Council approves investments to improve safety across the city of Sacramento
Sacramento (Jan. 11, 2022) The Sacramento City Council Tuesday voted on several investments of American Relief Plan (ARPA) dollars aimed at improving safety citywide.
While the Council has previously approved general categories of ARPA spending, these are the first specific contracts to be presented for approval from the City’s $112-million ARPA allocation. They include funds to continue a popular program of PopUp activities for youth around the city and expenditures to improve safety and cleanliness in downtown and Old Sacramento.
“I’m proud that we have consistently put our federal Covid relief dollars out to work on behalf of our community,” Mayor Steinberg said. “The dollars we approved Tuesday will support our small businesses in downtown and Old Sacramento by creating a cleaner and safer environment for visitors. They will also keep young people in our neighborhoods safe by giving them productive and entertaining ways to spend their evenings.”
A PopUp event held by Hmong Youth & Parents United in December 2019
Items approved by the Council Tuesday at its 5 p.m. meeting (live, on Zoom) include $800,000 for the Sacramento Downtown Partnership to hire two nighttime security guards to assist in crime prevention, install decorative lighting and put bollards on L Street and Second Street to allow more of the area to be cordoned off for public events. The City will spend another $4.2 million directly to install more lighting and security cameras in the Old Sacramento district.
Another $1.15 million will go to the downtown partnership to increase the schedule for pressure washing and trash cleanup, hire two nighttime security guards and enhance the lighting in the J, K and L street corridors between Seventh and 13th streets. Lighting improvements will include sound-activated lights that would create an interactive experience for visitors to K Street.
“These investments will provide critical amenities and create a safer and more enjoyable experience for those visiting and working in downtown and Old Sacramento,” said Michael Ault, Executive Director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.
Mayor Steinberg meets participants in a PopUp in December 2019
The Council also voted Tuesday to allocate $1.3 million in federal Covid relief funds to continue the PopUp events staged on weekend nights by two dozen non-profit organizations in Sacramento’s disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The Sacramento Youth PopUp program was launched in 2019 by Sierra Health Foundation with support from Mayor Steinberg’s Office, the City and Comcast.
“The Sacramento Youth PopUp program was started because of disruptions, caused by young people, at Arden Fair Mall, and it quickly turned into a robust youth engagement program,” said Chet Hewitt, President and CEO of the Sierra Health Foundation.
“By centering on fun, social activities in communities with little for young people to do, the PopUp program is now a safe space and home for youth of all backgrounds,” Hewitt continued. “The fact that more than 115,000 youth have attended and over 150 youth have been employed is an example of how investing in a community-based solution can both keep our city safer and help our young people thrive."
Tuesday’s vote will bring the City’s total spending on PopUps to $8.08 million over the three years since the program began.
