Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Meeting – September 27, 2024
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Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Meeting – September 27, 2024
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors convened on September 27, 2024, for a regular meeting. The board addressed a consent calendar, public comments, multiple presentations, and several policy items. Key discussions included a development review process improvement update, a conditional use permit for a liquor store, a new pilot program for affordable housing fee offsets, and the biannual report on the city-county homeless partnership. The board took unanimous votes on most items, with notable actions including denial of a liquor license PCN and approval of a three-year affordable housing fee offset pilot.
Consent Calendar
- Items 2–42 and addendum: Approved unanimously. The chair noted specific announcements for items 7, 16, 26, and 33, including ordinance introductions and fee updates. Supervisor Cerna added comments on item 4 (reallocation of $250,000 ARPA funds to Downtown Sacramento Partnership).
- Item 45 (Sheriff Activity League award): Continued to October 22, 2024.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Off-agenda comments (22 speakers): Several speakers affiliated with "We the People" and "New California State" addressed constitutional and procedural concerns. Topics included the overturning of the Chevron doctrine (Looper Bright vs. Commerce), due process, election integrity, criticism of mail-in voting, voting machine costs, a grand jury report on supervisor pay raises (critiquing a 36% raise approved in 2023), and crime statistics (e.g., 600% increase in human trafficking cases since 2018, 1 in 25 chance of crime victimization). Multiple speakers urged paper ballots, one-day voting, and voter ID.
- Item 48 (Development review): Chris Norm of North State BIA and Larry Gualco from Lennar Homes expressed strong support for the county's process improvements, noting culture change and collaboration.
- Item 49 (Sactown Liquor PCN): Anil Khan of La Riviera Market opposed the license, citing six existing liquor stores within a mile and a Johns Hopkins study linking liquor store density to crime. Ian Fourner (commercial broker) supported the applicant, stating the site has been vacant for two years and the applicant's family has successfully managed other locations.
- Item 50 (Affordable housing fee offset): Multiple affordable housing developers (Sacramento Housing Alliance, Mercy Housing, USA Properties, Jamboree Housing) testified in favor of Option A (100% affordable up to 80% AMI) and cautioned against using Housing Trust Fund/Affordable Housing Ordinance funds for the pilot, citing potential negative impacts on tax credit equity and state grant matching.
Discussion Items
- Item 43 – Employee Giving Campaign: Matt Sato (Water Resources) presented the 2024 campaign theme "Growing Together and Giving Back" with a goal of raising $200,000 in October.
- Item 44 – Commission on the Status of Women and Girls: The commission presented the "How Are the Women and Girls of Sacramento County?" data project. Key findings: 800,000 women and girls in the county; 23% foreign-born; women earn $16,869 less than men on average across top employment sectors; 1 in 4 child care spaces needed; 13% of women/girls live below federal poverty level; 57% of homeless women are sheltered; women are twice as likely to be killed by someone they know. The commission requested board support for a digital resource hub and proposed a chair emeritus bylaw change. Supervisor Cerna praised the commission's use of grant funding.
- Item 46 – Fire Safe Council Grant Update: Mary Jo Flynn Nevins (Emergency Services) reported on two state grants received since 2021. Three fire safe councils are active. 937 acres of fuel reduction planned in Rancho Marietta. Next steps include seeking additional grant funding.
- Item 47 – CSA 10 Benefit Zone Public Hearing: Don Pimentel (County Engineering) presented a proposal to establish a service charge of $131.54 per single-family lot for new subdivisions (Oxform – 95 lots, Murphy – 170 lots). Notices mailed August 9; all returned ballots (100%) were in favor. The board unanimously approved the charges.
- Item 48 – Development Review Process Improvements: Dave DeFonte (Deputy County Executive) and multiple staff provided a six-month update. Highlights included: shelf-ready ADU plans (four models, 460–1,184 sq. ft.) available since June; Water Resources capped development fees at $200,000 at plan approval; Transportation entered into on-call design contracts to deliver projects for developers (e.g., $11 million for 2,000+ units in North Vineyard Station); a "Process Pros" team is mapping development processes with plans to present findings in early 2025; a major upgrade to the Accela permitting system (cloud migration) began June 2024, expected to improve transparency and automation. Supervisor Cerna requested metrics comparing the county to other jurisdictions and suggested more public outreach about successes.
- Item 49 – Sactown Liquor PCN: Todd Smith (Planning) explained that a letter of public convenience or necessity (PCN) is required because the site is in a high-crime district (Folsom Estates). The census tract already has one alcohol outlet; adding one would not exceed concentration limits. The sheriff's office recommended conditions not enforceable by the county. Supervisor Desmond moved to deny, noting the apparent overconcentration and lack of community benefit. The board voted unanimously to deny the PCN.
- Item 50 – Pilot Development Impact Fee Offset Program: Claudia Wade (Community Development) presented two options for a three-year pilot: Option A (100% affordable up to 80% AMI) and Option B (mixed income up to 120% AMI). Staff recommended Option A but noted concerns about using Housing Trust Fund/Affordable Housing Ordinance funds for tax credit projects. After public testimony and board discussion, Supervisor Kennedy moved to approve Option A with a one-year report-back and a commitment to return before year-end if general fund dollars near exhaustion and to reconsider use of the other funds based on tax credit impacts. The motion passed unanimously.
- Item 51 – Homeless Partnership Agreement Biannual Update: Emily Halkin (Homeless Services) and Tim Lutz (Behavioral Health) reported on 18-month achievements under the city-county partnership. All benchmarks met: 25 outreach staff, 12 county behavioral health workers (2 more than required), over 2,200 people engaged in city of Sacramento Jan–June 2024, 43,000 service touches. Behavioral health data showed 1,129 referrals system-wide with 800 linked to services (33% to substance use residential, 27.5% to FSP). Shelter-based HART teams showed higher engagement rates than street teams. The board discussed the upcoming SB 43 implementation and the need to measure long-term self-sufficiency.
- Item 52 – Stockton Boulevard Complete Streets Project: Cameron Shu (Transportation) presented a feasibility study for a Class IV bikeway between Florin Road and Mack Road. Alternative 1 (one-way protected bike lanes on each side) was recommended by advisory committees and staff. The project also includes a General Plan amendment reclassifying Stockton Boulevard from a six-lane thoroughfare to a smart growth street. The board approved the recommendation and directed staff to begin the CEQA and amendment process. Chair Kennedy and Supervisor Cerna expressed concerns about using plastic bollards (as seen in downtown/midtown) and emphasized the need for design quality and coordination with the city.
- Items 53–54: Items 53 (Housing Choice Voucher update) and 54 (multiple advisory committee nominations) were continued to later dates.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- Fire Safe Council Grant: Approved (informational presentation accepted).
- CSA 10 Service Charge: Approved unanimously (zero opposition).
- Development Review Update: Received and filed; board praised progress.
- Sactown Liquor PCN (Item 49): Denied unanimously.
- Affordable Housing Fee Offset Pilot (Item 50): Approved Option A (100% affordable up to 80% AMI) with a motion to return within one year for a report and earlier if general fund dollars are nearly exhausted. Funds: up to $5 million from general fund plus up to $5 million from Housing Trust Fund/Affordable Housing Ordinance, with general fund used first. Staff directed to return before year-end to discuss potential negative impacts on tax credits.
- Homeless Partnership Update: Received and filed.
- Stockton Boulevard Complete Streets (Item 52): Approved Alternative 1, directed staff to pursue General Plan amendment and environmental review.
- Appointments and Continuances: Several nominations continued to October 8, 22, or November 5 as noted.
- Closed Session: No report out.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. Welcome to the Tuesday, September 24th, 2024 meeting of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Would the clerk please call the roll? Yes, uh, good morning, Supervisor Cerna. Here. Desmond Frost Gear Kennedy. Here. And you have a quorum. This meeting of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is live and recorded with closed captioning. It is cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel, on the Comcast and Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems. It is also live streamed at Metro14Live.SatCounty.gov and can be heard on KUVU Radio 96.5 FM. Today's meeting replays Friday, September 27th at 6 p.m. on Metro Cable 14. Once posted, the recording of this meeting can be viewed on demand at YouTube.com forward slash Metro Cable 14. The Board of Supervisors fosters public engagement during the meeting and encourages public participation, civility, and use of courteous language. The Board does not condone the use of profanity, vulgar language, gestures, or other inappropriate behavior, including personal attacks or threats directed towards any meeting participant. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Each speaker will be given two minutes to make a public comment and are limited to making one comment per agenda or off agenda item. Please be mindful of the public comment procedures to avoid being interrupted while making your comment. Comments made by the public during the Board of Supervisors meetings may include information that could be inaccurate or misleading, particularly concerning topics related to public health, photo registrations, and elections. The County of Sacramento does not endorse or validate the accuracy of public statements made during these open public forums. The recordings are shared to provide transparency and access to proceedings of public meetings. To make a comment in person, please fill out a speaker request form and hand it to clerk staff. The chairperson will open public comments for each agenda or off agenda item and direct the clerk to call the name of each speaker. When the clerk calls your name, please come to the podium and make your comment. If a speaker is unavailable to make a comment prior to the closing of public comments, the speaker waves their request to speak and the clerk will file the speaker request form in the record. The clerk will manage the timer and allow each speaker two minutes to make a comment. You may send written comments by email to board clerk at SATCounty.gov and your comments will be routed to the board and filed in the record. If you need an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act or for medical or other reasons, please see clerk staff for assistance or contact the clerk's office at 916-8745451 or by email at Board Clerk at SACCounty.gov. Thank you in advance for your courtesy and understanding of the meeting procedures. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I think it is the duty of every board chair to add two sentences to every one of your announcements. I haven't done that yet, so uh just so we can get longer, that would be fantastic. Would you please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? First item, please. Hey, your first item or uh off agenda comments, and we currently have 22 signed up to speak. I'm gonna put up their names. If we could have Sandy, please come to the podium. Seeing as that we have 22 speakers, I would ask um respectfully if uh the speakers would keep an eye on the list that's to my right and to my left, and uh be prepared uh for to come up as soon as the speaker before you is finished. And the sheriff. Okay. Please proceed. Good morning, Board of Supervisors. Good morning, uh Chair Kennedy. Thank you so much for giving us his time to speak with you. Thank you for being public servants of the people for having taken your oaths to uphold and defend our constitutions, both the state and federal. We are coming to you this morning in peace, as we the people, to give you notice and instruction so that you and your agents may provide due care. This notice of recognition of abused power and nullified actions is being given to you as our elected representatives, and serves to inform you of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, Looper Bright versus Department of Commerce, which held Chevron Doctrine is overruled. The people are aware that no government official from the lowest level to that of President of the United States has immunity for acts that are not covered by an express grant of power in the state and federal constitutions.
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