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SJPC's Social Justice Report Card
Sacramento City - 2021
Official Results
Scroll down to learn more about how our community thought Sac City performed!
How are final grades decided upon?
BONUS GRADE!!!
EDUCATION IN THE CITY AND COUNTY
COMMUNITY GRADE: (C-)
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
SJPC has primarily focused on City and County government and therefore has not had the capacity to delve deeply into education policy in Sacramento, so we defer to the community’s grade.
The grade average listed above was calculated based on survey results regarding education equity at the City and County level, rather than at the school board level
We assigned two grades for each response
The Community Grade - this grade is the averaged result of the survey responses
The Editorial Grade - this grade is assigned by the SJPC Counsel. The Counsel took into consideration community grades and comments. The results were then run by our partner organizations and SJPC Counsel members in order to receive their feedback. Upon reaching a consensus the results were published.
*Disclaimer that districts named in doc are from 2021 before redistricting (no changes to BOS)
This survey was disseminated before the 2021 redistricting process, therefore all elected officials are listed according to the district they represented in 2021 before redistricting.
Click each image to learn more!
Sacramento City Overall
Community grade: (D+)
Editorial grade: (C)
Acknowledgment:
City elected officials have taken a number of symbolic steps to show their commitment to upholding social justice values. Some examples include: implementing a land acknowledgement at City government meetings, creating a Police Review Commission, and pledging to create a number of new temporary shelters for the unhoused.
Improvements needed:
These symbolic steps have generally not been followed up with concrete action or policy change. The City seems to prioritize the status quo. Homeless encampments are still broken up, the police are still racist, violent, and overfunded, and city programs still frequently ignore racial equity in their implementation.
Editorial grade: (C)
Acknowledgment:
City elected officials have taken a number of symbolic steps to show their commitment to upholding social justice values. Some examples include: implementing a land acknowledgement at City government meetings, creating a Police Review Commission, and pledging to create a number of new temporary shelters for the unhoused.
Improvements needed:
These symbolic steps have generally not been followed up with concrete action or policy change. The City seems to prioritize the status quo. Homeless encampments are still broken up, the police are still racist, violent, and overfunded, and city programs still frequently ignore racial equity in their implementation.
City Council and Mayor Overall
Community grade: (D+)
Editorial grade: (C-)
Acknowledgment:
The current City Council has two social justice oriented members (Councilmembers Vang and Valenzuela) and that has been a breath of fresh air, resulting in some small symbolic victories.
Improvements needed:
Unfortunately, the Mayor and the majority of the Council remains committed to preserving the status quo and preventing any tangible improvements. Attempts to hold the City accountable for its police misconduct or its terrible treatment of our unhoused residents are stopped in their tracks, and voices from the community are consistently ignored.
Editorial grade: (C-)
Acknowledgment:
The current City Council has two social justice oriented members (Councilmembers Vang and Valenzuela) and that has been a breath of fresh air, resulting in some small symbolic victories.
Improvements needed:
Unfortunately, the Mayor and the majority of the Council remains committed to preserving the status quo and preventing any tangible improvements. Attempts to hold the City accountable for its police misconduct or its terrible treatment of our unhoused residents are stopped in their tracks, and voices from the community are consistently ignored.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Despite being frequently misguided about what is in Sacramento’s best interest, Mayor Steinberg genuinely seems to care and is very passionate about Sacramento.
Improvements needed:
The Mayor's grand plan to address homelessness is at best deeply flawed, with many of its elements being counterproductive and harmful. Even when his heart seems to be in the right place, he consistently neuters his own proposals through absolute deference to business interests. He is consistently pro-cop, and resists any effort to defund or reform them.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Despite being frequently misguided about what is in Sacramento’s best interest, Mayor Steinberg genuinely seems to care and is very passionate about Sacramento.
Improvements needed:
The Mayor's grand plan to address homelessness is at best deeply flawed, with many of its elements being counterproductive and harmful. Even when his heart seems to be in the right place, he consistently neuters his own proposals through absolute deference to business interests. He is consistently pro-cop, and resists any effort to defund or reform them.
Councilmember Angelique Ashby
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (D-)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Ashby is generally respectful in her tone, careful with her word choice, and quite skilled at the art of politics.
Improvements needed:
She is relentlessly pro-cop, calling the Sacramento Police Department one of the best police forces in the nation, and opposing attempts to reduce their funding or reform them. She will sometimes say the right things about helping the unhoused, but generally votes in lockstep with the majority to preserve the unacceptable and violent status quo.
Editorial grade: (D-)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Ashby is generally respectful in her tone, careful with her word choice, and quite skilled at the art of politics.
Improvements needed:
She is relentlessly pro-cop, calling the Sacramento Police Department one of the best police forces in the nation, and opposing attempts to reduce their funding or reform them. She will sometimes say the right things about helping the unhoused, but generally votes in lockstep with the majority to preserve the unacceptable and violent status quo.
Councilmember Sean Loloee
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Loloee has taken some action to prevent sweeps of the unhoused in his district, and to remove law enforcement from encampments. However, he has stopped short of supporting any real systemic changes or solutions.
Improvements needed:
In his own words, he is “not a fan” of affordable housing. Councilmember Loloee frequently demonizes the unhoused by repeating right-wing lies about them, and he openly prioritizes local business interests above just about anything else. He is a solid member of the pro-cop majority on the Council, and still repeats the debunked nonsense claim that “defunding” police departments has led to an increase in crime.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Loloee has taken some action to prevent sweeps of the unhoused in his district, and to remove law enforcement from encampments. However, he has stopped short of supporting any real systemic changes or solutions.
Improvements needed:
In his own words, he is “not a fan” of affordable housing. Councilmember Loloee frequently demonizes the unhoused by repeating right-wing lies about them, and he openly prioritizes local business interests above just about anything else. He is a solid member of the pro-cop majority on the Council, and still repeats the debunked nonsense claim that “defunding” police departments has led to an increase in crime.
Councilmember Jeff Harris
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Regardless of whether you agree with Councilmember Harris on the issues, he is generally honest about his position and says what he thinks is right. He also deserves credit for opposing the Strong Mayor ballot measure.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Harris is a leader of the anti-homeless force on the Council. He consistently puts up barriers to services for the unhoused in his district, and was largely responsible for the disgusting and inhumane Commerce Circle sweep last year. He primarily views homelessness through the lens of business interests and “cleaning up” the community while demonizing the unhoused as drug addicts and criminals. Jeff Harris also opposes any efforts to defund or reform the police.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Regardless of whether you agree with Councilmember Harris on the issues, he is generally honest about his position and says what he thinks is right. He also deserves credit for opposing the Strong Mayor ballot measure.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Harris is a leader of the anti-homeless force on the Council. He consistently puts up barriers to services for the unhoused in his district, and was largely responsible for the disgusting and inhumane Commerce Circle sweep last year. He primarily views homelessness through the lens of business interests and “cleaning up” the community while demonizing the unhoused as drug addicts and criminals. Jeff Harris also opposes any efforts to defund or reform the police.
Councilmember Katie Valenzuela
Community grade: (C+)
Editorial grade: (A)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Valenzuela is one of the best (and one of the only) advocates for social justice to serve in Sacramento local government. She consistently uses her platform to speak out about racial injustice. Valenzuela will actually cast votes against the rest of the council in an attempt to curb police violence or to provide services to the unhoused. Councilmember Valenzuela will sometimes help to directly lift up activist voices.
Improvements needed:
While Councilmember Valenzuela's commitment to social justice values is not in doubt, she is sometimes too willing to go along with Steinberg when he proposes weak and ineffective half-measures, and generally plays nice with the Council and city staff. A good example of this would be her vote to give City Manager Howard Chan a raise despite his complicity in the deaths of several unhoused people in January of 2021. This is standard behavior for a politician, and the public could be better served by a Katie Valenzuela who is willing to fight more aggressively.
Editorial grade: (A)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Valenzuela is one of the best (and one of the only) advocates for social justice to serve in Sacramento local government. She consistently uses her platform to speak out about racial injustice. Valenzuela will actually cast votes against the rest of the council in an attempt to curb police violence or to provide services to the unhoused. Councilmember Valenzuela will sometimes help to directly lift up activist voices.
Improvements needed:
While Councilmember Valenzuela's commitment to social justice values is not in doubt, she is sometimes too willing to go along with Steinberg when he proposes weak and ineffective half-measures, and generally plays nice with the Council and city staff. A good example of this would be her vote to give City Manager Howard Chan a raise despite his complicity in the deaths of several unhoused people in January of 2021. This is standard behavior for a politician, and the public could be better served by a Katie Valenzuela who is willing to fight more aggressively.
Councilmember Jay Schenirer
Community grade: (D+)
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Schenirer says the right words and rarely rocks the boat. He introduced a Racial Equity Resolution in January 2021, which had some symbolic value.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Schenirer is unwilling to take a stand even when he seems to be on the right side of an issue. For example, when he introduced a proposal alongside Steinberg to curb some of the excessive “clean-up” actions that are harming the unhoused community, he ended up casting a cowardly "yes" vote on Ashby’s substitute motion that removed all the substance from his own. He sits on the Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee but tends to derail things with his obsessive focus on metrics over substance.
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Schenirer says the right words and rarely rocks the boat. He introduced a Racial Equity Resolution in January 2021, which had some symbolic value.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Schenirer is unwilling to take a stand even when he seems to be on the right side of an issue. For example, when he introduced a proposal alongside Steinberg to curb some of the excessive “clean-up” actions that are harming the unhoused community, he ended up casting a cowardly "yes" vote on Ashby’s substitute motion that removed all the substance from his own. He sits on the Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee but tends to derail things with his obsessive focus on metrics over substance.
Councilmember Eric Guerra
Community grade: (C)
Editorial grade: (C-)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Guerra says the right words and rarely rocks the boat. He deserves some credit for speaking out against civil asset forfeiture when it came before the Council.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Guerra consistently sides with the majority in preserving the status quo regarding policing and homelessness. He prioritizes business interests over the lives of those living in his community, particularly when it came to supporting the Aggie Square development.
Editorial grade: (C-)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Guerra says the right words and rarely rocks the boat. He deserves some credit for speaking out against civil asset forfeiture when it came before the Council.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Guerra consistently sides with the majority in preserving the status quo regarding policing and homelessness. He prioritizes business interests over the lives of those living in his community, particularly when it came to supporting the Aggie Square development.
Councilmember Rick Jennings
Community grade: (D+)
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Jennings rarely rocks the boat or says anything problematic. He deserves credit for defending groups like Advance Peace - who do important work with highly vulnerable communities - when the City was trying to remove their access to funding.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Jennings is strongly pro-cop and defends the Sacramento Police Department at every opportunity. He never takes bold stands despite having a lot of freedom due to the lack of real electoral competition in his district. Jennings seems to proudly view himself as a centrist.
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
Councilmember Jennings rarely rocks the boat or says anything problematic. He deserves credit for defending groups like Advance Peace - who do important work with highly vulnerable communities - when the City was trying to remove their access to funding.
Improvements needed:
Councilmember Jennings is strongly pro-cop and defends the Sacramento Police Department at every opportunity. He never takes bold stands despite having a lot of freedom due to the lack of real electoral competition in his district. Jennings seems to proudly view himself as a centrist.
Councilmember Mai Vang
Community grade: (C+)
Editorial grade: (A-)
Acknowledgment:
One of the best (and one of the only) advocates for social justice to serve in Sacramento local government. Councilmember Vang consistently provides a strong voice for reducing and reforming the police. She is very good about reminding the Council to actually listen to local advocates and community members at each part of the decision-making process.
Improvements needed:
Despite being a strong supporter of social justice values, she has yet to produce substantial results in terms of policy. She also cast a misguided vote in support of the absurd 2021 lawsuit against Skyler Henry, an activist who was hired by Councilmember Valenzuela that same year.
Editorial grade: (A-)
Acknowledgment:
One of the best (and one of the only) advocates for social justice to serve in Sacramento local government. Councilmember Vang consistently provides a strong voice for reducing and reforming the police. She is very good about reminding the Council to actually listen to local advocates and community members at each part of the decision-making process.
Improvements needed:
Despite being a strong supporter of social justice values, she has yet to produce substantial results in terms of policy. She also cast a misguided vote in support of the absurd 2021 lawsuit against Skyler Henry, an activist who was hired by Councilmember Valenzuela that same year.
Sac City Issue Areas Overall
Criminal Justice Reform
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
The City recognized that programs and services offered by community-based organizations (e.g., gang prevention) are necessary to prevent violence in communities. In their updated code of conduct for officers, the Sacramento Police Department introduced language which discourages officers from harassing people on the street based on perception of their gender identity. They also updated their use of force policy to include language that limits using deadly force only as a “last resort”.
Improvements needed:
The City stands by their police no matter what they do. Multiple members of the City Council have used the phrase “one of the best Police Department's in the country” despite their frequent violent and racist behavior. Former Police Chief Hahn, a black man, was frequently tokenized and has his identity used as a shield from criticism by the City. The City established a Police Review Commission in response to pressure but rarely acknowledges its existence, let alone listens to its recommendations.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
The City recognized that programs and services offered by community-based organizations (e.g., gang prevention) are necessary to prevent violence in communities. In their updated code of conduct for officers, the Sacramento Police Department introduced language which discourages officers from harassing people on the street based on perception of their gender identity. They also updated their use of force policy to include language that limits using deadly force only as a “last resort”.
Improvements needed:
The City stands by their police no matter what they do. Multiple members of the City Council have used the phrase “one of the best Police Department's in the country” despite their frequent violent and racist behavior. Former Police Chief Hahn, a black man, was frequently tokenized and has his identity used as a shield from criticism by the City. The City established a Police Review Commission in response to pressure but rarely acknowledges its existence, let alone listens to its recommendations.
Housing Accessibility and Affordability
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
The City talks a big game about helping the homeless, and has made big promises about creating lots of temporary shelters, though they have yet to actually materialize.
Improvements needed:
The City continues to sweep encampments and cause devastation within unhoused communities on a daily basis. The City has made no plans to develop the significant amount of permanent affordable housing demanded and needed by Sacramento residents. They prefer instead to focus on temporary shelter options, because the courts have made that a necessary prerequisite for passing laws that criminalize homelessness, which has been a major piece of the Mayor’s agenda for years. Despite this focus, the City has failed to implement development of even the temporary housing they pledged to create.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
The City talks a big game about helping the homeless, and has made big promises about creating lots of temporary shelters, though they have yet to actually materialize.
Improvements needed:
The City continues to sweep encampments and cause devastation within unhoused communities on a daily basis. The City has made no plans to develop the significant amount of permanent affordable housing demanded and needed by Sacramento residents. They prefer instead to focus on temporary shelter options, because the courts have made that a necessary prerequisite for passing laws that criminalize homelessness, which has been a major piece of the Mayor’s agenda for years. Despite this focus, the City has failed to implement development of even the temporary housing they pledged to create.
Environmental Justice
Community grade: (D+)
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
The City has acknowledged the urgency of the climate crisis, and has set 2030 as a target year for cutting emissions. The target year had previously been set at 2045, so this is an improvement.
Improvements needed:
The City does not appear to have taken any significant or tangible actions to achieve this emission reduction at this time.
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
The City has acknowledged the urgency of the climate crisis, and has set 2030 as a target year for cutting emissions. The target year had previously been set at 2045, so this is an improvement.
Improvements needed:
The City does not appear to have taken any significant or tangible actions to achieve this emission reduction at this time.
Health Equity
Community grade: (D+)
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
We want to acknowledge the City Council for putting some amount of effort into pursuing health equity for folx living in Sacramento, for example forming a Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee, and allocating $6 million for children and youth in the 2021 midyear budget. Additionally, the City of Sacramento has dedicated most of their ARPA funding to the City's Homeless and Housing Commitment and small business support. Communities can also expect to see funding focused on vaccination campaigns and evidence-based community violence intervention.
Improvements needed:
The City has consistently put business interests first when it comes to distributing COVID recovery funds, and in particular, has refused to consider racial equity in deciding where to send the money. It has failed to address the public health crisis of homelessness, resulting in suffering and death within the unhoused population of Sacramento City for a variety of reasons (air quality, inclement weather, etc.).
Editorial grade: (D)
Acknowledgment:
We want to acknowledge the City Council for putting some amount of effort into pursuing health equity for folx living in Sacramento, for example forming a Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee, and allocating $6 million for children and youth in the 2021 midyear budget. Additionally, the City of Sacramento has dedicated most of their ARPA funding to the City's Homeless and Housing Commitment and small business support. Communities can also expect to see funding focused on vaccination campaigns and evidence-based community violence intervention.
Improvements needed:
The City has consistently put business interests first when it comes to distributing COVID recovery funds, and in particular, has refused to consider racial equity in deciding where to send the money. It has failed to address the public health crisis of homelessness, resulting in suffering and death within the unhoused population of Sacramento City for a variety of reasons (air quality, inclement weather, etc.).
Economic Investment Without Displacement
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
There is little to acknowledge here; the City has largely failed to invest money in a way that fights against gentrification.
Improvements needed:
Sacramento Investment Without Displacement (SIWD) coalition members (which include neighborhood associations, nonprofits, and residents) all mentioned that anti-displacement policies are needed at the City level. They are necessary in order to prevent landlords from selling homes and kicking renters out, and to prevent folx from being displaced from single family homes. In regard to the Aggie Square project, the City should have supported SIWD's lawsuit and push to get UC Davis to be a key signatory on the community benefits agreement. That way, if UC Davis didn’t meet the requirements outlined in the contract, they could be sued for damages. Instead, the City, with support from the Mayor and Councilmember Schenirer and Guerra, demonized the SIWD coalition for filing the lawsuit. All the money put into housing is City money. The City could have brought code enforcement in and put a halt to placing liens on Oak Park homeowner's homes to prevent displacement. But they didn’t. Instead the City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood gave the green light to have homes put into receivership by the Bay Area Receivership Group.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
There is little to acknowledge here; the City has largely failed to invest money in a way that fights against gentrification.
Improvements needed:
Sacramento Investment Without Displacement (SIWD) coalition members (which include neighborhood associations, nonprofits, and residents) all mentioned that anti-displacement policies are needed at the City level. They are necessary in order to prevent landlords from selling homes and kicking renters out, and to prevent folx from being displaced from single family homes. In regard to the Aggie Square project, the City should have supported SIWD's lawsuit and push to get UC Davis to be a key signatory on the community benefits agreement. That way, if UC Davis didn’t meet the requirements outlined in the contract, they could be sued for damages. Instead, the City, with support from the Mayor and Councilmember Schenirer and Guerra, demonized the SIWD coalition for filing the lawsuit. All the money put into housing is City money. The City could have brought code enforcement in and put a halt to placing liens on Oak Park homeowner's homes to prevent displacement. But they didn’t. Instead the City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood gave the green light to have homes put into receivership by the Bay Area Receivership Group.
Equitable & Participatory Budgets
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Although it was not nearly enough, the Sacramento City Council did dedicate $1 million in Measure U funding for participatory budgeting (this process is to continue developing in 2022).
Improvements needed:
To meaningfully involve and engage residents in developing a more equitable budget, substantial investments must be made to increase outreach. Repeated demands and the outpour of calls by community members for a more equitable and accessible budget process for increased funding for participatory budgeting and for rejecting increases to the Sacramento Police Department were ignored.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
Although it was not nearly enough, the Sacramento City Council did dedicate $1 million in Measure U funding for participatory budgeting (this process is to continue developing in 2022).
Improvements needed:
To meaningfully involve and engage residents in developing a more equitable budget, substantial investments must be made to increase outreach. Repeated demands and the outpour of calls by community members for a more equitable and accessible budget process for increased funding for participatory budgeting and for rejecting increases to the Sacramento Police Department were ignored.
Transparency
Community grade: (D)
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
The City Council's switch to holding meetings over Zoom has made community participation much easier and more accessible. The meetings have also included decent closed-captioning, and agendas were posted with enough time to review with more consistency.
Improvements needed:
The City made big plans to open up a large number of new temporary shelter locations for unhoused people, but has entirely failed to follow through on this, and it’s not clear why. The state passed a law which lets city governments prevent local police departments from purchasing some types of military equipment but so far Sacramento has rubber-stamped any requests of this nature that have come to them. Additionally, in a very embarrassing move, the City attempted - and failed - to file a restraining order against a member of Councilmember Valenzuela’s staff solely due to political opinions he had expressed prior to having the job.
Editorial grade: (F)
Acknowledgment:
The City Council's switch to holding meetings over Zoom has made community participation much easier and more accessible. The meetings have also included decent closed-captioning, and agendas were posted with enough time to review with more consistency.
Improvements needed:
The City made big plans to open up a large number of new temporary shelter locations for unhoused people, but has entirely failed to follow through on this, and it’s not clear why. The state passed a law which lets city governments prevent local police departments from purchasing some types of military equipment but so far Sacramento has rubber-stamped any requests of this nature that have come to them. Additionally, in a very embarrassing move, the City attempted - and failed - to file a restraining order against a member of Councilmember Valenzuela’s staff solely due to political opinions he had expressed prior to having the job.
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