Sacramento LAFCO Meeting - July 2, 2024
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Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission Meeting - July 2, 2024
The Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) met on July 2, 2024, at 5:31 PM to consider consent items, receive public comment on the Airport South Industrial Project draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and handle nominations for the CalAFCO achievement awards and board of directors. The meeting included a public hearing on the draft EIR, with no action taken. The commission also received an off-agenda public comment regarding cemetery municipal service reviews and discussed upcoming MSR priorities.
Consent Calendar
- Items 2 through 4 were approved unanimously by all commissioners present (Commissioners Frost, Jones, Carter, Little, Kaplan, Walton, and Chair Desmond).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Off-Agenda Comment: Mark Velasquez (the "cemetery guy") expressed disappointment that the cemetery municipal service review (MSR) was not on the agenda. He requested the executive director advise on what is needed to get the cemetery MSR moving forward, including potential approvals from the city or county boards.
- Public Hearing on Draft EIR (Item 5): 29 public commenters were registered; 17 written comments were received. Commenters overwhelmingly opposed the Airport South Industrial Project. Key points from speakers:
- Harriet Steiner (Heritage Park resident) argued the project is inconsistent with LAFCO’s policies against sprawl and agricultural conservation, and criticized inadequate traffic analysis beyond I-5 on Elkhorn.
- Dana Schwartz (Heritage Park) opposed the project due to proximity to schools, residential areas, and the Pacific Flyway, citing increased traffic, pollution, and urban sprawl.
- Chris Baranti (Heritage Park) emphasized the importance of the Pacific Flyway and the project's harm to wildlife, air quality, and quality of life.
- Susan Wilson (Heritage Park) opposed the project, citing loss of habitat for birds and increased traffic congestion.
- Pam Harder (Heritage Park) noted vacant warehouses in Metro Air Park, concerns about floodplain paving, and traffic and pollution impacts.
- Heather Fargo (former Sacramento mayor, ECOS board) opposed the project, stating it has significant unavoidable impacts, is growth-inducing, and would set a precedent for other large projects (8,200 acres total). She urged the commission to reject the sphere of influence amendment.
- Susan Hari (ECOS president) asked the commission to uphold the 1993 urban services boundary and the 1997 Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan, noting the project conflicts with these commitments.
- A resident (20-year West Lake resident) opposed the project due to light pollution, noise, air pollution near schools, and loss of wildlife.
- Judith (a lecturer) urged commissioners to read the 600-page EIR carefully and questioned why the landowner came to LAFCO instead of the city’s general plan process.
- Jim Pachel (Friends of the Swenson’s Hawk) highlighted the risk of waterfowl collisions with aircraft due to proposed detention basins near the airport runway, calling the location unsafe.
- Giovanni Adelini (Carpenters Local 46 field rep) expressed support for the project, noting it would provide jobs for local workers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing workers to work closer to home.
Discussion Items
- Item 6: CalAFCO Achievement Awards: Executive Director Jose Henriquez presented the opportunity to nominate individuals or organizations. Commissioner Kaplan nominated SAC Sewer for their reorganization last year. The motion was made and seconded, and the commission unanimously approved the nomination.
- Item 7: CalAFCO Board of Directors: Commissioner Jones was nominated and seconded to be the candidate for the special district representative seat. The commission unanimously approved the nomination and designated Commissioner Jones as the voting delegate at the CalAFCO conference.
- Executive Director’s Report: Henriquez reported that the Grand Jury issued a report on Florin County Water District, recommending LAFCO undertake an MSR. This will be brought back in August. He also announced an open house for Del Paso Manor Water District residents on July 16, 2024, at El Camino Fundamental High School from 6-7:30 PM to explain the dissolution process and next steps.
- Commissioner Kaplan’s Conflict of Interest Inquiry: Commissioner Kaplan requested that LAFCO counsel and the City of Sacramento attorney submit a request to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) for an opinion on whether she has a conflict of interest regarding the Airport South project, given her residence is between 500 and 1,000 feet from a non-participating parcel. She also sought clarification on her ability to participate in city decisions.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- CalAFCO Award Nomination: SAC Sewer nominated unanimously.
- CalAFCO Board Nomination: Commissioner Jones nominated and approved as candidate for special district representative, and designated as voting delegate.
- Public Comment on Draft EIR: Received and will be incorporated into the final EIR. No action taken.
- Next Steps: The commission will consider the targeted MSR for the City of Sacramento, the sphere of influence amendment, and the final EIR in the fall (likely September/October). The city will then consider land use entitlements, and a subsequent annexation request will return to LAFCO for another public hearing. The cemetery MSR priority will be discussed in light of the communication plan and grand jury recommendation.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, it is uh 531 and I will call this meeting of the local area formation commission to order. Uh Madam Clerk, would you please uh call the role to establish quorum? Yes. Commissioner Frost? Here. Jones, here, Carter? Here. Little? Here. Kaplan? Here. Walton? Here. And Chair Desmond. Here. You have a quorum. Okay. Please read the uh statement. I'll read the introductory statement after the pledge. Okay. The meeting of the local agency formation commission is cable cast live on Metro Cable 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and ATT U versus. This meeting is closed captioned in live stream at Metro 14 Live.SatCounty.gov. This meeting replays Wednesday, June 19th at 2 p.m. on Channel 14. This meeting can also be viewed at YouTube.com slash forward slash Metro Cable 14. The Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission 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. 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 or disconnected while making your comment. Please fill out a speaker request form and hand it to the clerk's staff. The chairperson will open 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 the 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 SACCounty.gov. Your comment 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 916-874-5451 or by email at board clerk at Sat County.gov. Thank you in advance for your courtesy and understanding of the meeting procedures. Before the recording came on, we do have a quorum for the record. Thank you, Laris. And I'd ask everybody to please stand and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Okay, thank you. And I'm going to read a a uh brief introductory script that we um we occasionally semi-regularly make at the beginning of LAFCO meetings because LAFCO is an agency that's uh often uh steeped in a little bit of mystery with the public. Um I am the chair of the commissioners on up here with me on the dias are volunteer citizens appointed by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. Our role is to oversee boundary changes of cities and special districts, the formation of new agencies, including the incorporation of new cities and districts, and the consolidation or reorganization of special districts and or cities. The broad goals of the Commission's directive are to ensure the orderly formation of local governmental agencies to preserve agricultural and open space lands and to discourage urban sprawl. Commissions must, by law, create municipal service reviews and update spheres of influence for each independent local governmental jurisdiction within their countywide jurisdiction. Sacramento LAFCO joins with LAFCOs across the state in working diligently to comply with the new statute and in doing so accepting more responsibility towards overseeing the orderly provision of local government services. And I want to welcome everybody here this evening. It's not uh often we we see so many guests in the chamber, so uh uh thank you for being here.
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