(Last UPDATED 12/20/2020) On Thursday, January 18, Mayor Darrell Steinberg presented his vision for Sacramento in his first State of the City speech.
The State of the City event was held at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium on J Street. The doors to the Memorial Auditorium opened at 7:30 a.m. and there was already a number of individuals waiting to enter. The event was free – but tickets were required for entry.
I had arrived shortly before 7:30 a.m. as I was concerned about parking. However, I was able to secure metered parking (2+hours) close nearby. Payment was not required prior to 8:00 a.m., and the meter allowed prepayment, so I was all set.
Towards the back of the Auditorium tables were set up with coffee and tea, baked goods, and assorted fruit as well as juice and water. I made my way towards the front to secure a seat, and then returned to help myself to coffee, a muffin and a mandarin orange.
SacramentoRevealed.com – All Things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)
I always enjoy events at the Memorial Auditorium as it is a beautiful building both inside and out. See related blog post: Memorial Auditorium – Sacramento Landmarks
Thousand Strong Initiative
Promptly at 8:45 a.m. Jordan Smith, a high-school student, opened the program. A participant in the Thousand Strong initiative, Jordan has been interning with the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The concept behind Thousand Strong is to boost Sacramento’s economic prosperity by working with local businesses to create a pool of skilled, experienced young talent by offering year-long paid internships to students from participating schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Jordan did a great job conveying the importance of Thousand Strong to Sacramento youth, and what she has gained from participating in the program. She then introduced Mayor Steinberg.
Mort Friedman Legacy Award
Mayor Steinberg was joined on the stage by Marcy Friedman and her son Mark to present the Mort Friedman Legacy Award. Mort Friedman, a prominent Sacramento businessman and philanthropist, died in 2012 at age 80. The recipient of the award was Tina Thomas, a well-known Sacramento environmental and land use attorney. Among other things, Ms. Thomas is known for her Pro Bono work on behalf of local nonprofits. In addition to the recognition, Ms. Thomas received the Key to the City from Mayor Steinberg.
Before beginning his remarks Mayor Steinberg recognized former-Mayor Heather Fargo and former-Mayor Phil Isenberg, and acknowledged the members of the City Council, among others. The Mayor noted that accomplishments to date are the result of joint teamwork.
Sacramento In the Movies
Mayor Steinberg next mentioned the recent Golden Globe winning film “Lady Bird”, and called out by name Sacramento’s home town hero’s – Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler – while alluding to the soon to be released film “15:17 to Paris”. “15:17 to Paris”, directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the tale of how these three men thwarted a terrorist attack on the French train in 2015. Skarlatos, Stone and Sadler will play themselves in the film which is scheduled to be released on February 9.
See related blog posts: Lady Bird – A Sacramento Love Letter and Sacramento Heroes – The 15:17 to Paris
State of the City
Lastly, Mayor Steinberg touched upon a variety of pressing issues that must be addressed in Sacramento. Major issues discussed were: homelessness; the widening of the income gap; youth unemployment; and, housing affordability.
The Mayor’s vision includes the establishment of a multi-billion dollar equity fund to help “grow” Sacramento. The growth envisioned includes a broad-based and inclusive growth of the local economy and community wealth. One possible source of revenue mentioned was the 100+ parcels of vacant land owned by the City. Also mentioned was the need for a “more reliable tax base”.
Mayor Steinberg then announced that there would be several upcoming community meetings, and that he anticipated that he and the members of the Sacramento City Council would by mid-year have specific implementation proposals.
In conclusion, if you missed the State of the City address you can watch it here on YouTube.
See related blog posts: Sacramento’s Race for Mayor and Sacramento Strong Mayor Initiative
UPDATES
(12/20/2020) Additional links added.
(1/25/2018) A few days after his State of the City address, Mayor Steinberg spoke at the State of Downtown forum. In his comments, per the Sacramento Bee, the Mayor proposed that the 100+ city owned parcels of land in Sacramento be potentially utilized as the sites of “tiny houses” to shelter the Sacramento-area homeless population.
The Mayor also made the case for private investment to match public investment in the proposed multi-billion dollar fund, and specifically mentioned a 2-to-1 match.
(1/23/18) “Project Prosper” community meetings are scheduled as follows:
- Wednesday, February 21, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Fruitridge Community Collaborative, 4625 44th Street
- Thursday, February 22, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course, 8301 Freeport Blvd.
- Saturday, March 3, 10:00 a.m. -Noon, KVIE Community Room, 2030 W. El Camino Avenue (Just East of 1-5)
RSVP at ProjectProsper.eventbrite.com. This is your “chance to speak on what you believe your neighborhood and City need.”
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