A shed on the property of the Veterans Community Center was recently broken into. // Photo of Courtesy of Jeanne Rounsavell Jeanne Rounsavell
By Sara Beth Williams– A newly built storage shed at the Veterans Community Center in Citrus Heights was broken into for the third time this year.
According to the center’s facilities manager, the shed has been broken into several times, the most recent being over the weekend of Nov. 17 and 18.
Over that weekend, Veterans Community Center facilities manager Vince Robles said thieves broke a window, tore through a screen, and stole multiple items, including various hand tools, an air compressor, an air gun, air hoses, and extension cords.
Robles said construction on the new shed began in May of this year and that since then, there have been multiple items stolen.
“They got a lot of tools the last time they broke in,” Robles said, referencing a previous break-in earlier in the fall. Robles said there is nothing they can do but report, and he suspects people may be climbing over the fence behind the property to access the shed. The community center has an electric gate and other fencing surrounding the entrance.
Police logs confirm that a report for burglary was taken Monday morning, Nov. 19, around 10:40 a.m. at the Veterans Community Center.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s very devastating,” Veterans Community Center owner Jeanne Rounsavell said Tuesday, adding that the security cameras, which point to the shed, were not working at the time of the break-in. Robles said he spent a couple of hours on the phone with the camera company following the break-in, in an attempt to bring the cameras back online.
The Veterans Community Center is a self-funded nonprofit established by James and Jeanne Rounsavell in 2011. According to its website, the center currently serves 150 veterans monthly by providing meals twice a week.
The Veterans Community Center is closed for the week of Thanksgiving.
A Google Maps overlay screenshot of a precinct map from the Sacramento County Registrar of Voters, showing how precincts voted for president during the 2024 presidential election. Red zones are precincts where Donald Trump received the most votes, while grey-blue zones are where Kamala Harris received the most votes. Vote count data used is from Nov. 25, 2024.
By Sara Beth Williams– While Sacramento County voted 58% in favor of Kamala Harris in the 2024 General Election, the majority of voting precincts in Citrus Heights favored Donald Trump.
Compared with Trump’s election in 2016, only two precincts in Citrus Heights favored then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. However, in 2020 that number increased to 10 precincts favoring Joe Biden, and in 2024 the total was again 10 precincts favoring the Democratic nominee.
According to the latest county election results released Nov. 25, a total of 58% of votes in Sacramento County favored Harris, while 38% were in favor of Trump. About 3.5% of voters cast ballots for one of the third-party candidates. A total of 648,103 votes for president have been counted, according to Sacramento County’s elections website.
Most precincts in Citrus Heights favored Trump by 50% or higher. As well, almost all precincts showed at least 1% of voters casting ballots for Robert F. Kennedy and his running mate Nicole Shanahan, who represent the American Independent party.
Precincts in the northern areas of the city closer to Antelope, Roseville, and Orangevale tended to favor Trump, while blue precincts increased near the southern borders of the city.
Most precincts showed voter percentages between 50 and 56% in favor of Trump. Only a handful of precincts showed more than 56% of voters in favor of Trump, including one precinct on the norther border with Placer County between Interstate 80 and Sunrise Boulevard, which showed 58% of the vote went to Trump. Nearly 4% of votes also went to third-party or write-in candidates.
Another precinct located in the eastern section of the city close to Orangevale showed 57% of voters favored Trump and 39% favored Harris.
Some precincts show voters were neck-and-neck for Trump and Harris, with three precincts showing a tied or nearly tied vote at 48% each. One precinct, surrounding Brooktree Park, voted in favor of Harris by just a two-vote margin, with 477 votes going to Harris and 475 going toward Trump. 29 people in that precinct voted for third-party candidates.
Another southwestern precinct showed 49.8% favored Harris while 47.7% favored Trump.
Countywide, other precincts with a very low populus yielded high percentages in comparison with the number of votes cast. One precinct with only three votes cast fell 100% in favor of Trump. Another showed four votes, with three favoring Trump. Another precinct shows only one vote cast, also in favor of Trump.
An interactive map can be viewed here, showing precinct-level results for Citrus Heights and Sacramento County. A desktop device may be required to see vote counts listed in the sidebar when clicking on each precinct. An interactive 2020 comparison map can be viewed here.
Vote count results reported in this article are from a Nov. 25 update from the Sacramento County Voter Registration and Elections Office. The next release date for voting results is scheduled for Dec. 3 at 5:15 p.m. An estimated total of 8,600 ballots remain to be counted in Sacramento County.
By Sara Beth Williams– Recent FlashVote survey results released last week show residents in Citrus Heights remain concerned about homeless encampments and associated debris, as well as unkempt homes and businesses.
The survey was issued by the City of Citrus Heights on Nov. 18 and concluded on Nov. 20, with results publicly released the same day. Results show that there were 384 total participants.
When asked how well blight is being managed currently, 45 percent of respondents said “ok,” while seven percent said “terrible,” and 12 percent said “bad.” Twenty-six percent of respondents indicated that blight management was “good,” and 3.7 percent said management has been excellent. About 5 percent said they were “not sure.”
Twenty-three percent of respondents said blight has improved a little over the last year at the Sylvan Oaks Library and Crosswoods Community Park area, while nearly 15 percent said blight has improved “a lot.” A combined total of 31 people out of 348 who answered the question indicated that blight has gotten worse over the last year. 118 out of 348 respondents said they weren’t sure or haven’t seen the area enough to answer definitively.
When asked if they have reported issues of blight in the last 12 months, nearly 37 percent of respondents said they have seen issues of blight but haven’t reported anything. Twenty percent of respondents indicated they did not know they could report issues of blight and 15 percent of respondents said they did not see any blight issues.
A total of 117 people out of 329 who answered the question responded, saying they have reported issues of blight to the city through phone calls, emails, texts, on the website, and through the SeeClickFix app.
When asked which issues surrounding homelessness are most concerning, 75 percent of voters indicated that homeless encampments, associated debris, and litter were their biggest concern. Fifty-nine percent of voters responded that property crimes, including car break-ins, shoplifting, and vandalism, were their top concern. Fifty percent of respondents said they were largely concerned with unhoused individuals not getting care for serious mental health or substance abuse issues. Respondents were allowed to select multiple answers.
Other listed concerns included feeling unsafe when encountering homeless individuals, which received 131 votes out of 331, disruptive behavior in public, which received 110 votes, open drug use and a lack of sheltering options, which both received 98 votes, and people asking for money, which received 89 votes.
Survey comments
Overall, 107 residents left comments on the survey. Comments ranged from being critical of the city and police response to expressions of gratitude for the city and police department’s efforts toward addressing blight. Commenters who were critical said law enforcement didn’t have “strong enough laws” to act against repeat offenders.
While some comments were critical, others said the city was “doing a good job,” and several indicated that reported incidents were “addressed promptly.” Another said that they have seen a “big improvement” over the last year and that the city is “doing a better job than most.”
Many commenters emphasized that the unkempt state of homes and businesses in the city contributes to ongoing blight. Many asked the city to keep landlords and homeowners accountable when it comes to upkeep of overgrown lawns and abandoned parking lots and buildings. One commenter said that Sunrise Mall property owners need to be “held accountable” for the lack of oversight and care of the parts of the property that run parallel to Macy Plaza Drive and Sunrise East Way, where many residents live.
“Residents have repeatedly reported encampments, used needles, human excrement, and other litter that is found on mall property right behind resident property,” the commenter wrote.
Others claimed the problem of blight and homelessness stems from mental health problems and “open drug use” throughout the city. Many called for increased mental health and substance abuse assistance programs to be more easily accessible and even “mandatory.” Others alleged that many unhoused do not accept help when offered.
Still others commented that the lack of affordable housing and shelter availability has contributed to persistent issues of homelessness and blight.
“There is no winter or rain respite center, so the Sylvan Oaks library ends up taking the brunt of the homeless who need a safe place to go during the day,” one commenter alleged, adding that some shelters only allow for one-night stays once per month and that one of her family members has been on a waiting list for housing for a year-and-a-half.
Full results from the city’s FlashVote survey can be viewed online here.
By Sara Beth Williams– Falling the day before Thanksgiving, the Citrus Heights City Council meeting for Nov. 27 has been canceled. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Dec. 11, 2024, at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
Citrus Heights Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa said via email on Monday that the city typically cancels the second meetings in November and December that land on dates prior to Thanksgiving and Christmas and has been doing so “since incorporation.”
During the next meeting on Dec. 11, the newest City Council member representing District 1 will be sworn in and seated.
Kelsey Nelson has declared victory in the District 1 City Council race, with 63 percent of the vote going to her as of Nov. 25. Candidate Andrew Saunders has officially conceded. Candidate Amy Burgundy Brown has not posted a response to the election on social media.
Starting July 1, Citrus Heights City Council meetings moved to the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. Prior to July, meetings were held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
City Hall is located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.
By Sue Frost– Living in Sacramento County, we all know how essential our roads are. Every day, whether we’re heading to work, dropping kids off at school, or running errands, we rely on our roads. With over 5,200 miles of roads used by nearly 85% of us, the importance of maintaining and improving our road infrastructure is clear. We also know that far too many of our roads are in a dangerous state of disrepair and critical improvements are bogged down in bureaucratic agendas.
Recently, the Sacramento Transportation Authority (STA) proposed forming a 7-member subcommittee to evaluate the need for another sales tax increase. However, most of the allocated funds are directed towards underused public transit and controversial environmental programs. I voted against this proposal because it does not meet the needs of most county residents, particularly those in rural areas like Rio Linda and Orangevale, and suburban communities like Citrus Heights, all of whom rely heavily on county roads.
We’ve seen similar tax proposals fail before, like Measure B in 2016, which didn’t address the real concerns of our community. Our roads rank among the worst in the nation, affecting us all every day.
There is an obvious need for serious improvements to our roads and highways. This isn’t just about patching up potholes but making big changes to cut down on traffic, make our drives safer, and improve our quality of life. We need to make sure that every dollar spent is watched over closely and used well.
In Citrus Heights, local leaders have announced plans for roadway improvements that will enhance safety and accessibility. This proactive approach by Citrus Heights exemplifies the kind of dedicated action needed across all jurisdictions to address our transportation issues comprehensively.
I’m not a knee-jerk opponent of all taxes. But I firmly believe in being transparent about how any new tax money would be used, ensuring there’s a clear end date for these taxes. We need to be careful and clear, demonstrating exactly what improvements will be funded and when the taxes will expire to avoid undue financial pressure on our taxpayers. Our residents want to see real, lasting results from their taxes, not more empty promises.
Sue Frost
Our main goal should be to focus on actions that genuinely improve our roads. This is the practical and necessary choice for our community’s well-being.
Sacramento County Supervisor Sue Frost formerly served as a Citrus Heights councilwoman and currently represents District 4, which includes Citrus Heights. She can be contacted at (916) 874-5491, or SupervisorFrost@saccounty.net.
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City Manager Ash Feeney presents during the Citrus Heights State of the City address on Nov. 14, 2024. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Dozens of business owners, residents, city leaders, and regional representatives gathered at City Hall in Citrus Heights for the annual State of the City address.
Over 70 attendees were reported, according to city spokesperson Marisa Brown. During the Nov. 14 address, Citrus Heights Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa and City Manager Ash Feeney provided insights and reflections on the last year and highlighted future goals for 2025.
Community Engagement Karpinski-Costa spotlighted the city’s new Volunteer Hub and highlighted several community events, including the Arcade Cripple-Creek multi-use trail grand opening, the City Scoop summer series, the Stars and Stripes celebration, and the second annual Good Neighbor Week.
“We’re incredibly proud of all these initiatives which allow our residents to connect with one another and with our city,” Karpinski-Costa said. The mayor also highlighted the addition of several businesses like HomeGoods, Club Studio Fitness, and Amazon Fresh, saying that new businesses help “propel our community” and strengthen the local economy.
Karpinski-Costa highlighted Dark Heart Brewing, which relocated to Citrus Heights thanks to the Business Attraction Incentive Program, an initiative propelled by the Department of Economic Development and Community Engagement meant to attract new businesses to the city by offering financial assistance. The brewery is scheduled to open sometime in November, according to the company’s Facebook page.
City Finances Feeney spoke on continued efforts to maintain financial transparency and sustainability and emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy reserve fund, noting that $5.7 million was deposited into the city’s reserve fund last year. Having a healthy reserve fund allows the city to “weather tough times,” address unexpected rises in costs, and pursue one-time grant-matching opportunities. Feeney said.
Funding from the city’s reserves was recently used to purchase a property on Old Auburn Road, which was once home to the Citrus Heights Preschool. Feeney has not said with certainty what the property will be used for, saying during the address that the property “could potentially serve as a community resource” to help control “future costs.”
The city manager mentioned as well that the city experienced a “140 percent” increase in costs with the previous animal services contract. In September, the City Council voted to approve a new 5-year contract with Bradshaw Animal Shelter, moving away from utilizing Placer County Animal Services.
For the fiscal year of 2024-25, Feeney said the city has a “well balanced” budget with an estimated $45.5 million in revenues that exceed expenditures by $500,000.
“This carefully crafted budget ensures that we’re financially well positioned to continue advancing our community priorities, including critical infrastructure investments, public safety enhancements, and economic growth,” Feeney said.
Public safety/homelessness The mayor discussed the Beautification Crew, saying the team has collected over 70 tons of trash and debris from around the city. Feeney reported that the Citrus Heights Police Department has hired 23 new staff members, which has helped specialty units within the department to better address many quality-of-life issues.
Feeney also reported that the department has utilized the funds from a $2.7 million organized retail theft grant awarded last year to hire another Realtime Information Center operator and a part-time detective to help combat and prevent organized retail theft throughout the city.
Feeney said the city and its police department are “optimistic” that the combination of the passage of Prop 36 and new enforcement tools in place will “ease the burdens” for businesses throughout the city. He also said police have removed 3.7 pounds of fentanyl from the streets this year.
Feeney highlighted the efforts of the Community HealthWorks program, which has connected 95 individuals to essential services, and helped 24 individuals find housing. The Community HealthWorks program was supported and funded through a Sacramento County budget allocation award through Supervisor Sue Frost.
More than $737,000 in funding was distributed last year to “critical programs” administered through nonprofits including Meals on Wheels, Sunrise Christian Food Ministry and Citrus Heights HART, Feeney said.
Infrastructure maintenance Feeney highlighted public works projects that have been completed and are currently underway, including Phase 1A of the San Juan Complete Streets Project, which is wrapping up, and Phase One of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets project, which is underway.
Additional projects will begin in the spring, Feeney said, including resurfacing projects on Dewey Drive and Sunrise Boulevard.
Lastly, Feeney reported that the Three-Year Pavement Preservation Plan has increased street resurfacing goals from just two miles to 52 miles annually. More than 100 streets have been identified for resurfacing according to the city’s website.
Both Feeney and Karpinski-Costa thanked the city staff and multiple local and regional partners and organizations for their efforts throughout the last year. Feeney also thanked each current city council member, including the mayor and vice mayor.
“As we look toward the future, I’m filled with optimism for what we can achieve together,” Feeney said in closing.
By Sara Beth Williams– A 3,000-square-foot home on Sylvan Road with a history of fluctuating sales prices is still on the market after seeing a $150,000 price drop to $1.1 million last month.
The five-bedroom, four-bathroom, two-story house located at 6444 Sylvan Rd. in Citrus Heights is currently listed for sale at $1.1 million after an Oct. 17 price drop from $1.25 million. The 3,048-square-foot home was built in 1930, according to real estate site Zillow, then most recently sold in 1999 and returned to the market in 2020 at a listing price of over $2 million.
The home has a long history of price changes. The house was taken off the market in 2020 after being listed for almost two months and dropping in price to $1.8 million. In 2021, the property was relisted for $1.15 million and again removed, then relisted in 2022 for $997,000. After a pending sale in June 2022 fell through, the price continued to drop in increments until it was removed for a third time in November 2022.
Photos on Zillow show the front of the home has four large white columns that reach two stories high, along with a small fountain. A detached garage has enough room for three cars, and a large, open driveway provides ample space for guests.
According to the listing, the nearly 1.5-acre property includes a detached full-service salon with two bathrooms, as well as a separate building close to the main house. The landscaped lot is designed for entertaining guests, with features like two dishwashers, double ovens, and an outdoor tent. According to owner Janis Shoemaker, who spoke with The Sentinel previously, the house was a tow yard when originally purchased, and Shoemaker and her husband “did a ton of work” on the property over the last two decades.
Currently, only one other home is listed in Citrus Heights with a price tag over $1 million. The home on Challis Court, listed for $1.199 million, boasts three bedrooms, three bathrooms and 3,700 square feet. The price dropped from $1.3 million in September.
Shoemaker did not return a request for comment before press time.
Sentinel Staff Report– Latest Citrus Heights Police Logs show an increase in vehicle violations and disturbances, while showing a drop in traffic accidents and suspicious circumstances. Below is a summary of police logs from Nov. 14-20, 2024:
Animal control: 6 (down from 7)
911 hangups: 29 (down from 30)
Code enforcement: 12 (same as prior week)
Traffic accidents: 30 (down from 37)
Vehicle violations: 243 (up from 182)
Theft: 30 (down from 43)
Homeless-related: 29 (up from 17)
Vandalism: 5 (down from 9)
Violent/threats: 20 (same as prior week)
Disturbance: 78 (up from 74)
Suspicious circumstances: 154 (down from 160)
All incidents: 1164 (down from 1202)
See full police activity and arrest logs on the city’s website: click here.
Citrus Heights police resumed publishing of daily incident logs in March 2023. The 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.
The latest Letters to the Editor from Sentinel readers are in response to a recent decision by the Citrus Heights City Council to penalize residents for setting out bulk items outside of 48 hours prior to collection.
Penalizing people in wheelchairs? This seems like a penalty for being in a wheelchair. As a person who is in a wheelchair, I know that sometimes it takes more than 48 hours to get everything to the curb. Since nothing else in the city seems to be geared towards people in wheelchairs, this new restriction and penalty, isn’t a surprise. –James Monteton, Citrus Heights
Common sense is needed Use some common sense and stop wasting money with ads: “City staff also plans to carry out an extensive education and outreach campaign to help make residents aware of the changes in the collection program, including using direct mailers, social media posts, revised door hangers, online and print newspaper ads, and through city events and neighborhood area meetings.”
And: “residents use and want to continue utilizing free Neighborhood Clean Up services offered by the city.” They are not free services… we pay plenty for trash pickup.
Common sense says most people are working during the week, so it only makes sense that they use available time on the weekend to put out junk for collection, three times per year. Don’t penalize people for early set-out. Also PLEASE allow scavengers… that’s an active part of RECYCLING… I’d much rather somebody find some use from my junk than it just go to landfill! — Larry Solesbee, Citrus Heights
There are more important issues This is the LEAST of Citrus Heights issues! If you want to make Citrus Heights look better, the city should look at subsidizing the water bills! My water bill will be going up to $140 bimonthly in January, even if I don’t use one drop of water. My bills this summer were over $350. I, along with many other Citrus Heights residents can no longer afford to water our lawns, which make our neighborhoods look blight-ridden. It’s a sad state of affairs when the city is more worried about a few days of trash on the street than the vitality of the entire neighborhood and city. People from other cities have taken notice. When a friend was looking for a home, she stated they were looking in Fair Oaks, Roseville, Rocklin, Folsom, and not even considering Citrus Heights. That speaks volumes! Citrus Heights, do something good for your residents and help us keep our lots looking nice so we can once again be proud of the city we live in!
–– Kay Davis, Citrus Heights
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An auto repair shop in Citrus Heights has been listed for sale. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– An auto repair shop that has been in Citrus Heights for decades has been listed for sale.
Pat Henry’s Auto Repair shop in the back corner of the parking lot on the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Rollingwood Boulevard has been listed for sale online with an asking price of $98,000. According to the listing, the repair shop has been in business since 1975. Assets include six bays and four lifts.
Although the listing does not name the business, management at the repair shop last week confirmed with The Sentinel that the shop located at 8215 Auburn Blvd. matched the listing and is for sale but referred all other questions to the owner. The shop’s owner could not be reached for comment.
According to the listing, the owner is retiring. Currently, the shop is leased, and a new owner would be taking over rent, the listing says. Additionally, the owner states that the landlord is “willing to sign a long-term lease with a qualified tenant.”
The small shopping center on the corner of Auburn Boulevard and Rollingwood Boulevard has seen businesses come and go in the last several years. Most notably, Theatre in the Heights abruptly closed last year, according to an announcement in a September 2023 newsletter.
Theatre company owners initially announced they were retiring and that the 2023-24 theater season would be taken over by a new production company called Vivid Flare Productions, led by Shane Robert. However, in a follow-up newsletter, the theatre announced that the production company “was not ready for prime time.”
In December of 2020, the former Baskin Robbins located in the same shopping center became an independent ice cream parlor, branded as “Sweet Treats Creamery.” The ice cream shop has since closed, according to Yelp.
In September of this year, two new businesses have taken up residence in the small shopping center next to Pat Henry’s Auto Repair, including Wild and Fly Fitness and Tail Wagging Dog.
Sentinel Staff Report–
