*Mayor Steinberg with Chinua Rhodes (right), Director of Community Engagement for the mayor’s office at the first town hall of the year.*

Sacramento, CA (Apr. 17, 2023) - Mayor Darrell Steinberg and his staff have worked hard in 2023 to bring government to the people by holding town halls and office hours that attracted more than 500 residents in neighborhoods throughout the city.

Mayor Steinberg has explained his priorities and answered questions from residents in 5 town halls held in neighborhoods including Colonial Heights, Meadowiew, Gardenland, Oak Park, and East Sacramento. Councilmembers and senior city staff have attended the town halls as well, providing detailed answers to questions from residents about such issues as police protection, community facilities, and homelessness.

Members of the mayor’s team walked the neighborhoods in advance of the town halls and office hours and left flyers at nearly 2,000 homes in an effort to reach people who don’t typically come to City Hall to interact with elected officials.

*Mayor’s staff and staff from District 4 meet with residents and business owners at La Cosecha in Cesar Chavez Plaza.*

“Holding events out in the community where people can interact with me and other city leaders directly helps show them that they’re important, that their opinions and needs matter,” Mayor Steinberg said. “It also keeps us in touch with what people are really feeling and experiencing out in our neighborhoods.”

In addition to town halls, the Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement has held office hours in five locations since January, including at local establishments like Louisiana Heaven in Valley Hi, Tiferet in East Sacramento, and Uptown Grounds in Old North Sacramento. Residents received help connecting to resources, talked to staff about what they like about Sacramento and their neighborhoods, and reported issues they said needed to be addressed.

*Mayor Steinberg answers questions from residents during the town hall in Oak Park.*

Staff from the Mayor’s Office of Community Engagement regularly attend neighborhood association meetings as well. In just the first quarter, one staff member attended ten neighborhood association meetings and connected with more than 200 residents alone.

As the only city-wide elected official, Mayor Steinberg’s community engagements are not focused on any one particular area of the city. However, as part of a quirk in the the redistricting process completed in 2021, several neighborhoods in Sacramento are only represented by the mayor until 2024.

*Mayor Steinberg’s staff (right) speaks to a resident at the Gardenland/Northgate Neighborhood Association meeting.*

“This effort to host town halls and office hours on a regular basis is an important way to give a voice to communities without direct council representation,” said Chinua Rhodes, Director of Community Engagement for Mayor Steinberg and Trustee for Sacramento City Unified School Board.

These efforts are not limited to neighborhoods. In early March, the Mayor’s office partnered with the ReImagine Mack Road Foundation to do community office hours for just for youth at the Valley Hi Community Center. Mayor Steinberg and staff talked with the young people at the event to learn more about what how youth are seeing their community and neighborhood.

“This type of engagement, in a safe space with community leaders and adult role models, shows these kids that they matter,” said Bill Knowlton, Executive Director of Mack Road Partnership and the ReImagine Mack Road Foundation.

To find out when the next office hours or town hall is, please visit engagesac.org/events.