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How do you rate the quality of life in Sacramento? The City wants to hear from you

How would you rate the quality of life in Sacramento?

What services work well? What needs improvement? What are your thoughts about public transportation, parks, housing options, health services, education, entertainment options, crime and more?

The Office of the City Auditor invites Sacramento residents to take the National Community Survey and share their opinions about the livability of Sacramento. The survey also includes questions about a range of community issues as well as services provided by the City.

“The community survey is critical because it gives us a benchmark of how citizens feel about our services in a way that is scientifically accurate and comprehensive,” said City Auditor Jorge Oseguera. “Departments or divisions can use the information captured to prioritize or realign resources in a meaningful way; one that is based on hard data, rather than assumptions.”

Last year, the City did not conduct a community survey due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the Auditor’s Office instead conducted a survey to gauge impacts of the coronavirus on Sacramentans.

Results of the 2019 Community Survey showed that:

• Respondents rated quality of services such as fire, ambulance or emergency medical services, public library services and garbage collection as good or excellent.
• Respondents rated quality of services including traffic enforcement, street cleaning, and street repair as poor or fair.
• Respondents rated characteristics of the community including opportunities to volunteer, opportunities to participate in religious or spiritual events and shopping opportunities as good or excellent.
• Respondents rated community characteristics including the cost of living, public parking and availability of affordable quality housing as poor or fair.

The survey is available online through April 25 and can be translated into more than 100 languages. It takes around 15 minutes to complete.

Earlier this year, 5,500 randomly selected households were sent the survey to ensure the City would receive statistically significant data. The survey now is open to anyone who would like to share their opinions. All respondents to the survey will remain anonymous.

East Sacramento Preservation and Save Sacramento Neighborhoods invite you to attend a community forum about the City of Sacramento’s plan to make landmark changes to our neighborhood zoning.  

Join us on Zoom 

Thursday 

April 15^th 

6:30 p.m. 

Register in advance for this meeting:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqc-itqTgtHNRxAFeYcn-Nqc_fXewIKC96 

When you look down many residential streets in Sacramento, you see row after row of single-family homes. This is Americana. This is the American dream – but with a twist. To realize the dream that comes with these homes, owners must pay substantial down payments and work long hours to cover the hefty mortgages involved.

Our city struggles with exorbitant pricing of rental properties and real estate. Scores of homeless citizens camp out on our streets. Achieving decent housing, let alone the American dream, is out of reach for many Sacramentans.  

To solve this crisis, City leaders are proposing the re-zoning of neighborhoods to allow multiplexes and full lot build outs in all city areas.  

The city’s 2022 General Plan includes a “Housing Element.” This plan proposes major changes affecting neighborhoods in Sacramento including ending single-family home neighborhoods by allowing up to six housing units on all lots. 

The plan also eliminates residential and commercial requirements that off-street parking be provided for residents, customers, and clients and reduces lanes and available parking on certain major streets. 

Additionally, the plan replaces gas heating, cooling and cooking with electricity in all buildings, starting with new buildings, and then including existing buildings. 

Many Sacramentans are not aware of these changes or the implications for existing neighborhoods. The up-coming forum will summarize the city’s proposals and rationale and then offer a careful look at the proposed changes. It will also include a review of legislative proposals to eliminate single family zoning statewide. 

Parts of the proposed plan have become increasingly controversial as residents become aware of the major changes the plan envisions. City advocates say that ending single family zoning will create affordable housing and right the wrongs of past racial discrimination. Opponents say the city provides no evidence for these claims, citing examples where upzoning has resulted in higher-cost housing and more racial segregation. 

For information supporting the proposed General Plan, click here. 

For information on concerns about the proposed General Plan, click here. 

Join our panel to learn more about this issue. 

Chris Jones, a resident of Colonial Heights in Sacramento since 2016, participates in several community organizations including the Colonial Heights Neighborhood Association, and Hope for Sacramento, a homelessness advocacy group. Chris  holds a BS in Information Technology and an MB. He works as a Project Manager in the Healthcare/IT field. 

Maggie Coulter is with Save Sacramento Neighborhoods and  is president of the Elmhurst Neighborhood Association. She has worked as a land use planner and in affordable housing for the CA Dept. of Housing and Community Development. A long/time Sacramento resident and environmental activist, she is a supporter of peace and justice.

Emily Gabel-Luddy served for nearly 10 years on the Burbank City Council, twice as Mayor, focusing on affordable housing issues. She has broad experience in planning as a zoning administrator, and urban designer during her 30-year career as a public servant. She volunteers as a legislative analyst for Livable California. 

Isaiah Madison is an urban planner and community organizer in South Los Angeles. He chairs his local Neighborhood Council planning committee, and devotes time to educating constituents on pending legislation and development proposals. He also serves on the Board of Livable California. 

For more information, email: No2Rezone@gmail.com