By Mark S. Mitchell, Citrus Heights– I see that San Juan Unified School District’s “Board of Education” voted unanimously to put another Bond Measure on the ballot. It’s only $950,000,000, which sounds better than one Billion dollars.
What they need to vote on is school choice, because what they’re teaching kids today isn’t “Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic”! What they need to teach students today is to “LOVE AMERICA,” not HATE it.
Start teaching these “kids” that no matter what nationality you are, or what your skin color is, we are all created equal. Teach them that they can be whatever they want to be, but you have to put the effort in!
This probably won’t happen, but the BOND measure will likely pass by a slight margin, and that’ll burden homeowners once again for another 30 years, or however long it takes to pay off another BOND!
I’m curious, didn’t the schools get COVID money? And while schools were closed what work was being done? I know for a fact that Skycrest school in Citrus Heights just finished putting new A/C units on the roofs of most if not all of the classrooms. Are they still spending COVID money? Who knows? I just hope they checked the roofs before starting this project.
I know what you’re thinking, “it’s for the kids.” And trust me I want what’s best for them too, I just don’t believe that the money we spend, and keep on spending more of, is money well spent. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, “it’s easy to spend other people’s money,” just look at the circus going on in Washington DC.
Editor’s note: Our policy is to publish every letter that is received, as written, as long as it is a minimum of 100 words in length and addresses a local news story published by The Sentinel in the past 60 days. Submit a letter to the editor or opinion column for publication: Click here.
Sentinel staff report– Latest police logs in Citrus Heights show a drop in animal control and code enforcement calls, while showing an increase in 911 hangups and homeless-related calls.
A summary of the most recent seven police logs are listed below, from Aug. 8, 2024, through Aug 14, 2024.
Animal control: 40 (down from 41)
911 hangups: 44 (up from 35)
Code enforcement: 39 (down from 41)
Traffic accidents: 26 (down from 30)
Vehicle violations: 264 (down from 266)
Theft: 30 (same as prior week)
Homeless-related: 30 (up from 25)
Vandalism: 8 (down from 11)
Violent/threats: 23 (down from 40)
Disturbance: 100 (up from 86)
Suspicious circumstances: 176 (down from 191)
All incidents: 1281 (down from 1384)
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.
Three kittens, part of a colony of feral cats, are fed by local animal rescue volunteers at an abandoned house in Citrus Heights. // Image courtesy of local animal advocates with permission
By Sara Beth Williams– The Citrus Heights City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a new contract for animal services with Bradshaw Animal Shelter in Sacramento County. The agreement takes effect on Sept. 1 and extends through June 30, 2029.
During an Aug. 14 City Council meeting, Citrus Heights Police Services Manager Tiffany Campbell and Special Services Division Commander Kris Frey said after receiving notice from Placer County Animal Services in March that animal services would no longer be provided to the city beyond 2024, the city began researching other alternative vendors throughout the region.
The animal shelter had cited a significant cost increase and overcrowding of the shelter, which required them to limit service to agencies within Placer County, according to an agenda packet.
“After several months of strategic planning meetings, a mutually beneficial partnership was established with the Bradshaw Animal Shelter,” Frey said during the council meeting. Frey and Campbell said benefits to residents will include a dedicated 24/7 telephone service for citizens to report animal calls, and the ability for citizens to report online as well as by phone. The agreement also includes dispatch services for current Citrus Heights Animal Services Officers, and the use of dedicated animal license tracking software at no additional cost.
The animal services software allows tracking of all registered animals in a database also accessible to Citrus Heights Animal Control, which allows for easier reunification of animals with local pet owners, Campbell said.
Campbell emphasized that licensing and chipping are “one of the most important things” that pet owners can do to help with animal tracking and reunification. Animals that are not chipped are chipped upon entering the shelter, and any animals posted for adoption are spayed or neutered.
Sacramento County Animal Services Director Annette Bedsworth said Bradshaw provides an on-site pet hospital with three veterinarians available to care for sheltered animals. One of the veterinarians works directly with homeless individuals through a mobile clinic, Bedsworth said.
Councilmember Tim Schaefer questioned what would happen if Bradshaw also begins experiencing animal capacity issues in the future and is unable to meet the needs of Citrus Heights throughout the contract term.
Bedsworth said currently some dogs are paired together in kennels when necessary. The shelter also consistently holds adoption events and has found that extending adoption event hours into the late evening on the weekends has proven successful in the past.
Animal rescue and Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) volunteers have been vocal throughout several council meetings regarding the need for more funding and spay and neuter vouchers, stating that the feral cat population has “exploded” in Citrus Heights.
“TNR is desperately needed in Citrus Heights,” animal advocate Karen Bearman said during the Aug. 14 council meeting, adding that grant funding is available to help volunteers continue to care for, trap, neuter, and release feral cats. Several other animal fostering and TNR volunteers spoke in support of petitioning the city to solicit appropriate grant funding to help fund animal volunteers and TNR efforts.
Bedsworth said the shelter also offers low-cost spay and neuter options, vaccination clinics, and drive-thru micro-chipping clinics. Bradshaw also regularly holds fundraising and adoption events and posts all available pets on their website for easy accessibility. A community cat program, located next door, is also available by appointment for spay and neuter services.
The city’s prior contract with Placer County cost the city $18,600 per month, but was slated to increase to $34,000 per month along with a reduction in services according to a staff report. The new contract’s fiscal impact is listed as a prorated cost of $414,354 for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
The agreement includes a share of cost for animal services through Bradshaw for each year between Citrus Heights, the City of Galt, and the County of Sacramento. Agreement terms provide the city with sheltering services each year based on the percentage of actual animal intake numbers from the two prior fiscal years. That percentage is applied to the estimated budget expenses. The County will provide Citrus Heights with cost estimates by March 30 of each year beginning in 2025, according to the city.
By Sara Beth Williams– Plans to expand a mobile home park near Van Maren Lane with up to 20 additional home lots appear to have halted.
Lakeview Village had previously submitted an application with plans to expand in February 2022, but the city confirmed in an email last month that the project was withdrawn due to “lack of activity.”
The location for the planned remodel and expansion is located on Oak Lakes Lane next to the entrance Lakeview Village. Documents submitted to the city in November 2023 called for the redevelopment of an existing parking lot and an adjacent vacant lot. A project description posted on the city’s website indicated 20 additional mobile home lots were proposed, while a site plan map appeared to show 16 spots.
The application for expansion sat dormant for several months, waiting for revised plans from the project applicant, the city said. Applications that sit without a response for six months are considered withdrawn.
City spokesperson Marisa Brown said in an email that prior to withdrawing an application under review, the city sends the applicant a letter providing them an opportunity to request the application remain open. The applicant did not resubmit documents within the allotted time frame needed to keep the application active, and the applicant also did not request an extension.
“City code does allow for a 12-month extension; however, if the applicant is actively working on the project, we may grant longer extensions,” the city said.
An initial draft of the site plan showed the proposed addition of several mobile home lots ranging in size from 59 feet by 75 feet to 49 by 75 feet. Plans also called for the addition of up to 63 new 12-foot by 40-foot storage parking spaces.
Neither Barrel Consulting Group or the property owner responded to a request for comment regarding whether expansion plans had changed and why an extension was not requested.
Several district and regional state leaders were in attendance at the unveiling of 6 new electric school buses on July 25, 2024. // Courtesy of San Juan Unified School District
By Sara Beth Williams– The San Juan Unified School District has kicked off the new school year with six all-electric buses.
The new buses were unveiled as part of the district’s fleet during a ceremony last month, marking a step towards reducing diesel emissions and fuel costs, the district said in a press release.
Though nearly identical on the outside to its fuel-operated counterparts, the fully electric vehicles are quieter than traditional school buses, the release said, which allows drivers to better monitor passenger conversations and behavior during routes.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, current electric school buses cost, on average, $400,000, which is higher than the cost of diesel-operated buses. The higher cost is for battery-operated electric buses with larger batteries, but the U.S. Department of Energy also predicts that the cost could “continue to decrease as the market matures.”
The San Juan Unified School District is not the only district to employ new electric school buses. Stockton Unified School District also recently added 35 new electric school buses with grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
According to the district’s media release, the supply of electric buses to San Juan Unified was made possible through the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Grant and in collaboration with community partners including SMUD, Sacramento Air Quality Management District, Model 1 Bus Sales, and KMM Construction.
As previously reported, all non-mandated bus transportation was eliminated in 2011 in the San Juan Unified School District. Mandated transportation services, such as special education and alternative education programs, are still served with bus transportation.
The Veterans Community Center is hosting their annual Hawaiian Luau on Aug. 24, 2024 // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– The Veterans Community Center in Citrus Heights will host its fourth annual Hawaiian Luau fundraising event on Saturday, Aug. 24.
The festivities are slated to begin at 5 p.m. and will include a buffet dinner with Hawaiian-themed foods like pulled pork and Hawaiian fruit, said Veterans Community Center owner Jeanne Rounsavell. Other staples, like potato salad and macaroni salad, will also be offered.
The event will feature live music from Nativ Sun and a dancing performance by Ka Pá Hula Kalama O Ha’aheo, according to an event flyer. The Hawaiian dance group has performed for the luau fundraiser for the last four years, Rounsavell said. According to the group’s website, the group offers lessons in both ancient and contemporary Hula, ʻOri Tahiti, Hawaiian-Style Ukulele, and Tahitian Drums.
Rounsavell expects between 60 and 100 attendees at the event, depending on the weather. More will attend if the weather is cooler. Rounsavell said the 2023 Luau fundraising event had to be held inside due to hot weather.
“We put every dime back into the center,” Rounsavell said, adding that the Hawaiian Luau is one of two large fundraisers held annually. All funds raised are used to help maintain the building and pay for meals offered to veterans during the week, with some funds also going toward future projects.
Rounsavell listed several special projects that she’d like to work on in the future, including a stage and decking for the back patio area. In the past, raised funds have been used to update the center by adding an electric gate, and upgrading the center’s sign so that it displays upcoming events electronically, Rounsavell said.
Tickets are $75 for front row seats and $50 for middle row seats and can be purchased at the Veterans Community Center in Citrus Heights, Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Veteran’s Community Center is located at 6921 Sylvan Rd. The center was founded by Jeanne and Jim Rounsavell in 2013 and is maintained by unpaid volunteers.
The landscaping is now barren along Auburn Blvd. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– Much of the landscaping including some mature trees along Auburn Boulevard from Rusch Park to the northern city limits now lays barren, prompting questions from some as to why.
Previous landscaping along the boulevard included trees, grass, and other plants, but many of the trees have been removed in the weeks since the second phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets revitalization project broke ground at the end of July.
City Engineer Leslie Blomquist said in an email Wednesday that the removal of landscaping and street trees is a necessary part of the second phase of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets project.
“Due to necessary underground utility work, sidewalk widening, and property slope challenges, 58 trees must be removed, many of which are in poor or critical condition,” said Blomquist, adding that the project includes widening sidewalks, removing obstacles such as utility poles, and widening the street in order to add new bike lane striping.
Phase two of the Complete Streets project began almost ten years after phase one was completed. Blomquist said in an interview last month that phase two is designed to be a “continuation of the improvements” along Auburn Boulevard, which began at Sylvan Corners and continued just past the intersection of Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard.
Plans for landscaping in the current phase include similar aesthetics to phase one, such as decorative street lighting, a landscape buffer between the sidewalk and street where possible, and more trees. Blomquist said that phase two plans include planting 103 new trees, along with shrubs and ground cover, “to ensure a robust urban forest for future generations.”
“When the street was first developed, it wasn’t planned development, it was done piecemeal,” Blomquist said, adding that the roadway is “very old” and did not have a consistent width. The project seeks to create a consistent width of roadway, continuing from phase one into phase two, Blomquist said.
New medians are also planned for much of the roadway, which will allow for the addition of more trees and other plants. Blomquist said the medians will create a “more attractive” atmosphere while also enhancing safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers. Medians with specified turning lanes will allow for the purposeful direction of drivers to turn at specific locations, Blomquist said.
In the years leading up to the project, several businesses have voiced concerns about access with the addition of medians, according to prior reports. To address those concerns, Blomquist said the city has worked with all the businesses along the corridor to the city limits, and has run truck turning templates to ensure that there are “appropriate and safe ways” for large trucks to enter and exit businesses along the boulevard when necessary.
The City Council recently approved the purchase of a portion of land at 6498 Sylvan Rd. // City of Citrus Heights
By Sara Beth Williams– The Citrus Heights City Council voted 4-1 on Wednesday to approve the purchase of vacant land on Sylvan Road owned by Bayside Covenant Church of Citrus Heights, otherwise known as Heights Church.
During the Aug. 14 City Council meeting, a purchase agreement between the city and Heights Church for a parcel of land measuring between 76,000 and 80,000 square feet at 6498 Sylvan Rd., was presented to the City Council for approval. The acquisition terms for the parcel were previously negotiated at a closed session during a July 10 council meeting. The purchase was approved by the council, with Vice Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa voting against the purchase.
“We don’t need it, and I think our money is better spent somewhere else,” Karpinski-Costa said. Neither the city manager nor any other council members commented on the purchase agreement.
According to the city, a purchase price of $2.16 per square foot was negotiated. During the escrow period, the city will initiate a lot line adjustment consisting of 76,590± square feet, not to exceed 80,000 square feet. The purchase price is estimated to be a little over $165,000, but the final purchase price will be determined by the final lot line adjustment.
The city was approached by Heights Church regarding the prospect of selling a portion of the church property to the city. According to the church, the land is vacant and currently unoccupied, and a creek runs through the land.
“Part of the land is a flood plain. It’s not usable for us,” Heights Church Lead Pastor Craig Sweeney told The Sentinel on Wednesday in a phone call. Sweeney said that two additional pieces of land adjacent to the one under consideration were sold to Robert Coronado in the past. Coronado then gifted the two parcels to the city last year, according to the city.
“It’s a help to us because it gives us much-needed dollars, and it’s also a help to the city to be able to expand that land,” Sweeney said.
The land previously donated by Coronado was conditioned on the city using the land for a “park, open space, community garden, or the like.”
Citrus Heights City Manager Ash Feeney said in an email to The Sentinel that there are “no current plans” for the latest land acquisition, but noted that the property has utility service connections and is “a developable area that, when combined with the adjacent city property, provides for a strategic acquisition opportunity for future community-serving uses.”
The city will utilize General Funds for the purchase of the property.
The Planning Commission is forwarding several ordinance amendments to the City Council. // SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– The Citrus Heights Planning Commission on Tuesday voted 4-3 to forward a recommendation to the City Council regarding the approval of various amendments to the city code.
The commission’s vote during an Aug. 13 Planning Commission meeting came after significant discussion regarding proposed amendments, including a proposed ban on any new recycling centers in the city limits. Other proposals included amending setback requirements for two-story accessory dwelling units, a proposal to remove distance requirements from schools, parks, hospitals, and places of worship for businesses selling alcohol, updates to required security measures that businesses selling alcohol must implement, and lifting the requirement for use permits for establishments selling alcohol that close by or before 10 p.m.
The Citrus Heights Planning Division presented the proposed changes to the commission and said reviews are conducted annually of the City Code in an attempt to ensure it continues to meet the city’s strategic objectives, which includes blight reduction and beautification.
A city staff report cited blight as a primary concern revolving around the city’s four current recycling centers. The report said “observations have shown the areas surrounding the centers are littered with abandoned shopping carts, have increased calls for services in the vicinity and other blight inducing activities.”
A local recycling center owner who spoke during the public hearing portion of the Planning Commission meeting expressed concern that a future ban on new recycling centers would not allow for the addition of new, high-tech recycling centers to be established locally. The owner said her business has acquired a grant from California that would allow for the development of a new recycling center within the next six months that would address some of the blight concerns.
An initial motion to pass all proposed amendments, made by Commissioner Tom Scheeler, received only one other vote of support from Commissioner James Remick. An alternate motion made by Commissioner Marcelle Flowers to approve all proposed amendments, with the exclusion of a ban on new recycling centers, led to much confusion from several commissioners and city staff. After more discussion, several commissioners requested to change their previous vote. As a result, the commission was forced to do a re-vote.
In the third round of voting, Chair Natalee Price and Commissioners Flowers, Kelsey Nelson, and Andrew Van Duker voted in favor of passing the motion originally made by Flowers.
The passage of the motion on the proposed ordinance amendments will be forwarded to the City Council for final approval. The city confirmed via email Wednesday that the current regulations for recycling centers will not change.
A full description of proposed changes to the city’s code can be found in the Aug. 13, 2024, agenda packet for the Planning Commission. (view here)
The location of a future Amazon Fresh at 5425 Sunrise Blvd. // photo taken Aug. 14, 2024, by SB Williams
By Sara Beth Williams– The Citrus Heights City Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a letter allowing for the issuance of an alcohol license to an incoming Amazon Fresh grocery store, to be located in the Sunrise Village shopping center.
At an Aug. 14 City Council meeting, the council voted unanimously to approve both a general off-sale and an instructional tastings alcoholic beverage license for the grocery store. No comments were provided during an open public hearing.
On July 15, Amazon Fresh submitted a Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity for Type 21, off-sale general, and Type 86, instructional tasting, Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) licenses for review. A Letter of Public Convenience and Necessity (PCN) is required when a business applies for certain types of alcohol licenses in areas where the number of existing licenses exceeds a state-determined threshold. Alcoholic Beverage Control will only issue licenses previously approved by a local jurisdiction, the Planning Division said.
The request for an alcohol license has been reviewed by the Citrus Heights Police Department, the city said, as well as by the Sunrise MarkePlace Board of Directors. Sunrise MarketPlace submitted a letter of support to the city in which Executive Director Kathilynn Carpenter “highly encourages” the council to allow alcohol sales and tastings at the future store, noting that tastings will provide an “experiential” aspect not seen at other alcohol retailers in town.
According to a submitted letter by Amazon Fresh, the company is seeking to operate a “full-service grocery store” at 5425 Sunrise Blvd. with operating hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., featuring a “wide variety of national brands and high-quality produce, meat, and seafood.” The grocer will also sell beer, wine, and spirits and provide “limited alcohol instructional tastings” in a designated alcohol sampling area. Tastings will be small samples and be offered by trained beverage suppliers or employees to customers 21 years and older, in accordance with Alcoholic Beverage Control regulations.
According to the agenda packet, Amazon Fresh will operate in the same vicinity where nine other locations already operate with alcoholic beverage licenses. After review, the city determined that three establishments with alcohol licenses are within a 1,000-foot radius of the new grocer, including another grocery store, a convenience store, and a liquor store. Mr. Liquor operates in the same shopping center as the future grocer.
An opening date for the store has not been announced.
