CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Citrus Heights City Council members heard a Homeless Regional Collaboration Model presentation by Sacramento County at its Sept. 10 meeting. 

With homelessness increasing in recent years, county representatives said, the local community wants to see more direct action. Under the current model, each jurisdiction is working separately to address the issue, so the approach can vary greatly depending on the agency, organization or local government. 

To increase coordination and streamline program implementation, the county proposes establishing a new governing body, the Sacramento Homeless and Housing Board, which would set regional goals, performance targets and funding priorities to address homelessness. This new model would allow for increased collaboration to oversee shelters, street outreach, encampment cleanups and more.

The board would hold open public meetings, establish strategic plans, increase transparency and seek new funding sources and ways to leverage existing funds. Managing the funding will be a critical aspect, as there have recently been cuts to federal funding. 

The board would be composed of 10 elected officials from throughout the region, with two from the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, two from Sacramento City Council, and one each from the councils of other participating cities. The board would also include at least one member with lived experience of homelessness. Board seats could also be given to up to four community leaders with expertise in healthcare, justice, education and so forth. 

The county is presenting this proposal to all the City Councils to get feedback and determine which would be willing to participate. Then the county can begin drafting Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) and bylaws for official adoption. The new board could be seated by the second quarter of next year. 

Councilmember Kelsey Nelson said she liked the idea of including the voices of community leaders. If this new board is implemented, Nelson said, she hopes that the change doesn’t derail the involvement of those in the community who are already working on this issue. 

Councilmember Tim Schaefer agreed that it would be beneficial to have community leaders from those fields involved in the discussion but worried that it would take longer to get anything done with such a large board because of the difficulty in reaching a consensus. Even with potential downsides, Schaefer said, this approach “looks great on paper” and hopes it would be able to achieve “substantive results.” 

Vice Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff wondered how much funding would be used to support the board’s structure. Lopez-Taff also asked whether the City of Citrus Heights would be expected to provide a financial contribution, because she would want to know those numbers up front. Lopez-Taff hoped that this board would have full transparency in their funding implementation: “These are tax dollars at stake and we want to know where the dollars are.” 

Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa echoed the concerns about funding getting stuck on administrative issues rather than “getting where they need to go.” And while she wanted the input of community leaders, Karpinski-Costa would prefer they act as an advisory council rather than board voting members, since they wouldn’t have governing experience. 

City Manager Ash Feeney thanked the county for their work on this proposal: “We’ve been great partners as we’ve been looking to tackle this great challenge and we’ve had a lot of collaborative discussions recently.” 

Mayor Karpinski-Costa said, “There’s more to be done but we’ll just kind of take it one step at a time.” 

The council also considered a request for a Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity (PCN) for the sale of beer, wine and spirits at a new Grocery Outlet planned for 5409 Sunrise Blvd. in the Sunrise Village shopping complex. 

A Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity must be approved by the City Council when an alcohol sales license is requested in a census tract that is identified as overconcentrated by California’s Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Two licenses are allowed within a census tract and there are already eight in that area but city staff said it is a large tract that is mostly commercial. 

Grocery Outlet is in the permitting process now for the new location, the site of a former Rite-Aid. The building has long been vacant, and major interior renovation and exterior improvements are expected to begin soon. The store will operate daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., with 35 employees. Grocery Outlet mostly sells groceries and household products, so alcohol would account for just 4 to 5% of overall sales. 

There were no public comments on this item and council voted 4-0 to approve the Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity, with Councilmember Porsche Middleton absent. 

The council next discussed the annual allocation of the Nonprofit Community Support Fund, which has $150,000 available each year to support the activities of local nonprofits. 

The Quality of Life Committee (Karpinski-Costa and Nelson) reviewed the 12 applications submitted to the city and recommended nine for funding: $5,500 to Junior Achievement for elementary school programming and materials; $30,000 to Citrus Heights HART for its Rental Assistance Program; $15,300 to International Association for Human Values for Project Welcome Home Troop’s SKY Resilience Training for Veterans; $7,500 to Art of Living Foundation for its second annual Yoga Fest event; $25,000 to Campus Life Connection for Sayonara Center operations; $12,000 to Citrus Heights Arts for its CH40 Arts District Expansion, Art Beat event and City Hall mural series; $10,000 to Citrus Heights Community Marching Band for instructors, equipment and materials; $22,000 to Single Mom Strong for Preschool and Childcare Facility expansion; and $5,000 to Silver Wishes for its Wish Fulfillment Program for local seniors. 

The recommended allocations totaled $132,300, out of $150,000 available. The remaining balance in the fund will be available for other programs through the overall Economic Development Support Fund during this fiscal year.

Not recommended for funding this year were The Rooted Collective’s “From the Streets, For the Streets” homeless resources and outreach ($8,000), the Purple Pageant’s Young Teen Society Chapters programming ($20,000), and the San Juan Education Foundation’s program Parent Teacher Home Visits for All ($10,000). 

Councilmember Schaefer pointed out that Vice Mayor Lopez-Taff works for Junior Achievement, one of the agencies recommended for funding, so that could be a conflict of interest. Staff explained that Lopez-Taff would recuse herself during the vote on that particular funding allocation. Councilmember Porsche Middleton is affiliated with Citrus Heights Art but she was absent from the meeting. 

During public comments, representatives from many of the organizations shared how the funding will support their programs and benefit the Citrus Heights community. 

The council voted 3-0 to approve the Junior Achievement allocation, with Lopez-Taff recused, and voted 4-0 to approve all the other recommended allocations. 

Mayor Karpinski-Costa thanked all the nonprofit organizations for applying and “for the good they do in our community.” She said there was a great variety of services provided by these groups and it’s “just a wonderful community we have that we support.” 

During City Manager Items, Feeney sadly announced the recent passing of Jessica Andrews, who was a valued community partner. Andrews had spearheaded a new city event, Citrus Nights, which will be held in Van Maren Park from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19. The event will feature live music, food trucks, yard games, and a beer and wine garden. Feeney said Andrews would want people to enjoy the event, so he asked the community to attend Citrus Nights and “celebrate her and celebrate her good works.” 

The meeting was adjourned in honor of Jessica Andrews. 

The next Citrus Heights City Council meeting is scheduled for Sept. 24.