Sacramento city leaders are still working to close a $66 million budget deficit, with possible cuts that could affect vacant police positions and homeless services as officials try to preserve key public services.The Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday to give direction on the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, signaling support for restoring some services tied to public safety, public pools, and youth programs.The discussion centered on which services council members wanted to protect and how to pay for them. Proposed restorations could be funded through job cuts and added fees.As the city weighs options, residents urged leaders to preserve parks and recreation services and violence prevention programs.“This money is doing real impact in real lives in the community right where we’re at with youth that look like our community,” one speaker told the council.Another speaker said, “To cut funding for parks is to remove a vital health intervention that prevents burnout and despair in our neighborhoods.”A different resident argued the money should be redirected to law enforcement, telling council members to “hand it over to the Sacramento Police Department so we can all live in a clean and safe city.”Council members also defended their own spending priorities during Tuesday night’s meeting.Councilmember Karina Talamantes said the funding she wants restored is centered on “what matters most to my community,” including public safety and investments such as gang violence prevention.Councilmember Caity Maple said she wants to avoid employee layoffs where possible, while acknowledging cuts will still be necessary.“I’m very keen on finding ways that we can keep our employees whenever possible, recognizing that we’re going to have to cut somewhere,” Maple said. “And that may have to be vacancies in other places.”In the end, the council backed a direction that would restore some services by eliminating police vacancies and reducing funding for city homeless programs.City staff must still determine exactly how much money the plan would save. The council is expected to finalize the budget in early June.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Sacramento city leaders are still working to close a $66 million budget deficit, with possible cuts that could affect vacant police positions and homeless services as officials try to preserve key public services.
The Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday to give direction on the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, signaling support for restoring some services tied to public safety, public pools, and youth programs.
The discussion centered on which services council members wanted to protect and how to pay for them. Proposed restorations could be funded through job cuts and added fees.
As the city weighs options, residents urged leaders to preserve parks and recreation services and violence prevention programs.
“This money is doing real impact in real lives in the community right where we’re at with youth that look like our community,” one speaker told the council.
Another speaker said, “To cut funding for parks is to remove a vital health intervention that prevents burnout and despair in our neighborhoods.”
A different resident argued the money should be redirected to law enforcement, telling council members to “hand it over to the Sacramento Police Department so we can all live in a clean and safe city.”
Council members also defended their own spending priorities during Tuesday night’s meeting.
Councilmember Karina Talamantes said the funding she wants restored is centered on “what matters most to my community,” including public safety and investments such as gang violence prevention.
Councilmember Caity Maple said she wants to avoid employee layoffs where possible, while acknowledging cuts will still be necessary.
“I’m very keen on finding ways that we can keep our employees whenever possible, recognizing that we’re going to have to cut somewhere,” Maple said. “And that may have to be vacancies in other places.”
In the end, the council backed a direction that would restore some services by eliminating police vacancies and reducing funding for city homeless programs.
City staff must still determine exactly how much money the plan would save. The council is expected to finalize the budget in early June.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel