Wild and Fly Fitness Wild and Fly Fitness has been nominated for a Business of Distinction: Civic Heights Award. The sling bungee gym is located at 8215 Auburn Blvd. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Citrus Heights is rolling out a new way to celebrate the businesses that strengthen and shape the local community. In early October, the city announced the launch of its Business of Distinction Awards, a quarterly recognition program designed to spotlight businesses that go above and beyond in their service and impact.
Each quarter, the program will highlight a new theme, offering unique opportunities for both nominations and selection. For the inaugural award cycle, called “Civic Heights”, the city is asking the community to help nominate and vote on businesses that best embody Citrus Heights’ core values. Those values include diversity, innovation, integrity, teamwork, respect, responsive customer service, and trust.
City officials say the goal of the program is to shine a light not only on businesses that provide goods and services, but also on those that play a vital role in shaping the city’s character and culture. By recognizing outstanding local businesses, the city hopes to foster civic pride and encourage community members to support those who make Citrus Heights a better place to live and work.
While the nomination window closed last week, community voting will begin Thursday, Oct. 16 and run through Oct. 23. As of Thursday, the city’s website shows over 30 local businesses have been nominated. The winning business will be announced at the end of the cycle.
Looking ahead, the city is planning to continue to award businesses once each quarter based on popular votes. The city’s next theme for the winter will be Legacy Business, then Top of the Trade in the spring, and in the summer, the theme will be Blight to Bright.
Residents can vote for their favorite business from the list of nominations on the city’s website.
By Sara Beth Williams– After months of planning and delays, a fuel expansion project proposal for a members-only gas station in Citrus Heights was approved by the Citrus Heights Planning Commission.
The original site plan proposed adding two new fuel pump islands, along with repaving, restriping with appropriate ground pavement markings for drivers, and reconstruction of asphalt and concrete curbs, as well as the addition of another canopy and associated lighting. Further landscaping plans call for the addition of multiple new trees along with necessary irrigation and the removal of 10 existing trees. A driveway along Fountain Square Drive will be removed to allow for better traffic flow and safety of pedestrians, the city said during a presentation to the Commission.
The purpose of the expansion is to prevent over-queuing and back up of vehicles during peak fueling hours, the city reported. The planning division also noted that the driveway which is slated for removal has been blocked off with cones and hasn’t been used “in years.”
When asked about the loss of parking spots in the proposed project plans, the planning division did confirm that the site would go from 702 spots to 626 spots, but the original site plan already exceeded the minimum number of of required parking spots for the business by several dozen.
The expansion project was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission at its Sept. 9 meeting.
The proposed plans for the project had initially been withdrawn in the beginning of the year, according to the city. In a statement in February, the city said revisions were required but delays in resubmission led to withdrawal of the application. The city also noted at the time that the applicant still remained interested.
The existing gas station was approved to serve 12 vehicles in 2002.
The shopping center where Sam’s Club is located has seen two new tenants, including Yummy Buffet Grill and Sushi which opened late in 2024, and Triple Crown Cages, a new baseball and softball training facility that opened in January.
By Sara Beth Williams– With the rainy season kicking off, the City of Citrus Heights is offering free sandbag resources to help residents prepare for potential flooding.
Two self-serve sandbag stations are now open, one located at City Hall and the other at C-Bar-C Park. Each resident is eligible to receive up to 10 sandbags per day. Residents need to bring a photo ID to City Hall, where sandbags can be picked up before filling them at either station.
The stations are designed to be user-friendly but are self-serve, so residents should bring their own shovels or tools to fill the bags with sand. The city has also provided an instructional video with tips on how to properly fill and place sandbags to maximize their effectiveness in diverting water and protecting property.
City officials encourage residents to take advantage of the stations early and prepare their homes in advance of heavy rainfall. By making sandbags accessible at two convenient locations, Citrus Heights aims to support community safety and readiness throughout the winter months.
For more information and to view the instructional video, visit the city’s website. Citrus Heights City Hall is located at 6300 Fountain Square Drive. C-Bar-C Park is located at .
By Sara Beth Williams– State Assemblyman Josh Hoover and Sacramento Supervisor Rosario Rodriquez are slated to hold final community meetings of the year in Citrus Heights this October.
Hoover is scheduled to hold a community meeting on Thursday, Oct 16 at Citrus Heights City Hall beginning from 6 to 7 p.m. with Rodriguez as his guest.
Rodrigeuz will be holding her final community meeting of the year in Citrus Heights on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Citrus Heights City Hall. Rodriquez will share updates on public safety, neighborhood improvements, and efforts to support local businesses and families and encourages residents to come voice their concerns to her.
Citrus Heights City Hall is located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.
Hoover represents Assembly District 7. As Supervisor, Rodriquez represents District 4.
Under the redistricting proposal, the share of registered Democratic voters in the district would decrease, while the proportion of registered Republican voters would increase slightly. The new map would also include a larger portion of Placer County. Rancho Cordova and Rancho Murieta would be removed from the district. // Ray Riehle
By Sara Beth Williams– As residents begin casting their vote on Prop 50 in the 2025 special election, congressional candidate and local business owner Ray Riehle weighed in on the proposed redistricting map for Congressional District 6, saying it would change the partisan composition of voters in Citrus Heights’ district.
Riehle, a Republican, shared an overlay map with The Sentinel showing the differences between the current District 6 boundaries and the boundaries on the new proposed map. Under the redistricting proposal, the share of registered Democratic voters in the district would decrease, while the proportion of registered Republican voters would increase slightly.
The new map includes a larger portion of Placer County, including the cities of Roseville and Rocklin, which were previously not part of District 6. Meanwhile, Rancho Cordova and Rancho Murieta would be removed from the district, if approved by voters.
According to Ballotpedia, approving the proposed maps would shift several congressional districts, including District 6, altering the partisan balance. Currently, District 6 votes strongly Democratic, but the new map adjustment would shift some conservative voters from Placer County into District 6. While the district would still lean Democratic, the change would reduce the Democratic advantage in District 6 and slightly increase Republican representation.
Ballotpedia map comparisons of current and proposed maps shows a shift from +14 points currently in favor of Democrats to +8 points with the new map in District 6, based on how voters voted in the 2024 presidential election.
While the modifications would reduce Democratic margins in District 6, the new map would strengthen Democratic votes in neighboring Congressional District 3, where the Republican Kevin Kiley would see his district shift from a four-point Republican leaning district to a 10-point lean in favor of Democrats, Ballotpedia shows.
Though the new district map would result in a district more favorable to his party, if approved by voters, Riehle said he disagrees with the idea of political officials redrawing district maps at all and called it “illegal,” saying redistricting should be left to the Citizen’s Redistricting Commission.
The Redistricting Committee was established in 2008, Riehle explained, emphasizing that there is “no reason” to justify what California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed.
Local resident David Warren, a longtime public safety lobbyist and registered Democrat, agreed that bypassing the independent commission is unfair but noted that currently other states are operating under different standards.
“If any state, i.e., Texas, Missouri, and other Republican states such as Florida and Alabama, will gerrymander Democratic Party congresspersons out of existence in order to preserve the republic, California will have to lower our standards to match theirs,” Warren said.
How did we get here?
Redistricting by voter initiative through the California Citizens Redistricting Commission is legal under state law. However, for decades, California’s legislatures controlled redistricting and allowed the majority party to draw maps benefiting incumbents. This involved both parties over the years, and by the early 2000s, many seats were considered “safe,” and critics argued elections lacked competitiveness.
In 2005, then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger advocated for an independent commission to draw political boundaries, according to a local news report that breaks down the history of redistricting and how we got to where we are today. Schwarzenegger argued that politicians could not be trusted to map their own districts. The former governor has also been a vocal opponent of the current efforts of redistricting made by Newsom.
Voters passed Proposition 11, the Voters FIRST Act, in 2008, creating the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to handle state legislative boundaries. Proposition 20, passed in 2010, extended the commission’s authority to U.S. Congressional districts.
Currently, redistricting is allowed every 10 years and typically proceeds after the census so as to incorporate census data. The commission consists of 14 members, including five Democrats, five Republicans, and four who are not affiliated with either major party. Members are chosen through a multi-step process designed to prevent conflicts of interest, and the commission must follow strict, nonpartisan criteria, including compliance with the Voting Rights Act and maintaining equal population across districts.
In July, President Donald Trump encouraged the Texas Legislature to redraw U.S. Congressional maps to help maintain Republican control. Five districts were redrawn to flip seats currently held by Democrats, and the maps were approved in August. Newsom opposed the Texas move as “blatantly political” and subsequently proposed redrawing maps in California, aiming to offset Republican gains in Texas.
The California Legislature approved the proposed new maps earlier this year, prompting a special election that will take place on Nov. 4. The vote asks residents to temporarily suspend the state’s independent redistricting system for U.S. Congressional districts, allowing the new maps to be used for the next three election cycles in 2026, 2028, and 2030.
Republican lawmakers filed an emergency petition with the California Supreme Court to block the special election, which was denied.
Voting has already begun as of Oct. 6. The Sacramento County Elections Office shows multiple voting centers are available for mail-in ballot drop-off. Several centers are scheduled to open for in-person voting as early as Oct. 25. A list of available centers for both ballot drop-off and in-person voting is available here.
The Sentinel welcomes letters about local issues. Share your thoughts on Prop 50 in a letter to the editor or opinion column: Click here.
8Sentinel Staff report– Latest police logs show a drop in animal control calls, while showing a rise in traffic accidents and disturbances. Below are the latest police incident logs from Oct. 2-8, 2025.
Fireworks: 1 (same as prior week)
Animal control: 5 (down from 7)
911 hangups: 27 (down from 39)
Code enforcement: 27 (down from 30)
Traffic accidents: 44 (up from 39)
Vehicle violations: 272 (up from 257)
Theft: 24 (down from 37)
Homeless-related: 13 (down from 18)
Vandalism: 5 (same as prior week)
Violent/threats: 30 (up from 26)
Disturbance: 99 (up from 96)
Suspicious circumstances: 138 (down from 203)
All incidents: 1,177 (down from 1,234)
Arrest logs are available here. Incident Logs are accessible below.
The Citrus Heights Police Department notes that its logs “are not intended as a full and complete list of all police activity,” with some information not displayed for legal reasons, such as arrests of minors. As such, police advise that summary totals based on public logs may differ from weekly incident and arrest totals posted by police on social media.
The department notes on its website that: “All arrested suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty. Additionally, the original crimes, nature of offenses, and charges may be amended or dismissed as further information is made available.”
Editor’s Note: police log summaries are published with assistance from AI, but edited by humans. Please contact us if you spot an error.
By Sara Beth Williams– As Citrus Heights continues implementing its Economic Development Work Plan, recent updates presented to the City Council highlighted two closely aligned priorities: expanding small business support and strengthening the city’s internal culture around economic development.
The Small Business Support and Innovation section of the workplan emphasizes the city’s commitment to empowering local entrepreneurs and creating a thriving small business ecosystem.
Over the past six months, city staff have focused on laying the foundation for expanded technical assistance programming, outreach to local established businesses, and partnership building. The Economic Development and Community Engagement Department said their first step was to mail out business tool kits to businesses, which included a welcome letter, and a list of resources and contact information. Secondly, the city said they have begun collaborating with small businesses to offer technical and operational support, helping with cash flow projections, and pointing businesses to other workshops or resources.
Another key element in the progress of helping the city help small businesses, is an upcoming business survey, which will collect important data on the needs of small businesses across the city. The survey results will guide where targeted support, and resources can be most effective in the future.
Grassroots collaboration has also played a key role. Staff have worked directly with business owners to explore pop-up activations within local shopping centers—temporary events or retail experiences that could help attract customers and test new ideas.
The goals outlined in this section of the workplan set clear benchmarks, including the goal of supporting more than 100 businesses annually through workshops and consultations, launch at least one new business incubation partnership, and ensure fifty percent participation of small businesses in major city events. Already, the city has met with six businesses specifically to offer technical assistance. No data was presented regarding how many businesses have been referred to workshops or other resources.
Parallel to these outward-facing initiatives, the city is also focusing on cultivating an organizational culture that can better support and sustain economic growth.
According to the Economic Development department, fostering a responsive, knowledgeable, and customer-centric environment among city staff is “key to achieving the city’s long-term economic goals.”
The city hopes to achieve this by offering training to understand their roles in economic development and encourage collaboration across departments.
Implementation steps already underway include a new internal training program designed to familiarize all staff with the city’s economic development goals, including a city tour for new employees. Department staff have also conducted general economic development training at an all-staff meeting and plan to introduce a workshop on the Placer.ai platform, a tool that uses data to help city staff better understand business activity and community trends.
The city is also expanding its use of shared data tools across departments to improve responsiveness and coordination.
The goals listed under the category of Organizational Culture include training 100 percent of new staff on economic development within their first year, conducting quarterly workshops on business-friendly practices, and ensuring 75 percent of business inquiries are resolved within 30 days.
As part of its commitment to transparency and accountability, staff will continue providing quarterly updates to city leadership and annual reports to the City Council, tracking progress and adjusting strategies based on market conditions and business feedback.
A gateway arch is under construction at the northern border of Citrus Heights on Auburn Boulevard. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Drivers passing across the border between Citrus Heights and Roseville may have noticed the beginnings of two pillars being constructed on either side of Auburn Boulevard just south of Whyte Avenue in recent days.
The construction of a new gateway arch and stoplight at the border between Citrus Heights and Roseville is part of the plans of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Project Phase 2. The gateway arch will have a “Welcome to Citrus Heights” sign across the top.
Additionally, the city plans to install a stoplight just south of Whyte. According to the owner of Sam’s Liquor, who has a front-row view of the daily construction from his storefront, the stoplight is being installed just south of Whyte Avenue where two driveway entrances face each other on either side of the road—one leads into the small strip mall that currently houses Tea It and Sam’s Liquor, and one leads into the Citrus Grove shopping center, which houses California Burger and several other businesses.
Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney said in an update early in the week that the Complete Streets project is moving along on schedule and that utility undergrounding and corridor updates are underway. Feeney emphasized that businesses are still open and encouraged residents to shop at businesses on Auburn Boulevard during construction.
In an update at the end of September, the Economic Development and Community Engagement Department said the city has created over two dozen video shorts highlighting businesses along Auburn Boulevard. Video shorts can be viewed on the city’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
The city also said a new “Love Local” campaign website is underway, which will feature local businesses in a dedicated webpage on the city’s website.
Since construction began at the end of July in 2024, at least one lane has remained closed—even outside construction hours. On social media, many residents have expressed frustration, calling traffic “a nightmare” and describing lane closures as “inconvenient.”
Business owners have consistently complained about the construction, telling The Sentinel the constant construction along points of entry creates confusion for customers. One business has said customers frequently call asking if their store is still open. Another business owner relayed that at least one small shop nearby has closed and that customers with appointments for gym classes sometimes do not show up due to difficulties navigating into the parking lot.
To address questions and concerns, the city had previously held weekly drop-in office hours at Rusch Community Park’s Community Center from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Thursdays, but has since cancelled meetings due to lack of attendance. Meetings are now held per request and can be scheduled by contacting the General Services Department.
Bright orange signs with directional arrows indicating that businesses are open have been placed at all driveway entrances impacted by construction.
Business owners also complained of impacts to their establishments during construction on the first phase of improvements on Auburn Boulevard over ten years ago, but celebrated the completion of the project in 2014.
Planned improvements in the second phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Street project include undergrounding of overhead utilities, installation of bicycle lanes and wide sidewalks, upgrading traffic signals to meet current standards, increasing safety and visibility through decorative street lighting, beautifying the corridor with new landscaping and trees, replacing old storm drain infrastructure, and enhancing transit stops for ADA compliance.
Project costs are expected to remain at approximately $35 million, the city reported in its Five-Year Capital Improvement Program report, with $14 million of that cost being spent this year and another $4 million in the following year. The major capital works project is expected to be complete in the fall of 2026.
*This article has been updated to reflect that drop-in office hours have been discontinued based on new information provided by the city of Citrus Heights.
By Sara Beth Williams– Just in time for Halloween, a harvest festival and movie night will be coming to the Sunrise Mall on Friday, Oct. 17.
The free event is hosted by Sunrise MarketPlace and is scheduled from 5 to 10 p.m. It will be held in the mall parking lot and is slated to feature a variety of family-friendly activities, including face painting, pumpkin decorating, trackless train rides, live magic shows, carnival-style games, and local food trucks.
At 7 p.m., guests can settle in for an outdoor showing of the classic film “Beetlejuice.” Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the movie under the stars. Costumes are also welcome but not required.
For more information about the movie night, visit the event page. Sunrise Mall is located at 6401 Sunrise Blvd.
For a full list of upcoming harvest festivals and trunk or treats happening in Citrus Heights this October, visit The Sentinel’s Community page.
An aerial view of a preschool located on Oak Avenue listed for sale. // CH Sentinel
By Sara Beth Williams–
A Citrus Heights preschool is on the market for just over $1.5 million, according to the commercial real estate website BizBuySell.
The listing advertises the 8085 Oak Ave. property for $1,566,000. As of Saturday, a sign on the front lawn, which is also visible in the photos in the listing, reads, “Citrus Heights Montessori.” An automated phone message from the phone number posted on the sign does not identify a company name.
A Facebook page for Citrus Heights Montessori shows that the school last posted in June and was actively enrolling children for the 2025-26 school year. The preschool could not be reached for comment.
An address search confirms the property belongs to My Preschool Sacramento. The preschool occupies a 4,596-square-foot building situated on three-fourths of an acre, the listing shows.
cording to the listing, the facility is described as “spacious, fully equipped,” and “turnkey,” with excellent visibility and accessibility. While currently configured as a daycare center, the property’s RD-2 zoning allows for a wide range of potential uses, including medical offices, wellness centers, retail, or professional services.
The single-story building is characterized as “modern and adaptable” with a flexible interior layout that can accommodate multiple business types. The current owner is retiring the listing said.
For those interested in continuing its use as a preschool, the business reportedly comes with an established client base and all necessary equipment already in place.
Public reviews online indicate the site has functioned as a childcare facility since at least 2019. According to records from the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, the facility at 8085 Oak Ave. was licensed as a daycare center under the name My Preschool. The initial license was issued on July 20, 2021. A change of ownership inspection was conducted on April 2023, transitioning the license to a new operator.
The facility is licensed to serve up to 80 children, with 68 preschool children and 12 toddler children.
