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9

PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SAFETY

Responsive public safety services and reliable utility infrastructure are integral to maintaining and strengthening quality of life in Sacramento. Public safety services rooted in community-based approaches help to ensure that neighborhoods remain safe, engaged, and ready to respond in the event of an emergency. Reliable utility infrastructure underpins the community’s daily activities and ensures that life and work can run smoothly. These essential services provide the backbone of a resilient community, helping people, businesses, and government not only maintain essential functions and bounce back from adversity but also move towards enhanced well-being. It is critical that we make wise investments in public facilities and safety to provide for our community’s existing and future needs.

The Public Facilities and Safety Element establishes a framework to guide planning and decision-making for public facilities and safety that support a sustainable and equitable city. It satisfies a requirement for the Circulation Element of the General Plan by identifying the location of public utilities and facilities. This Element discusses the maintenance and proactive planning of the utility infrastructure and services that will serve current daily demands as well as meet the demands resulting from changes in land use in this General Plan. Additionally, it satisfies requirements for the Safety Element by addressing risks associated with urban fires, incorporating strategies to help ensure resilience in the face of climate change, and incorporating the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan by reference, as it may be amended from time to time.

The Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) for the City of Sacramento planning area was developed in accordance with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA 2000) and followed FEMA’s 2011 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan guidance. The LHMP incorporates a process where hazards are identified and profiled, the people and facilities at risk are analyzed, and mitigation actions are developed to reduce or eliminate hazard risk. The implementation of these mitigation actions, which include both short- and longterm strategies, involve planning, policy changes, programs, projects, and other activities. The most recent plan can be found at the following hyperlink here: Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Annex for the City of Sacramento.

Government Code 65302(g) requires that the Safety Element address climate adaptation and resilience strategies applicable to the City. The LHMP also incorporated strategies to help adapt to the impacts of climate change identified in the plan. In addition to this, as part of the 2040 General Plan Update process, a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment was prepared to inform and support additional policies and actions in the General Plan and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Policies and actions that address climate change resilience and adaptation in the City of Sacramento are found in this Public Facilities and Safety Element, the Environmental Resources and Environmental Constraints Element, and the Historic and Cultural Resources Element. These policies and actions, in addition to actions from the LHMP and other new actions, are compiled and organized in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Related topics of protection from natural and human-made hazards are addressed in the Environmental Resources and Constraints Element.

Police and Fire Services

The City of Sacramento provides law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical services to Sacramento residents and businesses. Making sure that all community members have adequate protection in an emergency is a top priority of the City.

LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIME PREVENTION

Sacramento is served by the Sacramento Police Department (SPD), which provides a full range of law enforcement services including traffic enforcement, investigations, and support functions such as communications, evidence collection, crime scene analysis, training, administration, and records keeping. The SPD has expanded community policing programs in recent years to enhance community safety and civic engagement to strengthen trust within the community it serves. Community policing encourages interactive, collaborative partnerships between law enforcement agencies, their officers, and community members. The SPD is also a nationwide leader in the utilization and implementation of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies, which focus on designing environments to prevent crime and improve quality of life by engineering the built environment to provide natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance. A well-developed CPTED plan can both increase community safety and deter future criminal activity. Additionally, the SPD is increasingly making use of technology to improve analytical and responsive capabilities, and to continually foster transparency. The General Plan incorporates strategies for the continuation of community policing and CPTED, and it anticipates the ongoing evaluation and implementation of additional new “smart city” technologies to assist with crime prevention and enforcement as opportunities emerge.

⬚ figure Police traffic safety team.

COMMUNITY-ORIENTED POLICING INITIATIVES

Department of Community Response. In July 2020, City Council created the Department of Community Response (DCR) to establish a new response model for 911 calls. The DCR has established partnerships with neighborhood resource coordinators and other community members.

The Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. In 2015, City Council established the Community Police Review Commission to further facilitate community members’ sharing their opinions regarding the police department with the City Council.

FIRE PREVENTION AND PROTECTION

Fire and emergency medical services for Sacramento are provided by the Sacramento Fire Department (SFD). SFD has responsibility for responding to and mitigating incidents involving fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials, and technical and water rescue within the city. The department also provides a full range of support services including fire prevention, public education, fire investigation, and domestic preparedness planning and response. SFD strives to achieve National Fire Protection Association standards for the organization and deployment of fire suppression operations and adjusts staffing and equipment levels as needed, based on an ongoing assessment of activity in the city and calls for service. SFD also operates community outreach and education programs, and provides training for City employees and residents, such as Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, terrorism awareness training, and emergency preparedness training. The General Plan envisions continu-

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ation of these programs, which help connect the Fire Department to the community and play an important role for citywide prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery for natural or humanmade disasters.

EFFICIENT DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Delivering police and fire services efficiently requires proactive planning, cooperation, and wise use of resources across departments. To effectively protect every Sacramentan, police and fire services must be located strategically to maximize coverage of the city and provide sufficient response times. Considering growth projection and community needs, the SFD and SPD have both identified a need for new stations, equipment, and personnel, which will be funded in part by the contribution of impact fees from new development projects as they are approved. Co-locating police facilities with other facilities such as fire stations, to the greatest extent feasible helps to maximize use of City land and dollars and focuses staff and equipment where they are most needed to effectively address most anticipated types of emergencies. The continued application of new technologies can also bolster efficient delivery of services into the future. Policies in this section provide for a range of strategies to optimize resources and deliver responsive police and fire services as the city continues to grow and evolve.

More information about wildfire hazards can be found in the Environmental Resources and Constraints Element and in the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.

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GOAL AND POLICIES

PFS-1 Responsive police and fire services that ensure a high level of public safety.

Law Enforcement and Crime Prevention

PFS-1.1 Crime and Law Enforcement. The City shall continue to work cooperatively with the community, regional law enforcement agencies, local government agencies, and other entities to provide quality police service that protects the long-term health, safety, and well-being of the community.

PFS-1.2 Community-Based Policing. The City shall continue to employ community-based policing strategies and encourage the establishment of neighborhood watch programs in partnerships with community groups to address neighborhood crime.

PFS-1.3 Communication with Residents and Businesses. The City shall maintain communication with the community to improve relationships and community member satisfaction, while continually exploring innovative means of communication.

PFS-1.4 Community Programs. The City shall continue to provide community programs, volunteer opportunities, and public safety education to residents of appropriate age.

PFS-1.5 CPTED Strategies. The City shall continue to promote Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) strategies in the design of new developments, including the following:

• Provision of adequate public lighting;
• Windows overlooking streets and parking lots; and
• The creation of paths to increase pedestrian activity within both private development projects and public facilities to enhance public safety.

Fire Prevention and Protection

PFS-1.6 Fire Prevention Programs and Suppression. The City shall deliver fire prevention programs that protect the public through education, adequate inspection of existing development, and incorporation of fire safety features in new development.

PFS-1.7 Water Supply for Fire Suppression. The City shall ensure that adequate water supplies are available for fire suppression throughout the city and shall require development to construct all necessary fire suppression infrastructure and equipment.

PFS-1.8 Fire Hazards. The City shall continue to require private property owners to remove excessive/overgrown vegetation (e.g., trees, shrubs, weeds) and rubbish to the satisfaction of the Fire Department to prevent and minimize fire risks to surrounding properties. The City shall continue to remove excessive/overgrown vegetation from City-owned property.

PFS-1.9 Equipment, Facilities, and Staffing. The City shall locate and maintain police and fire equipment, facilities, and staffing at locations and levels that allow for effective service delivery.

Efficient Delivery of Services

PFS-1.10 Co-Location of Facilities. The City shall seek to co-locate municipal public-safety facilities to promote efficient use of space and provision of police and fire services within dense, urban areas of the city.

PFS-1.11 Critical Facilities. The City shall locate new critical municipal facilities, such as fire stations, police stations, emergency operations centers, emergency shelters, communications networks, and other emergency service facilities and utilities so as to minimize exposure to flooding, seismic, geologic, wildfire, and other hazards. Critical community facilities, such as hospitals and health care facilities, should also be similarly located.

PFS-1.12 Cooperative Delivery of Services. The City shall maintain mutual aid relationships with the County of Sacramento and other local, State, and federal agencies that promote regional cooperation in the delivery of services and allow for supplemental aid from other police and fire personnel in the event of emergencies.

PFS-1.13 Technology to Improve Public Safety. The City shall evaluate, and seek to invest in, and incorporate new technologies and innovations that enhance the efficient, cost-effective delivery of public safety services.

PFS-1.14 Timing of Services. The City shall monitor the pace of residential and commercial growth in Sacramento and make best efforts to match that growth with commensurate increases in public safety personnel, equipment, and facilities.

PFS-1.15 Development Fees for Facilities and Services. The City shall require development projects to contribute fees to ensure the provision of adequate police and fire services.

PFS-1.16 Development Review. The City shall continue to require new development projects to incorporate safety features and include the Sacramento Police Department (SPD) and the Sacramento Fire Department (SFD) in the development review process to ensure that projects are designed and operated in a manner that minimizes the potential for criminal activity and fire hazards and maximizes the potential for responsive police and fire services.

Emergency Management

Protecting residents, property, and the environment in times of disaster involves ensuring that all parts of Sacramento are accessible for both evacuation and emergency access as well as undertaking emergency preparedness activities that help protect the health, safety, and welfare of the general public both during and after natural, technological, or attack-related emergencies. Proactive planning and coordination with a range of public and private sector partners as well as various City departments is essential for effective management and response. The City recognizes the importance of emergency preparedness through the design and implementation of its Emergency Operations, Pre-Disaster Recovery, Comprehensive Floodplain Management Plan, and Operational Area plans. These plans are based on the functions and principles of the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The City of Sacramento is also a signatory to the Sacramento Countywide Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP), which outlines a plan for reducing and/or eliminating natural risks in the community based on an assessment of risks associated with earthquakes, wildfire, flooding, drought, landslide, insect infestation, extreme weather, severe wind, levee failure, disease outbreak, and other hazards.

Policies in this section are intended to mitigate the effects of hazards, prepare for measures to be taken which will preserve life and minimize damage, enhance response during emergencies and provide necessary assistance, and establish a recovery system in order to return the community to a normal

state of affairs. They will guide the Sacramento City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management (SacOEM), which conducts all-hazard preparation, mitigation, response, and recovery for the whole community, implementing a multi-pronged approach to disaster planning, preparation, and response.

GOAL AND POLICIES

PFS-2.1 Hazard Mitigation Planning. The City shall continue to use the Local Hazard Mitigation Plan, Comprehensive Floodplain Management Plan, Emergency Operations Plan, and Operational Area Plan to guide actions and investments addressing disasters such as flooding, dam or levee failure, hazardous material spills, epidemics, fires, extreme weather, major transportation accidents, earthquakes, and terrorism.

PFS-2.2 Critical Infrastructure. The City shall protect and maintain critical infrastructure such as emergency shelters, fire stations, police stations, emergency operations centers, communications networks, and other emergency service facilities and utilities to ensure continuity of essential operations, including, but not limited to, uninterrupted public safety services during flooding, seismic, geologic, wildfire, and other hazards.

PFS-2.3 Evacuation Routes. The City shall partner with Caltrans and neighboring jurisdictions on measures to protect critical evacuation routes such as I-5, I-80, Highway 50, and State Route 99 and work with local agencies to develop contingency plans for operations when these and other roads are inoperable due to flooding or wildfire.

PFS-2.4 Post-Disaster Response. The City shall plan for the continuity of operations for critical facilities following a disaster to help prevent interruption of emergency response related to life, property, and environment preservation.

PFS-2.5 Communitywide Resilience. The City shall plan to accommodate the whole community during disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, including members of at-risk populations with access and functional needs concerns.

PFS-2.6 Emergency Operations Center. The City shall ensure operational readiness of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and coordinate applicable training to EOC assigned staff.

PFS-2.7 Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Exercises. The City shall coordinate with local and regional jurisdictions on an ongoing basis to conduct emergency and disaster preparedness exercises to test operational and emergency plans.

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PFS-2.8 Emergency Preparedness Programs. The City shall sponsor and support educational programs regarding emergency response, disaster preparedness protocols and procedures, and disaster risk reduction.

PFS-2.9 Neighborhood Preparedness. Encourage community-based approaches to emergency preparedness and response, especially in higher-risk communities with more significant barriers to personal mobility, transportation, and other resources necessary for disaster response.

PFS-2.10 Sacramento Alert. The City shall promote and encourage participation in Sacramento Alert, the regional early warning notification system used to notify residents by phone, text, or email of the need to evacuate or shelter-in-place in the event of an emergency and the location of evacuation centers.

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Utility Infrastructure

Public utilities provide the largely invisible yet critically important infrastructure that supports quality of life and economic opportunity in the community. The City of Sacramento provides domestic water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection, and stormwater systems. These systems are complemented by other regional agencies and organizations that provide additional sewage and stormwater collection and treatment, as well as by stormwater detention and water quality systems that are increasingly required to be installed in new development. Ensuring that this infrastructure operates in ways that minimize adverse impacts on the environment, protect public health, and optimize benefit to the community is essential for a sustainable and equitable city.

Policies in this section provide for proactive planning and maintenance of utility systems, with investments made strategically to ensure that built capacity matches need and that improvements to accommodate new development are balanced with the need to maintain quality services for existing residents and businesses. Policies are also intended to improve the sustainability, resilience, and energy efficiency of its facilities, infrastructure, and operations consistent with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

GOAL AND POLICIES

Utility Infrastructure / Service

PFS-3.1 Provision of Adequate Utilities. The City shall continue to provide reliable water, wastewater, and stormwater drainage utility services.

PFS-3.2 Utility Sustainability. The City shall continue to improve the sustainability, resilience, and energy efficiency of its facilities, infrastructure, and operations consistent with the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

PFS-3.3 Development Impacts.

Through the development review process, including through development impact fees and offsite improvements constructed by new development, the City shall ensure that adequate public utilities and services are available to serve new development.

PFS-3.4 Water Distribution System Management.

The City shall maintain and periodically update the Water Distribution System Master Plan to guide rehabilitation, replacement, and management of the potable water distribution system.

PFS-3.5 Water Treatment Capacity and Infrastructure.

The City shall plan, secure funding for, and procure sufficient water treatment capacity and infrastructure to meet projected maximum daily water demands. Options to explore may include the following:

• Expansion or rehabilitation of existing treatment plant infrastructure;
• Development and management of groundwater wells; and
• Collaboration on regional water supply solutions.

PFS-3.6 Combined Sewer System Rehabilitation and Improvements.

In keeping with its Combined Sewer System (CSS) Long Term Control Plan (LTCP), the City shall continue to rehabilitate and improve the CSS to decrease flooding, CSS outflows, and Combined System Overflows (CSOs). Through these improvements and requirements for new development, the City shall also ensure that development in the CSS area does not result in increased flooding, CSS outflows or CSOs or reduce the overall percentage of flow routed to the Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant (SRWTP).

PFS-3.7 Rate and Fee Studies.

The City shall periodically conduct rate and fee studies to ensure adequate funds are collected to maintain and expand utility systems as needed to support projected growth, implementing rate and fee increases as needed.

PFS-3.8 Capital Improvement Programming.

The City shall give high priority in capital improvement programming to funding the rehabilitation or replacement of critical infrastructure that has reached the end of its useful life, considering probability and risk of infrastructure failure. In prioritizing rehabilitation and replacement projects for inclusion in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), the City shall consider the potential for projects and locations to support inclusive economic development and climate adaptation objectives and serve to build healthy, climate-resilient, sustainable, and inclusive communities.

PFS-3.9 Methane Recovery.

The City shall support the efforts of the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) to develop and maintain methane recovery facilities and coordinate efforts to evaluate and minimize methane emissions.

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Location and Design of Facilities

PFS-3.10 Meet Projected Needs. The City shall foster the orderly and efficient expansion of facilities and infrastructure to adequately meet projected needs, comply with current and future regulations, and maintain public health, safety, and welfare. Infrastructure and facility planning should discourage over-sizing of infrastructure that could induce growth at the edges of the city beyond what is anticipated in the General Plan.

PFS-3.11 Joint-Use Facilities. Wherever feasible, the City shall pursue the development of joint-use water, stormwater quality, flood control and other utility facilities as appropriate in conjunction with schools, parks, bike paths, golf courses, and other suitable uses to achieve economy and efficiency in the provision of services and facilities.

PFS-3.12 Safe and Compatible Utility Design. The City shall ensure that public utility facilities are designed to be safe and compatible with adjacent uses.

PFS-3.13 Impacts to Environmentally Sensitive Lands. The City shall consider the impacts on environmentally sensitive areas and habitats when locating and designing municipal utilities.

PFS-3.14 Underground Utilities. The City shall require new development to underground utility lines wherever feasible and coordinate with electricity and telecommunications providers to underground existing overhead lines where feasible.

PFS-3.15 Adequate Drainage Facilities. The City shall ensure that all new municipal drainage facilities are adequately sized and constructed to accommodate stormwater runoff, including incorporating “green infrastructure” design and Low Impact Development (LID) techniques, where appropriate, stormwater treatment features, and, if applicable, trash capture devices for its stormwater facilities.

PFS-3.16 Stormwater Design in Private Development. The City shall require proponents of new development and redevelopment projects to submit drainage studies that adhere to City stormwater design requirements and incorporate measures, including “green infrastructure”, Low Impact Development (LID) techniques, stormwater treatment, and, if applicable, trash capture devices, to prevent on- or off-site flooding and improve runoff water quality.

PFS-3.17 Regional Stormwater Facilities. The City shall coordinate efforts with Sacramento County and other agencies in the development of regional stormwater facilities.

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Gutters convey stormwater away from buildings.

Water Supply

Sitting at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers and in a climate famous for its hot, dry summers, Sacramento is a place that knows the value of water. Water sources are becoming ever more precious each year; ensuring that Sacramento’s water supply is stable, clean, and reliable is critical for the safety of all Sacramentans. Particularly as the climate becomes hotter and drier and rainfall becomes less predictable, policies in this section seek to provide for careful management of water supply, as well as the conservation and efficient use of water.

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GOAL AND POLICIES

PFS-4.1 Exercise and Protect Water Rights. The City shall exercise and protect its water rights and entitlements in perpetuity.

PFS-4.2 Water Supply Sustainability. The City shall maintain a surface water/groundwater conjunctive use program, which uses more surface water when it is available and more groundwater when surface water is limited.

PFS-4.3 Surface Water Supply. The City shall continue to explore and advance options for diverting, treating, and conveying surface water to be able to continue fully meeting potable supply demand.

RECENT CALIFORNIA DROUGHTS

Over the past 20 years, California has experienced four multi-year droughts. From 2001 to 2002 and from 2007 to 2009, parts of Sacramento County were classified as being in "severe drought." From 2012 to 2016 and again beginning in 2020, Sacramento County experienced periods of "severe drought," "extreme drought," and "exceptional drought," the most severe category of drought. The drought from 2012 through 2016 was the longest drought in California's recorded history. Sacramento's Urban Water Management Plan lays out strategies to ensure the conservation and efficient use of water supplies and sufficient future water availability.

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Drought Classification

PFS-4.4 Groundwater Infrastructure. The City shall maintain investment in groundwater infrastructure to provide for water supply reliability. Groundwater sustainability, cost effectiveness, and the quality of the resource shall be factored into groundwater investments.

PFS-4.5 Comprehensive Water Supply Planning. The City shall prepare and implement an Urban Water Management Plan, updating it on a 5-year cycle, to ensure a reliable, long-term water supply and service under projected future conditions.

PFS-4.6 Recycled Water. The City shall continue to monitor the feasibility of utilizing recycled water where appropriate, cost effective, safe, and environmentally sustainable.

PFS-4.7 Water Supply During Emergencies. The City shall, to the extent feasible, maintain adequate water supply during emergencies in accordance with the Water Master Plan and the Urban Water Management Plan.

PFS-4.8 New Development. The City shall ensure that water supply capacity is in place prior to granting building permits for new development.

Waste Management

Diverting waste from landfills by promoting reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting of materials can substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling and waste prevention programs reduce energy and transportation needed to manufacture and ship resource-intensive products and packing. Composting food and yard waste reduces the amount of methane produced in landfills. Moreover, the combination of waste management and diversion strategies can extend the life of existing landfills. Commitment to responsible waste management and diversion is part of Sacramento’s move toward a “circular economy,” a model of production and consumption that involves sharing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products, and has additional benefits of promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.

The City’s Recycling and Solid Waste Division (RSW) provides garbage, recycling, and organic waste collection, as well as street sweeping services to residential customers in the city of Sacramento. RSW also manages several programs such as bulky item pickups, appliance and household hazardous waste disposal, and provides educational resources about backyard composting. Commercial waste and recycling services are provided by franchised waste haulers. The policies in this section seek to build on the innovative approaches already employed by the City to expand reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting activities; ensure compliance with state law; and promote cost-effective strategies for greenhouse gas reduction and sustainability.

WASTE REDUCTION LAWS IN CALIFORNIA

Landfills are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and beginning in the late 1980’s, the State passed several laws aimed at reducing the quantity of waste sent to landfills. The landmark Assembly Bill (AB) 341, passed in 2011, mandated commercial recycling and established the statewide diversion goal of 75 percent. AB 1826, passed in 2014, mandated commercial organics recycling. Organics like food scraps, yard trimmings, paper, and cardboard make up half of what is deposited in landfills. Reducing short-lived climate super pollutants like methane will have the most immediate impact on the climate crisis we are starting to see in cities and counties throughout California. To reduce statewide methane emissions in various sectors of California’s economy, in 2016, the State signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 1383, the most comprehensive waste reduction mandate to be adopted in California in the last 30 years. SB 1383 requires the State to reduce organic waste disposal, including disposal of food waste, green waste, and paper products, by 75 percent by 2025, an amount equivalent to more than 20 million tons annually. The law also requires the State to increase edible food recovery by 20 percent over the same timeframe. This will have significant policy and legal implications for local governments on a statewide level.

GOAL AND POLICIES

PFS-5 Sensible waste management that reduces disposal in landfills and supports cost-effective sustainability efforts.

Solid Waste

PFS-5.1 Solid Waste Reduction. The City shall reduce the amount of solid waste that is disposed in landfills by promoting source reduction and recycling throughout Sacramento and by expanding the range of programs and information available to local residents and businesses, consistent with State requirements.

PFS-5.2 Collection and Recycling Services. The City shall provide for continued solid waste collection and recycling services in Sacramento, including contracting with franchise waste haulers, and ensuring adequate transfer station facilities capacity and the availability of adequate landfill capacity to meet future needs.

PFS-5.3 Mixed and Organic Recycling. The City shall increase waste diversion by requiring participation in mixed recycling and organic recycling programs, including through implementation of Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) Measure W-1 for organic waste reduction.

PFS-5.4 Regional Recycling Market Development Zone. The City shall continue to participate in the Sacramento Recycling Market Development Zone (RMDZ) Program, which provides attractive loans, technical assistance, and free product marketing to businesses that use materials from the waste stream to manufacture their products.

PFS-5.5 Recycled Materials in New Construction. The City shall encourage the use of recycled materials in new construction. Methods shall include promoting the availability of materials at Certified Construction and Demolition (C&D) Debris Sorting Facilities and the reuse store at the Sacramento Recycling and Transfer Station.

PFS-5.6 Bulky Item and Appliance Disposal. The City shall continue to provide programs that allow residential households to schedule two appointments per year for the collection of large refuse items.

PFS-5.7 Organic Waste Collection Services. The City shall provide, in conjunction with the mandatory organics container program, education and outreach to residents on the topic of backyard composting of yard waste and scraps.

PFS-5.8 Household Hazardous Waste Disposal. The City shall continue to promote the safe disposal of household hazardous waste, e-waste, and batteries through public education.

PFS-5.9 Targeted Technical Assistance. The City may coordinate with franchise waste haulers to provide education, in appropriate languages, to property managers and building owners of commercial and multi-unit properties to implement best practices for waste diversion and reduce contamination.

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Telecommunications

Reliable access to the internet and telecommunications systems plays an increasingly important part in daily and civic life, helping people to work, learn, access services, and stay connected to friends and family. It is also critical for municipal operations and the health of the local economy. Expanding access to reliable, high-speed internet service is a priority for Sacramento. The City was among the first in the U.S. to see deployment of 5G home broadband internet service, but even as access to reliable, high-speed internet is expanding rapidly in Sacramento, there are still households without access to the internet or to computers at home (see Map PFS-1). The policies in this section articulate a strategy for leveraging emerging technologies, streamlining regulations, and forging public-private partnerships to help provide services more efficiently, meet diverse community needs, foster digital equity, and reduce resource consumption.

GOAL AND POLICIES

PFS-6 State-of-the-art telecommunication infrastructure and services throughout the city that connect Sacramento households, businesses, and public agencies to each other, the nation, and the world.

PFS-6.1 Access and Availability. The City shall work with service providers to expand access to and availability of a wide range of state-of-the-art telecommunication systems and services for households, businesses, institutions, and public agencies throughout the city.

PFS-6.2 Public/Private Collaboration. The City shall explore public/private technology infrastructure projects that support business and municipal efficiency.

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Map PFS-1

Households Lacking Internet Access

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Households without Internet Access by Census Tract (%)

Source: US Census Bureau, 2017; County of Sacramento 2021; City of Sacramento, 2023; Dyett & Bhatia, 2023

PFS-6.3 Adequate Facilities and Service. The City should work with utility companies to leverage City infrastructure to close gaps to allow areas that are not served by current telecommunication technologies to obtain service and explore providing strategic long-range planning of telecommunication facilities for newly developing areas, as feasible.

PFS-6.4 Co-Location. The City shall encourage compatible co-location of telecommunication facilities such as existing macro sites and shall work with communication service providers to provide opportunities for siting telecommunications facilities on City-owned property, such as existing light poles, and in public rights-of-way.

PFS-6.5 Broadband Access. The City shall work to expand broadband internet access throughout Sacramento, prioritizing efforts to improve access for students, residents, and businesses in disadvantaged communities. Strategies may include the following:

• Expanding the City's middle-mile conduit and fiber optic network to provide opportunities for broadband service providers to leverage City infrastructure in underserved areas;
• Expanding the availability of free Wi-Fi in City parks, libraries, community centers, transit stops, and other publicly accessible facilities;
• Establishing a microwave network consisting of radios mounted on top of City structures to provide backhaul for public Wi-Fi and city infrastructure connectivity;
• Pursuing funding opportunities, including but not limited to federal grants;
• Leveraging the Citizen Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) band of the wireless spectrum to establish high-speed wireless networks when necessary; and
• Partnering with telecommunications and cable providers to offer discounted wireless and broadband plans to low-income customers.

PFS-6.6 Net Neutrality. In negotiating agreements for the use of public rights-of-way, the City shall work with providers to expand service to underserved communities and require adherence to the principal of net neutrality or unfiltered access to internet information for all new agreements.

PFS-6.7 City Operations/Public Services. The City shall continue to use telecommunications and collaboration tools to enhance the performance of internal City operations and the delivery of public services.

PFS-6.8 Telecommunication Infrastructure Improvements. The City shall endeavor to incorporate state-of-the-art telecommunication systems and services (e.g., internet) for public use in City-owned public buildings and improve gaps in infrastructure to support telecommunication systems.

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IMPLEMENTING ACTIONS

Plans and Programs

PFS-A.1: Fire Department Strategic Plan. The City shall prepare a Standards of Coverage Plan to assess options for locating facilities to most efficiently provide service within the Sacramento Fire Department’s (SFD’s) jurisdiction.

Responsible Entity: Sacramento Fire Department

Timeframe: Near-term (2024-2029)

PFS-A.2: Police Master Strategic Plan. The City shall update the Police Master Strategic Plan to identify and address staffing and facility needs, service goals, and deployment strategies.

Responsible Entity: Sacramento Police Department

Timeframe: Near-term (2024-2029)

PFS-A.3: Sewer Master Plan Updates. The City shall review and update Sewer Long Range Plans as needed to accommodate the land use and development pattern of the 2040 General Plan, prioritizing long range plans for the sewer basins where significant new growth is projected.

Responsible Entity: Department of Utilities

Timeframe: Ongoing

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PFS-A.4: Stormwater Master Planning. The City shall implement a stormwater master plan program to do the following:

• Identify facilities needed to prevent 10-year event street flooding and 100-year event structure flooding;
• Ensure that public facilities and infrastructure are designed pursuant to approved basin master plans;
• Ensure that adequate land area and any other elements are provided for facilities subject to incremental sizing (e.g., detention basins and pump stations); and
• Incorporate the use of “green infrastructure,” Low Impact Development (LID) techniques, stormwater treatment controls, and, if applicable, trash capture devices.

Responsible Entity: Department of Utilities

Timeframe: Ongoing

Planning Studies and Reports

PFS-A.5: Onsite Non-Potable Water Reuse. The City shall assess the feasibility of onsite water reuse for new commercial development.

Responsible Entity: Department of Utilities

Timeframe: Near-term (2024-2029)

PFS-A.6: Water Treatment Facilities. The City shall explore options for expanding and enhancing water treatment capacity and processes as needed to serve projected maximum daily water demands with high-quality supply. Potential projects include long-term, reliable and safe water supply and supporting infrastructure projects.

Responsible Entity: Department of Utilities

Timeframe: Ongoing

PFS-A.7: Telecommunications Infrastructure in New Development. The City shall explore the feasibility of establishing engineering guidelines for the installation of state-of-the-art internal telecommunications technologies in new development.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department (lead); Department of Utilities (support); Department of Public Works (support); Department of Information Technology (support)

Timeframe: Near-term (2024-2029)

Regulations, Standards, and Development Review

PFS-A.8: Municipal Telecommunications Team. The City shall establish a telecommunications team to collaborate on priorities, design, implementation, and cost-sharing for City investments in communication conduit and infrastructure.

Responsible Entity: Information Technology Department (lead); Department of Utilities (support); Public Works Department (support)

Timeframe: Mid-term (2030-2035)

PFS-A.9: Periodic Review. The City shall review and consider modifying building codes and development standards to facilitate the inclusion of evolving state-of-the-art telecommunication technologies and facilities, including during the three-year California Building Code update cycle.

Responsible Entity: Community Development Department (lead); Department of Utilities (support)

Timeframe: Ongoing

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