2022 Year in Review - Mayor's Office of Civic Engagement
Sacramento, CA (Dec. 20, 2022) - Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the Sacramento City Council successfully advanced major initiatives in 2022 on affordable housing, homelessness, economic development, youth, climate change, and the creative economy. Here is a look back at some of the biggest developments of the last 12 months.
“This past year brought big challenges and big wins for Sacramento,” Mayor Steinberg said. “I look forward to delivering more progress in the coming months on issues that matter most to our residents.”
Aerial photo of the 102 acres in South Sacramento
January
The year kicked off with the city’s purchase of 102 acres of federal surplus land in South Sacramento at the urging of Councilmember Mai Vang and Mayor Steinberg. Vang held more than a dozen community listening sessions with the South Sacramento community on what the city should do with the property, which sits near the Delta Shores shopping center. A major youth sports facility that could be a cornerstone for the Meadowview and Valley Hi neighborhoods rose to the top of the list.
Also in the news in early 2022 were new affordable housing projects, investments in safety for downtown and Old Sacramento, funding for infill development in The Railyards and an art contest for students on the theme of fighting climate change.
From left to right, Congresswoman Doris Matsui, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, Mayor Darrell Steinberg at the Aggie Square groundbreaking
February
In February, the state declared that Sacramento policies to speed housing production qualified it as the first jurisdiction in the state to win the coveted ProHousing designation. Mayor Steinberg proposed an innovative Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District to develop more amenities and affordable housing, and fought to ensure the mid-year budget included funding for youth, economic development and outreach for unsheltered residents.
Also in February, UC Davis and elected leaders broke ground on Aggie Square, a $1 billion health and science campus being built next to the UC Davis Medical Center campus on Stockton Boulevard. Mayor Steinberg led negotiations for a robust Community Benefits Agreement that will help ensure residents of the surrounding neighborhoods can get jobs in the new development and are not priced out of their homes.
Another major City Council action in February was the approval of the land use plan for the former Arco / Sleep Train Arena site in Natomas. Council approved the plans for a new teaching hospital and medical campus to take the arena’s place, delivering a major win for the Natomas area and for all of Sacramento.
March
Mayor Steinberg continued his effort to build Sacramento’s creative economy by winning City Council approval for a $10 million dollar federal aid package specifically for local artists and arts organizations. This funding was part of a much larger effort to ensure that federal American Rescue Plan dollars went directly back into the communities that needed them the most. All told, between the CARES and ARP federal stimulus plans, the Mayor helped secure more than $200 million in direct investments for youth, arts, small businesses, housing, and homelessness prevention and intervention.
Flowers, candles and balloons left outside of Sharif’s Jewelers on 10th and K became a de facto shine for those lives lost on April 4, 2022
April
One of the most horrific events in Sacramento’s history occurred in the opening week of April 2022. Six people were gunned down and twelve more seriously injured in a gun fight outside of a closing nightclub just off J Street. In response to the events on April 4, Mayor Steinberg joined Councilmembers Mai Vang and Jay Schenirer to call for more violence prevention and intervention funding specifically targeted at young people.
The City Council also voted in April to put Measure O on the ballot in November. The measure to require construction of more homeless shelters and step up enforcement was negotiated by City Manager Howard Chan as a compromise with business groups that were gathering signatures for a much more drastic initiative that could have bankrupted the city.
Not all of April was controversial. The Natomas Aquatic Complex opened to astonishing numbers of pool goers, the Office of Arts + Culture launched a matching grant program for neighborhood and community based events, and data released by the city’s planning department showed construction of accessory dwelling units had soared in the previous year.
May
Race and equity developed as a theme for May in 2022. The Mayor’s Office created a new position, Senior Advisor on Race and Equity, becoming a model nationally on policy development in the area. Concurrent with this was the announcement of the city working with the national non profit Race Forward on the development of a new initiative that would investigate civic equity and community oriented solutions to move forward from the impacts of racial bias.
In another action centered on addressing racial bias, Mayor Steinberg joined Councilmember Katie Valenzuela to push for a repeal of the cruising ban in Sacramento. The ban was repealed with a unanimous vote.
Mayor Steinberg and Councilmember Valenzuela at Cesar Chavez Plaza with members of the Sacramento Low Rider Commission before the vote to repeal the ordinance.
Mayor Steinberg gives the State of the City speech in 2022
June
Mayor Steinberg gave his 2022 State of the City speech at the Sacramento YMCA on Y Street, devoting nearly all of his time to calling for greater investment in young people.
He unveiled the plans to fund and build an iconic youth sports facility that would use between 50%-70% of the land of the 102 acres purchased in January. This facility could become an economic driver for South Sacramento, drawing tourism and traveling sports teams while also serving as an amenity for the city’s young people.
Mayor Steinberg also joined the Sac Kids First Coalition to announce his support for Measure L, which was passed by voters in November and which will guarantee a dedicated funding stream for youth services in the city’s budget.
Joshua’s House broke ground on a hospice center for terminally ill unsheltered residents, the City expanded its basic income pilot program in partnership with United Way, and council authorized $1.5 million in federal funding for to address food insecurity and to fund the Food Justice Task Force.
The 2022 Point-in-Time count was also released in June with an overall increase in numbers of unsheltered residents. However the number of women and families experiencing homelessness reduced dramatically.
Monica Ruelas Mares, youth leader at Sac Kids First speaks at a press conference in June announcing Measure L.
July
Two major affordable housing developments broke ground in the middle of summer. Under Mayor Steinberg’s leadership, affordable housing permits have increased tenfold. The City of Sacramento provided funding for a job training center run by La Familia and earned a $50 million award for Sacramento Valley Station.
Sacramento City Council announced they would return to chambers, marking the end of the Zoom city council meetings.
The biggest news of July came on the 19th when the Sacramento City Council voted 8-1 to place Measure L on the ballot. This was the third attempt to create a dedicated youth fund for the City of Sacramento since 2016. The previous two efforts failed at the ballot box and and in council respectively. The 2022 Measure L would take 40% of the equivalent to existing cannabis business license revenue and set it aside for youth programming and would not raise any additional taxes.
Members of the City’s Department of Community Response conducting outreach to hearing impaired unsheltered residents on the American River Parkway.
August
While Mayor Steinberg supported the action to put Measure O on the ballot, in August he worked to substantially improve the measure by tying it to the adoption of a legally binding City-County partnership spelling out how the county would provide services to people experiencing homelessness in Sacramento. The City Council also voted unanimously on a sidewalk regulation that requires at least four feet of space to remain clear for pedestrians and cyclists.
A call for all renewable energy to power the City’s buildings and infrastructure, using vacant parcels for urban gardens, federal funding for childcare and pedestrian safety improvements around schools rounded out a busy August for Sacramento.
Mayor Steinberg’s team at a Sac Republic game for a team building event.
September
The Sacramento Republic finished an historic run in which it became only the third USL team to make the final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Then District 1 Councilmember Angelique Ashby, Kellogs, and Mayor Steinberg hosted a watch party at the SAFE Convention Center. The new convention center is LEED Certified Silver and also became an energy efficient way to help people beat the heat during a record setting heatwave that baked all of California.
Sacramento officially opened the former Powerhouse Science Center as an outreach and engagement center for unsheltered residents. The City of Sacramento created a new website to make it even easier to plan and build an ADU on your property and a collective Latino and Hispanic groups began activating Cesar Chavez Plaza with family friendly movie nights.
Rendering of the KIND project in South Sacramento
October
The appointment of Tina Lee-Vogt to Nighttime Economy Manager opened the month of October. Lee-Vogt serves as a coordinator, collaborator, mediator, policy maker and single point of contact for the nighttime economy. The City currently oversees more than 80 active entertainment permits across Sacramento. The nighttime economy manager will help to ensure that this growing section of the City’s economy is managed and nurtured in most effective way possible.
At the end of the month Mayor Steinberg and Councilmembers Schenirer, Guerra, and Valenzuela announced the plan to invest $35 million in funding in several affordable housing projects. Council unanimously approved the action that will create 820 new affordable housing units, building on the nearly 2,000 units already under construction or recently completed.
A parking protected bikeway on J Street in Midtown Sacramento
November
Much of the attention in the local news in November centered on the general election. Sacramento saw four important ballot measures that went to the voters to decide.
Measure N passed with more than 70 percent of the vote. This update to the city’s hotel tax ordinance allows the money collected from hotel guests to be used for a broader range of investments that create tourism.
Measure O, passed, creating an obligation for the City of Sacramento create more shelter beds along with several other provisions specific to helping unsheltered residents.
Measure L, passed, setting aside a portion of businesses license fees from cannabis businesses specifically to fund youth programming.
Voters rejected Measure A, which would have raised sales tax a half cent for the next 40 years to fund regional roadway and transit projects.
A flurry of activity at council in November produced an improved building electrification ordinance, approved funding and plans for more protected bike lanes and transportation improvements, and targeted funding for the Marina Vista and Alder Grove communities to improve broadband access, create afterschool programs and park space.
The City of Sacramento brought back the Shop916 gift card program and announced a new parking reservation system that offers spaces at steep discounts at city garages.
From left to right, Supervisor Desmond, Councilmember Guerra, Mayor Steinberg, City Manager Chan, Councilmember Harris, County CEO Edwards, Supervisor Kennedy
December
Rounding out a challenging and productive year, leaders from Sacramento County and the City of Sacramento unveiled their City-County partnership agreement on homeless services. Following months of diligent and deliberate work by elected officials and staff, the two government bodies announced a legally binding partnership agreement to jointly provide greater outreach, shelter, and services to people experiencing homelessness, particularly within the boundaries of the City of Sacramento. The Board of Supervisors and the City Council approved the agreement at their next meetings and are now working together to implement the terms of the agreement. Approval by County and City also triggered the terms of Measure O which was passed by voters in November.
With new councilmembers being sworn in, residents in some “deferred” neighborhoods of the city were moved into new districts but will not vote for their new representative until 2024. Mayor Steinberg will have the honor of representing these deferred areas for the next two years and has brought on additional members to his award winning staff to help accommodate the workload.
The Food Justice Task Force announced the awardees their food insecurity grant program, Council approved a new building requirement that will promote water conservation and the City of Sacramento released a dashboard showcasing the impact of our American Rescue Plan investments.
“I’d like to thank our residents, our neighborhood leaders, our small business owners and anyone who has gotten engaged civically over the past year. Your voice is so important and helps make everything that we accomplished matter that much more,” Steinberg said.
