Sacramento River Parkway Coalition

It's election day! Vote for the candidates who will make it happen. Learn more here: http://www.sacramentoriverparkway.org/Endorsements.html

Do you want to know why Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway urges you to vote for Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Ramona Landeros, Katie Valenzuela, Councilmember Eric Guerra, and Mai Vang in next week's Sacramento City Council race? Read about it here: http://www.sacramentoriverparkway.org/Endorsements.html

Is Steve Hansen doubling down to keep you out of public lands? Barely a week before the election where a big issue is Steve's apparent efforts to keep the public off the river and out of a public park in the Little Pocket, this sign has appeared. Steve recently engineered the city's installation of this gate near the end of 35th Avenue. But because someone has vandalized the gate to allow continued access, the sign appears to be a new effort to discourage public access. We h...Continue reading

Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway has released its endorsements for Sacramento City Council. If you support the completion of the Parkway (and improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians throughout the city), Friends recommends: Mayor: Darrell Steinberg District 2: Ramona Landeros District 4: Katie Valenzuela... District 6: Eric Guerra District 8: Mai Vang Stay tuned for our endorsement message that explains why we believe these are the best incumbents or candidates to get the job done.

District 4 Councilmember Steve Hansen debates his opponent for the council seat, Katie Valenzuela, tonight at 6:30 at McClatchy High School. Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway has endorsed Katie for supporting the completion of the Parkway through the Little Pocket. Steve has made it clear that the levee in the Little Pocket will be closed to the public, the Parkway will not be completed there, and Chicory Bend Park will remain closed to the public as long as he's on the city council. Do you suppose it's time to put someone else on the city council? https://katie4council.com/

Councilmember Steve Hansen made it as clear as possible at a town hall meeting last night: the Sacramento River Parkway through the Little Pocket will never be completed as long as he represents the Little Pocket. His justification? The Little Pocket is "different." Steve claims he won't support the Parkway in the Little Pocket because there are so many other needs in the city. But, hypocritically, he touted his support for bicycling and pedestrian interests everywhere else ...in the city. What about the urgent need to provide safe, off-road commute routes for bicyclists? The Little Pocket may be the only river-adjacent neighborhood in Sacramento without any access to the river in the neighborhood. Understandably, a lot of people at last night's meeting wanted to know why Steve single handedly engineered the construction of a wrought-iron gate to close off levee access just south of the Little Pocket. Though knowing that many in attendance wanted to hear Steve's justifications for compelling city staff to erect the gate with public money - but without public notice, hearing, or even a vote by the city council - Steve chose to remain mum on that sensitive subject. But Steve continued his tired refrain that a city park on the river in the Little Pocket must remain closed to the public who paid for it because the city doesn't have the money to make it ADA compliant. Come on Steve, you went to law school. The city has no need to make it ADA compliant until and unless the city undertakes improvements to the park. Opening a gate that has remained closed for too long should not trigger the requirement for ADA-compliant access and an ADA-accessible rest room at an alleged cost of $400,000 (as you seemed to insist last night), Frankly, it would be a great public benefit for Steve to support the moderate cost of ADA improvements at Chicory Bend Park rather than supporting millions of public dollars for a swim facility in Natomas. But those improvements are not necessary to open a park. Take a look at the levee by Northpoint Way. The only improvement is a gravel ramp up to the levee - a ramp that is clearly not ADA compliant. Check out Garcia Bend Park which also lacks ADA-compliant access to the levee. Come on, Steve, stop the BS arguments. Steve attacked R.E. Graswich's coverage of Steve's position on public access to the river in the Little Pocket. But Steve failed yet again to tell us what R.E. is getting wrong. Instead, Steve claims he has written a response but Inside publications worn't publish it. Yet, Steve refuses to grant an interview to R.E. so that, if R.E. gets it wrong, Steve would have something to complain about. One thing is clear: if you're a District 4 resident and you vote for Steve's reelection next year, you're voting against completion of the Sacramento River Parkway and for a continued denial of access to the river and a public park in the Little Pocket.

Councilmember Steve Hansen convinced city staff to construct a wrought-iron fence across city-owned property between the Pocket and Little Pocket. He claims it's to keep out the homeless - but it also frustrates the public's access to Chicory Bend Park. On Monday (10/21) at 6:00, Steve is hosting a Town Hall meeting to explain why - without public notice or hearing - he has cut off access. We can also ask why the city or someone else has posted misleading "No Trespassing" that cite a seemingly inapplicable state law and city ordinance, that attempt to discourage public access to a trail that may well be state property, and that the public may have a right to use after decades of public use. Want to know more? Attend the Town Hall meeting at Kobasic's Candy, 5324 Riverside Blvd., Monday (10/21), starting at 6:00 p.m.

ONE FINAL PUSH FOR THIS YEAR! The Sacramento City Council meets tomorrow (Tuesday, 6/11) at 5:00 to take the final vote on the 2019-20 budget, including $2+ million for the Sacramento River Parkway. Please join us if you can. If you don't have a green bandana, look for them on the back of a chair in the chambers, grab one, and wear it to show your support for the Parkway. We are the first item after the consent agenda.... We can't know for sure, but we don't think it will be as crowded or that as many people will want to speak as last week, but if you can arrive early, it would be a good idea. We're on track to have the Parkway completed in the Pocket in three years - but only if we get this crucial funding to pay for planning, permitting, and environmental review - a year-long project that we need to keep on that timeline. Let's keep this ball rolling!

CAN YOU HELP US AGAIN? The Sacramento City Council (sitting as the Budget and Audit Committee) considers the mayor's budget priorities tomorrow (Tuesday, June 4) at 2:00 p.m. We need supporters wearing our green bandanas to show our support for the mayor's proposed $2.03 million in funding for the Parkway. Without this funding this year, our expectation for completing the Parkway in the Pocket in three years will fade.... If you're willing to speak, please do. If not, we still need you in the audience. Wear your green bandana if you have it. If you don't, look for us in the audience and get one. We're first on the agenda, so we should be done relatively quickly. We also need supporters at the council meeting next Tuesday (June 11) at 5:00 p.m. when the council votes on the final budget. After 50 years of planning, we're finally on a roll. Let's keep it going! http://sacramento.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php

BREAKING NEWS! (and it's great news at that!). Mayor Darrell Steinberg held a news conference an hour ago and announced his budget proposal for 2019-20. He included $2,030,000 for the Sacramento River Parkway. That will fund planning, permitting, and environmental review necessary to complete the Parkway in the Pocket, and it will include acquisition of easements from all properties between Northpoint Way (behind the Elks Lodge) and Zacharias Park. ... We expect the city will be able to fund the remaining acquisitions in next year's budget, meaning the Parkway will be ready to be paved as soon as major levee work is complete in the Pocket. The council will consider the budget proposal on June 11. We expect it will pass easily. Thanks to all who supported Measure U. Funds from the measure are making the completion of the Parkway in the Pocket a near-term reality.

THE PARKWAY NEEDS YOUR HELP ON TUESDAY, MAY 21. Last month, you helped us win a unanimous vote from the Sacramento City Council to approve the addendum to the environmental impact report for the extension of the Parkway in the Pocket. Next Tuesday, May 21, the council considers resolutions of necessity to begin the process of acquiring recreation easements by eminent domain from landowners who want to stop the Parkway. This is a critical vote. In the 44 years since the c...ity council approved the plan for an on-levee, multi-use trail from Discovery Park to Freeport, adjacent landowners have counted on the city’s unwillingness to use eminent domain. They plan to show up in force next Tuesday to make a last-ditch effort to stop the Parkway. Showing them that the city has the political will to complete the Parkway now is critical to the Parkway’s completion. If you can’t join us at the city council meeting next Tuesday, send letters or e-mails to the mayor and city councilmembers (http://www.cityofsacramento.org/mayor-council) to urge their yes vote on the resolutions of necessity. If you can join us, get a green bandana from us on your way into the meeting, then wear your bandana where councilmembers can see we outnumber the handful of landowners who don’t want to open the levees to their neighbors!

Thank you to all who came out to last night's Sacramento City Council meeting. We won a UNANIMOUS vote to approve an addendum to the 1997 EIR for the Sacramento River Parkway. This is the first of two steps needed to begin eminent domain proceedings against landowners who won't willingly sell a recreation easement. Following through on eminent domain now is crucial to convince landowners that the city is committed to finishing the Parkway, a promise the city made to its residents 44 years ago. Please stay tuned. We will need your help again soon for that second step!