Big thanks to Robert Gonzalez for this detailed write-up! If you want to know more about Robert check out his info here.
At the June 7th BOS meeting, Item 39 was up for discussion.
Item 39 was listed in the agenda as:
One-Year Action Plan Federal Program Allocation Process Workshop Number Two (Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency)
And its description was listed as:
This is the second informational workshop to review the Federal Programs Allocation Process and receive Board and public input on the preliminary list of Infrastructure and Public Facility projects funded in the 2023 Action Plan.
So, what does that mean and why did it need to be discussed? Well, lucky for you, we've explained below!
Back in 2016, the SHRA (Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency) was tasked with finding key issues regarding development in Sacramento in terms of housing, environment, affordability, etc. 6 years later, the SHRA found out information that is not new to Sacramento natives.
The SHRA findings include:
1) segregation and lack of access to economic opportunity persist
2) homeownership rates vary widely by race and ethnicity, lowest rates for the Black and Hispanic population
3) highest rates of the cost burden and crowding are experienced by Black and Hispanic households
4) affordable rental options are increasingly limited
5) residents with disabilities lack access to affordable, accessible housing, and services
6) public transportation outside of the downtown grid is limited and costly (prior to Sacramento Regional Transit network changes)
7) educational inequities persist in the region
8) there are disparities in labor market engagement.
These issues are not new to Sacramentans and the Board of Supervisors has not presented a thorough plan to solve these issues. On June 7th, the Sacramento BOS met to discuss this one-year action plan, in hopes of addressing the issues listed above. Part of this one-year action plan includes money for ADA-compliant ramps, street lights, local non-profits, a Mather community campus fire alarm system, and much more. However, this one-year action plan will do very little to actually combat everyday issues that Sacramentans currently face. Plan after plan, and these issues are only worsening.
The County has a budget of $7 Billion dollars but less than $3 million is being spent in this plan.