I am concerned about the proposed budget cuts to the Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC). MOSAC serves as a regional hub for informal STEM learning and serves the diverse Sacramento community. Without community support, MOSAC cannot provide important services to Sacramento residents.
Informal STEM learning during childhood leads to greater STEM success in school and in adulthood. The United States is desperately behind its international peers in terms of STEM skills, and only 1 in 4 students in the Sacramento City Unified School District meet or exceed state standards for science proficiency. Cultural centers like MOSAC are instrumental in educating the public about science, leading to an informed and engaged citizenship.
The proposed budget cuts would greatly impact MOSAC's ability to serve the children and families of Sacramento.
Further, MOSAC employs many community college graduates and public high school students, supporting graduates of our publicly supported institutions. MOSAC is also a site where public high school students can complete mandatory service hours, giving them skills necessary for future employment.
The investment the City of Sacramento makes in MOSAC is well worth it when considering the importance of science education on our economy. Right now, there are not enough qualified candidates in the United States to fill STEM job openings, and preparing the next generation for these jobs should be a national (and city-wide) priority. Informal STEM learning is critical for fostering interest and achievement in STEM. For the United States to remain competitive on the international stage, we need to prioritize these types of learning opportunities for children.
Sacramento has the potential to be a hub for STEM training and innovation, but we must prioritize giving the next generation the tools and skills they need to become leaders in STEM fields, and this preparation starts in childhood.
We recognize the City has a difficult challenge with the budget and is working to find solutions to address the deficit. While tough choices will be made, Sac BHC believes access to public transportation is a vital for all residents especially our youth. Full funding for public transit is imperative to ensure that low-income and vulnerable communities have access to jobs, housing, health care, education, grocery stores, and childcare among other needs. Therefore, we do not agree with the line item in the proposed budget to Eliminate the Fare Free Transit Program which is the City of Sacramento’s contribution to Sacramento Regional Transit District. This program supports the free fare passes for students’ program and the elimination of this program will have an impact on the ability for students to get to school every day. Hundreds of students depend on the free City bus program for transportation to and from school daily. If that resource is removed, we will see more students unable to attend school to due lack of transportation. The elimination of this program will harm many families who depend on public transit to for daily needs therefore, we are asking that the elimination of the Fare Free Transit Program be removed from the list of budget cuts and remining funded.
I support the continual funding of the FUEL Network, as this network has been essential to the immigrant and refugee community in Sacramento. The FUEL Network has proven to be a beacon of light to those who have benefited from FUEL partner services. Since 2017, the city of Sacramento has committed to protecting immigrant families, and our community has worked arduously to prevent deportations and family separation. Some services provided are free Immigration Legal Consultations and Removal Defense Services, know-your-rights presentations, Mental Health Services, and EOIR Orientations. I applaud the City of Sacramento for its commitment to the immigrant and refugee community, and I urge you to approve funding for the FUEL Network for the upcoming fiscal year.
I write in support of the continued funding of the FUEL network. The FUEL network continues to provide exceptional legal and mental health services to our undocumented and Immigrant communities. FUEL's support is crucial for our communities to feel safe and be well-informed about their legal rights while having access to trained mental health specialties that can assist them with their mental health needs.
Dear Mayor, Budget and Audit Committee and City Council Members,
Thank you for your continuous support of the FUEL Network. I am writing in support of continued funding for the FUEL Network Program. FUEL stands for Family Unity Education and Legal Network, and was established in 2017. Today, we see the continuous need to continue funding this program as we meet community needs. The FUEL Network provides services for community members who are pillars in our community and are part of the contributors to our services but are left out of the resources they help fund.
From July 2023 to March 2024 the FUEL program provided free Educational and Legal Services for over 3,000 Sacramento Residents.
Over 500 community education presentations were given. More than 150 provided mental health services in both individual and group therapy
over a dozen community organizations attended Service Provider Training on how to facilitate Know Your Rights Workshops.
One of the main goals of FUEL is to help build the capacity of other local organizations to increase the number of people we reach with our free legal education and services. Our Network also helps to increase the visibility of local organizations and ensure the community is aware of available resources. Now more than ever, as we enter an unknown immigration political landscape, let Sacramento lead the way in showing how to support and uplift the immigrant community; let us not turn our backs on our neighbors and support one another.
I write to support the City's ongoing funding of the Family Unity, Education, and Legal (FUEL) Network for Immigrants. The FUEL Network has provided immeasurable benefit to Sacramento's refugee and immigrant community since 2018, through services such as legal representation and community education. Just yesterday a pregnant woman was detained by ICE and released due to efforts of FUEL Network partners. FUEL was also instrumental in our community's response last year when the Governor of Texas sent migrants to our city without any plan or communication for how they would be supported here, an event that generated national news and really highlighted Sacramento's commitment to being a welcoming and safe space for everyone. FUEL has been critically important to supporting Sacramento's immigrants and refugees through the Trump administration, COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing immigration policy changes or proposals. A cut to FUEL services would be a devastating setback to all the non-profits and community members who have come to rely on this program to support their essential needs. Thank you for your consideration.
I support the raising of parking fees and increasing the number of metered street. Finding free parking is ridiculously easy in Sacramento, and we are missing out on critical revenue by charging more for on street parking. Suburbanites avoid paying property taxes in Sacramento, but we can at least raise parking fees to receive more revenue from rich suburbanites.
These parking fees do not affect low income individuals who walk, bike, or take transit into the city. Individuals can avoid these parking fees by using active transport. Car use pollutes our cities, damages the roads, and kills pedestrians. With pedestrian deaths being so high in Sacramento, we need to discourage driving. Raising these parking fees will help generate critical revenue and make our streets safer.
Before considering any other cuts to the budget, the Mayor, Council and City Manager should cut their salaries by 15%. Further, the overly large Mayor's staff should be eliminating positions in light of the Mayor leaving office in a few short months. Said employees should not be "re-positioned" into civil service positions to protect or reward them for services rendered, as we so often see in the Legislature.
Howard Chan will single handedly ruin Sacramento. If there's such a budget deficit why doesn't he take a pay cut?
Adding more parking meters and extending the times/days that parking is enforced is an embarrassing solution. High tourist areas like the Gaslamp District in San Diego don't have parking hours as long as Sacramento does, and people actually want to go there! Everyone complains about these downtown businesses closing, it's because parking is hard to find and no one wants to pay any time they come downtown. And charging more for community spaces and planter boxes? What is wrong with you? The community wants to support small businesses and Howard Chan and the City is making it impossible.
Canceling free rides on public transportation for kids? Why would you do that? Do you know that kids have money to spend? If you need to make cuts do it somewhere else. This joke of a budget will do nothing but hurt the city.
This email is to express my concern for the proposed budget cuts to the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC). As a resident of the Greater Sacramento Area, I support the growth and sustainability of learning centers like MOSAC. Cutting the budget that supports science learning for our community would have a detrimental impact on those who benefit from the important role MOSAC plays in our community to advance STEM learning.
Please do not reduce funding for our local museum.
MOSAC is ESSENTIAL to our community! Teachers, students, families, and lifelong learners all count on MOSAC as a source of fun and reliable learning for all things Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math. The Sacramento community relies on MOSAC as a critical part of our cultural, economic, and workforce development ecosystem. Cutting city funding would have a major negative impact on the ability of MOSAC to provide educational programs to our community.
MOSAC admission and membership only cover 30 percent of operating costs. This is why financial support from the city in addition to ongoing support from our community is so important.
Please reconsider this budget cut and support MOSAC and its vital role in our community.
NOTE: The following is a copy of a letter emailed to the City yesterday. That letter is also attached to this comment and contains useful links that do not appear in this field:
Dear Mayor Steinberg, Councilmember Talamantes and other members of the City Council,
I am a Sacramento attorney operating as a home business or “home occupation,” urging you to reject the two proposed FY24/25 home occupation fee increases (#175 and #176), which would disproportionately impact historically disadvantaged, marginalized communities.
According to data I cited on pages 4-5 of my related, September 11, 2023 letter, low-income, immigrant, minority and female residents are likely those hardest hit by the City’s unusually strict home occupation regulations, regulations that run counter to many of the City’s stated policy priorities—from equity to sustainability, livability to mobility, environmental to economic, and housing to youth opportunities.
Although the 2040 General Plan promises reform of those regulations, this could take some time, as the commitment of the plan’s related implementing action, LUP-A.11, is to “evaluate” reform options by as late as 2029.
Therefore, while reform is pending, I urge the Council to refrain from burdening this vulnerable group of residents still further by asking them to not only pay a “home occupation permit” fee that is more than 50% higher than the current high fee, but to pay a jaw-dropping, non-refundable minimum of $5,265 for the mere chance of obtaining an exception to any one of the problematic home occupation restrictions.
These fee increases are particularly concerning given the financial challenges often experienced by home businesses. A recent study found 43 percent of US home businesses earn $10,000 or less in annual gross receipts and cited evidence to support its conclusion (on p. 25) that “home-based entrepreneurs are more likely to be women and racial or ethnic minorities—groups that research has found are less able to access external sources of business financing.[fn]”
I would be happy to discuss this with any of you, and encourage you to contact me at (916) 692-5393 or tiffany@tiffanyclarklaw.com. Thank you.
May 7, 2024
Sacramento City Budget and Audit Committee and City Council Members
RE: Budget & Audit Committee Item #3 and City Council Agenda Item #9
Dear Council Members:
On behalf of the Sacramento Housing Alliance, we urge you to reject the City Manager’s proposal to eliminate funding for the RydeFreeRT program for students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. This program increases access to education and opportunity for children throughout Sacramento and should be supported. This program is especially critical for the children of families with modest means including families in regulated affordable housing.
As frequently noted, budgets are a reflection of values and we urge Committee members to reject this cut and reaffirm the City’s commitment to equity and opportunity. The City’s prior commitment to this program was an example of Sacramento’s values of equity and inclusiveness and its commitment to our youth.
This program is highly successful and has significantly increased ridership of students, In addition, RT has identified the following other benefits:
increased mobility options to students, not just to get to and from school, but to internships and other activities;
addressing climate change through reduced emissions and vehicle miles traveled;
students have more reliable school transportation options and a path to economic prosperity.
reduced absenteeism resulting in additional state school funding.
Eliminating this funding is inconsistent with the City’s own Budget Guidelines (page 82 of the proposed budget) which require the budget reflect the Mayor and Council’s priorities, based on community input and should continue a community based budget process where city residents are engaged and educated on budget processes and provide feedback on budget priorities. The RydeFreeRT program is widely supported by the community and implements City priorities to support youth and equity.
The $1 million budget commitment is cost effective and provides significant benefits to students, families, our schools and the environment. We urge you to maintain the City’s commitment to this valuable program by continuing to fund it. While we recognize the City is facing a significant budget deficit, we urge you adopt a new budget that both addresses the shortfall but also maintains the City’s commitment to youth, equity, and community voice.
Reject the proposed cut to the RydeFreeRT program and ensure the City’s budget is a true reflection of City and Community values.
Writing in full support of Public Works recommendations for parking fee changes and similar revenue-positive structural changes without loss of important services. I urge additional out-of-the-box thinking to find ways to support our community while addressing this deficit (e.g. expedite permitting for the stagnating Al Fresco program or reopen R St & similar locations to support businesses and increase tax revenue) Thank you to councilmembers and staff for all of your ongoing work to address this deficit.
Dear Mayor, Budget and Audit Committee, and Councilmembers:
I appreciate the City of Sacramento staff and elected leaders who are working to find budget deficit solutions to ensure that during this deficit period, our most at-risk residents like homeless children and seniors do not lose much-needed support and services. I think it makes a lot of fiscal sense to charge for things electric vehicle charging, additional metered parking, and community center party rentals. However, a proposal to discontinue a free regional bus service for students from kindergarten through high school is a more painful cut than you think. You are saving only $1 million in voter-approved Measure U funds for a $66 million deficit by cutting a program that gets more kids to school. For many of these kids, that bus ride ensures better attendance, after-school help with homework, and free meals when they otherwise might not have enough to eat at home. It helps parents who are on low or fixed incomes better plan their monthly budgets when they need to already cover the cost of rising rent, food, and gas. That $25-50 a month in transit fare per kid adds up quick when you are already struggling. Just ask the residents of the affordable housing I work in, where we proactively work to secure free transit passes because we KNOW the difference it has made in the lives of thousands of working families.
I have seen children get ticketed – punished – for not having a bus ticket. Those families not only now have to pay for bus tickets but the fines and potentially taking off time to go to court with a child should the punishment escalate. And let’s not forget the impact on the child. The cost of putting more kids through the penal system will be far greater in the long run than a $1 million savings in your coming fiscal year.
Thank you,
Nur Kausar
Business Development Manager, EAH Housing
Sacramento Housing Alliance Board Member
Sacramento District 4 Parent
I am concerned about the proposed budget cuts to the Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC). MOSAC serves as a regional hub for informal STEM learning and serves the diverse Sacramento community. Without community support, MOSAC cannot provide important services to Sacramento residents.
Informal STEM learning during childhood leads to greater STEM success in school and in adulthood. The United States is desperately behind its international peers in terms of STEM skills, and only 1 in 4 students in the Sacramento City Unified School District meet or exceed state standards for science proficiency. Cultural centers like MOSAC are instrumental in educating the public about science, leading to an informed and engaged citizenship.
The proposed budget cuts would greatly impact MOSAC's ability to serve the children and families of Sacramento.
Further, MOSAC employs many community college graduates and public high school students, supporting graduates of our publicly supported institutions. MOSAC is also a site where public high school students can complete mandatory service hours, giving them skills necessary for future employment.
The investment the City of Sacramento makes in MOSAC is well worth it when considering the importance of science education on our economy. Right now, there are not enough qualified candidates in the United States to fill STEM job openings, and preparing the next generation for these jobs should be a national (and city-wide) priority. Informal STEM learning is critical for fostering interest and achievement in STEM. For the United States to remain competitive on the international stage, we need to prioritize these types of learning opportunities for children.
Sacramento has the potential to be a hub for STEM training and innovation, but we must prioritize giving the next generation the tools and skills they need to become leaders in STEM fields, and this preparation starts in childhood.
Re: Budget & Audit Commission Agenda Discussion Item 3- Proposed City Budget
We recognize the City has a difficult challenge with the budget and is working to find solutions to address the deficit. While tough choices will be made, Sac BHC believes access to public transportation is a vital for all residents especially our youth. Full funding for public transit is imperative to ensure that low-income and vulnerable communities have access to jobs, housing, health care, education, grocery stores, and childcare among other needs. Therefore, we do not agree with the line item in the proposed budget to Eliminate the Fare Free Transit Program which is the City of Sacramento’s contribution to Sacramento Regional Transit District. This program supports the free fare passes for students’ program and the elimination of this program will have an impact on the ability for students to get to school every day. Hundreds of students depend on the free City bus program for transportation to and from school daily. If that resource is removed, we will see more students unable to attend school to due lack of transportation. The elimination of this program will harm many families who depend on public transit to for daily needs therefore, we are asking that the elimination of the Fare Free Transit Program be removed from the list of budget cuts and remining funded.
Sincerely,
Sacramento Building Healthy Communities
I support the continual funding of the FUEL Network, as this network has been essential to the immigrant and refugee community in Sacramento. The FUEL Network has proven to be a beacon of light to those who have benefited from FUEL partner services. Since 2017, the city of Sacramento has committed to protecting immigrant families, and our community has worked arduously to prevent deportations and family separation. Some services provided are free Immigration Legal Consultations and Removal Defense Services, know-your-rights presentations, Mental Health Services, and EOIR Orientations. I applaud the City of Sacramento for its commitment to the immigrant and refugee community, and I urge you to approve funding for the FUEL Network for the upcoming fiscal year.
I write in support of the continued funding of the FUEL network. The FUEL network continues to provide exceptional legal and mental health services to our undocumented and Immigrant communities. FUEL's support is crucial for our communities to feel safe and be well-informed about their legal rights while having access to trained mental health specialties that can assist them with their mental health needs.
Dear Mayor, Budget and Audit Committee and City Council Members,
Thank you for your continuous support of the FUEL Network. I am writing in support of continued funding for the FUEL Network Program. FUEL stands for Family Unity Education and Legal Network, and was established in 2017. Today, we see the continuous need to continue funding this program as we meet community needs. The FUEL Network provides services for community members who are pillars in our community and are part of the contributors to our services but are left out of the resources they help fund.
From July 2023 to March 2024 the FUEL program provided free Educational and Legal Services for over 3,000 Sacramento Residents.
Over 500 community education presentations were given. More than 150 provided mental health services in both individual and group therapy
over a dozen community organizations attended Service Provider Training on how to facilitate Know Your Rights Workshops.
One of the main goals of FUEL is to help build the capacity of other local organizations to increase the number of people we reach with our free legal education and services. Our Network also helps to increase the visibility of local organizations and ensure the community is aware of available resources. Now more than ever, as we enter an unknown immigration political landscape, let Sacramento lead the way in showing how to support and uplift the immigrant community; let us not turn our backs on our neighbors and support one another.
Thank you
I write to support the City's ongoing funding of the Family Unity, Education, and Legal (FUEL) Network for Immigrants. The FUEL Network has provided immeasurable benefit to Sacramento's refugee and immigrant community since 2018, through services such as legal representation and community education. Just yesterday a pregnant woman was detained by ICE and released due to efforts of FUEL Network partners. FUEL was also instrumental in our community's response last year when the Governor of Texas sent migrants to our city without any plan or communication for how they would be supported here, an event that generated national news and really highlighted Sacramento's commitment to being a welcoming and safe space for everyone. FUEL has been critically important to supporting Sacramento's immigrants and refugees through the Trump administration, COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing immigration policy changes or proposals. A cut to FUEL services would be a devastating setback to all the non-profits and community members who have come to rely on this program to support their essential needs. Thank you for your consideration.
I support the raising of parking fees and increasing the number of metered street. Finding free parking is ridiculously easy in Sacramento, and we are missing out on critical revenue by charging more for on street parking. Suburbanites avoid paying property taxes in Sacramento, but we can at least raise parking fees to receive more revenue from rich suburbanites.
These parking fees do not affect low income individuals who walk, bike, or take transit into the city. Individuals can avoid these parking fees by using active transport. Car use pollutes our cities, damages the roads, and kills pedestrians. With pedestrian deaths being so high in Sacramento, we need to discourage driving. Raising these parking fees will help generate critical revenue and make our streets safer.
Additional eComments received by Office of City Clerk
Before considering any other cuts to the budget, the Mayor, Council and City Manager should cut their salaries by 15%. Further, the overly large Mayor's staff should be eliminating positions in light of the Mayor leaving office in a few short months. Said employees should not be "re-positioned" into civil service positions to protect or reward them for services rendered, as we so often see in the Legislature.
Mutual Housing wishes to express support for the youth transit service program and ask that it remain unchanged.
Howard Chan will single handedly ruin Sacramento. If there's such a budget deficit why doesn't he take a pay cut?
Adding more parking meters and extending the times/days that parking is enforced is an embarrassing solution. High tourist areas like the Gaslamp District in San Diego don't have parking hours as long as Sacramento does, and people actually want to go there! Everyone complains about these downtown businesses closing, it's because parking is hard to find and no one wants to pay any time they come downtown. And charging more for community spaces and planter boxes? What is wrong with you? The community wants to support small businesses and Howard Chan and the City is making it impossible.
Canceling free rides on public transportation for kids? Why would you do that? Do you know that kids have money to spend? If you need to make cuts do it somewhere else. This joke of a budget will do nothing but hurt the city.
Sacramento Transit Advocates & Riders - Oppose Removing City Support For Student Free Fares.
Position Statement Attached
This email is to express my concern for the proposed budget cuts to the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC). As a resident of the Greater Sacramento Area, I support the growth and sustainability of learning centers like MOSAC. Cutting the budget that supports science learning for our community would have a detrimental impact on those who benefit from the important role MOSAC plays in our community to advance STEM learning.
Please do not reduce funding for our local museum.
MOSAC is ESSENTIAL to our community! Teachers, students, families, and lifelong learners all count on MOSAC as a source of fun and reliable learning for all things Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math. The Sacramento community relies on MOSAC as a critical part of our cultural, economic, and workforce development ecosystem. Cutting city funding would have a major negative impact on the ability of MOSAC to provide educational programs to our community.
MOSAC admission and membership only cover 30 percent of operating costs. This is why financial support from the city in addition to ongoing support from our community is so important.
Please reconsider this budget cut and support MOSAC and its vital role in our community.
eComments received by Office of City Clerk
NOTE: The following is a copy of a letter emailed to the City yesterday. That letter is also attached to this comment and contains useful links that do not appear in this field:
Dear Mayor Steinberg, Councilmember Talamantes and other members of the City Council,
I am a Sacramento attorney operating as a home business or “home occupation,” urging you to reject the two proposed FY24/25 home occupation fee increases (#175 and #176), which would disproportionately impact historically disadvantaged, marginalized communities.
According to data I cited on pages 4-5 of my related, September 11, 2023 letter, low-income, immigrant, minority and female residents are likely those hardest hit by the City’s unusually strict home occupation regulations, regulations that run counter to many of the City’s stated policy priorities—from equity to sustainability, livability to mobility, environmental to economic, and housing to youth opportunities.
Although the 2040 General Plan promises reform of those regulations, this could take some time, as the commitment of the plan’s related implementing action, LUP-A.11, is to “evaluate” reform options by as late as 2029.
Therefore, while reform is pending, I urge the Council to refrain from burdening this vulnerable group of residents still further by asking them to not only pay a “home occupation permit” fee that is more than 50% higher than the current high fee, but to pay a jaw-dropping, non-refundable minimum of $5,265 for the mere chance of obtaining an exception to any one of the problematic home occupation restrictions.
These fee increases are particularly concerning given the financial challenges often experienced by home businesses. A recent study found 43 percent of US home businesses earn $10,000 or less in annual gross receipts and cited evidence to support its conclusion (on p. 25) that “home-based entrepreneurs are more likely to be women and racial or ethnic minorities—groups that research has found are less able to access external sources of business financing.[fn]”
I would be happy to discuss this with any of you, and encourage you to contact me at (916) 692-5393 or tiffany@tiffanyclarklaw.com. Thank you.
Warmly,
Tiffany Clark
Law Office of Tiffany Clark
May 7, 2024
Sacramento City Budget and Audit Committee and City Council Members
RE: Budget & Audit Committee Item #3 and City Council Agenda Item #9
Dear Council Members:
On behalf of the Sacramento Housing Alliance, we urge you to reject the City Manager’s proposal to eliminate funding for the RydeFreeRT program for students in transitional kindergarten through 12th grade. This program increases access to education and opportunity for children throughout Sacramento and should be supported. This program is especially critical for the children of families with modest means including families in regulated affordable housing.
As frequently noted, budgets are a reflection of values and we urge Committee members to reject this cut and reaffirm the City’s commitment to equity and opportunity. The City’s prior commitment to this program was an example of Sacramento’s values of equity and inclusiveness and its commitment to our youth.
This program is highly successful and has significantly increased ridership of students, In addition, RT has identified the following other benefits:
increased mobility options to students, not just to get to and from school, but to internships and other activities;
addressing climate change through reduced emissions and vehicle miles traveled;
students have more reliable school transportation options and a path to economic prosperity.
reduced absenteeism resulting in additional state school funding.
Eliminating this funding is inconsistent with the City’s own Budget Guidelines (page 82 of the proposed budget) which require the budget reflect the Mayor and Council’s priorities, based on community input and should continue a community based budget process where city residents are engaged and educated on budget processes and provide feedback on budget priorities. The RydeFreeRT program is widely supported by the community and implements City priorities to support youth and equity.
The $1 million budget commitment is cost effective and provides significant benefits to students, families, our schools and the environment. We urge you to maintain the City’s commitment to this valuable program by continuing to fund it. While we recognize the City is facing a significant budget deficit, we urge you adopt a new budget that both addresses the shortfall but also maintains the City’s commitment to youth, equity, and community voice.
Reject the proposed cut to the RydeFreeRT program and ensure the City’s budget is a true reflection of City and Community values.
Writing in full support of Public Works recommendations for parking fee changes and similar revenue-positive structural changes without loss of important services. I urge additional out-of-the-box thinking to find ways to support our community while addressing this deficit (e.g. expedite permitting for the stagnating Al Fresco program or reopen R St & similar locations to support businesses and increase tax revenue) Thank you to councilmembers and staff for all of your ongoing work to address this deficit.
Sincerely,
Matt Anderson, D4
Dear Mayor, Budget and Audit Committee, and Councilmembers:
I appreciate the City of Sacramento staff and elected leaders who are working to find budget deficit solutions to ensure that during this deficit period, our most at-risk residents like homeless children and seniors do not lose much-needed support and services. I think it makes a lot of fiscal sense to charge for things electric vehicle charging, additional metered parking, and community center party rentals. However, a proposal to discontinue a free regional bus service for students from kindergarten through high school is a more painful cut than you think. You are saving only $1 million in voter-approved Measure U funds for a $66 million deficit by cutting a program that gets more kids to school. For many of these kids, that bus ride ensures better attendance, after-school help with homework, and free meals when they otherwise might not have enough to eat at home. It helps parents who are on low or fixed incomes better plan their monthly budgets when they need to already cover the cost of rising rent, food, and gas. That $25-50 a month in transit fare per kid adds up quick when you are already struggling. Just ask the residents of the affordable housing I work in, where we proactively work to secure free transit passes because we KNOW the difference it has made in the lives of thousands of working families.
I have seen children get ticketed – punished – for not having a bus ticket. Those families not only now have to pay for bus tickets but the fines and potentially taking off time to go to court with a child should the punishment escalate. And let’s not forget the impact on the child. The cost of putting more kids through the penal system will be far greater in the long run than a $1 million savings in your coming fiscal year.
Thank you,
Nur Kausar
Business Development Manager, EAH Housing
Sacramento Housing Alliance Board Member
Sacramento District 4 Parent