Sacramento Disabilities Advisory Commission Meeting Summary - September 2, 2026

On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., the Sacramento Disabilities Advisory Commission met at City Hall Complex, 915 I Street, Sacramento, CA. Chair Sylvia Kramer presided, and the commission had a quorum. The commission approved consent items, reviewed two major corridor improvement projects, and began Tim Haley Award nominations. No members of the public spoke during the agenda items. The provided source contained no official meeting minutes; this summary relies on the agenda and transcript.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of August 5, 2026 Meeting Minutes (File ID 2026-00082): Motion by Vice Chair Ellis, seconded by Commissioner Barnbaum; the motion was amended to approve only the minutes. Approved unanimously.
• Disabilities Advisory Commission Follow-Up Log (File ID 2026-00217): Commissioner Greenbaum requested more specific updates on roughly six items still listed as "scheduled for 2026." Staff responded that some presentations had been difficult to schedule due to staff resources and that unfinished items would roll into 2027. Motion by Commissioner Greenbaum, seconded by Vice Chair Ellis. Approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public speakers were registered for the consent calendar, the Fruitridge Road Improvements Project, or the Franklin Boulevard Complete Streets Phase 3 project.
• No public comments were made under matters not on the agenda.

Discussion Items

Fruitridge Road Improvements Project (File ID 2026-01573)

• Stephanie Saiz, Assistant Civil Engineer, presented. Phase 1 runs from 65th Street Expressway to Power Inn Road and includes Union Pacific Railroad crossing bike/pedestrian improvements; Phase 2 runs from 65th Street Expressway to Stockton Boulevard.
• The project began as a 2014 rehabilitation/widening effort, was found infeasible due to setbacks and power lines, and later evolved into a complete-streets project. Phase 1 was initiated in 2022, and Phase 2 was added in 2024 to address a gap between the county project and Phase 1.
• Existing conditions include deteriorated pavement, signals dating back as far as 1957, missing or narrow bike lanes, 40 mph vehicle speeds, speeding issues, and Fruitridge Road being on the Vision Zero High Injury Network. Earl Warren Elementary School was in the top 20 of the Vision Zero School Safety Study, with 64 collisions noted.
• Proposed improvements include lane reductions from four lanes to two lanes plus a center turn lane; buffered or separated bike lanes with vertical protection where feasible; four rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) with refuge islands; curb extensions; nine signal upgrades including accessible pedestrian signals; bus stop accessibility improvements; sidewalk widening at pinch points; and pavement rehabilitation.
• Outreach in 2023 and 2025 found that people walking and biking felt less safe than drivers. Community feedback led to adding vertical protection to bike lanes.
• Timeline and cost: Phase 1 design is expected to begin around November 2026; Phase 2 around March 2027. Design completion is expected in summer 2028 for Phase 1 and spring 2029 for Phase 2. Construction depends on grant funding and railroad coordination, with Phase 2 construction expected to start around summer 2029. Total construction cost is approximately $17 million.
• Chair Kramer asked about traffic congestion near St. Mary's Cemetery and Bel Air, especially semi-truck access. Staff said traffic analysis found an acceptable level of service and that turning analysis considered large vehicles.
• Commissioner Barnbaum asked whether a quick-build approach could be used and expressed support for quick-build; staff said no quick-build is currently programmed, but a school-area traffic investigation is underway and an answer is expected in about a month. Commissioner Barnbaum also discussed the "Fruitridge Finger," an unincorporated county segment of Fruitridge Road, calling it a politically sensitive topic for the next county supervisor.
• Commissioner Pullen asked about accessible temporary pedestrian routes and bus stops during construction. Staff said updated city work-zone standards require active transportation access to be maintained. Commissioner Pullen also suggested Public Works invest in tactile or 3D models to explain construction concepts to people with low vision, cognitive disabilities, or other accessibility needs.
• Commissioner Guerrero asked whether bus stop signs could be made larger; staff said they would need to coordinate with Sacramento Regional Transit (RT). She also asked whether the road diet would worsen traffic; staff cited feasibility and traffic analysis and noted that four lanes would be retained approaching major intersections.
• Commissioner Patel raised safety for students and families during construction, and future e-bike and e-scooter safety on new infrastructure. Staff said construction would be phased and coordinated with schools; e-bikes were acknowledged as a new variable not yet accounted for in the design.
• Vice Chair Ellis said road diets have been safety improvements on J Street, Q/P, and Franklin Boulevard, and supported separated lanes. He suggested applying lessons learned from the Franklin Boulevard project.

Franklin Boulevard Complete Streets Phase 3 (File ID 2026-01574)

• Kelli Lacy, Assistant Civil Engineer, presented a status update. Phase 3 runs from 41st Avenue to Fruitridge Road and is the southernmost, final phase of the Franklin Boulevard Complete Streets Project.
• The project originated from a community-driven "Franklin Plan" developed more than a decade ago; the design plan shown dates from October 2016. Phases 1 and 2 were combined and constructed, delivering sidewalks, ADA-compliant curb ramps, separated Class IV bike lanes, signal improvements, lane reductions, pavement rehabilitation, and landscaping.
• Current conditions include four travel lanes, discontinuous bike lanes and sidewalks, long pedestrian crossings, few trees, shared city/county jurisdiction, and approximately 19,000 vehicles per day.
• At 60% design, proposed improvements include an additional crosswalk and pedestrian islands at 38th and Franklin; a new sidewalk on northbound Franklin near St. Rose Catholic Church; striped crosswalks at 32nd, 34th, 35th, and 37th Avenues; signal coordination at 36th Avenue with Luke's Traffic Signal Safety Project; three crosswalks and an RRFB on a mast arm at 33rd and Franklin; Class IV separated bike lanes with green conflict markings; a lane reduction; pavement rehabilitation; trees and landscaping; and signal improvements including audible signals and bike detection.
• Schedule and cost: preliminary engineering finished in February 2025; design is expected to complete around January/February 2027, with utility relocations and right-of-way identified as the largest schedule risk. Construction is expected from fall 2027 to fall 2028. The current construction estimate is $16 million.
• Chair Kramer asked whether bus stops would receive shelters and seating; Lacy said no. Kramer also asked whether the 36th Avenue crossing would have flashing and audio cues; Lacy said yes.
• Commissioner Barnbaum asked about RT Route 67 and heat-resilient bus shelters; Lacy said she would check with the previous project manager. Barnbaum later provided RT contacts: Robert Hendricks for bus stop sign questions and Sarah Poe for heat-resilient shelter design, and noted the SACRT Mobility Advisory Council.
• Commissioner Barnbaum expressed concern that quick-build options were not considered for either corridor project. Staff responded that quick-build is not suitable for these major projects because of utility relocations, right-of-way, encroachment permits, ADA upgrade requirements, and grant-funding constraints. Commissioner Pullen opposed quick-build approaches in accessibility contexts, saying quick-build or maintenance can create ADA loopholes and that full legal compliance is necessary. Vice Chair Ellis said quick-build and complete streets serve different purposes and should not be conflated.
• Commissioner Kaur asked about cumulative traffic disruption from the Franklin and Fruitridge projects. Staff said the traffic control analysis did not extend that far across both corridors.
• Commissioner Guerrero shared that her brother had been in an accident on Franklin Boulevard and expressed support for the proposed signals and crosswalks.
• No public speakers appeared for this item.

Tim Haley Award Nominations (File ID 2026-01572)

• Jesse Gothan explained that the commission would discuss potential nominees, vote in October, and hold an award ceremony in November. Each commissioner was asked to limit nominations to one person, though commissioners could choose not to nominate.
• Commissioner Pullen nominated Gene Lozano, seconded by Commissioner Greenbaum, citing his decades of disability advocacy, including work at Sacramento State, campus wayfinding lines, service on county and state commissions, and lobbying that led to California Building Code tactile bathroom signs.
• Commissioner Greenbaum nominated Evelyn Abu Hasen, citing her years of work with Disability Rights California, co-founding a disability-focused bar association for disabled legal professionals, and advocacy for state employees with disabilities.
• Commissioner Kaur nominated Adi Devupray, a former Sacramento Youth Commissioner and founding youth member of a Natomas soccer program who helped kids using wheelchairs and neurodivergent children participate; Devupray is now a dental student working on special-needs dental care.
• Commissioner Patel nominated Lorraine Lomelino, deputy director of development for the Sacramento Best Buddies chapter, whose work has expanded the chapter's programs, fundraisers, friendship walks, and jobs program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Commissioner Barnbaum nominated Jeff Thom and W. Charles Johnson, chair and vice chair of the SACRT Mobility Advisory Council, for advancing transportation and mobility options for people with disabilities. Asked to limit to one, Barnbaum initially selected Jeff Thom for this year; the commission later included W. Charles Johnson as well.

Staff Report & Commissioner Comments

• There was no formal staff report. Jesse Gothan reported that he encountered Commissioner Barnbaum during a SACRT bus bridge, which Barnbaum said was seamless. Gothan also announced a planned bus bridge from September 11-30 between City College and Florin stations.
• Commissioner Guerrero asked about future discussions on e-scooters and micromobility. Staff said the Public Works mobility and sustainability division is developing a provider policy and has agreed to present it to the commission for input.
• Commissioner Pullen encouraged commissioners to engage individually with city staff, council members, and other bodies, noting she had personally spoken to the Race and Equity Committee about disability being absent from the equity work plan.
• Commissioner Patel asked whether large new developments such as the railyards area would come to the commission for accessibility review. Staff said the area went through extensive prior review and is subject to current accessibility code, and offered to contact project manager Marcus Gonzalez for a future update.
• Commissioner Pullen requested a future action item to develop a formal position to the Planning and Design Commission about accessibility in designs considered by that body. The City Attorney representative confirmed that the Planning and Design Commission has land-use approval authority, and staff offered to explore engagement with Community Development Department planning staff.
• Commissioner Barnbaum provided SACRT updates, including the expected Green Line reopening, the 7th and Rail Yards Boulevard station, the Township 9 station, the new Dos Rios light rail station, the Watt/I-80 Transit Center, and the planned Rapid Link bus service to Roseville and Lincoln.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the August 5, 2026 meeting minutes and the Follow-Up Log by unanimous votes.
• Received and commented on the Fruitridge Road Improvements Project and Franklin Boulevard Complete Streets Phase 3; no formal motions were made on the projects themselves.
• Set a slate of Tim Haley Award nominees: Gene Lozano, Evelyn Abu Hasen, Adi Devupray, Lorraine Lomelino, Jeff Thom, and W. Charles Johnson. The commission will vote in October and hold a ceremony in November; staff requested short biographies from nominating commissioners.
• Voted unanimously to continue the meeting past two hours.
• Staff agreed to follow up on: 2026 follow-up log items; a micromobility policy presentation; RT coordination on Franklin bus stops and shelters; a possible Planning and Design Commission engagement; and a railyards accessibility update.
• The meeting adjourned after commissioner comments.