded, it's restored.

Um there's a partial restoration of some of the fire vacancies that were being used to maintain service levels with overtime.

Um the affordable fat house, the affordable housing fee program fully funded, that's been restored.

Uh we restored staffing in the auditor's office, uh, diversity equity inclusion and HR, as well as some IT staffing, um, a partial restoration of of the park maintenance outsourcing.

So I'll go through that a little bit more in a couple minutes.

Uh restored the access leisure program and community center and senior center operating hours in Yipse.

Um the proposed budget incorporates uh all our non-safety labor agreements.

So we are uh we are closed with all our non-safety labor partners, we are still in negotiations with the safety unions, and the proposed budget includes uh the value of what we currently have on the table.

Another note I will make is the proposed budget does not include uh charging for residential parking or increasing meter rates.

And so we made that restoration after the book went to print, but that's not included.

Uh, one other thing I will note is uh it was raised in the budget and audit committee this morning.

Uh there were some questions about uh, well, hey, what if we just charge for uh the second parking pass or we give two free and then start charging and charging for visitor passes?

We do have some numbers.

We are gonna produce that all as uh a supplemental budget information item, but we can also talk about that tonight.

Uh we also looked at what some of our uh comparable cities uh do in this regard.

So our balancing plan, I will walk you through this.

We do have uh both years, the budget year and budget year plus one.

Um part of the reason for that is uh some flexibility around half round six and really showing how we're planning on budgeting that.

Uh but we started at mid-year, 66 million dollar budget deficit for fiscal 27, growing to almost 82 million in fiscal 28.

Uh, those labor contract adjustments you see there.

So uh back in the March baseline, we had uh more savings than we needed to cover our deficit, and one of the reasons we put that forward in the baseline was we were in active labor negotiations.

We had only included the value of what was on the table uh in our forecast back in February.

We knew that because everyone hadn't agreed with us, that number would be higher, so we did want to account for that in March.

Uh but this uh labor contracts adjustment reflects uh the agreements with all the non-safety unions and what we have out there now with the safety unions.

The next line is the budget balancing strategies.

We're gonna go through that in more detail, including what the impacts are.

You can see um almost 69 million in fiscal 27, uh, over 51 million of that is ongoing.

So this is a much uh more ongoing reduction strategy uh than we've had in the prior two years.

So we're less reliant on one-time funds, and that helps us in the out years.

Um so we did uh meet with the Department of Community Response, really going over you know how does our our state homelessness funding look?

What can we program when you know where did we have some unspent prior rounds of funding that we could apply to the budget deficit?

So we have 2.3 million of encampment relief funds that we can apply to fiscal year 27, um, and then for Hap Round Six, we put we have 8.2 million that is available for sheltering.

Uh we've divided that over two years with three and a half in fiscal 27, the balance and fiscal 28.

There is flexibility around the timing of of the use of those funds.

Uh for hap round seven, uh, we do not believe we will receive any in fiscal year 27.

So we have that in there as for fiscal year 28.

That's the bad news.

The good news is this reflects what we would receive under what's currently appropriated in the state budget.

So as you all and council know, this the legislature and the governor are currently in negotiations around potentially increasing that amount with the state Senate wanting to double it.

And then so we kind of add everything all up and we're balanced for fiscal year 27, and we're projecting a 35 million dollar deficit for fiscal 28.

Again, that's down from 82 at mid year.

You add in another 22 million of uh labor contract costs, and you can really see the impact of those ongoing strategies.

So as far as what are those budget balancing strategies, what makes up the 68.8 million dollars.

Uh so we've uh you know been working with the treasurer's office, they've done a really good job of uh as our securities and our investment pool uh pool mature, getting them into higher yield securities.

So we're able to bump up those revenue estimates.

Uh so that is helping us out.

Uh the debt refunding, we've already done this.

This is refinancing some debt that we had at a lower interest rate to drive some savings.

Uh the homelessness services efficiencies and partnerships.

So this is a combination of negotiating down uh our serve the cost of our service contracts as well as um shifting Xtreet to a community-based provider and realigning the motel voucher program services.

Uh the departmental departmental revenues, I'll go through in a minute.

Um, a lot of that is aligning our budget with what we're actually seeing, what we're expecting to get.

There are a couple of new things in there that we'll go over.

Uh cost shifts to other funds we'll go over as well, but that is moving something from the general fund to a different funding source.

Uh single roll implementation, this is unchanged from March.

This isn't a service uh delivery, this isn't a service impact on the public, but this is recognizing the savings from this program that FIRE has been implementing over the past couple of years.

Um, and then we'll go through some of those expense reductions in the departments.

Uh for the revenues, um, you know, again, you see on the on the fire side, we're looking to align our revenue uh in our budget with what we're projecting.

Um so the fire district reimbursement revenue that's associated with property tax revenues.

Uh, we're very confident about that.

Uh the IGT revenue, this is a Medicaid waiver program to compensate the the city for uncompensated costs of uh ambulance transport.

Uh the ALS revenues, this is you know our our advanced life support uh ambulances.

This is just what we're seeing as far as revenue revenue capture and fire prevention fees as well.

This is aligning uh our revenues, our budget to what we're expecting.

Um the two new things uh parking enforcement increase, so we are increasing the proposed budget will increase fines for violations.

So parking in a bike lane, uh you know, parking a big semi-truck somewhere, um, you know, meter going over your meter.

So it would increase some of those fees.

Uh the proposed budget also includes some uh new new metered spaces as well as standardizing the hours across the city.

Uh for the funding shifts, I'm gonna go into a little bit more detail about the Office of Violence Prevention in a second.

Uh that's uh we're bureaucrats, we have to put everything in buckets.

This was the best bucket to put it in, but there's also a pro some programmatic changes for council to uh consider.

Um as far as fire suppression, uh, again, this is restoring those vacancies using some of the IGT funds.

Um, the debt service, that's related to better parking revenues and so less reliance on the general fund.

Uh city attorney is able to shift some positions to uh more restrictive funding, as is planning and some other departments.

For the Office of Violence Prevention, again, this is uh this is a combination.

This is uh shifting funds from the general fund to a new state grant, but uh that also involves programmatic shifts.

And so, you know, part of the programmatic shifts are trying to shift some of the referrals from law enforcement to a school-based referral system, which you know the police department does believe will be will be helpful, um, and to provide more constant community engagement.

Um we did want to break down the the funding for community-based organizations, both uh because it is confusing with the multiple funding sources we have in the budget now and what the shift will do.

Uh so currently we have uh kind of two sources or two programs within Office of Violence Prevention that fund CBOs.

Uh the first is a gang prevention and intervention task force, uh, and that says 1.2 million up there.

It really should be 1.3 million in CBO grants are going through that program.

That's kind of the annual ongoing um CBO grant program in the Office of Violence Prevention.

Uh the other source is the evidence-based community violence interruption, disruption, and suppression program.

This was a one-time allocation that council made three years ago, over three years.

And so in the current year, uh roughly 800,000 in CBO grants are going out through this program, but that was scheduled to sunset at the end of this year.

And so that's not included in the proposed budget.

Um state grant, 1.1 million of uh funding will go to CBOs.

Again, it's you some CBOs are the same, some are different, uh, but the programmatic model may uh may be shifted and just something for council to consider.

Uh the other uh thing we did want to to bring up this is outside of the Office of Violence Prevention, but uh youth violence prevention is a measure L eligible spending category, and council on your first round of measure L allocations, you did allocate roughly 900,000 to CBOs for youth violence prevention.

But again, that's administered through Yipsey, and it may have different programmatic implications and target populations.

So, as uh far as the expense reductions, oops, sorry, some of the big um, you know, some of the big uh expense reductions at some of the big impacts.

Uh so contracting out some of the landscape maintenance services at neighborhood parks.

So uh in March, it was contracting out all of them.

Uh in the proposed budget, it's contracting out the park maintenance worker classification.

Uh these folks typically um clean up trash and do things like that.

They're differentiated from the park maintenance workers ones and twos.

Um the proposed budget would close the city's four waiting pools, uh, reduce recreation swim hours at neighborhood pools to three days.

Um it would reduce some youth workforce development and civic engagement programs.

So included in this would be uh the summer at City Hall program would be eliminated under the proposed budget.

Uh discontinuation of shot spotter and south and east, it would remain in the north.

Uh the elimination of the mounted unit, reductions in some of the specialized police units, um, reductions in the hiring uh pipeline program, and then just other reductions that just might impact service delivery capacity across departments.

Um, you know, again, uh, like the city manager mentioned, uh, unfortunately there are people impacts in this budget.

Um, so of the filled positions that are eliminated, uh, we identified 35.9 full-time equivalent positions.

This is 37 individuals who would be subject to being bumped or separated from the city.

Uh so we have that breakdown below by classification and by department.

Uh, the bulk of them are the park maintenance workers.

Um, one thing I will say is that you know, HR and the departments are looking for places to uh put these impacted employees where possible.

So uh I know I I believe a couple of folks um have either been placed in another position or have indicated that they are going to retire.

So this number will hopefully come down as we go through the budget process.

You know, we we always like to show this as well.

So, as far as budget balancing, what is one time, what is ongoing?

Again, in those budget balancing strategies, almost three quarters are ongoing.

As Mirthal mentioned, one of our tasks was how do we align with council priorities?

Um, first is economic development.

So within the existing resources of the budget, uh, the proposed budget will create a standalone economic development department.

Uh we're going to continue to advance catalytic projects like the rail yards, um, complete a strategic economic development plan, advance some of these small business programs that we've seen work.

Um, you know, one thing I'll say is when you look at cities, a lot of times when they run into financial trouble, economic development is one of the first things they they cut back a lot on.

It has less of maybe an immediate impact, but it has a really big long-term impact as far as being able to grow the pie.

Um, the next is homelessness.

We do have a few slides here.

Uh uh, Mr.

Pedro is also here in case there are any questions.

We wanted to show the five-year forecast for our homelessness services funding, and really show what happens as far as the state funding.

So you can see in the proposed budget, 30 39.4 million of programming, 33.6 million of that uh being general fund, the rest state fund.

But uh as we get to fiscal year 29, currently there's no state funding.

Um, and so that would all be born on the on the general fund.

So to maintain our current services, it would be almost 42 million dollars.

What are the programs?

You can see it congregate shelters and respite centers, non-congregate, transition age youth, and you can see how it's broken down.

We also provided, and it's uh it's online as well, a supplemental budget information item uh regarding homelessness funding and how HAF funds are being used.

Um as far as this the specific shelters, and um you can see them up there by category.

Uh finally, uh the other uh last priority for council was public safety in the proposed budget.

Again, no sworn uh personnel being separated from the city, continuing single roll, continuing the fire store uh diversity recruitment program, no fire station closures, maintaining the community prosecutor, the magnet academy, and really focusing on a lot of these policing strategies that have led to our decline in crime.

Um also in the budget is an initial pilot of alternative response, which is being funded by the opioid settlement funds.

Um so how are we looking long term?

Uh so the fiscal year 27 budget is balanced, uh the fiscal year 28 projection uh is a 35 million dollar deficit, but again, that's uh much lower than what we were seeing at mid-year.

Uh you see that that jump from fiscal year 28 to fiscal year 29.

That's partly the loss of state homelessness funds, it's partly the phase in of year three of some of the labor agreements.

As far as our long-term term challenges, uh, we still have significant long-term challenges.

We have a very large unfunded pension liability.

Uh this this continues to be a drag on our annual budget.

We pay our unfunded liability each year, and it's over 110 million dollars of general fund in the budget just to pay the unfunded liability.

And in addition, we've identified around two billion of unfunded capital and deferred maintenance needs in the five-year capital improvement plan.

Uh, while those are daunting, um, those are things that will be solved over time.

Um, you know, council's already taken some steps to address these challenges.

Um, you know, you adopted uh last year a um a one-time funding policy to put some money away when when times are good, uh, and we get unexpected funding into paying down those liabilities and supporting one-time investments, which will grow the city.

Um, as far as our pending factors, really the the two ones that keep me up most at night are the first two.

Uh, there's a lot more economic uncertainty right now.

Um, there's a lot of geopolitical uncertainty, it's having impacts on the energy markets and the economy, and it's something that we're watching very closely.

Um, the other thing we're watching very closely is the future of state homelessness uh funding for local governments.

As far as next steps, um, today is your first hearing on the proposed budget.

Um, staff are here to answer questions and hear what areas there are of concern from from council and any uh things that council wants us to consider.

Uh, we will be coming back on the 12th uh in the evening.

We want to help council have really um focused deliberations about any direction to give the staff on budget amendments, uh, and then hoping to come back for adoption in June.

And uh with that, I thank you all for your attention, and uh, we are available for any questions.

Okay, thank you.

I know that the council will have plenty of ideas and questions, but first we have uh public comment.

We have 27 individuals.

That's correct.

Mayor, we have 27 speakers.

Okay, I'll call off a few names.

Feel free to line up in the middle aisle.

Greg Jefferson, Mary Tappel, Jessica Nicholson, Benjamin Nicholson, Jeff Greg.

Uh good evening, uh Mayor and Council.

Uh my name is Greg Jefferson.

I'm the uh president of the Del Paso Heights Community Association in District 2, Roger Dickinson's uh district.

And um I'm here on behalf of District 2 uh residents.

Um we were in a meeting.

Uh we meet the first Saturday of every month at the Kinney Police Station, uh 3550 Marysville Boulevard, 9.30.

And um at our meeting this past Saturday, uh we heard the uh we have a police report at the beginning of our uh meetings every month.

And uh Lieutenant Nkochi gave his report and the uh information he gave us from last month's meeting to this month's meeting regarding the number of uh incidents and uh 95838 was uh just astounding of the bullets and how many bullets and the spot shot or did it work, did it not work?

And uh it was very unnerving to hear uh his report um at the uh association meeting um uh this month.

So I'm asking that um you would consider the um uh intervention and prevention piece when you make your decisions and um I don't know if this affects uh what umbrella the park rangers are under and if the budget could the budget issues uh involve the park rangers, but we if they do, we pray we hope that you uh will consider um that keeping the park rangers.

We went on a senior citizen uh bike ride all the way from uh Dopaso Heights to Old Sacramento and back, and it was nice when we were coming back to see the park rangers in two separate vehicles in the really sketchy area part of the trail.

They were there, so it was refreshing to see the park rangers there.

So I ask that you would consider those two aspects as you continue.

Thank you.

Mary Tappel.

Good evening, everyone.

I'm also from uh District 2, Roger Dickinson's uh uh district.

And uh I have for decades been working with uh a lot of local young people as well as with uh Greg Jefferson and and the Hagewin Community Association and other organizations, including the Sacramento uh the River City Waterway Alliance and uh Sacramento Creeks Councils on cleanups of creek and river parkways.

But in the north area, we have a very critical need for effective uh youth violence prevention, continued funding, and for the intervention programs.

We also need uh we have to have funding for safe parks, bike trails, parkways, and for that we need full funding for law enforcement, including, of course, the Sacramento Police Department, which was our excellent helper in what community would have been able to do nothing uh essentially uh effective and long lasting without the police department doing critical work to make our bike trail safer, and also the park safety rangers.

Of course, we need them fully funded.

And we also need uh for fire prevention.

We have a critical need for the maintenance, including uh the mowing of of uh very tall uh flammable grasses along bikeways and parkways to continue and at the edges of public parks.

We also we also need uh the flammable items brought in by the illegal campers, the people camping illegally on our bikeway and uh on the edges of our parks.

We need that maintenance done too to remove very flammable objects like pallets, uh the fireplaces they put in, the fire drums they put in, the firewood piles they pile up, and also any hazardous garbage and camping materials.

They need to be removed for public safety.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you, Jessica Nicholson.

Hello, and thank you for having me and listening to my comments and concerns.

My name is Jessica.

I'm a proud homeowner in South Side Park and a current board member of the South Side Park Neighborhood Association.

As you are aware, the pool in Southside Park, um the hours and availability will be affected by the city's budget, which greatly disappoints and confuses me.

The pool was only renovated about 18 months ago, costing well over $600,000.

The city is currently paying between 12 to $80,000 per year for electricity, chemicals, and weekly maintenance to let it sit empty and unused.

The pool has only been opened part time, one out of the last four summers.

The pool hours are three days a week, one to five, limiting working people, including state and city workers from using the pool.

When the pool opened last year, the city made no real announcements, didn't put it in the headlines, the city minute headlines, and even people living in and around the park were never aware the pool was open.

Other pools in the city, hub pools like Meadowview, Clooney, and McKinley Park are all open six days a week.

They all offer swim lessons.

They are open all day.

They have community partnership events, swim meets where organizations can rent the pools and other rental options.

Some pools even benefiting last year from $30,000 of scholarship money awarded from the aquatic budget in the city budget.

Southside Park has none of that.

The Southside Park Pool is walk in walking distance to low-income housing and should be available to families south of Broadway.

The Southside Park Neighborhood Association has started to raise funds to try and help the funding issue for the pool.

And last year we paid for two full days for families to come in and swim by having lessons and other rental options.

I have written to both the city and Phil Pluckenbaum and have never heard back about this, which is upsetting since I voted for you, Phil.

I have lived in Sacramento almost my entire life, and I think it is unfair the city favors neighborhoods like McKinley and Land Park, but do very little to preserve the history and integrity of its oldest park.

I think it is unreasonable, irresponsible, and poor planning to keep the pool hours so limited.

Spread the funds you have.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Benjamin Nicholson and then Mervyn Brookens, then John Frias Morales.

What parts I get about?

Well, thank you for the opportunity to comment.

My name is Ben Nicholson, and I am a resident of South Side Park.

I believe for the budget that city pools, including South Side Pools, should be open for more than three days per week during the summer.

The 2026 summer is anticipated to be hotter than usual.

Having city pools available as a way of cooling cooling off can provide welcome relief during the hot summer months and may even prevent cases of heat stroke or situations along the rivers that would require costly city response.

The pools help provide equitable access to aquatics.

Families with backyard pools and friends with backyard pools won't be affected by reduced city pool operation.

But families looking for a safe supervised pool environment rely on the city for that.

I know Southside Pool is walking distance of low-income housing, and the children's section of the pool was always active when my wife and I would go last summer.

Operating hours could be shifted so that people ending their work day at five could get in a quick swim.

Awareness of the pools could be increased through city communications, and season passes for the summer could be sold.

Additional revenues could also be made by implementing a progressive fee for parking permits for multiple vehicles associated with a single residence.

Sacramento is a city that needs pools.

Please don't take that away from us.

Thank you.

Mervyn, then John Frias Morales, then Lambert.

Good evening.

Excuse me, good evening, Mayor, Councilmember, City Manager.

I'm gonna be really brief.

First, thank you guys for putting up with me this week.

Uh no, I've been a nuisance, but hey, last week we were here, and you guys gave a resolution to the seat community.

It was a beautiful ceremony.

I didn't know what it was about.

I don't know why you were recognizing them, but when I saw the community and the way they responded, it was a beautiful thing for the city.

And what I realized, what you were doing and what you had done for them is you said, I see you and I value you.

Sacramento sees you in Sacramento Value, and they responded.

And I just thought that was just you know, that's why I love our city.

Tonight I'm asking you to do the same thing for our youth.

We need you to tell them that I see you and I value you by investing in prevention and intervention programs that help save their lives.

Thank you.

John Frias Morales, then Lambert.

Fully fund the police.

Cut 54 million from DCR.

Sell the 102 acres at Meadow View.

Sacramento has added 67,000 new residents in 16 years, yet our police force is 27% below California statewide sworn officer ratio.

But you just keep lighting the city money on fire, turning homelessness into a business.

This city has blown 250 million on homeless programs over the last decade.

DCR gets 54 million a year, and only 13% of homeless assistance funds actually went to permanent housing.

Homelessness as a business is delivering.

30% of the city's crime, 2,000 fires a year, 58,000 homeless drug needles, 17 million a year in security outreach and cleanups, another 16 million in legal costs and infrastructure damage, and the county medical examiner has picked up 1,398 fentanyl deaths and 526 homeless deaths.

The medical examiner takes more people off the street permanently than DCR.

Lawlessness is causing the city to lose taxes.

Business owners reported 30% declines in foot traffic.

March this year, fatal stabbing in the downtown commons.

January beating on 5th Street, January stabbing on I Street, September 25, stabbing on K Street Tunnel, September 25 fatal assault.

If 5% of visitors stay away, that's $80 million in lost business and seven million loss and taxes.

Fund the police, enforce the law, safety leads to more foot traffic and business, leads to more traffic leads to more taxes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Lambert, then Brian Powers, then Crystal Gonzalez, then Mike Snell.

I do want to remind members of the audience to be respectful of the speaker at the podium.

As I see it as a native, there's many ways you can save a lot of money at this city.

And I've sat down with them.

One of the things you can do with these employee benefits is you could, if people are working remotely, you shouldn't give them a raise.

What are you giving a person a raise for that works remotely?

I mean, they're not laid off, and you'll be surprised how many millions of dollars you can save by just not giving them a raise.

You're not laying them off.

Also, uh, you should give the youth jobs.

I'm not talking about uh that's a great thing Murban Brook is doing, and at the same time, they need jobs.

The youth need jobs.

That's why when Grant High School came in here and they had won the championship, and everybody was taking pictures of these youth.

What did I say?

I said, give them jobs.

That's a photo op.

That won't help pay their help their parents pay their bills, uh, just taking a picture, but they made a lot of money off of those youth when they won their state championship, and they've what done that two or three times.

Also, I'm a business owner.

Uh I've never been in a deficit.

You have to be disciplined to run a business, and most of you have lost your way at City Hall.

I'm talking about the staff.

This is not your money.

This is the money of the taxpayer.

You're you're handling this money as though it's yours, and it's not.

If it was yours and you handle it like you handle it, you would be outside homeless because you're not supposed to handle the people's money like you do.

Next speaker is Brian Powers, then Crystal Gonzalez, then Mike Snell.

Thank you.

Good evening.

I live in the pocket area, the safest neighborhood in the city of Sacramento.

I come to these meetings to speak because I want everyone in every neighborhood in Sacramento to be as safe as I and my neighbors are.

On April 10, there was an incident on the Natomas High School campus involving two armed 16-year-old boys.

One of the 16-year-old boys was shot to death during what has been reported as a robbery.

Let that sink in.

In late 2025, the contract by which SAC PD provided school resource officers to the Nova School District was ended because of a lack of officers.

After the shooting, the school district sent a letter to Ms.

Smith asking for the contract to be reinstated.

The letter contains real wisdom and common sense concerning public safety.

It says, quote, having a SAC PD officer's car parked in front of the campus sends a message.

It's proven.

The letter also says that the three previous school resource officers in the district had strong relationships with students and staff.

That's from someone who works out there, who's in charge out there.

This is only one example of the negative impact of reducing the budget for SAC PD, which is already underfunded.

Underfunding and the lack of support for law enforcement by the public and elected officials has led to low morale, low rates of applications by qualified candidates, and funded but unfilled positions in the police department.

Please keep in mind the wisdom of that letter from the Natoma School District, and please do not cut the SAC PD budget any further in this upcoming budget year.

Hopefully, someday an adequately funded and fully staffed SAC PD can agree to provide school resource officers at Natalia.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Hello, thank you everybody for giving me a moment to speak.

My name is Crystal Gonzalez, and I live in District One, but work between District 1 and District 2 at the Sacramento Youth Center.

I'm here to just say please, please, please consider funding the G Pit Initiative again.

I know that we are seeing so many lives changed through that, and I understand what happened at Nathomas, and it was a very sad event.

I will tell you that because of GPIT funds, uh SAC Youth Center has been sending two uh staff members out to Nothomas High School four days a week prior to the shooting happening, and then we were able to really embrace that community and continue to embrace them through the shooting, and we're still there.

Uh SAC Youth Center and many others that are on the GPIT grant, not just us, we're not the only ones.

We're doing work that's helping with prevention, that's helping to bring forward positive change in young people's lives.

And I understand that there's lots of other things that need to be funded, but at the same time, when we take this away, we're gonna end up costing more money in the long run.

Those youth that we are reaching right now are now gonna be the next homeless problem, the next crime problem, the next whatever problem.

But through work like what we're doing with Impact SAC through Paris and Brother to Brother with MERV and other partners through the GPIT and the OVP, we're really making a difference.

Please don't pull that money.

I promise, I promise, I promise we are doing our very best to reduce violence and give kids a safe place to be.

Thank you guys so much.

Next speakers, Mike Snell, Christina Rogers, Marnie Ledger.

Uh greeting, Mayor Council.

Um I stand before you as the uh ROI of uh some great civic engagement programs from the core program.

I've navigated that to the highest peak of dispensary ownership, um, also city planning and um uh city management academies.

Now these are these are great opportunities, however, all these need optimization.

Um we have a lot of gaps and accountability when it comes to these, namely on the equity space, um, which I'll engage more on the 12th.

But um I'm I'm leaning on on the city manager, the new city manager.

This is her first time and um I know she's kind of walking into a hurricane here, um, but I'm I'm leaning on her to ask the the real questions here.

Find out where um where the shortfalls, where we need help in the finance department where it has hefty oversight with economic development and innovation, which is key to which is hugely lacking in the current budget um proposal right now.

There's no innovation and there's no economic development.

Um, and so how can we how can we do better at that?

And um I've I've submitted my proposal and response to the budget to all of you.

You all have it in your emails, um, and I hope to get engagement from your staff.

Uh Katie, I appreciate your staff reaching out to me and and getting in touch with me as well.

Um, I hope to, and uh and uh Lisa, your your staff's been in touch with me as well.

I appreciate that.

Um Mayor, you say we can't slash away our way at the budget, and basically that's what we've done here right now.

And I've watched this for over six years.

I'm coming up on a tenure in civic engagement and watching the same thing happening, and and I believe we have an opportunity by widening that tax base like like you guys have suggested in the past, and it just takes optimizing that civic engagement, so we're not stripping titles of people, and it's not moving the needle like we've done with the core program, changing this from stakeholders to care holders.

That's all I gotta say for now.

Next speakers, Christina Rogers and Marnie Ledger and Karen Corbes.

Good evening, City Council.

Uh thank you, uh City Manager Smith for your hard work on this on this first time with the budget.

Um, and I thank you for being thoughtful about it.

Um, we know there'll be cuts, not everybody's gonna be happy about them.

And moving uh towards hopefully one day being debt-free is key if Sacramento is to thrive in the future.

Um, please continue to focus on core services uh that like parks, maintenance, and public safety.

Um, these are really important for our city, and they're the reason they are the main obligations of the city.

Um, I do have some concerns about losing the mounted police because we're not just another California city, but we're the state capital, and that brings special public safety issues such as managing crowd control downtown.

And the mounted police have been an effective regular deterrent to bad behavior.

Plus, people love the horses and connect to law enforcement through them in a positive way.

And I hope you have other plans on how to control the regular large protests and events downtown.

Um maybe you've come up with an alternate plan to manage it.

I also appreciate your following the budget guidelines on page 77.

And when it comes to reaching out to community for ideas, thoughts, and feedback on how to increase revenue and manage costs in the future.

Mayor McCarty, City Manager Smith, and Councilman Jennings are always welcome to reach out to me and find out how the Land Park Community Association can support these efforts.

Uh collaboration and problem solving to keep essential core services is key to thriving in Sacramento.

Thank you so much.

Marnie, following Marnie is Karen Corbes and Stephanie Duncan.

Good evening, Council.

Um Marnie Leger.

I'm uh resident of South Side Park and uh president of the South Side Park Neighborhood Association.

I want to uh commend you all for all the work that's gone into these budget deliberations.

I'm here mainly to urge you to consider South Side Pool as one of the hub pools.

And there are compelling reasons for that.

I understand from aquatics folks that hub pools are determined basically by attendance at the pools.

Southside Pool has been closed three out of the last four years, so there's no way we could compete.

But location alone should be a reason to be a hub pool.

We are the only pool in the central city.

We're the only pool that serves uh Northland Park and especially the low-income housing, Alder Grove and Marina Vista.

According to SHRA website, there are over 1,600 kids in that in the low-income neighborhoods alone who could walk or bike to South Side.

Another compelling reason is our neighborhood, especially our association has been contributing hundreds of dollars to the pool in the form of subsidies for swim lessons.

We've uh sponsored one dollar swim nights for families.

We've offered that again this summer, and we started another nonprofit under the gifts to share umbrella that is uh help Southside Pool, and we're hoping to raise at least $10,000 to go towards lifeguards for our pool.

So we are demonstrating, we're trying to do our part to help the city out.

And another consideration I think is I don't think there's any other neighborhood in the entire city that has spent the number of volunteer hours as our neighborhood thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Our next speaker is Karen Corbs, Stephanie Duncan, Kaylee Olgerson.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

Sacramento residents and businesses and business owners are asking for something very, very simple.

A well-funded, well-equipped, and well-trained police department.

A visible and proactive police presence is not optional.

It's essential if people are going to feel safe in every part of our city, especially downtown.

And when people feel safe, they invest.

They open businesses, they come back.

Public safety is the foundation of economic development.

Without it, everything else struggles.

Let's be honest about where we are.

This is not just a budget budget challenge, it's a priorities problem.

The city doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem.

And when we start talking about reassigning sworn officers or eliminating units, those are cuts, no matter how they're labeled.

As Phil Pluckybaum pointed out, kids love the mounted unit more than they love Santa Claus.

That unit builds community trust and visibility.

So it's concerning, frankly, disappointing, that some of the conversation has focused more on what happens to the horses instead of what happens to public safety if that unit disappears.

Because that's the real issue.

What happens to response times, to deterrence, and to community presence.

This is the moment for tough decisions.

Public safety must remain intact.

Everything else should be on the chopping block.

Strip it down, refocus, and rebuild a budget that reflects what residents actually want and need, which is a clean and a safe city.

Thank you very much.

I have 17 more speakers.

Stephanie.

Kaylee, then Madeline Noel.

Good evening, Mayor McCarty, City Manager Smith, and Council members.

My name is Stephanie Duncan.

I'm a renter in District 7.

And I think it's so important to note that in the budget presentation, it was mentioned, as has been mentioned by some of the comments, that our city brings in enough revenue, but we spend too much.

We spend too much on, you know, everyone can make a case for them being valuable projects.

But what is the most valuable of everything happening in the city is our core services.

That's our road maintenance, sanitation, water sewer, EMS, fire protection, and our police.

Those are the priorities.

Those items should be fully funded, and anything above that is like the icing on the cake that can be utilized to fund any additional services and programs in the city.

Ultimately, we need enough officers on our police department to respond timely to community calls for service.

We need people to feel safe.

We need people to be uh willing to come downtown, ride light rail, um, and be willing to even park their car downtown without fear that it's going to be broken into.

What the city needs to do is to look at audits, auditing nonprofits that regularly receive funding from the city, hold them accountable for financial compliance, evaluate the impact and efficiency of programs because too often the city gives money willy-nilly without holding anyone accountable, and we're even giving money to uh nonprofits that have misused funds and are now having to pay those back due to settlements.

So we need to take a look at all of these areas.

And I'm glad to see I'm kind of, you know, people hate me, but parking enforcement, great.

We should also be uh holding the scooter companies accountable for the ADA violations of them not picking up their scooters and leaving them scattered around for those who have disabilities and need to use our sidewalks.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Kayleigh Olgerson, then Madeline Knoll and Chris Valencia.

Good evening, Mayor, City Manager, and members of the city council.

On behalf of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and our member businesses throughout the city of Sacramento, we would like to offer our comments on the proposed fiscal year 26-27 budget.

We want to begin by acknowledging the work that it took to bring forward a balanced budget, recognizing the level of discipline and difficult choices required.

We also want to applaud the creation of a dedicated economic development department, as this is a critical step forward.

It creates an opportunity to send a clear message that Sacramento is open for business, and that efficiency, predictability, and responsiveness are core values of the city.

But economic growth does not happen in a vacuum.

Public safety is the foundation for everything.

Investment, tourism, housing, and a thriving commercial corridor.

Without safe and predictable environments, growth will not follow.

That is why continued focus on public safety and clear, consistent enforcement must remain a top priority.

Finally, this moment calls for continued discipline and accountability.

The decisions made in this budget must translate into measurable outcomes that residents and businesses can see and feel.

The Metro Chamber stands ready to be a partner in advancing these shared goals.

Thank you for your time and consideration tonight.

Madeline Knoll and Chris Valencia, then James Allison.

Good evening, Mayor, Council members, and city manager.

I'm Madeline Knoll.

I'm the policy manager for the downtown Sacramento Partnership, a property-based improvement district representing 102 city blocks in our central city.

I want to thank City Manager Smith and Pete Cleta, our finance director, and all the staff behind me who put together this budget, and really grateful to have that baseline budget and the early budget sessions that all gave us a chance to workshop this from a common starting point.

That was really, really helpful.

And thank you for all the staff who answered my questions along the way.

You know who you are.

So as we work through this budget together, and I do mean together, it's important to start with what underpins everything we do, and that's public safety.

Public safety is foundational.

It creates the conditions for economic and cultural growth, and that's what strengthens our tax base to fund these essential services and this operating budget.

Right now, that foundation is under strain.

Staffing shortages, rising service demands, and a growing population are all putting pressure on police and emergency response.

So as we look to increasing city revenue, we can't overlook the role that public safety plays.

This is about growing our economy and building the social capital.

So Sacramento stands out amongst peer cities as a hub for business, for festivals, professional sports, arts and culture, and a vibrant nighttime economy.

So at the Downtown Partnership, we're here to partner with you to bring forward solutions.

Stay tuned to next week, and help close this budget in a way that strengthens Sacramento as a regional leader.

Thank you.

Chris Valencia, James Allison, Vito Sigormo.

Good evening, Mr.

Mayor and members of the city council.

My name is Chris Valencia, and I'm here on behalf of the North State Building Industry Association and its over 500 members building housing here in the Sacramento region.

I first want to acknowledge the hard work of City Manager Smith as well as all staff that worked on this and say that we really do appreciate all the work that has gone in on to this uh city budget proposal.

Sacramento is facing a fiscal challenge, and how we respond will shape the city's future for decades.

The solution is not increased fees on the businesses already here.

That approach is slowing investment and pushing opportunities elsewhere.

The real path board is growth, growing the number of businesses, the number of jobs, and the overall level of economic activity in our city.

Major development projects play a critical role in that growth.

They are not isolated investments, they are economic multipliers.

A single large project can generate several times its value in downstream activity through construction jobs, permanent employment, small business support, and increased tax revenue.

When these projects stall due to slow approvals or fragmented processes across departments, Sacramento doesn't just lose time, it loses opportunity.

This budget must ensure that solutions to the city's fiscal problems do not fall on the backs of builders and developers.

Slowing projects that will be an asset to the city and increasing revenue and our tax base.

Fast tracking major projects is a strategic decision about whether city focuses at time and attention.

Ultimately, the city must send clear and consistent message.

Sacramento is open for business.

This means more than words, it requires a system that is efficient, predictable, and responsive.

These qualities are not aspirational, they must be operational.

When investors and employees see that Sacramento can deliver on these values, they will choose to build here, hire here, and stay here.

This is how we ensure the city's long-term solvency, not by charging already struggling businesses and more just to be here.

BI Ray BIA is ready to be a partner in moving the city past these challenges to make city the city of Sacramento the city we all know it can be.

Thank you.

Thank you.

James Allison, Vito Scromo.

Good evening, Mayor, City Manager, Council members, and staff.

My name is James Allison.

I'm the executive director of the Power and Alliance, where a property business improvement district that represents over 1,300 businesses and nearly 30,000 jobs in Sacramento's manufacturing and industrial core.

We are tremendously excited at the prospect of a new Department of Economic Development here in the city of Sacramento.

This job that you all face in front of you right now is not something that we are envious of, nor are any of my colleagues.

This is a tremendously difficult task that's in front of you.

And we're grateful for your work that's being done to make sure that this can be done with the minimum impact to the people of Sacramento.

But ultimately, one of the things that stuck out strongest to me from this presentation today was really the sources of revenue.

And when we look at that, we see sales and property taxes are primary source of revenue here in Sacramento.

Ultimately, we had a presentation earlier today that really outlined a couple of key objectives here in the city that we need to focus on economic development, public safety, and homelessness.

Those three things don't exist in vacuums on their own.

They are integral and truly integrally brought together and woven together in how the city operates.

Businesses can't come and choose to do business in a place where they can't feel safe and effective doing it.

But we also can't have the public safety without the ability to fund that.

So really it's a cycle that we find ourselves in of really trying to work towards those solutions that are outlined and were outlined earlier in today's presentation.

That's really what our focus here is how can we take those three priorities and ensure that we are continuing to grow the pie here in Sacramento because investment and investment from outside sources is really the path forward.

We can't look at the same old sources.

We can't look at increasing our revenues through taxes, fees, or other uh areas.

We really need to look at what we can do to grow the pie here in Sacramento, increase the number of employers that we have, create real jobs and real opportunities, uh, not just for the residents of Sacramento and the folks that call at home, but for all of you up here every year that you have to keep coming forward and finding ways uh to creatively deal with a budget deficit.

So thank you very much.

Vito, then John Vignotchi, then Marbella.

Uh City Council and City Manager.

My name is Vito Scromo.

I'm a resident of Midtown.

I fully understand the difficult decisions that you're facing right now.

I had to handle those at the state capitol in regard to two major, major budgets.

I had to deal with statistics and future growth.

I had to look at what impacts, not the current budget, but future budgets would have.

And in regards to the police, the national average for police per population, 2.4 police officers per 1,000.

Currently, the city of Sacramento has 1.2 officers for every 1,000 citizens.

That's half half the national average.

Sacramento is growing at 19 residents per day.

It has had a 10% increase in residents from 2025 to 2026.

So when you're dealing with the budget, please consider future impacts.

Consider these statistics.

These are hard statistics that again we had to make decisions with.

Thank you.

John, then Marbella.

Then Paris Dye.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the city council and city manager.

My name is John Vignoki.

I'm here on behalf of the Sacramento Regional Business Leaders Council.

The city is facing significant deficits over the next four years.

We urge you to focus on three proven steps to restore fiscal balance and create the seeds for economic development.

First, cutting on essential programs.

The city continues to spend on low priority initiatives that don't deliver tangible results.

A clear example is OPSA, which reaches the exact same conclusion as IA over 98% of the time, yet costs taxpayers over $2 million a year for no added value.

Front Street Animal Shelter, the DE office, the climate action plans, all of these are laudable but non-essential initiatives.

These budgets should be redirected to core services, parks, and public safety.

Second, outsource services and optimize service delivery.

City government should not be the sole provider of every service.

We need to rely on private contractors for things like routine park maintenance and residential trash pickup.

If you want to optimize parking and create more of it in your neighborhoods, uh start charging for the residential parking permit program at zero dollars currently, it leads to abuse and misuse.

Nothing in life is free.

The cost of a service or good must be paid by the person receiving the value.

Otherwise, it creates an economic externality, which in this case is fewer available parking spaces for legitimate residents.

Third, eliminate costly regulations.

The city's PLA forces union mandates on projects as small as one million dollars.

The result is fewer bids, higher cost by 25% on top of city prevailing wages, which require 30 for 40% higher than market.

I don't understand why we're socializing the cost of this policy on taxpayers and concentrating the benefits.

Council members are ready to partner with you to advance these hard decisions and to secure funds from county and state to fund departments like DCR.

Some of what I said is very controversial, totally recognize that, but why delay the inevitable?

The people want to see you solve problems, not delay them and worry about politics.

Thank you for your service.

And we'll be publishing a list of our recommendations on our website.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Mar Baya, then Paris Dye, then Dion V.

Brown.

Good evening.

Um I'm Matabe.

I'm the president of Gardenland Neighborhood Association.

I'm also a measure you commissioner for district three.

And I'm first just want to say that the reduction in Doyle Pool, which is in District 3, and our community center operating hours.

I'm I just want to I ask myself was the equity tool applied.

You cannot take a cookie cutter approach to cutting these programs.

You need to look at it case by case, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Without our pools and our community centers, we have no place for our youth to go, and you want to talk about public safety.

That's critically important.

And I'm now moving to public safety.

Everyone talks about public safety, having more police officers, having a police officer in front of the high school, and that's preventive.

Prevention is community programs like Brother to Brothers.

We were here two weeks ago where we heard a hundred young people talking about how their lives were changed because of these community-based organizations, which I dispute that there's uh fraud in community-based organizations.

That's not accurate.

Um, these programs are in the community, they're working with our youth.

And I'll give you an example of one that testified.

Um, it was a mother who said her two children were saved because of brothers to brothers, and the two children, the young people she was talking about, were the ones that were responsible for shootings in uh in front of Nino's Parkway.

They didn't have police after they came in, but the it wasn't the police department that resolved that issue, and we have not had more shootings in in that complex where is the highest level of youth that live there.

It's because of programs like Brother to Brother that work with these young people, give them purpose, give them direction, and get them out of the path to crime into going to finishing high school, going into college or some technical field.

You have to listen to that, and you cannot take a thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Paris die, Dion Vay Brown, Kay Audrey Walker.

Hi, everybody.

Congratulations.

Manager Smith.

My name is Paris Dye.

Hello, everybody.

I am the executive director of Impact SAC.

We are located in District 4 in the ice blocks.

Um tonight I want to share something that I'm not sure if many people know, but I am a proud member, a parent representative on the Black Child Legacy Steering Committee for the Reduction of African American child deaths.

That group just lost five million dollars, the CalVIP money that we're talking about that the police department got Sierra Health Foundation lost, which put the Black Child Legacy campaign, the crisis responders that have been responding alongside the GPID funders.

We're all laying people off.

I have an organization, Liberty Towers, that I also lead the violence prevention efforts there.

I had to choose between two of my staff members, James is one of them, and Kelly.

Do I fire them or do I close our youth center?

I had to close our I chose the youth center, but it was my own, I had to make this decision by myself.

So if we can stand here, we have got to put these considerations into place.

The five million dollars that Sierra Health lost, the five million dollars that improve your tomorrow loss, that's 10 million dollars that was going into Sacramento safety and violence prevention efforts.

That's gone.

We cannot afford to also end our programs on September 30th.

That will be devastating.

This council, this city, we are already going to experience the devastating impact of Improve Your Tomorrow and Sierra Health Foundation, losing five million dollars apiece.

Now we're here facing, are we also gonna lose our work?

What we wrote in for the Calvet was not it.

That's it.

I'm gonna quit.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Dion Fang.

Hello, everyone.

My name is Deion Vay Brown.

First, I want to thank Paris, James, Zariah, and Kelly for instilling me with the confidence and opportunity to come here and speak today.

It is one of the primary things we are taught here with Impact SAC.

And it is we are taught that our voice matters, and it means so much to us youth because many of us feel silence and our words have no meaning.

I believe cutting the funding for community-based organizations like Impact SAC will be detrimental to the community, and it will leave money, it will leave many young teens feeling like they have no resource or place to go for help.

Impact SAC has taught me so much and truly giving me another family, a family that cares, supports, and loves.

Cutting the funding for organizations like these will leave many young people unable to experience.

Oh my God, to fit not be able to experience and gain opportunities that I had while being with Impact Sec.

Teens may be more prone to trouble because they may not be as educated about mental youth, drug use, and violence prevention.

They can make more impulsive decisions without fully understanding the consequences until it's too late.

Impact Sack has taught me all these things, and it is not only an organization out there that does that.

It has not only helped me but helped me become a better person, but has also made me think twice about my decisions and provided me with strategies to stay out of trouble and ways to positively express how I feel and have strong coping strategies.

Thank you for your time.

Hey Audrey, then Samaria.

Good morning, Council members and mayor.

My name is Kyle Dre Walker, and I participate at Impact Sack.

To me, Impact SAC has been a home outside of my house for a long time now.

And in this home, I've been able to learn how to be better there for myself and for others.

In a world where more and more people my age have struggles with their mental health, Impact Sack has given my peers and I people to talk to, somewhere to go, and somewhere to, and something to look forward to, even where even when where a lot of us come from, there isn't much going on or much good.

Being a part of this program has changed the way I feel about the adults around me, from thinking that I wasn't seen by them or they didn't care about me to having a team of adults who are there to help me and having a space to share how I really feel at any time.

The people here have made me feel loved and cared for in the ways that really happen outside of the home.

And for that, I'd like to thank them and ask you to please not reduce the SAC youth funding.

Thank you for your time and have a blessed week.

Goodbye.

Next speaker is Samaria, then Jaden Talbot.

Good evening.

My name is Samaria Marshall, and I'm one of the Youth with Impact SAC.

Umpact SAC teaches all of us youth to widen our perspective, to keep our options open, and when given an opportunity to accept it.

Today is an opportunity.

Our opportunity today is to have our voice be heard and to prevent the funds for organizations like these to be cut.

Impact SAC is where we go where we can go to learn more about ourselves and how our positive decisions can benefit not only us but our community.

Everyone has a voice to be heard, but Impact SAC projects our voices.

We have other opportunities like building experiences personally and for business and school.

We build friendships and family, we advocate for one another, we keep hope for the bettering of youth, and most of all, we all feel and are accepted.

Though that was brief, the youth need this program to help focus on results for our future and to help others without extra guy without the extra guidance, education, and love from this program, where else would the youth energy be distributed to?

Not everyone gets this from home.

And cutting funding from these organizations that help youth find a way in every way isn't the way.

Thank you.

Two more speakers.

Jaden Talbot and James Dems.

Well is my name.

My name is Jaden Talbot.

And last time I stood up here, I talked about the foundation.

How youth programs are the ground that young people stand on.

Tonight I need to be more honest about what happens when you take that foundation away.

Because cutting funding for youth programs isn't just a policy decision, it's pulling the carpet from beneath our feet before and walking away before we hit the ground.

At first, nothing looks different, everything feels normal, but then the support disappears.

The guidance fades and the space is closed.

And then the fall begins.

Not all at once, but quiet, unnoticed.

It shows up in the student who stopped showing up.

And the kid who had potential, but no one left to remind them of it.

In the silence where there used to be opportunity.

For many young people, these programs are not optional.

They're a place that feels safe.

The only place the only place that someone is paying attention, the place that says you matter, and you when you take that away, what are you really leaving them with?

More time alone, more chances to be pulled in the wrong direction, more cracks that don't just exist but get bigger.

And eventually people fall through.

Not because they wanted to, not because they didn't try, but because there was nothing left to catch them.

And I'm standing here today because something did catch me.

These programs gave me mentors.

They gave me purpose.

They gave me a voice when I didn't even fully have one yet.

And without them, I don't know where I'd be right now.

And that's the part I want to that I want to sit with you.

Because when we talk about cutting funding, we're not talking about numbers.

We're deciding who still gets a chance to be caught and who doesn't.

So I'll leave you with this.

When you cast your vote, knowing exactly what's like state, what do you really who are you willing to let fall?

Because how I want to know how you can say you value us, you value our future, you value our lives, and still take away the found the very foundation that some of us are depending on to survive.

So when I ask you to make this decision, I ask you to consider what you're actually doing.

Because when you make this choice, you're choosing whether or not our next generations get a chance, whether or not the future of our youth matters.

And I want you to look on sink in.

Thank you.

James is our final speaker on this item.

Oh man, I'm the last one.

Okay.

Um hi everybody, my name is James Demas.

I'm a youth mentor and a project manager at Impact SAC.

And first off, I just wanted to thank all of our youth that showed up tonight.

Um, like I said before, it's never easy to talk in front of a house full of strangers.

So thank you guys.

And I did have one question for council, mayor, and people in attendance.

How many people like tacos?

Raise your hand.

That always gets everybody's eyes.

All right, so um, I wanted to show how powerful our youth are, how important our youth are.

Um, impact sack, what we do here is we connect youth to power, but more importantly, we connect youth to their own power.

So I did want to speak, or I wanted to read a few um quotes from leaders of our community.

Um my identity and my background is something to be proud of.

Now I don't feel lost, out of place, I feel like I belong.

Um, another one is being around others who work on themselves also push me to open up more and make my mental health more serious.

Um, another one is people make me feel valued or they make me feel valued and like my voice truly matters.

And um, lastly, I'll close out with one more quote.

Youth programs are no extra.

They are the foundation, and foundations are not one thing that you remove if you expect something to stand.

All these quotes were from our youth from our last speaking opportunity.

Um, and I feel like they're very powerful because they came straight from them.

They're experiencing all this, they experience um when funding gets cut, they take the hit.

Um, I did want to quickly talk about student voices.

So we have so we have we have uh UC Davis did a project called student voices.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Mary, I have no more speakers on this agenda item.

But you know, you could have had them fill out speaker slips.

We could have got that, but that's okay.

Next time, we'll have more hearings.

Yes.

So I I wanted to start out uh tonight before the council members and just give some perspective on the budget and where we go from here.

I know every council member has punched up, has ideas or questions on this.

Um, first of all, I want to acknowledge the the hard work of our budget team.

Um, Pete and Bertha, thank you very much for um listening to the council for the past few months and focusing not only on our priorities, but I know tonight was the start of the budget process, but it really wasn't because we had these deep workshops earlier this winter and spring, talking about proposed remedies, um ideas, and and essentially laying out the um the work from the past few years, and I guess that's the good and the bad is that we we've we've picked a lot of the fruit, but there's really not a lot of low-hanging fruit.

So I I want to recognize that this is the start, but really we've dug in these issues for the past few months and really the last uh two years.

This is this the third year of of uh but of a cut budget.

It is, yes.

So two plus this one.

So and I guess that leads to the point is is we don't want to come back here again and do more difficult things next year.

And so our understanding is by is by focusing on this approach tonight, which I know is not super popular uh with everybody in the city of Sacramento, we go a long ways in addressing the ongoing deficit, the shortfall.

So what what is how is that reflected to priorities and how we addressing the ongoing?

Yeah, uh thanks, Mayor.

So uh in prior years it was much more uh there was much more one-time solution.

So it was typically 50-50 one-time ongoing in the last two years.

This year it's 75% ongoing balancing strategies.

Yeah, and I think that should be noted, uh, not to pat ourselves on the back per se, because they're very difficult decisions we have to make, but uh we don't want to have to keep coming and do this every year, and and frankly, not a lot of places to go.

But we'll get to this uh I know probably later is that one of the ways that we're gonna address this is by looking at our top priority economic development.

I know we're coming back with a uh a revamped look at our department, how we can get projects big and small um to the starting point and across the finish line so we can focus on growing our revenues in the city of Sacramento and not making these these tough decisions.

So overall, I know there are some questions, and I I'll have some in a second, but I'm in general support of this um proposed budget tonight.

It uh it keeps um our priorities, which are balancing the budget, um, you know, trying to make sure we don't have huge impacts on our city workforce and and you know, giving people pink slips and people losing employment and their livelihood.

Um but I think most importantly to the people of 550,000 plus in Sacramento services, quality of life services, whether they're public safety, parks, fire, code enforcement, animal uh youth programs.

Uh this by and large um you know spares the great impact on our core city services.

And sure, there'll be some community centers and pools that don't have as many um hours as they did before.

And um thankfully last year we started implementing our measure L and our youth programs, so we have you know able to to counter that a little bit with our with our programs for our um our young people.

So before I have my question on this one issue, I I just want to um to to really um focus on our other council members up here.

I know the public has lots of ideas, but really for us uh there may be some things up here that you don't want to do, and that's okay.

And so tonight we can articulate those, but the city manager and I are asking you by Thursday to put those suggestions in writing of what you don't want to do, and conversely um provide a recommendations how you would fund that if you didn't make that reduction.

So by the end of the day, Thursday, if the council members have suggestions that they don't want to do in this budget, um submit them and they will be evaluated and put in the agenda for next Tuesday, and if not, we won't be able to um take a look at those those suggestions.

So uh the one issue that that gives me a little bit of heartache, and I know some of our council members will focus on this as well, is the um the gang intervention in youth violence programs, and I butchered the the titles there, but you know what I mean.

Um we know these programs, we see them in our community.

We always had this kind of feeling that these are important.

Few people on both sides of this issue talked about the incident recently at our local high school and young people and firearms and violence and and and the fact that we need to do more in this front.

So can you walk through um what the suggestion we're putting forward to us are and how that reconciles with the new money that we're getting with this state program?

Sure.

So in the current year budget, we have um two sources of CBO grants, and it totals you know, a bit over two million dollars.

So uh 1.3 million is from uh what the police call they love acronyms even more than I do, the GPIT program, the gang prevention and intervention task force.

Um and that's something that's just been annual ongoing.

Um and in addition to that, uh the other program, the evidence-based um program, uh had about 800,000 in um CBO grants, and that was set to sunset at the end of this year.

I think the police can talk about uh what some of the differences are for the 1.1 million under the CalVIP grant, uh, what some of those programmatic differences might be.

Yeah.

Okay, anything to add mayor city manager and council.

My name is John Pelagon, with the police department.

Uh, with the BSCC grant, uh, what we would be looking to change is right now with our we have three three things we'd be looking to do.

First would be the youth uh referral process.

So currently the model that we use is the referrals are after um SAC PD officers come into contact with some of our youth.

Um generally it's based on youth being involved in some gun related activity.

Uh the referraled referred youth um usually already does have um some criminal activity in their background or they're engaging in criminal activity.

We'll request permission to forward the youth over to OVP.

Um, and then from there, OVP will send the referral to a CBO and they will divvy that out to the correct uh CBOs.

With this new model, uh we will be using it as a uh referral by the school districts with no PD involvement.

Um this allows the CBOs to work directly with the school staff.

Uh SPD will only receive um information that's necessary for the reporting that needs to be done for the grant.

Uh referrals will come based off of the school concerns, not police involvement.

The youth may or may not have had interaction with criminal activity, and the youth would likely have no police interaction associated with the referral.

Um, and we would not be tracking or managing the referrals.

Um so that would be the first piece of that.

The second portion is the disruption of potential violence.

So uh currently we use the CBOs for pre-planned disruption and interruption efforts in places like you see in DOCO or at Delta Shores.

Um, in this current model that we use, they are requested and deployed by PD staff in conjunction with law enforcement operations.

Uh and based on the intel regarding upcoming events or hostile meetups, we'll reach out to the CBOs.

Uh, there is no consistency like presence day after day.

Uh, and then later in the evenings around the weekends is when we tend to use them in known citywide gathering locations, and there's no relation to schools at this point that we use them.

Um and then we currently use them to stop the immediate threat to safety, not developing long-term uh mentorship or connections.

This is just to go out and be a deterrent for that time.

With the new model, um, the locations and times will be identified by the school districts, not the police department.

Uh, they will not be in conjunction with any law enforcement operations.

Uh, it'll be based on known youth congregation areas before and after school.

Uh it will not be in response to any intel of events or uh excuse me, repeat that there'll be uh consistent and regular, meaning that they will have the same CBOs at the same locations multiple times per week.

Um it'll be immediately before or after school on school days in locations near the schools where pre- and post-school crowds tend to gather, and then it's meant to be consistent, guiding the presence to build relationships and promote um positive enforcement.

Um the other one is the critical response model.

So under our current model, we will call the CBOs to scenes of tense incidents to try and calm down crowds and de-escalate uh the situations to prevent violence.

Under our new model, we will utilize our long-standing practice of calling our chaplains from our law enforcement track chaplaincy here in Sacramento, which maintains 24-7 post-trained trauma responders that are trained in this.

The other thing that we would be doing so that there's not the supplanting issue, is that we will actually have separate database in which we are tracking this.

Uh, and then it's different staff that would be doing this as well.

Okay, thank you.

Um I I'm sorry, I guess I was more focused on that's an amazing overview of the work that you do, and I love that, but I want to focus on our bean counter department, no offense over here.

To we want to do more of that and more of what um impact and brother to brother and MERV do.

So I guess the the question is just a little history lesson.

Fifteen years ago, our district two council member over here introduced a law in the legislature to tax um uh ammunition and firearm sales.

It didn't go anywhere, but he started the conversation, and 10 years later it became law because myself and Jesse Gabriel authored that law, and it's AB28, and it's a hundred million dollars a year to fund programs like this.

And the city, we just announced this in the spring, got five million dollars for this.

And so I I guess the question begs is okay.

We have five million new dollars coming to the city, and now we're reducing this program, and I'm not sure how that reconciles, especially because it's not like it's a park bond where it's one time.

This is an ongoing allocation to this.

So the governor awarded 100 million the spring, every year they'll do the the next round.

So how are we not calculating the monies we got to keep these programs alive?

Uh so mayor, if I'm understanding the question, it is the question in this latest round of BSCC funding.

Why are we not using more of it up front?

Is that yeah the question?

Correct.

Um so you know, I'll I'll defer to the police around what the agreement with the state is.

If if we're not sure we can um come back to you with that.

So what I can say is that that was the proposed budget that we put forward regarding the 14 CBOs that have been identified, but at this point, um, we haven't gone over the scope of work with them.

What we can do is reach out and see if we can make um an amendment to our proposal for that grant, but we don't know when we would get that response, but that's something that we can come back with.

Well, I guess in the for the for layman folk out there, I know we can't supplant stuff, but we have difficulties in our city budget, and we're talking about making this adjustment, and just lo and behold, we applied and got five million dollars from the state for this, and it's an it's an ongoing award to jurisdictions grant.

This is a one-time award, but you can apply on an annual basis.

So, are we using that five million over multiple years thinking we'll never get to have another shot at it?

And should we not be doing that and maybe keep the programs alive that that focus on keeping kids alive?

So I think what we can do is um do a little bit of research and get back to you on or didn't think I would say it's a three-year grant.

A three-year grant.

It's a three-year grant, five million over three years.

But I think the question the mayor it's five, sorry.

I would say I think the question the mayor has is hey, can we uh frontload the spending more to maintain the service?

And I think that's something that we might need to get back to you on.

Yeah, and I would think that if if you if you thought there's only one chance of getting this, if it was like the opioid settlement where it's a one-time massive settlement, but this is a excise fee as Roger annual Roger proposed in 2012 or whatever, and now it's law every year.

It it continues and groups sue the NRA sue, they lost, and we're implementing the program across California.

So it's not like this is going away.

It's a um five million grant five million dollar grant over three years, is like we'll be every year there'll be a next round of applying.

So correct.

So I think what we'll look into is um whether we can frontload it uh to maintain services and whether or not that would create supplantation issues if we were to maintain the exact same services, or could we adjust our delivery model to this new model and kind of maintain the same funding level at least?

So we'll we'll look into that and have answers for council deliberation.

So that that's the one thing that'll be on my memo to myself and the city manager is um is to to look into the potential restoration of this, looking at the the state grant award.

Okay.

Yeah, follow-up question, Mr.

Dickinson.

Because because we're on this right now, what I what I'm curious about is with this new grant funding, if it goes to the school district, and the school district says to uh the CBO, hey, we'd like your help intervening either on a prevention or intervention basis.

So the the CBO is doing essentially the same work they're doing now, but it's being referred from the school district, is that supplement supplementation?

That's a really good question to follow up back follow back on.

But based on what we read in that it would not be supplanting because we're actually expanding our horizon and reaching a different group that we have not been using as the police department.

Well, I do I I I think besides the difference in the amount of money total, that's that's a really crucial question as as well.

That um we need to answer.

I do know under the uh the model in the proposed budget, the police have uh run it by the state who's confirmed that what we're currently doing or what we're currently proposing would not be considered supplantation.

Um, however, again, if we're going to see if we can increase the amount and provide somewhat similar services, we just need to have that conversation with them.

Okay, thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, council member Blackybond.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh first up, uh Jackie.

Can we talk uh Southside Park pool?

We just got the pull back open.

What can we do?

What would it take to uh restore service hours in the proposed budget?

Good evening, Council Jackie Beach and Director of Youth Parks and Community in retrant.

So the total savings for all for the entire reduction for the 10 neighborhood pools to go from five to six days a week down to three days a week is around 464,000.

Looking at Southside Pool individually, staff would have to come back with that specific pool alone.

But we do have some potential recommendations that we could look at that would bring back pools in a phased approach, where we'd apply a sort of equity lens to bringing back pools five days a week.

If we were to bring back two pools five days a week, we'd be looking at roughly 109,000 for five days a week.

Thank you.

109,000 approximately.

And that would include two pools coming back five days a week with the remaining eight neighborhood pools staying at three days per week.

And Counselor Plugin, if you don't mind, I just have a quick add on.

Can you list the 10 pools that are impacted?

Sure.

So the 10 pools that would be impacted are just one second here.

Lots of papers.

Here we go.

So our hub pools are North Potomas Aquatics Complex, Clini Pool, and Pennell Pool.

The 10 neighborhood pools are Tahoe Pool, George Simpool, Doyle, Southside, Mangan, Glen Hall, McClatchy, Cabrillo, Johnston, and Oakie Pool.

Just for some data on participation numbers.

Last summer we served over 90,000 or roughly 90,000 visits to recreation swim across all of our pools citywide.

Over sever about 70% of those.

We're at the three hub pools.

So we're anticipating an impact from a reduction of the five or six days a week down to three days a week to be about 12,000 visits total.

The impact would specifically be to recreation swim only.

We would not implement any changes to our swim lesson program.

So we'd still be providing swim lessons at all of our neighborhood pools consistent to service levels that we've seen in the past.

And we still have some of the traditional programming.

So just some clear half a million dollars roughly would restore services to all the pools back to prior year levels or some variation therein to get some number of those pools back to a greater level of hours.

Correct.

Okay.

Thank you, Jackie.

Um Brian, uh, can we talk DCR next?

And while you're coming up, um, I will just restate again our strategic priorities are economic development.

That takes time.

Uh I heard a few folks tonight talking about a desire to increase the pie.

We want to do that too.

It won't be in time for this budget year.

Um housing and homelessness, uh, we're gonna talk about that next, and public safety, and I'll come back to that.

So, Brian, on uh the Department of Community Response.

Um we have seen a declining amount of um state resources.

You and I spoke uh a little bit last week about what it would take for us to plan and exit strategy out of the Department of Community Response.

Just brief history reminder.

The Department of Community Response was set up with an incident command model, incident command models are designed to respond to a crisis.

There is a period of time which uh you use that process to respond to the crisis at some point.

We want to as a city be in a place where we've reached either functional zero or some stable uh population that we can uh accommodate with uh existing city services.

So uh Brian, if there's uh what would it look like for us to start transitioning out?

Um yeah, okay.

So um let's back up a little bit because DCR was actually brought on to be alternative response uh instead of police and fire, and then the incident management team was brought up for working our crisis in the streets, and then DCR ended up also uh shifting from alt response into where we are now, which is all things homelessness, um, to unwind uh if we I mean I would look to a timeline first of all to see how long we want to uh reach out to unwind this.

Um what I would look at keeping initially would be the properties that we own that we have um the property and own the um homes that are on them.

Um if we looked at just what we own, um, which would be Meadow View, Roseville Road, safe camping, uh, microcommunities, um, the grove uh that would put us at about um 15 million to operate that.

Um, and then our garbage is also on part of DCR's budget in this and garbage uh collection for everything in in the city right now is uh about a seven million dollar uh bill to DCR.

So that would get us at around 22 million and then unwinding it from there.

But with this, then you're also losing capacity, obviously.

Um I mean, our total capacity loss if we shut everything down would be around 1600, almost 1700 people.

Um so this would be about half of that.

In the next proposed fiscal year, uh it looks like about 40 million dollar allocation, 39.4 of that, about six million is coming from the state.

That leaves 33.6 million dollars coming out of the general fund.

If we were to continue to use the state funds for their intended purpose and uh you know uh provide services for people experiencing homelessness, uh and also reduce the general fund allocation, what would be a reasonable amount uh to to start a glide path toward an exit uh in any given year?

Yeah, so um as you know, over the past couple years we already started tightening up as much as we could with the contracts that we have.

I I feel like we're pretty close to uh cost for what we have right now operating.

Um then because of that savings, it it allowed us on HAP 6 where we were where we have the 12 million to only use four million this year, which carries over the eight million, and then we spread that out between 2627 and 2728.

So we're really stretching our hat um mostly because we've reduced our overall costs.

Um so that gets us to 28.

If we wanted to um start looking to unwind this, I mean we would unwind uh six million, we'd probably end up shutting uh two shelters down a year.

Okay, thank you.

Uh that gets me to uh Pete Methal.

Um can we look at the um five-year uh budget forecast?

Thanks, Brian.

You have to okay for now for now, don't go far and the um the bar chart that I'm um looking at uh is the one that shows um sort of the structural deficit, what that looks like years out.

So I think this uh the the slide you're pulling up will um contemplate if we made the 66 million dollar cut this year, we would still have um in out years uh a need to make uh further cuts.

Let's see, give me a second.

There you go.

That's the one.

Uh so this year, if we cut, is it uh 66.2, I think is the number.

Um yeah, we closed a 66.2 million dollar budget gap.

Next year we would still have to cut another 35.4.

Correct.

And the following year after that, another 62.6.

Correct.

And that is assuming um the kind of currently appropriated amount of state homelessness resources.

This year, how much would we have to cut to not have to make any cuts next year?

Um I think it goes in here.

Yeah, I mean if you made another 35 million dollars of cuts, you would have a balance this year and no deficit next year.

So this year, if we cut roughly 102 point million, uh 102 million, no point.

Um 102 million this year, that the 35 plus the 66, roughly, uh that would put us in a position to reset the city at a stable staffing model that we could afford in perpetuity per our forecasting and yield a $35 million one-time surplus in the next fiscal year.

If you did that, yes.

So uh the way that I always would describe it is every dollar that you cut that's ongoing, it makes all of those bar chart or all of those bars in the outer years uh look better, right?

Because um you're you're permanently um uh solving your your budget problem.

So, mayor, city manager, my recommendation is that we uh uh take the good work that uh the uh staff has presented us with here and uh go further and set ourselves in a position where next year we're not back at this table having the same conversation about cuts.

If we to make the hard choice now and reset the city's budget to a level that we can afford, looking out, looking forward, not only do we yield the benefit of that savings this year, so we would be able to restore pool services, the mounted police, or whatever other thing uh, you know, uh the the youth programs and all the other things we heard about tonight, we'd have roughly 35 million dollars of of surplus to reallocate this year one time, not for ongoing programmatic expenses.

We'd have roughly 35 million dollars of of surplus to reallocate this year one time, not for ongoing programmatic expenses.

But the the hard part will be finding 35 million dollars worth of additional cuts in our ongoing revenue model.

That's my ask.

Well, my ask of you is the opposite, Mr.

Plekibon.

So we're not asking him to do it.

I'm asking every council member okay.

I'll give you one Thursday, no, on Thursday on Thursday.

No, you can just take it all from DCR.

Okay, you put it in a memo so we all have it on this.

Thank you.

Council member Gera.

Uh thank you very much.

Uh first of all, uh, while we still have the youth here, I want to uh acknowledge them, and I know it's the school night, and want to for some of them they've they've got to get back and and uh and I appreciate the fact that they're here and engaged, and so I'll I'll start off with recognizing that uh that I think uh if we had more young people doing that, I think we would have a a different uh a different turnaround in our country, frankly, um understanding the civics of our of our uh what what it takes to run uh government and uh and so with that miss uh madam uh city manager um I do want to uh uh acknowledge that looking at how um getting clarity on on the GPIT and figuring out how we can uh continue the work that Mr.

Brookings has done and and also you know other great organizations like the Hawk Institute and Impact SAC that are here, and I know Dr.

Gravenberg have done great work in there.

So for the young people, just know that we hear you, and you already see right off the bat, you hear uh your elected officials looking at you know how uh how to respond.

Um and to that point on public safety.

First, uh let me just say uh I'm glad to hear that we have no impact on sworn officers.

I'm glad to hear that we're maintaining um you know what we have.

Um, but I do worry about you know the the challenge we have with with overtime when I see that um the hiring pipeline program is um is uh is on is eliminated is eliminated here and so it's it's this double-edged sword here where we're we're paying for overtime at a higher amount because we're not um we're we're not recruiting fast enough.

So maybe can can uh the department come and discuss about okay if if this is the direction that we go, then how are we eliminat uh alleviating or addressing the mandatory overtime because we have to have response time?

We have to have response time, but if we're not increasing our vacancies, then we're gonna fill them with uh with uh a higher cost of overtime.

So how does that impact our ability to actually meet our goals then here?

And is it is it is it going backwards?

Thank you for the question.

Bryce Heinlein, I'm deputy chief for the police department.

Um that's a difficult question.

We've been um kind of navigating that for many years, um trying to um establish what the baseline is.

Um every time that we cut officers from our budget, we have been trying to we have uh minimums within our patrol division that need to be filled.

So, yes, that's where we're incurring our overtime.

We also have other um responsibilities within the city when it comes to impact um that we use overtime for.

So, your question about are we going backwards?

Well, um speaking on behalf of the chief, you know, we have reduced our staffing significantly since 2008-2009.

So with the uh increase in population within the city and the declining officers and sworn officers within the city, it is challenging to maintain the same level of service that we have been providing for years.

So there are service reductions.

Um we've had the opportunity to meet as a management team to uh reduce some of the services through the school district, unfortunately.

Um also looking at other models um pulling out of the regional transit uh contracts.

So while we are reducing some of our ancillary uh services that we've provided, we're really trying to get back to our core services within the city.

And that's the challenging part is is navigating what um what we respond to and what we don't.

Well, I and and I appreciate that by the way, and I'm focusing on the core response, but I guess uh well let me let me frame it in this way.

Um I appreciate that we kept the funding for the Magnet Academy because we we have to start earlier and great getting a greater pool, getting young people interested in the profession.

Um how will the police department uh respond without the uh without the the pipeline program, the hiring pipeline program.

What what is the what is the strategy to say encourage uh uh into the academy or into the into the force either as laterals or what?

How will the police department uh respond without the uh without the the pipeline program the hiring pipeline program what what is the what is the strategy to say encourage uh uh into the academy or into the into the force either as laterals or what so we've been uh tar doing targeting marketing um throughout the city and to be honest right now we're actually up in our recruiting efforts um which is great to see based on uh a lot of the outreach that we've done the billboards uh reducing our uh education requirement those have all helped with our recruiting strategies um and it's uh like at this point we're hoping to have a full academy by the end of the year uh with the the vacancies that we have left right and uh just uh if I may um mayor portam I believe it it's not fully cutting the pipeline program it's just reducing it it's it's a reduction yeah good and and then just a commentary on on you know I I do believe that in the future um when uh Measure L allocations are looked at the Magnet Academy completely fits squarely within Measure L that I think should be funded through measure L and in fact expanded to encourage more young people to look at the at the profession uh not only for uh police but also the fire academy I think those are uh strongly uh correlated programs that should be funded through there thank you thanks uh that's deputy chief price you're welcome um the the next uh piece uh that I'll that I'll talk about is uh is is the pools I mean this is one of the reasons I I got into into local government here was um the elimination of the pools and I do remember Tahoe pool was closed and we started a good old fashioned envelope stuffing campaign where we uh engaged uh folks to raise money and we worked with the YEMCA but um I think the elimination of the four waiting pools uh I think is a mistake you know particularly you know in where they're located um two of them are North Sack uh over on Stockton Boulevard is the other one uh as well off in the colonial community uh I think those are those are areas where uh we need to maintain them I I can appreciate um the uh the challenges with the pools and and uh the the the restrictions that we have now but maybe Jackie if you can uh because I've had questions from the public saying um what are would do we have to have two lifeguards in a waiting pool where do those restrictions come from and then what are the ongoing costs for that and I understand you're looking at maybe the pool the waiting pools in the future turn into uh splash pads so they achieve the same goal but um you know and and have we had success in the places where we've had splash pads but I think for this year we've you know I think keeping the waiting pools are important but can you explain the cost issues or the requirement on the yeah absolutely um uh waiting pools you know obviously all of our pools are critical to have across the city surrounded by rivers and lakes we want to make sure that we have a safe place to swim our waiting pools are free that's obviously a huge benefit um to have our waiting pools we have just four of them now we used to have five one of them was the mama marks waiting pool that we recently converted to a splash pad we're really looking forward to using that as a sort of model um for how um great that can be for the community so we converted the Mama Marks waiting pool to a splash pad it creates a more um accessible facility there's no standing water um so it does not require a lifeguard we are required by the county and state licensing to have a lifeguard on staff at all times we actually have to have two lifeguards available there it has to be a fenced facility with any time that there's standing water and it presents potential drowning risks.

When we have the splash pad that's no there's no standing water we have the ability to have the gates opened up when the sun comes up and locked at night by park maintenance so they can be utilized anytime without anybody monitoring the space.

So that's the biggest challenge for us in addition to those facilities being extremely outdated and very difficult to continue to maintain mechanically and and and such so um if we you know the downside to the conversion is they are extremely costly but if we can identify funding moving forward we're continuing to seek some additional funds currently for Robertson waiting pool to make a conversion and we'll continue to you know try to seek funds for the conversion of the other facilities as well.

And I think those for those in the future I'd like to see how we had this conversation last time on CDBG dollars and if those are eligible for C D BG funds.

Most of those communities are eligible for federal C D BG dollars those are one time dollars that maybe we could look at that in the future because I think identifying you know places where people can cool down and I think there is a benefit where we can have the gates open all at a longer time versus the the staffing requirement so I think that's an important piece.

But for this year's budget um Mr.

Mayor I'm I'm going to also include uh you know uh a strategy and I'd like to work with other members of the council who are interested in in making sure that that the that we address both not only the waiting pools but the the hours on the pool there.

The other piece that I wanted to also bring up here is on the senior centers.

Those are the those are people who are actually working there who have built relationships with those seniors.

Um and I you know I I've uh I talked to many of them in their uh in their 80s and their 90s who have built these long relationships with our city staff, and I'd like to make sure that we figure out um it's a small number, but uh particularly on uh on those uh uh those uh senior centers uh how we keep the at the heart senior center those the those three positions.

Uh the next one here on um community center rents.

So I did I did get a call from a constituent who said, look, if you increase the rent uh for us to use the community center for our normal activity, um then you may you may get zero money because we we don't have the ability to pay.

So where is the um uh maybe Jackie?

This is back at you.

Uh do we know like where is that?

I guess for la for lack of a layman's term, uh mayor, you'll this is another Rob Wasmer term, Dr.

Wasmer.

Where's the elasticity on the ability of to pay?

Because if we do increase through the rates, we instead of getting six grand from a nonprofit, we might get zero because they'll say we just can't do it.

So where have you discussed with our our lesees on where their ability to uh to pay is on these, and if it even makes sense uh on that uh program.

Yeah, so uh the proposed strategy is not an increase in our actual fee structure, but it would be a um revision to the council approved um fee reduction and fee waiver program.

Um so currently for qualifying organizations, and this would be non-youth um serving organizations that qualify meet certain criteria, it would allow either a 100% or 50 percent reduction.

The proposal on the table is um to reduce that in half.

So if you're currently receiving a 100% reduction, you would get a 50% reduction.

If you have a 50% reduction, you get a 25% reduction.

Um now this would not impact youth serving organizations because we have the youth program scholarship fund uh that would continue to be able to support those organizations that use our facilities.

We currently waive around $360,000 annually across our community centers.

If we had gone in fully to eliminate the waiver program, I believe it would significantly impact any revenues that we become.

I don't think people would be able to use our spaces.

Um we may be taking a risk.

Um, you know, we don't we certainly don't want to move people out of our spaces.

We are working with many of our organizations that use our spaces, working very active actively with our garden and arts club um to look at a potential lease agreement for using our facilities.

So we're trying to find creative ways to continue working with our organizations to make sure that they can still utilize our spaces, but find ways to still recover some of the costs, at least to keep the lights on.

Okay, I think what I'd like to to find out is um you know, between now and when we get closer to the budget, um we'll try to submit some information here for to at least for to get it in the uh in the in the conversation.

But how many I'd like to know, you know, when if we can go back out to those organizations and understand, like all right, how many would actually not be able to continue and what does that look like?

Okay.

Uh but you said it's about 360,000.

Yeah.

Non-youth related.

Um three 350, 60,000 total to date.

Um we've issued 67 permits and we waived 240,000 dollars.

So it'd be roughly half of that amount that we'd be looking at waiving.

Um it, you know, special interest groups, some of our council office meetings, uh, other city department meetings, it's just all of the facility use, anything that's required for our staff to be available to have the lights on, you know, any any typical facility use.

Okay, very good.

Uh thank you very much.

And then my last question here uh is you know, on uh shot spotter here.

Uh so this is back to the police department.

So I guess you know, one of the one of the uh concerns I have is uh uh is the fact that many uh many gunshots go unreported.

And and so um uh what uh what is the I know you guys are looking at the some one of the proposed reductions is on the south and east side of the county or the city here, but what is the uh uh the range here that uh that the impact of how many shots how many uh incidents are we actually recording?

Or is this a risk that we're not gonna be recording in those areas or are these low low utilizing risk areas?

I think so.

Your question is is it gonna impact the community if we how many?

Yes, and isn't have an exact number as far as activations go?

Activation, that's the key word I was looking for.

I was like, I know there's a term for the numbers of the activations for those areas, but those oh okay.

I guess like the whole chief thing to achieve.

There we go.

All right.

So this is as of last month.

Um so for uh uh citywide, uh we had 189 activations.

Um lost my slide here.

Uh for the north area, we had 96.

The east area was 58, and the south area was 35.

Okay, very good.

Okay.

Okay, good.

And that's uh yeah, yeah to date.

Yeah, okay.

They the the uh North area has significantly more than uh north and east.

Very good.

Okay, so I guess uh yeah, that's my concern.

I think if we if we have to manage where we are, we want to actually focus on on the biggest ones.

But even even I think the the concern that I have is that uh without this tool, then gunshots go unreported and the ability to track and investigate those those kind of shots.

So I think that's my concern.

Thank you very much, Deputy Chief.

Um Bryce and uh and uh and Deputy Chief Dan.

You were you were my lieutenant when I first started, so Lieutenant Dan.

So you know okay, great.

It was, yeah.

Oh, that's that's how I remember.

Okay.

Well, um well, thank you.

Uh um again, uh uh mayor.

I'll uh I'm gonna be working with the team to make sure we look at where are the the um uh where's the balancing at where are the revenue aspects here and uh and put something together for Thursday.

But I think those are the the you know, helping our young people, uh helping our seniors, and then focusing on on public safety.

I think that's gotta be uh first and foremost our our responsibility.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Murraying.

Thank you, Mayor.

Okay.

Um lots of notes and questions.

Okay.

Uh first um I want to thank uh city manager, um, our city manager Smith, Pete, and Martella, thank you so much for your hard work uh to present this year's proposed budget.

Um, and I also want to take a moment to thank all the young people and all the speakers that came out today to speak uh on on the items and issue that you care deeply about uh in our city budget.

So first I just want to start off with some positive um because I know during the March discussion and there were several reductions uh on the table, and so uh I know that what we're trying to do here uh is trying to minimize to the extent possible impacts to our public services.

And so there are a few items that I just like to uplift that was restored that um are incredibly important to me and I would say my colleagues as well, uh, but want to say thank you for restoring the community center and senior operating hours for Yep C.

Um, I've heard from a lot of our seniors uh at the Pennell Community Center.

Um we have our our walks, Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, our senior programming, um Manitos and Manita.

So I know that they will be thrilled to hear that those um hours are restored.

Also want to thank um uh city manager for restoring the DEI staffing position in the Office of Diversity and Equity, especially because we only have um two, three staff oper operationalizing and implementing this work.

Um, so I just want to thank you for that.

Um but I do want to speak uh on several items, mainly to get clarification because the mayor did suggest that if any of us wanted to make amendments or have proposals to submit a memo by Thursday, and so I'm gonna use this time to mainly ask questions to get clarification so that I could have that memo prep for Thursday.

And so uh first is really around um on one of the slides, the reduction in youth workforce development and civic engagement programs.

Uh my question to city staff um is in that item of reduction in youth workforce development and civic engagement.

Does that include the summer at City Hall program?

Uh yes, council member, it does.

So it does.

So in this proposal, the summer at City Hall program will be eliminated.

Uh correct.

Okay.

Um what is the cost uh to run the summer at City Hall program?

So that uh reduction item was uh 132,000 approximately.

132,000.

Okay, thank you.

Okay, thank you for sharing that.

Um look, I just want to share on record, you know, this is a really important program that I have seen made impact on so many young people's lives in the city.

Um this program started about 16 years ago, and it actually has become a model program for youth uh workforce development.

We have so many cities in California and across our country that uh is actually following our lead in this program and adopting what we're doing, and it breaks my heart that it is actually on the chopping block when it is actually one of our best youth uh model programs um you know in in our state, and that other cities like Rancho Cordova, folks are actually adopting what we're doing here in the city, and I want to make sure that we do everything we can to keep this program going.

Also, so there are many students uh in low in low-income communities that have gone through the program that are now working at the city of Sacramento because of that exposure, and so uh I'm gonna be adding this to my memo, and I just thank you for that clarity so that I can make sure to prep that.

The second piece, I think the mayor touched on it a bit, and so did Councilmember Dickinson.

Uh, but I also wanted to get just some more clarity on the funding for the Office of Violence Prevention.

Um, I'll be adding this item to my memo as well.

Um, so just for some clarity, I think the mayor asked the questions, but I'm gonna ask it differently uh to help for clarity and my understanding.

So um funding for the G PIT and uh the evidence-based community violence interruption.

Um, I know that both programs did not get restored in the city manager's budget.

Is that accurate?

Oh, sorry.

Uh so yes.

Uh so what uh just to it's yes, but um, so the GPID was 1.3 million dollars of ongoing um general fund.

Yes.

And uh the evidence-based program.

Was it three year grant?

Three-year grant that's sunset this year for 800,000.

But then the CalVIP is uh 1.1 million of community-based organization grants.

Great, I'm gonna get there.

Okay, so I have met with several community members who are concerned that the new CalVIP funding does not address violence interruption and disruption programming.

Um, because in order to apply for this funding, um, it had to be different.

Is that accurate?

So if I can have just PD come up, I know you're gonna so I have several questions because I think for me it's just seeking clarity so that when I present my memo on Thursday, I have the facts.

Um so just a few questions on this.

Um when we applied for the CalVIP cohort five funding, um, that funding in particular could not supplant the current programs that we have.

Is that accurate?

That's accurate.

So that was actually so when we applied for that program, um, which is the reason why it has a different model, correct?

That is correct.

Okay.

So is it accurate to say that the funding for CalVIP?

Um is it accurate to say that the Cal funding that we have for CalVIP does not address the current existing violence interruption work that we're doing?

It can be expanded if we're hitting a a larger group and doing things that we haven't done before, and that's where that focus is with the school in specific areas around the school or the meeting grounds with the youth.

Um, but we would not be deploying like we do now where we reach out for um you know issues gonna occur at DOCO or we have intel of something that's gonna occur at Delta Shores, we would not be able to deploy them under that grant under the Calvic.

On the CalVIP grant, we would not be able to do that same thing.

Okay, great.

Thank you for that clarity.

Um is it true that the CalVIP funding must support new programs and cannot fund existing violence interruption work?

I think we just answer that.

The answer is yes.

Yes.

Okay.

Um can you clarify whether the Calvit Cohort 5 covers the actual evidence-based interruption, disruption, and suppression?

I know that it's a different model that you're using, but can you confirm on record that CalVIP Cohort 5 actually covers the evidence-based interruption and disruption that's needed to address youth violence?

Because I know that there's a spectrum of youth violence work that is that is done, like we have our after-school programs, right?

But there's also programming, like evidence-based programming that actually works with the individuals that we anticipate that are part of you know the gang violence intervention task, like right.

I think, and so I want to know does the cohort five funding cover that work?

I want to make sure I'm hearing you correctly to make sure I give a right answer.

And if I don't know, then I'm gonna come back to this for you.

But if you're asking if they are able then to like work with specific youth that are having issues, is that what you're asking?

Like, are they able to go and do the mentorship in that type of service?

Sure.

I mean, yes, because but the referrals are not gonna come from PD.

They will not be PD referrals, but it's directly come from working with the schools.

The schools, okay.

So I good.

That's a good transition to my next question.

Um, so I did know that the model for CalVIP is shifting to our school, which I think is great.

I think it's good for us to work with our schools so that we have a more holistic program and system.

And so um, so that's great.

Uh my question is what happen what what is the plan for the summer when school is not in session?

How does referral work then for youth that may not be in our neighborhood schools?

What is the process then?

I'll be honest, I don't know that we have a process spelled out at this time.

Um, but I think there's approaches that we could take, right?

That uh although school, those kids may not be in school, there's usually staff still at the schools, and there's connections that can be built before we roll into summer that would allow those CBOs to continue that work with the youth.

Okay.

Yeah, I I only asked that question because summer is literally around the corner, and I I really appreciate the shift to school-based referral as a former school board school board member.

I understand I think that's I think that's really great that the school is doing the first touch.

Um, so really a plot on that model.

I just want to make sure that we address that gap because there are individuals, young people that aren't don't attend our schools.

So, what does that referral process look like?

And I think that's important for us to capture that.

And I know that a lot of our CBOs may be doing some of that work.

Um, and so just wanted to flag that.

And if that's already part of the plan, that's great.

If it's not, we have to just make sure we cover that blind spot.

I think one things to mention too, though, is that the schools would be able to identify locations where kids gather, you know, before school and after school, and that would include rolling into the summer.

Those locations, majority of the time probably don't change for a lot of those students, or even those that are not students but are the youth hanging out with kids that do go to school.

So the schools could still identify those areas for them.

Okay.

Another question walk me through the process under the new CalVIP program.

I'm assuming that we no longer have funding for the gang prevention or the evidence base, and I'm working through the CalVIT, right?

Because that's kind of what's on the table.

If a shooting happens, walk me through the process under CalVIP of how you actually partner with these organizations.

So does organization and calvib cohort get a call?

Like who who gets a call, for example, if an incident happen?

Usually I know my understanding when I talk to CBOs or with the chief, uh, that usually when an incident happened, we call on our community partners to ensure that like to prevent retaliation, right?

So under this CalVIP program, walk me through the process of how that actually works with the CBOs that's been selected.

PD would not be reaching out to them to come out there.

I mean, we PD's gonna respond to any incident, right?

If there is a shooting at a school, PD is going to be there, and obviously the schools already formed the relationship with the CBO, so they can rely on them to come out.

We in the new model, though, will be bringing out our chaplains that we have.

So that would be our model of what we would be moving forward to.

Okay, so you'll be working directly with chaplains, but not with the CBOs when an incident like that occurs.

We wouldn't be making the referral to them, yes.

Okay.

I do that's a that's a gap for me.

Like that's a red flag for me.

I that's why I'm asking through the process because I want to be able to be able to understand that structure, which is the reason why the funding for the evidence-based community violence interrupt and interruption is so important and the game prevention and intervention task force is so important because there are gaps.

What this which is why I'm asking the question.

Um I think you just answered this question, but I'm gonna ask it again.

Will organizations in the new CalVIP cohort receive referrals or calls for support when incident occurs in neighborhoods and public spaces?

The answer is if I heard correctly, the answer is yes and no, no, not from PD.

But if the school is in contact with those individuals, then the school can do the referrals to the CBOs.

Yes.

Okay, so okay.

And it's still all things that need to be worked out, right?

Like this is still the proposed of what it would look like, but yes, the referrals would come from the schools.

Okay.

I also would say that it doesn't mean that if police are on scene and CBOs are there, it's not that they're not going to be able to have an interaction, but it's not the direct phone call that would occur.

We would be using our chaplain C.

Okay.

Um and can you share with me a little bit about the role of the chaplains with PD and how and and why them?

I'm just not to say it's bad or good, but I'm just I'm curious why just chaplains, like the rationale from PD.

Well, with this grant, we cannot be doing the same thing that we've been doing, right?

And so we need to make a decision on what we're gonna do, and we've always used our chaplains, so this is making sure that we're not supplanting.

Yeah, no.

Uh thank you.

I I really appreciate that.

Um, this is not to um be negative about the CalVIP cohort.

I think I understand why had to be a different model because under the grant application, you can't submit a grant that's the same, right?

So I totally get that, and I appreciate the the model that is before us for the CalVIT cohort.

That said, um, I think, especially after I asked these questions, I do recognize that there are some gaps, and it sounds like it's being worked out.

I'm only flagging this for my colleagues because this is the reason why funding for yes, I think it's great that we got the CalVIP cohort five.

That's amazing for the city of Sacramento, but we still need more support and funding in order to do the other work that is just as important.

Like when PD reaches out to brother to brother and Barry Acheus, like that work is still so critical in in the violence prevention.

So I just wanted to pin that for my colleagues.

Um, and it's something that I'm gonna be submitting for Thursday and urging that we figure out way to continue funding um these two items.

Um, I also just want to note thank you so much for answering all the questions.

Um I I also just want to note for my colleagues because I I've been hearing measure L like a lot in this conversation on maybe we can have measure L funding for this when the next round comes.

I I just want to share that measure L was not meant to supplant current programs.

That measure L is less than two percent of our budget, and it was never meant to cover all youth programming in our city, right?

Um and I just want to note we did our first round of Measure L funding, and I have the sheet here of the awarding list because 50% of it goes to city programming for youth, 50% goes to CBOs, and of the various um items that was funded, three only three organizations covered youth violence.

And of the youth violence, only two districts is covered, district two and six.

So my district is not even covered under the Sacramento Children's Fund list, right?

Which is okay because they went through their own competitive process.

I share this only because Measure L is less than two percent of our budget, and we can't rely on just this source of funding to cover our youth funding in the city of Sacramento, and that we have to have a commitment outside of Measure L to commit to our youth uh to our youth and our young people.

Um, and so I just you know wanted to share that with my colleagues and the public because there seems seems to be like, well, we have measure L funding, let's just make sure we use that.

And it was never meant to just cover all of youth funding, and that we have to make a commitment outside of measure L and our general fund to commit to young people.

Lastly, I just want to make a comment around the public safety.

I know that last year we were able to avoid cutting field position.

Yeah, feel free to take that, coach.

Um, this year I know that we're proposing to cut more position of actual people.

Um, and you know, the reality is that our dollars, I I share this every year, right?

I I always hear that, you know, the city mayor and council is always cutting PD.

Um, you know, I I may not always agree with my colleagues all the time, but I'm just gonna remind folk that and state a fact.

The fact is that the majority of mayor and council has continued to increase the police budget.

That is a fact.

Well, I may not agree with my colleagues, and I know that there are critics out there that says the city of Sacramento is defunding police.

That's absolutely not true.

Because since I've been in office in 2020, the police budget has increased by a hundred million dollars.

And so for those that have saying that we have taken money from the police budget, that's absolutely just not true, and I want to be able to share to share that on record.

And remind folks that again in 2020, before I came on the city council, mayor and council, two of them were actually on this council during that time, passed a resolution redefining public safety to move beyond traditional services.

Um, and that yes, it absolutely includes police and fire, but it also includes our youth, our parks, and a preventative services.

And so, yes, public safety is one of the top three priorities, but it also includes these critical prevention services and programming.

I'm sharing this because I know that we all want to create a better city for our neighborhoods and our working families, and youth and parks is part of that core programming.

Um, and I just want to share if you look at this at the slide, we are proposing to cut 35.9 positions.

I just want to share that 30 of those positions are coming from Yipse.

They are facing the highest cuts in position in this budget.

And their budget is so much more smaller than than all the other departments.

And so I just want to share that because at the end of the day, when we are balancing the budget, it is on the backs of our youth families in our neighborhoods and our parks every single time.

Um, and I know that we have some tough decisions ahead of us to balance this budget, uh, but that's the reality of what I see in front of me is that 35 positions are in the queue to be cut.

30 of those position are in parks.

Um, that's what we're cutting if we pass this proposal.

And so just want to share that with my colleagues.

I know that this is still we're still in the middle of conversation about the budget.

I look forward to continuing the conversation and submitting my budget proposal or at least my budget memo on items that I I want us to be able to restore.

Um, and those are all my comments.

Thanks, Mayor.

Thank you, counselor Kaplan.

Thanks, Mayor.

Um if I've got the right printout, can we go to page 93 in the budget proposal?

I have a couple questions I just want to ask.

It talks about um the forecasting of a proposed financial forecasts.

So page 93, and then and then I just want to because we've got this slide up, and then I'm looking at page 93.

Can you explain to me why the numbers are?

Um so this book went to print before we restored um the residential parking permit charging for residential parking and increasing meter rates.

So this um this proposal on page 93 reflects those two strategies.

Um when they're restored, we had to balance, so we moved more hapsix funding up to do that, and that impacted uh the budget year and budget year plus one.

Thank you.

I think it's important for those of us of going why is why are the city numbers different, and so I wanted to give you uh an opportunity to explain that.

And then also on 93, while you mentioned it, I think specifically calling out so is it correct that our unfunded liability cost will increase by 16.6 million dollars over the next four years.

Am I reading that correct?

Yes, that's what we have in the forecast.

And um, just council member, uh, since you brought up pensions, um, and it's kind of an esoteric topic, but it's a huge budget driver for us.

Um, in the proposed budget, so for next fiscal year, what we know we're gonna have to pay from CalPers, uh, just our normal cost, which is just not counting our unfunded liability, uh, that costs the general fund 58.6 million dollars.

Our unfunded liability payment from the general fund is a hundred and twelve point seven million dollars, so total over 170 million.

Uh the reason I bring that up is you know, our unfunded liability payment is roughly twice as big as just our normal cost, and so it's just a big drag on our budget.

And can you explain to me um how much has that gone up?

Because I think it's important when people say, where are you spending your money?

You've got more money, the city of Sacramento, where is it going and why are we in this continual like deficit in structure deficit?

Yeah, it's uh this has been just over the the past decade or so a very big cost driver.

So if you go back 25 years ago, you know, the pensions were roughly fully funded, so that number would be the unfunded liability number would be zero.

Um, and just as CalPers has lowered the discount rate, as you know, new benefits had been added decades ago, uh, that number just grew and grew and grew, and so now we're at you know roughly a 1.5 billion dollar unfunded pension liability, which is you know a little bit more than last year.

And so uh is there um so we have to pay 112 for the unfunded million.

Is that set by state law or some statute?

Uh it's it's given to us by CalPers.

So the way it works is we have that 1.5 billion dollar liability, and then we pay it off in installments to CalPers.

Um, you know, however, they do actuarial assumptions every year, and so if they lower the discount rate, if their investment returns aren't good, um, those would make our unfunded liability go up.

Um, if their investment returns are great, it'll help uh it will help decrease it.

So I I'm asking a little bit of this background because part of what the mayor has asked us to do is like if you want to restore things, where's money?

Yeah, this do we do we have any flexibility in this?

This is one of those.

Um, you know, the the vice mayor had asked uh uh a couple months ago for that slide of here are the things if we shut off all the lights and didn't do anything else that we still have to pay, debt service, this is another one of those costs.

Okay, and then I also see on page 93 your your fifth bullet point.

Um how did you calculate that homeless services will cost approximately 168 million over the next four years?

Yeah, so that's uh if we maintained our current level of service.

So that's saying, hey, we're you know spending roughly 40 million right now, those costs will probably go up a little bit, but if we're not adding kind of new things versus the proposed budget, we're staying within those resources, that's how much it would cost.

Which thank you.

Um I appreciate setting the stage so I can try and figure out as as we create this letter.

For for me, I have several focus areas where we know we can't cut our way out of this.

Um I am really supportive, uh, Madam City Manager, of your plans for economic development.

I know it doesn't happen overnight, but I believe in that upfront investment has a return on investment, and what basically the plan we heard at our 2 p.m.

I think it's really like focusing on that.

Uh what is the data say and how how can we do that?

Uh public safety investment in our youth parks, and as well as when we look at if we're gonna cut accountability or if we're gonna keep accountability uh of the programs um that we have.

Um so uh Mr.

Pedro got a couple questions for you if you don't mind.

Um page 103 um of the city budget, um, just wanting to bring up because there's a difference in um I think what the city said.

If you look at the graph that is there on page 103, it says 2728 projected general fund support is 28.7 million, and then in 2829, it says 41.7 million.

Can you explain the 13.6 million dollar jump?

Uh yeah, so on that, so the 6.4 is uh an estimated that we would be getting from HAP 7 based on it being funded only 500 million instead of the billion, and what we got this past year again, guessing our pit's gonna be close to where we are, so that's the 6.4.

But that basically goes away in away in 2829 and that's why you see correct the 13 million jump and then just as I asked Pete staff can you put up slide 30 of the presentation while um Mirthal is putting it up this that chart will have the same issue because the way we balanced um the those parking adjustments was by moving up some HAP6 funding from fiscal year.

230 sorry 2728 to um or from 2829 to or some from 2728 to 2627.

So that's the difference between the chart those are the numbers in the proposed budget that incorporate the parking changes.

And I think I just in spirit of transparency if people pour over the budget like I do they'll be like but why are the numbers changing why are they different because on these two years it shows just um you know 11.5 million difference versus the budget printout shows 13.6 and so parking impacts yeah so what uh what what happened was um when we had gone to print we had uh two strategies around parking to help balance the budget charging for residential parking and increasing meter rates uh so we basic we restore those which means we're not increasing meter rates we're not charging for residential parking however that left a hole in fiscal year in the budget year that we had to cover and in order to finance that we moved some of the hap we have flexibility of when to program out HAP six which would free up general fund we moved uh some up into the budget year and so uh that funding was then not available in budget year plus one got it so it's basically moving around some hat funding correct that makes this 11.5 versus the 13.6 correct okay which I I really appreciate because people will look at that and say kind of where where are you hiding the money and why does why did the dollars um always change so on um then turning to your supplemental um that you gave us hold on let me find it um so it's correct that basically uh 30 point 35 point three million or 73 percent of the funding for homelessness comes out of our general fund I just want to confirm that's that's the number we're we're playing with or all in agreement on because that's supplemental budget item 12 yes so for FY2526 is 35 million yes okay and then want to confirm as you look on the separate page state hat funding so um in 2024 25 um we got 24 million and then this year we got 12.8 million so you know almost roughly 12 million 11.8 million dollar reduction correct right and then what I've seen on page 241 of the budget um it says that there's uh you're proposing um only five point eight seven two million in reduction even though we lost 11.8 in hat funding yeah that that's correct so um what the council members uh saying is hey our our HAP reduction was uh bigger than our savings strategies in in the proposed budget and that is correct okay um I appreciate that thank you for interpreting what I'm asking Pete I appreciate that takes many people um my brain is not not fully um there so what is the cost to uh manage um because you know I'm seeing that we've got 11 million almost 12 less in funding we're gonna get more next year uh what is the cost to operate um as the city is taking on on micro home communities what is the annual yearly cost to operate uh one facility one whatever micro community yeah um so the operating cost for it is um around 750 with um out accounting for offset of program fees and calim reimbursement which is about 330 um if we look at in full getting reimbursement on it so uh net's about 4000 so between four and five depending on um the annual operating cost can you show me where in our budget we're we're allocating for those funds since we've getting less money and this is growing the program how we're actually paying for that um so on the first page um down at the bottom

So between four and five, depending on um the annual operating cost.

Can you show me where in our budget we're we're allocating for those funds since we've getting less money and this is growing the program, how we're actually paying for that.

Um so on the first page.

Um down at the bottom of the um supplemental, it has the microcommunity operations down at the bottom with safe camping, safe parking.

Um so that is the 8.8 in savings from budget renegotiations that we reinvested back into six million went to micro to microcommunity safe camping, safe parking, and then the shelter utility maintenance, and then the other 2.8 was put back in to reduce the general fund uh need for DCR.

Okay, so just so I understand what you said is is through your savings, which by the way, you've done a great job renegotiating our shelter programs and finding those savings, but you took those savings, and basically it's a direct net into, and that's what's um building our microcommunities, but I I don't see the approximately if we build out four the two million dollars a year to operate it.

Where do I find that as to what's further getting cut if we're expanding our homeless services?

Well, that comes from the offset of um taking the 3.2 million from the motel and um shutting down X Street, so that's the six million give back plus the two three that we gave back to make it just under nine million and then um so on the city motel program um as I'm looking at your supplemental, um the number of beds uh shows which it's the very top, it's 615.

Am I am I reading that right?

Uh 650.

Number 15 is probably number of people in the program, 200 beds, but it's families.

So there's uh a little over 600 people in there.

And currently for the uh fiscal year 26 budget, it's 7.8 million, right?

And as as I look at FY26, 7.858?

Correct.

And and so 200 beds, but serving approximately 615 people, where if I look down on the microcommunity operations of two, it's it's 7.4 million for only 80 people.

Uh correct, but it's um motels are it's a difference between a purchase and a lease.

We're buying the microcommunities, we're leasing the motel, and so if you march that cost out, then you end up at some point uh at zero with the microcommunities.

I I would love, can you see how long?

Because I almost feel like it's putting solar on my house, how long is the re return on investment?

I wasn't good in financing, so I became an attorney.

Um but but I do want to put point out that for one year for 7.8, we're serving 615 people, and for 7.4, we're only serving 80 people.

And just want my colleagues to maybe say we should take a look at our most successful program that is serving more people, and maybe we should potentially expand the hotel motel program because there are bathrooms in the units, and we should treat our seniors with dignity.

Wouldn't it provide more cost savings if we expanded our hotel motel to allow seniors to be in them?

Um just a policy question that I think this council needs to look at as we're looking at where where we cut.

Um, that is the direction we have to give DCR is is do we want to invest in one that only helps 80 people and 7.4 million or 615 at 7.8 million?

That I mean, as we look at budgets and and we talk about we need to do more to get our seniors and our families off the street, um, how do we how do we do that?

Thank you, Mr.

Peter.

Yep.

Uh and the motels is not the most successful.

Obviously, our TAs are way surpassing our motel program.

Well, yes, transitional age youth, but unfortunately our seniors don't qualify for that anymore.

That's correct.

Um I want to echo the comments um made by my colleague, council member Vang.

Um, I am as I've looked at uh one of our most successful programs is summer at City Hall.

It really is, year over year, end over end.

What our high school students get and their awareness that City Hall is more than just us as elected and what it takes good people to come into public service.

Um, if that's only 30 or 40 grand, you know, that is that is a program that I I believe is important.

Um, as well as we talk about youth violence and giving our youth things to do, especially in my area, I don't have a teen center.

I don't have an appropriate community center.

I don't have anywhere but our parks and our skate parks for our teens to go.

But L is incredibly successful, and our team programs are incredibly successful, and reducing the stipends is I it's like I saw that it maybe costs 100,000, but we're benefiting hundreds of children that are going through and getting life skills and work skills and giving them something to do in the summer.

Um I mean, I see one of the proposals is potentially to sweep leftover pop-up money.

You know, there's there's kind of a wash if we look at where we take some of that pop-up summer pop-up money that was never used for investing back uh into our youth.

And um policy-wise, um, I am all for the CalVIP and what is being done, but we can't ignore when we talk about we've had a 12% reduction in crime in the city of Sacramento, while our officers are horribly understaffed, it is our community-based organizations that have been on the ground and in the communities.

And I want to see if we're moving into CalVIP.

Um, my school district doesn't know how Cal VIP is going to work.

So just as a future memo, I want to understand how you're working with Notomas Unified, um, Twin Rivers, Robla.

Uh, we tend to get forgotten, and only Sac City gets to work with because I see one of the gang prevention um grants only includes Sac City.

Well, gangs are in Notomas, gangs are in Robla, gangs are in Twin Rivers, we need to start looking at 40% of our children are outside of uh Sac City.

We we need to make sure that there's equity amongst our our school districts in that.

So I I fully see uh that we need both programs.

I don't I'm a former school board member of 20 years.

I know how overwhelmed school districts are, um, and the chain of command and communication doesn't always happen the best way.

I know that there was an amazing response at Notomas High School because of our community-based organizations, and because the G PIT and Black Child Legacy and Impact and Brother to Brother, because I was texting all of them and getting different responses of who they were dealing with and what family members they were dealing with, what community members they were dealing with, because no one organization when something like that can truly address it.

So I'd like to see us have a true office of violence prevention, and I think it's appropriate to have that discussion of having it move out of uh SAC PD, because that's not normally where I know Chief Lester took it on, and I think it's been amazing.

But I've also been talking to Chief Lester, uh, how do we move that out?

You know, city manager, you know, wherever you think it's best should land.

I am I am supportive, but I'm also supporting with our GPIP.

We are seeing I've had several instances of youth violence and guns in Nothomas since we got rid of since it was never brought to to the city council.

So I want to make it very clear.

I am upset that we lost our SROs, but that item never came to council.

Where all of these budget reduction strategies have come to council, but that one item happened, and and we weren't given the opportunity to talk about it.

And so I see that line item in our budget of the elimination of the SROs.

Um Thomas needs one back.

The reason we never had uh a killing on our schools is because our school resource officers, it wasn't crime and punishment, it was relationships.

They knew what kids were having troubles, they knew when gang violence was happening, so they could reach out directly to our CBOs and brother to brother and impact and others so that they can be on the ground and go into those neighborhoods.

That's the effectiveness of having our SROs in Notomas.

And so I truly hope at least one because this is uh a weekly call I get netomas.

Where are our cops?

We don't have any cops.

Angelique said we were getting more cops, you said you're more cops, and I don't see any cops in Natomas.

And I get it because Netomas may have more quality of life issues and teens behaving badly versus the robberies and the shootings and the higher higher uh rank calls that they go to.

But knowing that we had our school resource officers meant violence was kept for the most part with guns off our campuses.

I'm not saying now never, but you never had somebody shot killed when our SROs were there.

So that is uh something that is important to me.

On page Pete, can page 137?

Um I noticed that the North Natomas finance plan has a reduction from 6.7 million to 2.5.

Can you explain that?

So um I I'll confirm.

I believe it's the refunding of fee credits for developers who built infrastructure.

Uh, but I have to confirm that I'll get back to you.

Perfect.

Please um uh Mr.

Fire Chief, nobody's asked you any questions.

Come on up.

So um mayor and counsel.

Hello, hello.

So with the restorations that our city manager did, I still see cuts within fire.

So um are we going to have brownouts or brownouts coming?

Uh we're gonna do things differently.

Uh brownouts are a tool for recessionary budgeting.

This is a structural deficit that we have, so we're gonna use dynamic staffing.

It gives us as your fire department leadership a little bit more opportunity to um strategically place uh essentially it's a brownout, but it we're using uh the tools we have, the data we have, where our volume is at, uh the clustering of calls to decide what company we're gonna close.

So, yes, you're going to see.

So, can you explain dynamic staffing a little bit more?

Because I asked about brownouts and got a long answer.

And yes, there's gonna be brownouts, but you call it dynamic staffing.

I'm no, there are two different things.

The uh dynamic staffing is strategic look at uh at where you move companies.

Um we will move companies around strategically.

A brownout is a hard closure on a given day.

You don't have time to um flex to it to move other companies around.

So the department would have to look to move companies around, and that's dynamic stuff.

So it could be we're kind of at our max, you know, because I think we also have to look at the forced overtime is is a significant you know, budget impact.

So you're saying that okay, station 43, one shift, only two guys can be on.

Would you then take potentially firefighters from another station to bring them on to keep 43 open and another one would close, or would 43 close and those two would go somewhere else?

Yeah, so with dynamic staffing, you do it ahead of that closure, so you forecast it.

Um you do a brownout, you're doing it day of and moving people around.

Uh we do brownouts today.

We did brownouts last weekend.

Um a station closed, but there might be a company closed at a station.

Dynamic staffing.

Okay, explain that just a second.

A company closed, but not the station close.

What is that?

So a company is a an engine is a company and a truck is a company.

A station has we have 10 stations that have both.

So if we have to close a company at a station, we close one or the other, but not both, because then you don't you have zero response, and you create a huge geographic hole that we have to cover.

Um response times when it increase over two and a half minutes when you do that.

So dynamic staffing is a better way to do things, especially in the structural deficit.

We don't know when we we climb out of this to open companies.

Um the other thing that we're facing is you have 19 vacation days.

We have so we we schedule 19 vacations a day off.

Um that has to be brought in on top of the 19 firefighters that were losing, and then we have about 43 people on IOD, and then you have sick leave.

IOD just for those who are on duty, right?

Thank you.

My acronyms.

So we're looking about we start today at about 36 people down.

Um that's where you get the forced hire mandatory.

Okay.

So there you're not saying a station won't be closed, no, never, but with staffing, it could be the the engines not staff, but the truck is.

And then how does single role come in into all of this?

Single role is on the EMS side, and single role helps us when we we convert firefighters.

Um firefighters will give us 20 single role employees.

So are we permanently eliminating those fire fighter positions?

But it helps us with our yes, we are, but it that conversion helps us in overall, it's actually helping us push firefighters back onto angels and trucks.

Single role runs itself, and it's helped us with our detail pool.

That's why when I look looked at over the last three years, we've actually been decreasing the overtime costs in the fire department.

And I think it's largely due to single roll.

Um it's increased our detail pool, it's helped us with that mandatory over time.

Um bring it down a little bit.

Um, but now we're gonna get rid of some of our detail pool this year uh to get to those numbers that we need to.

So then explain to me because we have firefighters that retire every year.

Are we saying we're not gonna hire any more when we eliminate these positions, or what does that look like?

No, we'll we'll have to hire, but it's we're gonna we're taking a pause.

It's in hiring.

So instead of hiring two academies this year to really flatten, we're not gonna hire the second academy, and then we'll we'll look at what we have.

I can tell you right now, we have um in June, we'll have about 29 vacancies, and that's about enough for me to start an academy, but we're not gonna do an academy until January at least.

So we'll still be down potentially 30 vacancies.

Well, I I'm comfortable we'll be down more than that because our biggest attrition happens in December.

People typically did fight uh retire in that November to December time frame.

But so that'll happen, but we don't won't start another academy until January 27.

So we could be down 60, 70 officers or firefighters, sorry.

Yes.

And how long does the academy take before we bring somebody on?

Six months.

Six months to get them through the academy, so they'll be graduating if they start in January, they'd be graduating in June.

So why weren't we starting one in June or July to stay on top of this?

Just because we don't we don't have we had to leave that buffer in there to so that we didn't lay firefighters off.

There's 16 or excuse me, 19 people at the academy right now today.

We have to have places for them to fall when they graduate this June.

Okay, so we do have 19 coming on this June.

Yes okay.

Um, so what does this do?

Now it's personal to me.

Um, we're we're the contract is out with uh the the county for North Lake.

My area has over an eight percent or eight minute response time for those in in North Lake, and that's you know, deadly and unacceptable.

So, where are we with building the new North Lake fire station that was already supposed to be built?

Yeah, that's a great question, and it's it lies between the builder and the county.

Um, they had um discussions a lot about ADA requirements in a fire station, it's been a long time.

The builder's done a lot of fire stations.

The county has not.

Um they've have figured it out.

I think they're close to RFP now.

It's it's delayed several months.

Yeah, it's delayed six months.

Um Madam City Manager, can you have a conversation with your county executive counterpart?

This is now like they were supposed to be breaking ground right now.

Um, and and my community in North Lake, which now has about a thousand you know, houses is suffering because it takes too long for station 30 or 43 or 15 um to get out there, and the airport isn't always available, and that that station is horribly delayed, was already supposed to be triggered and built.

Um and I appreciate all that the chief is doing, but I'd love for you to use a little VR might to push this along faster.

The airport has a minimum index that they have to keep the land planes, so unless they're overstaffed, they won't leave the airport.

Thanks, Chief.

I appreciate you explaining dynamic staffing um to me.

Um this kind of falls under police, but uh this maybe goes to our city manager, uh, and I know our mayor has experience um with this.

So our public safety officers, we have a protest on capital grounds, but SAC PD is responsible because while it's a permit on capital grounds, the minute they touch the sidewalk, it's our responsibility.

Um I know many other capital cities in the United States get reimbursement from their capital for our costs.

Um this would be a potential, you know, budget move policy request, but I think we need to start asking of that and putting that request in because you know it happens in Washington DC, it happens in other areas.

Our SAC Pedia, that's probably an easy million, two million dollar more cost for protests that are permitted on capital grounds.

Why is it solely the city of Sacramento's responsibility to cover those costs?

Hi again.

Oh, okay.

Um, so however we find and come up with that answer, um, that would be great, and that's all I have for now.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Dickinson, let's try to keep council questions related to the budget.

Thank you.

Oh, I'm sorry, we skipped Maple.

You told me that a second ago.

Maple.

That's okay.

Um first, how's everybody doing?

You know, hanging in there?

Thanks for staying.

Um I will keep my comments brief because luckily uh many of my colleagues have already addressed many of my questions.

I will I appreciate the mayor and the city manager for um creating the process to do a memo.

I think that's really smart because um last year got a little crazy on the dice uh last minute, and I think that was really confusing for all of us and the staff.

So um I think that's a great process, and I'm looking forward to submitting my memo.

Um thank yous uh also that um Council Murbank said to the community center, senior centers, um, and the uh not doing the parking increases.

I think that those are great things that we focused on.

So I'm really glad to see that.

Um I have also questions about youth violence prevention, but many of those were answered.

Um I do have a question, and this is I think for Brian Pedro, um, on the X Street shelter.

Hi.

So uh what says in the budget reductions sheet, it says X tree um shift slash relocate slash I think re redo.

What do we mean by that?

Um so we have a lot of possible potential possibilities with Xtre.

So it's a Caltrans lease.

Um we it expires in April of 27.

We uh immediately went to them already a year plus out to see if they were willing to renew.

Um their initial response was um we're not sure.

Um so a second ask uh was we will um likely have to charge you um for the lease.

Um I said that's fine.

Let's uh see what that lease number looks like so we can make a determination on it, and that's where we're at on the Caltrans piece of it.

So hedging bets that we are going to get the lease.

Um we have also been talking to a company that provides recuperative care, um, recuperative care are for uh individuals experiencing homelessness that are uh being released from the hospital but not fully recovered.

Um the recuperative career not only covers um the medical component but also has behavioral health and housing navigation with it.

Um they have shown shown interest in that location and that is a possibility with Xtre, and then if none of that pans out, then Xtreet will be shut down.

Okay, thank you.

That's really helpful.

And um, I know uh when I visited the recuperative care campus in North Sacramento, the way that uh that is structured is in individual rooms and it's a concrete, you know, building structure.

Obviously, the the X Street shelter is a sprung shelter.

Would they be utilizing the sprung shelter to do recuperative care if we get to there?

They would, it would just reduce down from a hundred down to the about 70.

Um so they could have more space, they would also bring in another um structure to have some privacy as well as using those sprung structures.

Okay, okay, thank you.

That's really helpful.

I know we've had a lot of these separate conversations, but I wanted to make sure that I understood all of it.

Um I I think that ultimately we'll see what happens with Caltrans.

We don't know what they're gonna say.

Um hopefully they say yes because I'd hate to lose um some of the shelter options that we do have, but I also really like the model change of recuperative care because just in my experience and talking with you know those who are experiencing homelessness and navigating the system, congregate shelters are some of just the worst option.

Um I really think that, and um, and they are really really expensive, and we basically just give somebody a night a place to stay for the night.

They do get connected to other things, but we don't necessarily see the best outcomes from that um compared to some of the other things.

I mean it's literally underneath a freeway a parking lot there's you have businesses next door you have there's just a lot of issues with that general area so you know I I I welcome uh efforts to re to re envision um what this could look like and um but I do I appreciate that um and I just want to say on while while speaking about homelessness those are my questions um for you uh I I I do hear council pluckybum's um concerns and his suggestion about cutting DCR entirely um I I would really be against that um I understand that there's a lot of concern about the city generally being in the homelessness business but I also know that it's the number one concern that I hear from residents it's also not just what I hear if you look at any poll that has been done on any issue in the last year or two or more you will find that that uh concerns over homelessness are always ranked number one and so it it is certainly something that the the community cares about and so I think we have a responsibility to have a role in it.

What that role looks like I think should shift and and there's a bigger conversations that are happening that we're having about sharing and coordinating more broadly with the county and our other partners but we definitely have a role to play um in homelessness and so I I wouldn't be supportive of um ending DCR at this point but I do think that there's work that we uh Mr PJ's already done a wonderful job of um cutting some of our costs and re envisioning things and I appreciate that um but I still think we've got work to do there.

So I just wanted to mention that really appreciate the comments on pools.

I I just have to say it um representing you know a lot of low income and working class communities in district five pools are a lifeline for for young people for our elders for community members not everybody has um air conditioning in in the communities that I represent like they literally save lives um and so I am I I remain very concerned about um some reductions in hours and timing at pools and so I will be in my memo looking for ways that maybe we can not have those cuts and again from an equity perspective it's it may not be for everyone in every community but I can tell you in a park that's a it's a lifeline for people I can tell you in Mankin Park that's a lifeline for people and those are the only two pools in my district.

So very important um G Pit Summer at City Hall.

Okay I think a lot of what I wanted to address has been talked about so I'm gonna keep my comments short there but just really again want to want to appreciate staff for all your work on this it's been um a labor of love and so I just want to acknowledge you and the the countless hours and sleepless nights um that go into this thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Dickinson Thanks Mayor and mindful both of the hour uh and that we are treading into the territory where everything has been said just not everyone has said it so um I I will I won't try to calibrate that um I I've got a couple things or a few things I want to uh talk about but uh they're not in any particular order at this stage uh I I would say uh I uh share concern about the cuts uh proposed with respect to the uh prevention violence prevention uh programs and this is really not a um uh conversation for this evening but I do think that programmatically uh it it's important uh at least for me to understand how it is uh with the new model that the the schools and the police department and by the way I would add the county probation department uh relate to each other uh as well as to the community based uh or organizations and we don't often talk about about uh the county probation department but the juvenile probation officers may know more than anybody about what young people are thinking and doing or planning so that's not to that's not to take away from what the department does it's only so that's their full-time occupation uh and I and I know from experience that that they're very good at it just as as you all are good at what you do too.

So I I do uh uh want to uh uh I do want to record uh my voice as uh supporting uh restoration of funding for uh prevention even as even as we work at folding in the new funding that the the new grant funding that would that we have that we talked about earlier this evening uh I I do think that uh one comment with respect to meter hours uh and uh and days is you know we don't we don't really um notify people very well uh of what of what the hours are with our with our signage and I I I know there are people who who park whether it's on weekends or uh in the evening in the evening hours who think well they never charged after six o'clock for this so I don't have to I don't have to feed the meter um so I I do think that's one small area where we could do a better job and probably get greater compliance uh in terms of of collecting money uh I do think as well since the the the mayor has uh indicated that he wants a pay-go approach uh to what we suggest when we when we ask for uh restorations that that uh we share information with the with the council members and maybe you maybe you put it on the website for uh what are meter rates uh in comparable cities I know you have that information and and uh if you adopt if not you if we adopted preferential neighborhood parking on those alternatives of of one one vehicle free two vehicles free what that would generate what those both would generate in terms of revenue share that because maybe maybe that comes back into the picture yes we'll um we're working on the uh SBI the supplemental budget information and we should have that out to council and post it to the public tomorrow for the residential parking uh um next uh uh appreciate it if you would take a moment to uh talk talk about vacancies and so in the first uh uh instance we have it looks like sixty seven and a half vacancies that you have identified to fund non-budgeted positions and so can you elaborate a little bit on what that means?

Yeah um you know it's it is something we're looking to uh I would say improve upon in using fewer non budgeted positions but um at a high level it's you know you have funding for position A but for whatever reason you need position B and we're using your vacant position A to fund position B.

And generally what we try to do is clean those those can happen during the year um and we try to clean them up at at budget time but we have some more work to do because really what we want to do is align the funding with the position we don't want to have a uh vacant funded position and a filled unfunded position.

So we are working on uh on trying to clean all that up.

And can you say Pete whether in years uh past to the extent that you've been here with the city has have there been budget savings as a result of setting aside a certain number of vacancies to fund non-budgeted positions?

So there can be a little bit because you can't you can't fund your unfunded position uh and have it be more expensive than the vacancy you're using to fund it can only go the other way.

So generally uh departments match them up pretty well but there can be a bit of savings here and there.

Okay.

I mean uh again if you could give us uh uh some idea if not a precise number of order of magnitude of what what those savings might might accrue to maybe it gives us a better feel for whether there's something there that uh we can adjust in in terms of allocation of funding and staying with staying with vacancies uh I believe you identified uh 30 37 positions that were categorized as revenue generating vacancies that are categorized as gener uh revenue generating and therefore we're not considered for uh considered to be in the universe of those positions that might be reduced or eliminated is that true yeah and so the the philosophy there is like so for example a parking enforcement officer or you know a customer service rep at the revenue desk uh if we can fill that position we're we're generally going to get more money in than that position costs and so when we're looking at hey what positions do we want to reduce those are ones we don't really want to reduce because if we could fill them we'd get even more revenue for the city.

So I am just delighted that you picked parking enforcement officer for your example because if I look at table three on your vacancy supplemental information you provided us which we really appreciate we've had a a parking enforcement officer position vacant for eight years.

We've had a parking enforcement officer position vacant for eight years.

But there are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, nine that have been vacant for more than uh two thousand days.

So that's more than six years.

Uh an additional one, two, three, four, five or so, five or six uh vacant for five, four or five years.

Now I understand if we could fill those positions, they could generate more than they they cost.

But we don't seem to be filling those positions.

Well, I think one of the issues has been um when departments, so one of the reasons you might see very, very long uh term vacancies as far as number of days is departments, you know.

If I leave, uh they just use my position number to fill.

And so that can be a reflection of us not being able to fully staff up.

Um, you know, to your point, it looks like we haven't been able to fully staff up in parking enforcement in um quite a long time.

Um I know that you know the public works department may want to speak a little bit more on that specifically.

I do know they've had more success in the past uh year or so with bringing on parking enforcement officers as they've you know offered uh incentives, and I see Matt Matt coming up.

And I am welcome to hear from Matt, but it's it's just illustrative.

But yeah, yeah.

Uh good evening, uh Mayor and uh members of the council, Matt Irman, director of public works.

Yeah, you know, parking parking enforcement officers are it's a difficult job, right?

And and so as uh we hire some, you know, uh gracefully we we give them over to uh different and other departments, right?

So that's it's a constant uh you know battle to keep the officers um you know employed.

We're working with our HR division, our department right now where we've done uh different different ideas where we're keeping we're we're seeing a longer retention uh period uh for them.

Uh we're giving them five thousand dollar uh longevity bonuses, and we're also um uh paying them at the top of the scale.

And we're seeing success with that.

So I think it's really our pilot to really trying to figure out how we how we get all those positions filled, because uh we have about 26 parking enforcement officers filled at this point, and just like uh the police department, it takes about six months uh to a year to get them to be in.

There's a lot of city codes that they they need to uh learn and a lot of different streets out there.

So um so we are uh we are working on those and we are strategizing to try to keep those uh positions filled.

Well, I I I appreciate that, and I take that at face absolutely at face value.

But uh but do we do we really need to keep in in our in our budget uh uh 18 or 19 or 20 vacant parking enforcement officers, given your Herculean efforts to try to recruit and retain people, is it really reasonable to expect that that we're going to uh hire in the next year 20 parking enforcement officers.

Well, th those positions are offset by revenue, right?

But not if they're not filled.

We're in the budget for a cost, but they're not generating revenue because there's no person in the position.

That's that's really the essence of my point.

And so if you're gonna hire 10, great, they'll generate money, terrific.

But if you're not gonna hire another 10, then that's just that's just uh at say 40,000 uh or so a pop, that's 400,000.

So that's really it.

It's not it's it it it's um, yeah.

So I think uh council member, what the public works director is saying is when they're developing their budget proposal and they're developing developing their revenue estimate, uh they're assuming that uh some of these costs would be offset by revenue.

Is that accurate, Matt?

That is correct.

Yeah, yeah.

So we could take a look at uh at it, what you know what?

But they may be offset in terms of the budget, but that as in the reduction on what's available for us to spend on something else.

No, I understand what you're saying.

I think we can take a look at it and try to maybe get some um additional information that folds in some of the context.

Well, because they're revenue generating, you're really not gonna have a savings in that particular position because the way that it's technically budgeted, it's budgeted based off of revenue that it would technically bring in.

So the point there are costs in the we don't have to, we don't have to continue that.

I think I think Yeah, uh we we can talk about it.

I think what's uh the city manager and public works director are saying is hey, when I budget this position, I budget an appropriation and an offsetting revenue.

And so if I take away the appropriation, I'm not gonna get the revenue, but we can take a look at it and do some more analysis and see if we can find any savings there.

And I think it's a fair analysis to do on every revenue generating position.

So uh but most of them happen to be parking enforcement officers.

Thanks, Matt.

Uh the two other things I just wanted to mention uh quickly were uh I see that uh 260,000 dollars is proposed uh to to be uh eliminated uh from the North Sacramento economic development investment project, and that is uh certainly of uh you might expect of a particular concern.

Uh if if there's any part of the city that needs attention and resources, uh I I think it's fair to say it is North Sacramento, and so um we're making uh tremendous efforts to to try to create an environment that's attractive for for investment.

Uh every uh every resource we have to do that is important, uh, and in the same vein, uh, there's 201,000 in North Sacramento code enforcement and outreach that is also proposed to be uh eliminated.

And I would say um essentially the same uh thesis applies to the to that that funding is uh as well.

So I um understand and appreciate the the mayor's direction, um, and I will um I will come up with sources uh to to offset what I think ought to remain in.

Um you already have the things I'd like to see remain in.

So now it's I'll just come up with the money to pay for it.

And then uh finally, I will just say a word in support of some configuration of maintaining the the waiting pools.

Um we don't have a lot of we don't have a a lot of uh parks and uh facilities uh in North Sacramento.

The Robertson waiting pool is an important one among those we do we do have and appreciate all the efforts that Yip C makes to try to provide uh uh programming and facilities as well.

Um but when it when the summer weather comes, there are a lot of a lot of kids and families for that matter who who can't necessarily get to other places in the city for for what might be offered there.

So uh that's um that is uh also one on my list.

Thanks, Vice Mayor.

Thank you so much.

All right, I am the last one punched up to speak.

So I will also submit my memo to the city manager to consider uh for these proposals.

Uh one, the city clerk has a vacant deputy city clerk that I'd like to keep on on there.

Uh we have a lot of changes coming in the law with new Zoom options for people to call in, and so I want to make sure that she's fully staffed and that we can fully support our our boards and commissions.

Uh, we get a lot of complaints about our commissions not being fully staffed, so the city clerk having staffing is important to me, along with restoring the liquidate one-time funding in the city clerk automation program.

Um, I also want to make sure that our gang violence prevention dollars remain the same for this year, uh, a million dollars, make sure that they're fully funded.

It sounds like there's a lot of confusion with the grant, what it can do, what it can't do.

There's been a lot of questions about it, and I don't think it's clear enough yet.

So, for this cycle, I think it's important to fully fund it, as is with our general fund, and then next year we can figure out how we use those five million dollars that we're gonna continue to get every single year and make sure that we have a good plan in place to be able to um support our community.

Uh Natomas SRO, like Councilman McCaplan said, I never came to council for a vote, and I would really like for our schools to have SROs on campus.

That's important to me.

Uh, our parks, I consider our pools being open as violence prevention.

That means that kids are swimming.

That means that kids are together under supervision.

That means that kids are releasing their energy.

And to me, that is violence prevention.

So I want to make sure that our parks are fully our project programming is fully staffed.

Um, that and then summer at City Hall, like 130,000, such a small drop in the bucket for our budget.

Um, and I just want to make sure that our kids are fully supported.

Um, along with the mounted horses, like Councilman Plucky Baum, I agree.

I mean, I went to the um, I think you said that they're more popular than Santa Claus, or a public commenter said that.

And they are.

Um, I went to old SAC for our Christmas event that we do every year, and my two-year-old niece was just like loving the horse, went to go pet it, was so happy, and it was her highlight.

And so I just think about little Ali petting the horse, and I just I want to make sure that we keep it.

So that's one of my asks too.

And where am I gonna take this away from?

I am in support of reducing how much we spend on homelessness.

I think that this is something that the city has now been doing for the last four years.

It's something that we didn't do before.

Obviously, we still need to continue doing because it is a priority for all Sacramentans, but I think that we need to cap how much we spend on it every single year.

And we have a set amount because if we don't cap it and we don't control ourselves and our budget and what we're gonna do, we're just gonna continue spending more and more and more on it, and there's gonna be no way of exiting this, which we're not gonna exit it, but we have to control and manage how much we spend on homelessness because it's gonna wipe out our entire city of Sacramento budget.

Uh County is in charge of homelessness, human health and health and human services.

The city of Sacramento doesn't have the budget to be able to support it year after year, year after year.

We do parks, fire, code enforcement, and we gotta build a lot more affordable housing so that people that um are in our shelter programs can afford a home that they can go into.

So I am supportive of reducing some amount and leave it up to the city manager to figure out what that comfortable dollar amount would be.

Um, but I'm not supportive of fully eliminating it altogether, just a reduction because we have to start somewhere, and we can't take on this issue at the level that we are right now, and so um that's what I'm gonna be submitting on my council member proposal uh to the city manager, and that's about it.

Oh, actually, one more thing.

Um, Pete does send us quarterly reports on contracts that we have here at the city of Sacramento that are over 250,000.

So if a company or a person is getting more than 250,000, um, it goes into our quarterly contracts that get sent out to that gets sent out to us here on the mayor and council.

And when I looked at the last one, the last one I looked at was in 2025.

When you look at the contracts, it equaled about $30 million, $910,000 and $20.

30 million dollars.

But those contracts that we got, that list that we had, I think it was about 10 pages long, and that equaled 30 million dollars of contracts that we have with different third-party agencies for different reasons, and I want to make sure that as we move forward in the budget cycle, we know exactly how much we're spending in total on outside contracts, and then in buckets of like where do those contracts live?

Are they under parks?

Are they under code enforcement?

Are they under DCR?

I want to make sure that these contracts are in buckets so that we know how much we're spending.

Um, and also, I mean, kind of like the parks conversation this morning, we were gonna allocate more money towards an outside contractor to fix our parks when that money could have just gone to our parks workers and we would have had been more fully staffed.

And so I want to make sure that these quarterly reports are you know transparent, open to the public.

Um, and I mean I think they are, but I want to make sure that they live somewhere where people can see it, um, and for us to monitor as we navigate moving forward in the budget cycle.

Okay, and that's about it.

Nobody else signed up to speak.

Do you have any comments, City Manager?

Uh, I just want to thank everybody for their direction.

Um I do want to say we have to choose hard.

Um I've heard a lot of conversation.

Um, whether it's about CBOs or um whether it's about other entities.

Um we have to take care of our house first.

And right now, we're continuing to look at a structurally imbalanced budget.

And at some point we have to fix it.

I think someone said that this is our third year.

If that is how you feel, think about how the five to six thousand employees feel every year coming up here wondering or not, they're gonna have a job.

Um earlier today, we heard um conversations about strategic planning.

So it's very difficult to do strategic planning well when we don't have a structure in place and we continue to have conversations about reductions.

You don't want a city manager to spend all her time every year on how she's going to reduce the budget.

It's just ineffective and it's not good for a city.

Um we need to focus on public safety, uh, economic development, and figure out how to get yeah, out of the homeless business, continue how to build more housing and to counsel and Dickinson's point.

You know, how do we talk about prevention?

Um we have to be able to be critical thinkers up here, but right now we're very reactionary because we continue to say, how are we gonna do it?

How are we gonna do it?

What are we gonna do it with?

So at some point we have to start to do something different.

So I do look forward to your proposals, and again, I'm just gonna say that I hope you choose hard.

So yeah, thank you so much.

All right, and we have five public commenters.

Thank you.

Um Rachel Walters, Brett Yoder, Lambert, Christina Rogers, then Keon Bliss.

And just thank you to all city staff for your hard work on this.

You're appreciated.

Is Rachel here?

I don't see Rachel.

Brett Yoder.

I don't see movement.

Lambert is still here.

Following Lambert is Christina Rogers, then Keon Bliss.

Um very proud of you, uh, city manager.

Very proud of you, Mr.

Dickison and the millennial uh tonight.

Your questions were right on cue.

There has not been if if there had been an approach to finance like you're talking about tonight, you wouldn't be in the deficit you're in.

I personally, and I have challenged when Mr.

Chan was here, I challenged him, and all the rest of them.

I said something's wrong, and now we're gonna find out.

See, they're gonna cut the people who've been working and clocking in and clocking out.

Whereas at me personally, I think that some people who were over the budget, who are who were always over the budget, they should be dealt with.

I've even said some of them should be fired, brought up on criminal charges and put in prison.

There's a guy getting ready to go to prison that used to sit up on this rostrum.

And I remember when he won that seat as a native, I wondered what was going on here, and then we found out.

And then recently he uh he played guilty to stealing over a million dollars in COVID money, and he gave it to his family through wire transfers.

See, you can track anybody, include myself.

I can be tracked.

I I welcome being tracked though, but the people who got us in this deficit, they're still on the payroll.

They should be investigated.

Christina Rogers.

I don't see Christina.

Keon Bliss will be our final speaker this evening.

Here we are.

And uh got a lot of data to really process and go through.

Uh I think there are some uh promising areas in which uh I heard some I'm looking forward to seeing what uh comes out of this memo.

Um I can tell you that there are a number of different uh programs already uh that could be saved, that we don't actually have to make as many layoffs as we're talking about doing if we actually did what uh council member Dickinson suggested, which was looking into all those vacancies that have been more not just two thousand days over, but also one thousand days, one year like over one year or longer, which most of them tend to sit in the police department.

But uh there's a lot that's gonna be coming up.

Uh I just keep I can't help but notice how a lot of the pro-police crowd tends to come out uh these days talking about how crime is just such a rampant issue, despite the fact that across the board, the vast majority of uh of crime it continues to go down overall.

Um, but one of the things I noted uh particularly that is missing from these documents is showing the level of overtime uh that uh is currently being spent by uh both the uh police department uh but also other departments, uh particularly the fire department, given that uh there is currently an audit going on.

Uh that uh is currently being spent by uh both the uh police department uh but also other departments, uh particularly the fire department.

Given that uh there is currently an audit going on, I think that'd be relevant information for not just you all, but members of the public to actually see.

Um, especially given that uh according to the breakdown of calls, um, almost half of those calls don't even are non-emergency calls, meaning that they don't even require uh a law enforcement response to them.

I think that's important to be considering as we're looking at some of these.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete, Marina.

Council comments, ideas, questions, and A B one, two, three reports.

So, council comments, ideas, questions, and A B one, two, three reports.

Council Mary Maple.

Just want to give a quick shout out to my youth commissioner who's been sitting in the audience this entire time.

Thank you, Owen.

You're the best.

Oh, okay.

We appreciate you.

That's the future, y'all.

Yes, he's amazing.

Wow.

That's all.

One more.

Yes.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 6th is National Bike School Day.

So I'm gonna be biking with my kids to school tomorrow.

That's okay.

May's bike month.

And remember, May's bike month.

Yeah.