Sacramento News & Review
Support Local Independent Journalism Sign up for our newsletter!
  • News
    • Crime Beat
  • Voices
    • Greenlight
    • Fifteen Minutes
    • Essay
    • Ask Joey
    • Ask 420
  • Arts+Culture
    • Dish
    • Music
    • Home & Garden
    • Rebooting the Arts
  • COVID-19
  • police reform
  • Calendar
  • Newsletter
  • Become a supporter
  • More…
    • Local Dining
    • SN&R Archive
    • SN&R Sweetdeals
    • Best of Sac
    • SAMMIES
    • Sponsored Content
    • Independent Journalism Fund
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Contact Us
Hot Topics
  • March 9, 2021 | In light of recent deaths, Sacramento City Hall faces reckoning on warming centers
  • May 20, 2022 | For LGBTQ+ students in Sacramento’s Christian schools, lack of sexual education creates a black hole of identity and health risks
  • May 20, 2022 | Inflation dealing a gut punch to money-strapped Sacramento neighborhood
  • May 19, 2022 | Colleen Foster of Oceanside’s Solid Waste & Recycling department discusses the significant challenges in implementing a law to reduce the state’s landfills
  • May 19, 2022 | Testimony in Sacramento about a Dark Web corridor where fentanyl disguised as Oxy gets trafficked for Bitcoin  
  • May 18, 2022 | Pressure mounts in Sacramento as Big Ag, Newsom’s corporate donors, prove that voluntary water conservation is a failure
Spotlight

No More Broken Promises

By: N&R Publications June 10, 2020

Federal stimulus funds must be used to immediately address the suffering among the city’s most vulnerable communities

Note: The following does not reflect the opinion of The California Endowment. This is an essay by Bill Motmans and Tamika L’Ecluse.

On Sept. 8, 2018, The Sacramento Bee editorial board cautiously endorsed Measure U, writing: “Sacramento’s tax hike is worth it, but only if the city keeps its promises.”

“Sacramento’s decision on Measure U is certainly about taxes and spending. But it’s also about trust,” cautioned the editorial board. “Can voters count on city officials to use the proceeds on what they are promising? Will residents of struggling neighborhoods put their faith in City Hall after a history of broken promises?”

Many community leaders in Sacramento’s most vulnerable neighborhoods struggled with their positions on Measure U. Their constituents in the neighborhoods expressed disbelief that elected officials would follow through on assertions that the increased sales tax revenue would be spent on economic inclusion of the city’s lowest income residents and disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Still, many of our community leaders endorsed and worked for Measure U. We put our reputations on the line, believing that with the promised diverse citizen’s Measure U advisory committee, this time would be different — struggling neighborhoods would benefit through the construction of new affordable housing, investment in existing neighborhood businesses and nonprofits, and support of the city’s at-risk youth and families.

But last week, we heard the announcement that Measure U funds would be used to fill an expected $90 million budget deficit tied to COVID-19. City leaders are now planning to postpone their Measure U economic inclusion plan to build up our neighborhoods, in spite of the fact that the residents of these neighborhoods are the hardest hit by the virus-related economic downturn. Hunger, homelessness and overcrowding are immediate threats to the health and lives of these families, most of whom have little or no savings to get them through the next several months or years until Sacramento’s economy recovers.

As a further betrayal, city leaders have proposed federal stimulus funds for economic development projects, including UC Davis’s Aggie Square (a major real estate development aimed at attracting biotech companies), and bolstering the local tourism industry. Neither of these proposed investments will address the immediate and enormous suffering of families, the elderly and children living in neighborhoods such as Fruitridge, Del Paso, North Sacramento, Oak Park and Meadowview. Quite the opposite, investment in Aggie Square commercial projects without a community benefits agreement that includes a large prior investment in new affordable housing and existing neighborhood businesses, will, over time, increase demand for existing housing and commercial space and further destabilize and displace residents and small businesses.

A new coalition of several organizations working in vulnerable neighborhoods, called Sacramento Investment Without Displacement, was created to ensure that public financial investment builds up Sacramento neighborhoods, rather than destabilize them. Our coalition calls on local elected officials to fulfill their commitments to voters. No more broken promises. Now more than ever, with COVID-19 disproportionately hurting communities of color and disadvantaged neighborhoods, public investment must directly and immediately provide relief to our city’s most vulnerable residents.

Bill Motmans is the former president of the Tahoe Park Neighborhood Association and Tamika L’Ecluse is the former president of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association.

TOPICS:Del PasoFederal StimulusFruitridgeMeadoviewMeasure UNorth SacramentoOak Park

Our content is free, but not free to produce

If you value our local news, arts and entertainment coverage, become an SN&R supporter with a one-time or recurring donation. Help us keep our reporters at work, bringing you the stories that need to be told.

Become a supporter
Newsletter

Stay Updated

For the latest local news, arts and entertainment, sign up for our newsletter.
We'll tell you the story behind the story.

    • Previous post
    • Next post

    Related Articles

    News

    The problem with K.J.’s comeback


    Voices

    Under pressure


    2020 election, COVID-19, News

    A close and complicated call


    2020 election, COVID-19, News, Voices

    ‘Strong mayor’ gets on the ballot


    Meet the sponsors

    • BRIDGE Housing
      BRIDGE Housing

      published 2 articles

    • California Workforce Association
      California Workforce Association

      published 3 articles

    • Del Paso Boulevard Partnership
      Del Paso Boulevard Partnership

      published 28 articles

    • Exotic Plants
      Exotic Plants

      published 6 articles

    • Midtown
      Midtown

      published 11 articles

    • N&R Publications
      N&R Publications

      published 5 articles

    • Northern California Research
      Northern California Research

      published 4 articles

    • Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services
      Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services

      published 5 articles

    • Sacramento Regional Transit District
      Sacramento Regional Transit District

      published 28 articles

    • SEIU
      SEIU

      published 30 articles

    • Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
      Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

      published 1 article

    • The California Endowment
      The California Endowment

      published 65 articles

    • Volunteers of America
      Volunteers of America

      published 8 articles

    • Workforce Development Board of Solano County
      Workforce Development Board of Solano County

      published 4 articles

    Our Sponsors

    BRIDGE Housing California Workforce Association Del Paso Boulevard Partnership Exotic Plants Midtown N&R Publications Northern California Research Sacramento County Department of Child Support Services Sacramento Regional Transit District SEIU Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The California Endowment Volunteers of America Workforce Development Board of Solano County

    Categories

    Tags

    2020 affordable housing art astrology Black Lives Matter board of supervisors California cannabis cartoonist City Council city hall climate change coronavirus COVID-19 COVID-19 in Sacramento Donald Trump editorial cartoons election gardening gavin newsom George Floyd homeless homelessness horoscopes jobs Joe Biden letters Mayor Darrell Steinberg music november election pandemic police reform police shootings president donald trump presidential election protests public health sacramento sacramento county Sacramento police Sacramento Regional Transit District SacRT SEIU Stephon Clark taxes
    Newsletter

    Stay Updated

    For the latest local news, arts and entertainment, sign up for our newsletter.
    We'll tell you the story behind the story.

      Recent Posts
      • For LGBTQ+ students in Sacramento’s Christian schools, lack of sexual education creates a black hole of identity and health risks
      • Inflation dealing a gut punch to money-strapped Sacramento neighborhood
      • Colleen Foster of Oceanside’s Solid Waste & Recycling department discusses the significant challenges in implementing a law to reduce the state’s landfills
      • Testimony in Sacramento about a Dark Web corridor where fentanyl disguised as Oxy gets trafficked for Bitcoin  
      • Pressure mounts in Sacramento as Big Ag, Newsom’s corporate donors, prove that voluntary water conservation is a failure
      Links
      • Newsletter Signup
      • Follow us on Twitter
      • Find us on Facebook
      • SN&R Archives
      • SN&R Sweetdeals
      • Best of Sac
      • SAMMIES
      • RSS
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Service
      • Contact Us
      Become a supporter
      Categories
      • 2020 election (156)
      • Arts & Culture (42)
      • Arts+Culture (397)
      • Ask Joey (1,017)
      • Behind the Issues (1)
      • Cannabis (39)
      • COVID-19 (360)
      • Crime Beat (74)
      • Dish (73)
      • Food (9)
      • Greenlight (492)
      • Home & Garden (76)
      • Music (64)
      • News (942)
      • Rebooting the Arts (33)
      • Stage (8)
      • The arts (4)
      • Voices (464)

      © 2019+ Sacramento News & Review