Latest news with #SacramentoCityCouncil
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Sacramento's nearly $18 million for child and youth services funding in limbo
SACRAMENTO -- Nearly $18 million in child and youth services funding is in limbo as the Sacramento City Council has not voted to approve how the funding is given out. The money comes from voter-approved Measure L in 2022 to establish the Sacramento Children's Fund. The measure requires the city to divert 40% of its local cannabis tax revenues to child and youth services, prioritizing those most impacted by poverty, violence and trauma. It was approved three years ago, but in 2025, nonprofits are still waiting to receive the funding promised as part of this initiative. The council is considering two options: one would fund a total of 24 programs and projects that address all five fund goals; the second would fund 16 programs and projects that address 4/5 fund goals. The total funding is $17.9 million. Mónica Ruelas Mares, the chair of the Sacramento Children's Fund Planning and Oversight Commission, said the continued delays "undermine the public's trust in the process" and come at the expense of the city's youth. Mares said: "Just in the past week there have been two incidents of youth firearm violence, one of which resulted in the death of a 15 year old. Even more since the fund was passed. When we think of the future we want for our kids I hope that the city council sees investing in youth programs and services as a priority and not an afterthought, this is what the voters asked our city to do! We must deliver on that promise. We need to keep our kids in mind as we move along this process, they do not have the luxury of time." Mares references the death of a 15-year-old boy on Tuesday night in Sacramento's Meadowview neighborhood. The teen was shot and died at the hospital, Sacramento police confirmed on Wednesday. "If the city is ours, anytime something happens, we should all take responsibility," said Darrell Roberts, CEO and co-founder of the Roberts Family Development Center. Roberts has decades of experience in youth violence prevention and the community organization has been selected to receive some of the Sacramento children's funding. The nonprofit provides wrap-around services for more than 500 students, families, and their communities in at least seven high-risk neighborhoods in Sacramento. The nonprofit provides academic and social support to students from economically disadvantaged families. These students often struggle to keep up in school, leading to a widening achievement gap that is intensified by summer learning loss. Without intervention, many face a future marked by limited education, poverty, involvement with the justice system, chronic health problems, and persistent stress. The added funding from the city, along with school district and private sector support, will allow their organization to grow the mission and serve more students, Roberts said. "Equity requires us to spend more in the neighborhoods where more is needed," said Roberts. In the summer, the services offered by Roberts Family Development Center expand to five days a week. Monday through Friday, students are given positive opportunities, Roberts said, where their families know they are safe and learning. He notes, however, that while hundreds of Sacramento's youth benefit from the program, there are thousands more who do not have the opportunity when school is out. "Anybody who wants to talk about the budget, our priority is not on young people, our priority is in other places. Which at the end of the day is why we have so many challenges in our neighborhoods, and why the summer becomes a hotbed of activities that are not always positive," said Roberts. Discussion on this issue at the city council level has been split amongst some council members, specifically, on whether to delay the vote from the May 20th City Council meeting to June. "I just want more information and make sure we can make a sound decision for our kids," said Councilmember Karina Talamantes. "We're spending all this time when we can really be talking about making sure that we're fighting more for young people in the general budget," said Councilmember Mai Vang. On June 10, the Sacramento City Council is expected to take up the issue of Sacramento Children's Funding once again. If they vote to pass the program, contract negotiations will begin, according to Mares. Any contracts that are more than $249,999 a year require city council approval. Ultimately, after a passing vote, the organizations could still have four to eight weeks until they receive the funding.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Sacramento's San Francisco Boulevard designated historical district in city council vote
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento City Council has approved designating an entire street a historical district. San Francisco Boulevard sits in the Colonial Heights neighborhood in south Sacramento. Unlike any other street in the city, it features a double median design with parallel rows of palm trees separating the lanes of traffic. The Colonial Heights neighborhood was built in the early 1900s, and the double median design is part of what was called the "City Beautiful Movement" back then. "It was an idea to really sort of bring character and levels of formality to the urban landscapes in cities across the country," Thompson said. In February, CBS Sacramento spoke to someone who lives in the area and led the charge to get San Francisco Boulevard listed on Sacramento's historic landmarks registry. "It protects the street from them making any changes to the design of the street itself, which includes the palm trees," KC Schuft said. Supporters of the historic designation said it would help the San Francisco Boulevard maintain its character for future generations.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Anti-Defamation League Releases Annual Audit Showing Alarming Rise In Antisemitism
In 2024, 498 Antisemitic incidents were reported to the ADL in Northern California. In 2024, the Anti-Defamation League's annual audit showed an alarming rise in antisemitism for the fourth consecutive year. The ADL reports that 9,354 antisemitic incidents occurred across the country last year, marking an 893% increase over the last decade. Semi fire destroys two brand new vehicles, causing traffic The Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League, Marc Levine, notes that with the rise of antisemitism also comes the rise of Jewish generational trauma. 'It's like having your blood pressure slowly rise and rise and rise, and you cannot sustain yourself at that very high, alarming rate,' Levine tells Fox40. 'We can't have this be normalized, we need to bring the hate in our society down.' 1,344 Antisemitic incidents were reported across California, the second-highest number of reported incidents per state. 'In Northern California, we witnessed 498 incidents of antisemitism, including over 100 acts of vandalism, and really sadly, five incidents of assault, and 89 different incidents occurred on college campuses,' Levine adds. Sacramento City Council member and former President of the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento region, Lisa Kaplan, says it's not surprising. Sacramento County approves 30-year lease for new mental health facility 'I think we've lost sight of humanity, and so it makes me sad,' Kaplan said. For the first time, the majority of all incidents reported to the ADL contained Israel-related rhetoric and elements. This comes after the Oct. 7th brutal Hamas attack on Israel, which saw the largest number of Jewish people killed in a single day since the Holocaust. 'The day after, on Oct. 8th, there were people celebrating in the streets of our own country, here in America, the death, destruction, murder, rape that occurred by Hamas terrorists,' Levine adds. 'It's almost like accusing the rape victim of rape, and that actually did occur.' This hatred has been a reality for Sacramento City Council member Kaplan. She was forced to increase security at home after protesters showed up, harassing her and her family for her Zionist identity and stance on the war. A banner was also previously hung on an overpass comparing her to the Ku Klux Klan. Kaplan says she didn't report any of this to the ADL, highlighting how underreported these cases are. 'As a mom of two younger kids, it's hard to have that conversation that somebody might not like you because of how you identify,' Kaplan said. 'Violence and treating somebody differently because of how they identify, the color of their skin, what religion they are, is not okay.' Incidents on college campuses rose more than those in any other location. There were 8 incidents included in ADL's audit on the UC Davis Campus in 2023 and 10 in 2024. The Jewish hatred stemming from the war has been very personal for Northern California Jewish residents, as Berkeley-born Hersh Goldberg-Polin was murdered in Hamas captivity. And on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Kaplan and Levine echo the message that 96-year-old Auschwitz survivor Benjamin Lesser previously told Fox40. 'Love and hate are both contagious; choose love,' Lesser said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
08-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Sacramento considers allowing open alcohol containers on streets in entertainment zones
SACRAMENTO — The Sacramento City Council is considering creating entertainment zones that would allow people to drink alcohol in open containers outside of bars and restaurants. "I think it would be great so you don't have to slam [your drink] down and you can go outside and enjoy," said Bonnie Nichols, who lives in Sacramento. It is the city's latest effort to pour into Sacramento's nightlife. "I imagine it being a center of the city, which I think is really important culturally and demographically," said Brandon Robinson, founder of Tipsy Putt in the Downtown Commons (DOCO). Robinson said it has been a struggle for businesses to bounce back from the pandemic, but Tipsy Putt has slowly been seeing foot traffic increase. He believes focusing on nightlife and creating a fun, fluid and safe environment where people can bar-hop could help. "We were in Arizona, and we were able to do some more things like that," Stephanie Gustin said. "It just added to our fun, but it has to be within limits." The city thinks these entertainment zones could benefit businesses when special events are happening nearby, allowing them to make booze sales. "I know what I don't want. I don't want 24 hours a certain part of the city having a New Orleans and Mardi Gras," Mayor Kevin McCarty said. McCarty said Sacramento is looking at cities like San Francisco that have had success with its open container entertainment zones, including near the Chase Center. "I honestly wouldn't think that would be really smart because you'd have a lot of extra people drunk in public," said Iyesia Osborne, who lives in Sacramento. Mayor McCarty told CBS13 that there would be contained areas and times that police would increase staffing. "We're very, very mindful," McCarty said. "We will be having our police department help us craft this." There are not definitive locations yet that would fall into these entertainment zones, but McCarty did mention parts of K Street, R Street and Capitol Mall. "You always want to bring more nightlife to the downtown area, but you got to make it safe," said Kris Errecart, who lives in Sacramento. The Department of Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) is on board with this change in open containers and requires special permits for businesses participating in these zones. Over the past two years, Governor Gavin Newsom has been signing laws allowing local governments to create entertainment zones. The Sacramento City Council will discuss this at its meeting Tuesday.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Entertainment permit approved by Sacramento City Council
( — The Sacramento City Council approved a new Limited Entertainment Permit that was created to support the city's nighttime, social and creative economies, according to the City of Sacramento. Video Above: GoldenSky country music festival canceled for 2025 Last Tuesday's approval allows smaller businesses to host events without the weight of costs, applications and requirements applied to larger venues. The initiative was established by the Entertainment Service Division and the Office of Nighttime Economy. 'The new Limited Entertainment Permit is a significant step in supporting Sacramento's creative economy,' said Tina Lee-Vogt, Manager of the Office of Nighttime Economy. 'By simplifying the permitting process, we're making it easier for businesses to host live entertainment while ensuring compliance with the City's noise and occupancy standards. This initiative creates more opportunities for local artists and enhances the city's social vibrancy.' Stockton Police share Your Way Registry during World Autism Awareness Day Businesses with an occupancy of 299 or less, can offer events as a secondary operation, according to officials. Establishments will be able to offer live music that ends as late as 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. Barriers for venues outside of downtown and midtown will also be reduced, allowing entertainment citywide. The permit comes after the Sociable City Assessment and the Sacramento Music Census shared their need for entertainment that creates growth in the local and music scene. The city council will revisit the permit to establish associated fees. An online permitting process is also being worked on to simplify applications for city staff and applicants. Public meetings will also take place to evaluate sound policies, according to the city. The program is expected to launch in May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
