OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

West Sacramento City Council Meeting - May 15, 2024: Proclamations, Budget Items, and Tax Measure Discussion

City CouncilWednesday, May 15, 2024
BodyWest Sacramento, California
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, May 15, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
28:40

Are present.

28:42

Um call to order the May fifteenth meeting of the City of West Sacramento City Council, the West Sacramento Redevelopment Agency, and Finance Authority.

28:52

As you can all see, you're sitting in the dark.

28:58

So we shall receive lights soon.

29:01

We will begin with the land acknowledgement.

29:03

We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we live, work, learn and commune is the original homelands of the indigenous people of West Sacramento who have stewarded this land throughout the generations.

29:14

We acknowledge and we thank the original inhabitants who have occupied, maintained, and secured this place, and who still exist on this land.

29:21

We respect and celebrate the many diverse indigenous people still connected to this land on which we gather.

30:02

I pledge allegiance to the nice.

30:17

Thank you, Chief Strange.

30:19

As is noted on our agenda, City Council is prohibited by state law from discussing or taking any action on items that are brought up under item one for public comment.

30:27

But it provides an important opportunity for a public forum.

30:30

The public is given an opportunity this time to address city council, not listed on the agenda on items not listed on the agenda.

30:37

And we do ask that anyone wishing to address the council on this or any other item this evening to please fill out a request to speak card, which is in that corner there, and return it to the clerk.

30:48

And we also accept the request to speak cards up to the conclusion of the reading of the staff report on any particular agenda item.

30:56

Once the staff report has been read, we open the item up for public comment.

31:00

The clerk will announce your name for you to walk to the podium to speak.

31:04

Now in front of the clerk, there is a timer to ensure that everyone has a chance to be heard.

31:08

We ask that all comments be limited to the specified number of minutes that I will provide.

31:14

Also in front of the clerk is an analog flip chart, which indicates which agenda item the council is currently considering.

31:22

And we also recognize that for some speaking in public can cause anxiety, so we request there be no applause or boos, cat calls, or other demonstrations.

31:32

Furthermore, so that we may maintain a civil discourse here in the chambers.

31:35

We ask that those in attendance and those who address the city council abide by the code of conduct posted and not speak in loud, threatening, offensive, abusive, or other disrespectful language that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting.

31:49

Now this brings us to agenda item one presentations by the public on matters not on the agenda within the jurisdiction of the council.

31:57

And each person will have three minutes to speak.

31:58

Madam Clerk, are there any requests to speak under public comment?

32:02

Yes, ma'am.

32:02

Our first speaker is Mary Dijong.

32:20

I've got kind of a long list, so I don't know how many I'll get through.

32:27

I guess I'll go with the traffic and parking issues.

32:30

Um I feel like the intersection of F and Fifth has been a really big problem for three or four years by now.

32:38

And it still has uh quite a few accidents happening because I think partly the uh traffic islands remained fairly poorly marked originally.

32:49

I think the neighborhood was so used to not them being there, and such a wide street, they would just kind of make this wide turn or a normal turn, and then there's this giant traffic island there that they weren't expecting.

33:01

So I think, and it was kind of hard for me to find uh kind of the chain of commands, so to speak, of how to address it.

33:09

It just seemed like nobody was in charge.

33:12

And I didn't try that hard, so I'll just leave it at that.

33:16

Um again, just real briefly, giant weed lots.

33:21

I live in that neighborhood between third and fifth, and there's a lot of big vacant lots in that neighborhood still to be developed.

33:29

So in the meantime, we deal with just these giant weed lots, and they got really bad this winter because of all the rain.

33:36

They provide habitat for all the uh wildlife in the neighborhood, which is sort of a problem at this point, and they potentially spread all those seeds everywhere and allergies.

33:46

I mean, they were up until today.

33:48

The last one close by me got cut finally.

33:51

Um but they were you know five, six feet tall.

33:56

So I think something could maybe be done about that.

33:59

Um I'll just say something briefly about noise pollution in the Washington neighborhood.

34:05

I've been there for 20 years now, and I expected development.

34:10

I knew I lived by uh a ballpark, but there's just so much noise pollution down there.

34:15

There's the really loud cars that come through sometime, and they're really so loud it's scary loud.

34:21

Um, all the leaf blowers, um, all the construction.

34:24

I know we can't do anything about that.

34:26

Um I mean, there's just so many machines going all the time.

34:33

It's kind of drives me nuts sometimes.

34:36

Um, then we have a pretty big problem in my neighborhood with wildlife.

34:41

Um skunks are the biggest problem as far as I'm concerned because uh I just had a friend's dogs get sprayed in my yard.

34:48

I had one I thought living in my furnace, which really had me going for a while.

34:53

I spent thousands of dollars to get them out from underneath my tough shed where they had been setting up residence for several years.

35:01

And um, there's also I saw a big coyote yesterday or the day before getting chased by some crows, and it was a big, a big coyote, and it ended up running, you know, which is okay, but um, we also have been getting more and more turkeys and pigeons, and now we have seals along the um harbor or whatever, the heart the piers, and um also the geese.

35:26

So uh there's a lot of uh kind of invasive species, you might say, and they leave a mess, and there's a lot of people feeding them, and it's kind of a problem.

35:36

Thank you, Mr.

35:37

John.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Transportation██████████████████████22%
Public Safety████████████████████20%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Procedural█████████9%
Homelessness████████8%
Community Engagement████████8%
Public Health███████7%
Personnel Matters███3%
Economic Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

West Sacramento City Council Meeting - May 15, 2024

The City Council held its regular meeting on May 15, 2024, covering proclamations for the Community Academy, Public Works Week, Police Week, and Mental Health Awareness Month. The council also approved consent agenda items including a firefighters' contract (10% pay increase, unanimous ratification) and expanded case management services for homeless programs. A workshop on the on-demand rideshare program (VIA) directed staff toward full funding using bridge district funds, and the council adopted an ordinance and resolution to place a 1% sales tax measure on the November 2024 ballot, despite public opposition.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 6 (separate vote due to recusal): Approved unanimously (3-0, with one recusal).
  • Items 7-17: Approved collectively, with items 10 and 16 pulled for discussion. Item 10 (Mercy Coalition's Project Homekey partnership) received council thanks and support. Item 11 (Downtown Streets Team contract expansion for case management at motel shelters) was discussed; staff noted the program's effectiveness in removing over 300 barriers since October 2023. Item 16 (Firefighters Association MOU with 10% pay increase) was approved unanimously after union president Miguel Altamarano reported a 50-0 ratification vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mary Dijong raised traffic safety at 5th & F Streets (city manager noted a planned stoplight), weed lots, noise pollution, and wildlife issues.
  • Guy Stevenson urged against budget cuts to police and fire, cited speeding on West Capitol Avenue, and advocated for more officers.
  • Robin Davis (Community Academy graduate) discussed state cuts to homeless housing assistance, proposed tiny homes on wheels as a solution, and urged council to pass a supportive ordinance.
  • Kailani Griffith and Eden Perkins (River City High School BSU) described racist incidents and introduced the "No Room for Hate" campaign; Mayor Guerrero pledged a proclamation.
  • Patrice Griffin (BSU advisor) thanked the council for support.
  • Danny Langford and Pat Flynn opposed the new sales tax, citing existing taxes, lack of trust in spending, and burden on residents.
  • Suzanne Johnson opposed the tax, noting inflation and arguing for better spending of current funds.
  • Chris Ledesma (former councilmember) supported the VIA rideshare program and urged continued investment.

Discussion Items

  • VIA On-Demand Rideshare Workshop (Item 18): Senior Transportation Planner Stephanie Chan presented three funding scenarios. Scenario 1 (constrained – TDA only) required major service cuts; Scenario 2 (full funding) needed $422k in FY24-25 and growing gaps; Scenario 3 (reduced) used 75% of current budget. The TMI Commission opposed forcing bus mode choice. Council consensus supported Scenario 2, using bridge district one-time funds ($3.2M) and exploring long-term sources such as Southport development obligations. Council also discussed cautious expansion into downtown Sacramento, potential advertising revenue, and outreach to seniors.
  • Sales Tax Measure (Item 19): City Manager Doug Dros presented Ordinance 24-7 and Resolution 24-52 for a 1% general purpose transaction and use tax on the November 2024 ballot, with advisory language for roads, public safety, parks, homelessness, and clean public spaces. Changes included adding "independent financial" audits. Staff emphasized separate accounting and a history of staying true to advisory language. Public comment opposed the measure due to high existing taxes and distrust. Council members defended the need for revenue, citing police response times and fire service growth. The item passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Proclamations adopted for Community Academy (first graduating cohort), National Public Works Week (May 19-25), National Police Week (May 12-18) and Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15), and Mental Health Awareness Month (May 2024). The Police Week proclamation honored fallen Officer James H. McKnight.
  • Consent agenda approved (7-17) including firefighters' contract (10% pay increase) and Downtown Streets Team expansion.
  • VIA rideshare program direction: Council directed staff to proceed with Scenario 2 (full funding) using bridge district funds, with a contract award expected June 5, 2024.
  • Sales tax measure adopted: Ordinance 24-7 (second reading) and Resolution 24-52 were approved (5-0), placing the 1% tax on the November 5, 2024 ballot.
  • BSU proclamation: Mayor Guerrero will issue a mayoral proclamation for the "No Room for Hate" campaign, to be presented at the Juneteenth event.
  • Council calendar: Riverfront Street Extension ribbon cutting on May 30, 2024 at 10 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

Are present. Um call to order the May fifteenth meeting of the City of West Sacramento City Council, the West Sacramento Redevelopment Agency, and Finance Authority. As you can all see, you're sitting in the dark. So we shall receive lights soon. We will begin with the land acknowledgement. We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we live, work, learn and commune is the original homelands of the indigenous people of West Sacramento who have stewarded this land throughout the generations. We acknowledge and we thank the original inhabitants who have occupied, maintained, and secured this place, and who still exist on this land. We respect and celebrate the many diverse indigenous people still connected to this land on which we gather. I pledge allegiance to the nice. Thank you, Chief Strange. As is noted on our agenda, City Council is prohibited by state law from discussing or taking any action on items that are brought up under item one for public comment. But it provides an important opportunity for a public forum. The public is given an opportunity this time to address city council, not listed on the agenda on items not listed on the agenda. And we do ask that anyone wishing to address the council on this or any other item this evening to please fill out a request to speak card, which is in that corner there, and return it to the clerk. And we also accept the request to speak cards up to the conclusion of the reading of the staff report on any particular agenda item. Once the staff report has been read, we open the item up for public comment. The clerk will announce your name for you to walk to the podium to speak. Now in front of the clerk, there is a timer to ensure that everyone has a chance to be heard. We ask that all comments be limited to the specified number of minutes that I will provide. Also in front of the clerk is an analog flip chart, which indicates which agenda item the council is currently considering. And we also recognize that for some speaking in public can cause anxiety, so we request there be no applause or boos, cat calls, or other demonstrations. Furthermore, so that we may maintain a civil discourse here in the chambers. We ask that those in attendance and those who address the city council abide by the code of conduct posted and not speak in loud, threatening, offensive, abusive, or other disrespectful language that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting. Now this brings us to agenda item one presentations by the public on matters not on the agenda within the jurisdiction of the council. And each person will have three minutes to speak. Madam Clerk, are there any requests to speak under public comment? Yes, ma'am. Our first speaker is Mary Dijong. I've got kind of a long list, so I don't know how many I'll get through. I guess I'll go with the traffic and parking issues. Um I feel like the intersection of F and Fifth has been a really big problem for three or four years by now. And it still has uh quite a few accidents happening because I think partly the uh traffic islands remained fairly poorly marked originally. I think the neighborhood was so used to not them being there, and such a wide street, they would just kind of make this wide turn or a normal turn, and then there's this giant traffic island there that they weren't expecting. So I think, and it was kind of hard for me to find uh kind of the chain of commands, so to speak, of how to address it. It just seemed like nobody was in charge. And I didn't try that hard, so I'll just leave it at that. Um again, just real briefly, giant weed lots. I live in that neighborhood between third and fifth, and there's a lot of big vacant lots in that neighborhood still to be developed. So in the meantime, we deal with just these giant weed lots, and they got really bad this winter because of all the rain. They provide habitat for all the uh wildlife in the neighborhood, which is sort of a problem at this point, and they potentially spread all those seeds everywhere and allergies. I mean, they were up until today. The last one close by me got cut finally. Um but they were you know five, six feet tall. So I think something could maybe be done about that. Um I'll just say something briefly about noise pollution in the Washington neighborhood. I've been there for 20 years now, and I expected development. I knew I lived by uh a ballpark, but there's just so much noise pollution down there. There's the really loud cars that come through sometime, and they're really so loud it's scary loud. Um, all the leaf blowers, um, all the construction. I know we can't do anything about that.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com