Sacramento residents: We need you to fight against proposed parks department cuts
The City of Sacramento faces a $44 million city budget structural deficit. As commissioners for the City of Sacramento's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment, we have heard from neighbors who have expressed to us their fears about how Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment's staffing, programming and services will be impacted.
The current city budget proposes to eliminate 70 vacant full-time equivalent positions, with 54 of those coming from the Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment department.
Any and every cut to the Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment budget will severely impact the essential services our department provides to the City of Sacramento and its ability to add and expand programming. Each cut to our budget means less maintenance in our 237 city parks, less programming at our 15 community centers and fewer operating hours at our 17 aquatic centers.
The Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment serves and represents our neighbors by creating beautification projects across the city with community partners and volunteer groups. Most importantly, as commissioners, we advocate for our neighbors and community groups with department staff and with our city council members.
At our monthly public meetings, community groups have shared how rising rental costs affect their programs. Sadly, this is a direct result of previous cuts to Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment to balance the city budget.
Budget negotiations are always difficult. Neighbors love their parks and also don't want to see staff cuts in public safety, public works or the other imperative city services across the near 20 city departments. It is our job as commissioners to rally park advocates and users across the city, and let the Sacramento City Council know that the final city budget they pass must preserve Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment's proposed investments for quality recreation facilities and community livability and deliver core services through a diversity and equity lens.
And it's not just parks services that are at stake: In the last budget year, Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment invested $1.1 million dollars in youth employment, providing job opportunities for 300 youth, completing 30,000 hours of work at various parks, community centers, local businesses and schools.
Additionally, the Older Adult Services Division provided respite for family caregivers through the Triple-R Adult Day Program, and Older Adult Services staff answered 9,872 calls or visits for Resource and Referral services at the Hart Senior Center, gave out more than 8,000 Meals on Wheels meals and delivered 58,680 units of service with in-person and virtual activities. This is just a small glimpse of the vast array of services provided through the city's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment.
We believe in balancing the city budget. Too often, however, our youth, parks and community enrichment bear the brunt of budget eliminations.
We have to do better.
Jeanine Gaines is a District 8 parks commissioner and chair of the City of Sacramento's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Development. Joe Flores is a District 7 parks commissioner for the City of Sacramento's Department of Youth, Parks and Community Enrichment.
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