Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Meeting Summary — October 14, 2026

On 2026-10-14, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors met for a full-day session that included recognitions, off-agenda public comment, the consent calendar, administrative items, a crop and livestock report, a detailed affordable housing ordinance workshop, and appointments. The board adjourned to closed session at 11:05 a.m., resumed in the afternoon, and adjourned at 4:40 p.m. in honor of Brother Dan Morgan. Note: the transcribed roll call references Tuesday, October 6th, but the date specified for this summary is October 14, 2026.

Consent Calendar

• Approved consent calendar items 5 through 30 by a 5-0 vote with all members present.
• Supervisor questions on item 19, a $219 payment to Wilson Dental Lab Inc. for adult correctional health dental services, prompted staff to explain that the payment was retroactive and the Finance Department lacks authority to approve retroactive payments without board action. Staff said they would review the guidelines.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Off-agenda speakers addressed the fatal police shooting of a man in Carmichael. Fago said video showed the man trying to comply and no gun on him, and demanded justice. Paul Pierce, an El Camino High School alumnus, called for crisis-intervention training and said police violence is endemic. Kevin Boltz criticized police training and questioned the Sheriff Department’s spending on taser-related equipment. County counsel later clarified that profanity is allowed unless it becomes disruptive.
• Mark Graham, an Elk Grove resident, demanded the board commit that day to a thorough investigation of the shooting, saying failure to do so would mean the board failed to do its job. He also pressed the county to oppose HR 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act of 2025.
• Deputy County Executive Eric Jones responded by describing the layers of review: the Sheriff’s internal administrative shooting review, the District Attorney’s criminal review, the independent Inspector General review, and the Sheriff’s Community Review Commission review of policies and procedures. The chair reminded speakers of Brown Act limits on board discussion of public comments.

Recognitions and Presentations

• Annette Bezwar of Sacramento County Animal Care Services presented Theo, a six-month-old mixed-breed puppy available for adoption. Adoption includes spaying/neutering, vaccinations, and microchipping for less than $150. The shelter is at 3839 Bradshaw Road and open at noon.
• The board adopted a resolution recognizing the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce during Hispanic Heritage Month. The chamber was established in 1972 and has served the region for more than 50 years. Chamber representative Kathy said there are approximately 600,000 Hispanic residents in the greater Sacramento region and highlighted programs such as Emprende Sacramento. Supervisor Rodriguez noted that California’s Latino community is about 40 percent of the state, and Supervisor Cerna was recognized for his final year on the board.
• The board also recognized Hispanic Heritage Month with Maria Harrington of the Mexican Cultural Center of Northern California. She said one in four Sacramento County residents is Latino and described programs including Dia de la Bandera, Steps to College with 1,500 students and 60 universities, and at least $10,000 in annual scholarships.

Item 31 — Tobacco Securitization Corporation Annual Meeting

• The board, acting as the Sacramento County Tobacco Securitization Corporation, approved prior meeting minutes, adopted the fiscal year 2026-27 budget, and received the fiscal year 2025-26 audited financial report. Colin Bettis, county debt officer, said there were no significant budget changes. The item passed 6-0, including board member Betty Williams participating by Zoom.

Item 32 — Technology Disruption Policy Amendment

• Board Clerk Todd Sturmer presented an amendment allowing meetings to resume immediately when remote access is restored instead of waiting the full one-hour Brown Act disruption period. He cited an August 25 meeting where 18 people were in chambers and two were online. The amendment passed 5-0.

Item 33 — Legislative Advocacy Policy and Governance Protocol Workshop

• Governmental Relations Officer Alicia De Bord presented options for how board members are selected for legislative advocacy. Chair Rodriguez cited a recent SB 802 advocacy matter where staff went to two supervisors other than the chair and vice chair even though all five board members shared a position; she favored a protocol, including all five supervisors signing when the board has a unified position.
• Supervisors Kennedy, Desmond, and Cerna opposed a written policy, favoring the current practice of relying on staff strategy, district lines, relationships, and expertise. Supervisor Cerna also raised First Amendment concerns. The consensus was to retain the status quo rather than adopt a new policy.
• During public comment, Mark Graham again urged the county to oppose HR 2289 and referenced the county’s legislative platform language supporting local home rule and opposing preemption. He criticized staff’s response that the county was monitoring the bill through NACo.

Item 34 — 2025 Crop and Livestock Report

• Agricultural Commissioner Chris Flores presented the 2025 report. Gross production value was approximately $550.3 million, up 3 percent from the prior year. Wine grapes remained the top commodity at about $164 million, followed by processing tomatoes at $52.4 million and market milk.
• Wine grape values have declined nearly 20 percent since 2023. Flores also warned about the glassy-winged sharpshooter, an invasive vector of Pierce’s disease, with more than 523 grape-growing properties and over 37,000 acres at risk in Sacramento County and two current infestations in Folsom and South Sacramento.
• A new economic analysis by Agricultural Impact Associates estimated agriculture’s total county contribution at about $1.2 billion for 2024. The transcribed breakdown was $536 million in farm production, $296 million in local processing, and $36 million in multiplier effects; the components as transcribed do not sum to the stated total, so the multiplier figure may be incomplete. Agriculture supports about 7,000 full-time-equivalent jobs. The economic diversification index was 0.53 and has remained stable since 2016.
• The board received and filed the report. Supervisor Hume asked about solar-conversion farmland and whether its economic value appears in the crop report; staff said it does not. Supervisor Cerna noted this was his final crop report and thanked the department.

Item 35 — Affordable Housing Ordinance Workshop

• Senior Planner Jacob Daw facilitated the workshop. The county’s current affordable housing ordinance (AHO) is a housing impact fee on new market-rate development, set at $2.50 per square foot in 2014 and now $3.91 per square foot. It replaced the 2004 mandatory inclusionary ordinance. The housing element directed the county to evaluate the AHO and specifically to modify the owner-builder exemption.
• Staff evaluation for 2014 through 2024 found AHO-funded projects produced approximately 520 affordable units under the preferred metric, short of the unwritten 10 percent production expectation. AHO funds represented about 9 percent of affordable project funding on average, and combined with other SHRA funds about 25 percent. The average public subsidy per affordable unit was about $50,000 in 2014 and has more than doubled to about $102,000.
• Feasibility modeling tested three prototypes in three market areas. Market-rate multifamily rental was infeasible in all modeled scenarios, and large single-family development was broadly infeasible in several market areas. For-sale feasibility used an 8 percent net profit target; rental feasibility used a 6.75 percent return on cost.
• Public testimony on the AHO included:
  • Mike Jaskey of Sacramento ACT said the county cannot achieve its affordable-housing policy goals through a fee on new construction alone and recommended a unified affordable-housing program with regular public reporting.
  • Rick Eaton of Sacramento ACT recommended a 9 or 10 percent production goal, a tiered per-unit fee to encourage smaller homes, and major changes to the owner-builder exemption.
  • Chris Noram of North State BIA urged keeping the fee at $3.91, said total fee load is about $110,000 per unit, that about 15 percent of households can afford a new home, and that every additional $1,000 in fees knocks roughly 10,000 to 11,000 people out of the market. He opposed mandatory inclusionary housing and a 50-50 land-dedication split.
  • Julio Lamas of the Sacramento Housing Alliance noted more than 50,000 low-income renter households lack affordable homes and recommended a 10 to 15 percent production goal, fee alignment with average public subsidy, inclusionary or strategic fees in high-resource areas, and prioritizing extremely low-, very low-, and low-income households.
  • Michael Turgeon of House Sacramento opposed raising fees specifically on infill projects and suggested revenue-neutral approaches that support infill development.
• Board direction from the workshop, captured by Planning Director Todd Smith, included: no increase to the current fee; no alignment of annual fee adjustments to average public subsidy; no inclusionary housing requirement; no mandatory 50-50 land-dedication split but openness to exploring prospective land-dedication mechanisms; no expansion of for-sale subsidies to moderate-income households; and modification of the owner-builder exemption using a 3,000-square-foot cap, a five-year residency/lien requirement, and a nominal processing fee. Supervisor Hume initially suggested a 4,000-square-foot cap, while Supervisor Kennedy proposed 3,000 square feet, which gained consensus. The board also asked staff to inventory other county-controlled fees and costs that affect total housing production costs.
• No formal ordinance amendment was approved; staff will use the direction to prepare a residential nexus study and return with a formal amendment next year.

Item 36 — CSAC and Urban Counties of California Appointments

• The board noted the name change from Urban Counties Caucus to Urban Counties of California. Motions passed 5-0, with Supervisor Desmond continuing as the CSAC representative and Supervisor Hume serving as the Urban Counties of California representative; alternates were also confirmed.

County Executive Comments and Supervisor Comments

• County Executive staff announced a drought-tolerant demonstration project on the South plaza, with turf being removed and completion expected by the end of the year.
• Supervisor Hume requested that a future agenda item be brought back for the county to take a formal opposed position on HR 2289; the chair said she would look into it.
• Supervisor Cerna asked staff to return with a plan to sustain the Black Child Legacy Campaign beyond its current multi-year budget commitment. Councilmember Eric Guerra, also vice chair of the First 5 Commission, spoke in support of a multi-agency sustainability strategy.
• The chair congratulated Orangevale Dairy Queen on 40 years in business, recognizing Joe and Cynthia Ellering.
• Supervisor Cerna memorialized Brother Dan Morgan, FSC, president of LaSalle High School in Yakima, Washington, who passed away September 26. Brother Dan served at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento and was remembered for his quiet dedication. The board adjourned in his honor at 4:40 p.m.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved 5-0.
• Tobacco Securitization Corporation items approved 6-0.
• Technology disruption policy amendment approved 5-0.
• Legislative advocacy workshop ended with consensus to retain the status quo and no written policy.
• 2025 Crop and Livestock report received and filed.
• Affordable housing ordinance workshop produced non-binding staff direction: keep the fee at $3.91, do not pursue inclusionary housing, explore land-dedication options, modify the owner-builder exemption with a 3,000-square-foot cap and five-year residency requirement, and do not expand moderate-income for-sale subsidies.
• CSAC/UCC appointments approved 5-0.
• Referred for future action: formal opposition to HR 2289 and a Black Child Legacy Campaign sustainability plan.
• Meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m. in honor of Brother Dan Morgan.