CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - In a fitting tribute to the City’s 25^th anniversary of cityhood this year, a reception at City Hall on September 22 celebrated the release of the new book “Becoming the City of Citrus Heights: The History of a Unique Incorporation.” The book, written by local author Miranda Culp, details Citrus Heights’ 12-year legal battle for incorporation—a fight that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The book was funded by the City’s History and Arts Grant Program and is the vision of Bill Van Duker, an integral member of the Citrus Heights Incorporation Project (CHIP) who fought for the City’s incorporation.

During a presentation before City Council, Van Duker said he wanted to leave this book as a legacy, representing the determination of those who continued fighting for incorporation despite strong opposition from Sacramento County. “As time passes, fewer and fewer people remember what it was like before,” said Van Duker, explaining that incorporation was the only way for Citrus Heights to have a true seat at the table in regional affairs and to establish the resources and amenities residents wanted in their city. And now, “at the 25-year mark, I feel we are at a crossroads. We can reach for new goals, take new risks, and we can dare to be different and better. Or we can settle back and take short-term gains, like cutting budgets for example, at the expense of investing in the future and going forward to greatness. I hope we shoot for the stars.”

Van Duker brought Culp into the project, and she said at first she was “intimidated.” With no background in city planning, Culp initially thought the book would be a “dry research project,” but she said, “anywhere there are humans, there is drama,” and she found herself “deeply moved by the grit” displayed during the battle for cityhood.

One thing Culp wants Citrus Heights citizens to understand “is that their city exists because people from opposite sides of the spectrum came together around a very basic democratic principle. This willingness to unify around a common goal is in short supply these days, at a time when we really need it most. I hope this spirit of collaboration continues to permeate your decisions, that we will all take a page from the Citrus Heights playbook.”

Culp said Van Duker’s “efforts and intelligence helped the city come into being,” and she thanked him for making her “part of the Citrus Heights story.”  

Councilmember Jeannie Bruins said the incorporation was “the epitome of a grassroots effort, where ordinary people came together to achieve an extraordinary goal.”

Mayor Porsche Middleton said of Van Duker and all who fought for incorporation, “I deeply appreciate what you all have built for me and my family, and I hope that we all are going to remain good stewards of that dream and vision.”

Van Duker closed by saying, “My hope for the City going forward is to dream big, act boldly, and make Citrus Heights the shining city on the hill.”

Production and printing of the book were a gift to the City from Bill and Janie Van Duker and All Star Printing, and an e-book version can be viewed online for free at the City’s website.