Jun 20

Jun 20 Office of Violence Prevention receives additional funding at Mayor's request

Giving back to the community, Investing in young people, Keeping Sacramento safe

Sacramento, CA (June 19, 2023) - The City of Sacramento will significantly increase spending on violence prevention efforts in the coming fiscal year, partnering with non-profits to intervene with at-risk young people.

*Dr. Nicole Clavo leads the Office of Violence Prevention for the City of Sacramento.*

The 2023-24 budget approved by the City Council earlier this month includes $3.7 million for the Office of Violence Prevention (OVP), a $1 million increase from the fiscal year that ends on June 30. The additional money was added at the request of Mayor Darrell Steinberg.

As of May 2023, shootings in Sacramento were down 26 percent year over year after a spike during the pandemic. However, the past few weeks have seen a significant uptick in shooting incidents. According to the Sacramento Police Department there have been 15 shootings in past two weeks.

“In 2018 Sacramento went an entire year without a youth homicide, and we know we can get back there,” Mayor Steinberg said. “We know our community organizations are out in our neighborhoods making a direct impact by offering alternatives and interrupting violence before it starts.”

The Sacramento Police Department budget is flat to last year with the exception of the additional money for violence prevention and contractually obligated wage adjustments. Despite that, Chief Kathy Lester also announced that she is adding more patrol officers.

The Office of Violence Prevention works directly with young people at a high risk of falling into gangs or those who are gang associated through community organizations like Brother to Brother and Voice of the Youth. The City’s Youth, Parks, and Community Enrichment Department (YPCE) also works with OVP to offer Youth Pop Up activities that create safe spaces for young people on Friday and Saturday nights. OVP will be deciding how to best allocate the new funding in the coming months.