dev.citrusheightssentinel.com

Author: Sara Beth Williams

  • Citrus Heights Police to staff up ahead of July 4th celebrations

    File Photo. Illegal fireworks seized by police // CH Sentinel

    By Sara Beth Williams—
    At the June 27 City Council meeting, the Citrus Heights Police Department announced plans to increase police officer patrols and Animal Services officer availability in preparation for Independence Day celebrations.

    Lt. Ken Lewis said during July 3 and 4, the Police Department will be deploying extra personnel who will focus on illegal fireworks enforcement. As well, Lewis said Sacramento Metro Fire arson investigators will be on hand in the area to be called on if necessary.

    Police Services Manager Tiffany Campbell said Animal Services planned to have two full-time officers available on Saturday, June 29. Officers will also be available on July 3 and July 4, working overtime to help in emergency situations.

    Campbell also said a dedicated community volunteer will be on hand at the police station with a chip reader and that the department will focus on reunifying family pets with their owners. The Police Department also has five short-term kennels available at their headquarters, which will house lost pets until they can be reunited with their owners, according to Campbell.

    During the presentation, Vice Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa offered to donate two more large dog kennels to the department, to make for a total of seven kennels available.

    Campbell emphasized that the public should plan ahead and provide a “quiet and comfortable” spot for their family pets during Independence Day celebrations.

    When asked by a local resident during the meeting about the enforcement of fireworks, both illegal and safe and sane, in the weeks before June 29, Lewis emphasized that anyone with concerns should contact the Police Department non-emergency line. Lewis reported that officers and the department have taken part in internal and regional illegal fireworks task force meetings in preparation, and the department has also increased its focus on educating the public regarding the dangers of illegal fireworks through neighborhood letters, social media posts, and website content.

    “As we approach Fourth of July celebrations, it is crucial to emphasize our community’s commitment to safety and reasonable celebration,” Lewis said, adding that the department has an amnesty program that allows residents to drop off illegal fireworks at the police station “no questions asked.”

    The Police Department encourages the public to report illegal fireworks by using the See Click Fix app, which will be operational as of June 28 to accept reports of illegal fireworks. Lewis also encouraged residents to contact the department’s non-emergency line at 916-727-5500.

    Residents can also visit the Police Department’s website at citrusheightspd.net.

  • Helicopter, police respond to stabbing in Citrus Heights

    Helicopter, police respond to stabbing in Citrus Heights

    file photo police lights
    File photo. // CH Sentinel

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    Citrus Heights Police officers were dispatched to the 7800 block of Lichen Drive around 2:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, to follow up on a report of two male individuals involved in a physical altercation. According to police, while officers were in route, dispatch reported that one of the two individuals had been stabbed with a knife.

    Both individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries according to police, and both were transported to the hospital. Later, one individual was taken into custody on charges of assault and booked into the Sacramento County Jail.

    Citrus Heights Police Lt. Dave Neher confirmed that a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office helicopter had been dispatched to canvas the area of Antelope and Lichen to act as a “safeguard” for personnel on the ground. In instances of high priority calls, Neher said helicopters are often dispatched to help monitor situations from the air.

    Police did indicate a third subject was suspected to be involved either as a bystander witness or as someone who “tried to intervene,” but that person fled the scene before officers arrived and police did not engage in any pursuit, Neher said.

    Several residents on social media described the scene indicating that the gas station parking lot was shut down and taped off with yellow caution tape. Several emergency vehicles were on scene, according to witness accounts. Residents also reported that officers searched a nearby fast-food restaurant in search of a third individual.

  • 8 spots to grab a late-night eat in Citrus Heights

    sample platter from apple bees
    An appetizer sampler platter from Applebee’s Bar & Grill. // CH Sentinel

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    Residents looking to satisfy that late-night craving can take advantage of several spots in the city that are open past midnight, including several locations which are open 24/7.

    Sammy’s Restaurant and Bar is open 24/7, according to Yelp. The restaurant is located inside Stones Gambling Hall at 6508 Antelope Rd., with the menu including vegetarian and vegan options.

    Donut King is open 24/7 and offers a wide selection of donuts and pastries, according to reviewers on Yelp. The bakery offers delivery through DoorDash and also offers coffee drinks on their menu. Donut King is located at 7401 Greenback Ln.

    Dutch Bros has two locations in Citrus Heights, and both are open 24/7, according to the company’s website. The drive-thru coffee shop offers a wide range of drinks, including energy drinks, seasonal drinks, teas, smoothies, shakes, lemonade, and hot cocoa, on top of regular coffee and blended coffee drinks. Dutch Bros is located at 7853 Lichen Drive, with another location at 7445 Madison Ave.

    Adalbertos Mexican Food is open on weekends until 2 a.m. and til midnight during the week. The restaurant offers drive-thru and inside dining, as well as online ordering and takeout. The restaurant’s menu features a variety of Mexican food and drink options. Adalbertos is located at 6171 Greenback Ln.

    Raising Canes: The restaurant famous for its chicken, which opened in Citrus Heights in December 2021, operates from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily, according to the restaurant’s website. Popular menu items include chicken fingers, Texas toast, and cole slaw. Raising Canes is located at 7804 Greenback Ln.

    Wendy’s at 6435 Antelope Rd. offers drive-thru pickup until 2 a.m. daily, while the restaurant’s second location in Citrus Heights at 7983 Greenback Ln. is open until 1 a.m.

    Applebee’s Bar & Grill is open until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and offers late-night half-priced appetizers for dine-in and online orders. The restaurant also utilizes mobile ordering, delivery, and to-go options. Applebee’s is located at 6900 Auburn Blvd.

    Taco Bell: Out of three locations in Citrus Heights, one location is open 24/7. Dine in hours for all locations, including Antelope, are from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and all locations offer online ordering.

    • 7730 Sunrise Blvd: Drive Thru open until 2 a.m.
    • 6031 Greenback Ln. Drive Thru open until 3 a.m.
    • 6440 Antelope Rd. Drive Thru open until 24/7.

    Additionally, for those over 21, bars in the city are open until 2 a.m., including the 7440 Club, Phat Chad’s Tavern, Shakers and Loree’s Little Shack.

    Want to share another favorite spot that’s open past midnight in Citrus Heights? Click here to let us know.

  • Local roadway repair, restriping projects underway in Citrus Heights

    Updated striping, Mariposa ave
    The city has restriped multiple streets, including Mariposa Ave. // SB Williams

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    Multiple construction projects have been recently completed or are underway throughout Citrus Heights, including road repairs and resurfacing, safety enhancements, and street restriping. Below is a compiled list of projects.

    Dewey Drive.  According to a social media update posted on the city’s Facebook account, the city began conducting road repairs on Dewey Drive on Monday, June 24, between Connemara Circle and Greenback Lane. The repairs are expected to take about three weeks until Friday, July 12, according to the city. Construction will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This work is in preparation for the Dewey Drive-Van Maren Lane Enhancements Project, scheduled to start this fall.

    San Juan Complete Streets Project: Start date: June 19. Phase 1A of the San Juan Complete Streets project began June 19 along San Juan Avenue and aims to “create safer travel for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists,” the city reported on social media. The project will consist of constructing new sidewalks, buffered bike lanes, and additional street lighting. The city also plans to finish with full roadway restriping and resurfacing. Construction is expected to last through October.

    Multi-Modal Transportation Safety Program. On June 17, the city shared several completed safety enhancements on San Pablo Drive and Burich Avenue near San Juan High School as part of their Multi-Modal Transportation Safety Program (MMTSP), which is ongoing and takes into consideration citizen reports of traffic safety concerns.

    The city posted photos on social media and listed several safety enhancements, including newly striped parking lanes and double yellow centerlines, new crosswalks at Greenback Lane and Burich Avenue, and at San Simeon Drive and San Pablo Drive, as well as new stop legends and median reflectors. The city also refreshed existing striping in the area.

    Restriping Underway. During a recent council meeting, the city reported the restriping of several intersections in the city, including at the intersection of Greenback Lane and Auburn Boulevard and the intersection of San Juan Avenue and Greenback Lane. Restriping has also occurred along Mariposa Avenue.

    Citywide Crack Sealing Project. On Thursday, June 27, the City Council will consider approving several construction projects, including authorizing an agreement with Pavement Rehab Company for the Citywide Crack Sealing Project for 2024 and authorizing an agreement with Crusader Fence for on-call median fence repair and maintenance services at the intersection of Auburn Boulevard and Greenback Lane.

    Several other city projects are still in the design and funding phases. For city-wide construction project information, visit the Capital Improvement Projects page to view periodic updates and timelines for each project.

  • Stars and Stripes celebration returns this weekend

    Fireworks at City Hall
    Fireworks are seen above City Hall in Citrus Heights during a July 1 fireworks show, 2023. // M. Hazlip

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    The Stars and Stripes celebration in honor of Independence Day is returning to Citrus Heights on Saturday, June 29 for its second year.

    The celebration will begin at 6 p.m. at Van Maren Park and run until 10 p.m., with fireworks beginning at 9:45 p.m.

    The event will include live music from Pop Fiction beginning at 7 p.m. A Kids Zone will be available until 8:30 p.m. with hands-on kids’ activities. Nearly a dozen food vendors will also be on site, according to the city. Alcohol and large canopies are not permitted at the event.

    Parking will be available at the Citrus Heights police station on Fountain Square Drive, as well as at the Citrus Heights Community Center and Dignity Health building, both located at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive. More parking will be available at the Citrus Heights Surgery Center and Small Business Administration, located on the corner of Stock Ranch Road and Sylvan Road. ADA parking will be available at City Hall.

    A golf cart shuttle will be stopping at event parking lots to help transport people to the event, the city announced on social media.

    Attendees are encouraged to ride their bikes or carpool to the event for traffic reduction and parking convenience, the city said. Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates will also be providing free, secure bike valet services for those who ride their bikes or scooters.

    In 2023, then-mayor Tim Schaefer, who had been hesitant to support funding the event due to vocal objections from fireworks opponents, said the goal of bringing the community together was accomplished.

    Prior fireworks shows had been held at Sunrise Mall, but were privately funded and discontinued in 2012.

    Van Maren Park is located at 6601 Thalia Way. For up-to-date information on the celebration, visit the city’s website.

  • Proposed hotel footprint at Sunrise and Greenback up for council approval

    US Bank, Sunrise Blvd. and Greenback Ln.
    The corner of Sunrise Blvd. and Greenback Ln. is being considered for a future hotel site. // SB Williams

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    On Thursday night, the City Council will consider approving the subdivision of a 2.8-acre lot at Sunrise Boulevard and Greenback Lane, which lays out a “footprint” for a potential hotel.

    Community Development Director Casey Kempenaar told the Planning Commission previously that the project “is really our first step in our Sunrise Tomorrow Specific Plan.” The commission unanimously approved recommending the proposal to the City Council.

    The potential hotel footprint may not be the exact layout, Kempenaar said, but the outline would allow for the accommodation of a hotel with up to 110 rooms.

    In addition to the parcel map, the City Council will consider approving an accompanying development agreement, which includes necessary right of way permissions, provides for infrastructure upgrades, operating standards for the future operator of the hotel, and includes provisions to ensure that it remains a hotel for at least 25 years, according to the city.

    For the development of a hotel, a future design permit would need to be formally submitted to the city for review.

    The proposed subdivision will allow the existing US Bank to remain on an existing 0.93-acre parcel while allocating 1.48 acres for a future hotel development as well as a 0.38-acre parcel anticipated for retail or restaurant use.

    The original subdivision request to subdivide the US Bank parcel map was submitted in October 2022, according to application data online.

    The Sentinel previously reported that the 289-page plan for Sunrise Tomorrow was developed at a cost of over $1 million to the city, including an extensive Environmental Impact Report, in an effort to make the property “shovel ready” and as attractive as possible to developers.

    Those wishing to make a public comment at the next council meeting can do so by attending the City Council meeting on June 27, 2024, at City Hall. See full agenda packet online: click here:

    City Hall is located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.

  • LETTER: Dumping possessions of homeless people is not the solution

    LETTER: Dumping possessions of homeless people is not the solution

    Beautification Crew vehicle
    File photo. Beautification Crew vehicle. // CH Sentinel

    By Margaret Anne Cleek, Citrus Heights–
    In a June 14 article in The Sentinel, unhoused persons and their advocates claimed their possessions are being taken by the Beautification Team in violation of their 4th Amendment Rights.

    In response, the City and the CHPD, stated, “Belongings are never seized by the Beautification Crew. In abandoned illegal encampments, crews remove illegally dumped debris. They do not remove anything easily identifiable as belonging to a specific individual, and officers will make extra efforts to try to identify the abandoned property’s owner when others are nearby.”

    Clearly these two declarations cannot exist in the same reality. This raises questions. If items belonging to anyone are never taken, why does the Beautification Team have to be escorted by two police cruisers? Does abandoned and un-owned debris resist its own disposal and require police intervention?

    Further, with 76 tons removed, surely some materials such as neatly arranged backpacks, carts, and containers with arranged contents should be assumed to have possible ownership. One would think it would take a lot of space for storage and a documentation process to be able to return these items if owned. Does such storage space and documentation exist?

    I do believe greater transparency is in order, and a search for real solutions. Other municipalities have dealt with the problem by providing storage areas, and passing ordinances specifying the amount of materials a person who is unhoused may carry with them.

    The situation is in no way easy to address, but just dumping the possessions of the homeless is not the solution.

    *Editor’s Note: This letter has been edited for length.

    Want to share your thoughts on a local issue? The Sentinel welcomes letters to the editor up to 250 words in length. Submit one: Click here

  • High-end fitness center opening soon in Citrus Heights

    File photo, construction equipment can be seen outside the Club Studio Fitness building this photo from January 2024. // M. Hazlip

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    A new fitness club will be opening soon in the Sunrise Village shopping center in Citrus Heights.

    Club Studio Fitness anticipates opening its main fitness center in the Sunrise Village by the end of summer according to the club’s general manager.

    The new fitness center bills itself as state-of-the-art and will offer several high-end services for members, according to Brandon Garcia, the studio’s general manager. Services will include nine different fitness classes, a weight room, a recovery lab which includes hydro massage beds, compression therapy, cryotherapy and red light therapy and a med lab, which will include vitamin B12 shots, IV treatments, Botox, and facials.

    The new studio will also include full locker rooms with showers and infrared saunas, along with a café, which will serve smoothies, snacks, pre and post workout energy drinks, and more.

    The fitness center features a wide range of fitness classes according to Garcia, including yoga, hot Pilates, high intensity interval training, a trampoline class, low impact fitness classes, and boxing and weightlifting classes. Garcia said the classes will be identical across all company locations, but the rest of the center will be unique to each city.

    Two membership tiers are listed on the center’s website. The classic memberships begin at $129 per individual member and includes access to multiple sites also owned by Fitness International, including LA Fitness, City Sports Club and Exporta Fitness.

    The studio currently has a smaller satellite site open on Greenback Lane and Sunrise Boulevard next to Red Lobster where customers can sample fitness equipment and purchase memberships in advance. Pop-up events in the Sunrise MarketPlace business district are also slated for June 28 at Dos Coyotes from 4-7 p.m., and at the Sunrise Farmers Market on June 29, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    The first Club Studio opened in December in Irvine, California. According to the center’s website, the club currently has a location in Long Beach, and is also adding a new studio location in Elk Grove and Walnut Creek. The club has also expanded with a location in Texas and multiple locations coming soon to several other states.

    Club Studio’s location in Citrus Heights is located at at 5419 Sunrise Blvd.

  • Citrus Heights mayor says he’s leaving California, citing ‘overbearing’ government

    File photo, Mayor Bret Daniels announces new “Mondays with the Mayor” office hours at City Hall during a Jan. 11, 2024, City Council Meeting.

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    Citrus Heights Mayor Bret Daniels confirmed with The Sentinel on Saturday that he plans to move to Kentucky in December, after finishing his term on the City Council this year.

    Daniels said he and his wife are hoping to find a house by the end of summer so that their daughter can attend school in Kentucky at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year.

    “My wife and I want to raise our daughter in a more Christian-based culture that respects our rights as parents, and we are tired of an overbearing government system that is primarily focused on the redistribution of wealth and coddles criminals,” Daniels said.

    Daniels had announced to city staff during a Strategic Planning meeting in March that this would be his last term in office in Citrus Heights. He was first elected to the council in 1999, and later resigned in 2005, citing personal reasons. He returned to office in 2016, winning election that year despite being outspent 3-to-1 by several other candidates.

    According to his bio on the city’s website, from 1980 to 2000, Daniels worked in law enforcement in several capacities, including in the United States Air Force, the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department. Daniels moved to Citrus Heights in 1973 when his father took a job at the then-recently opened Sunrise Mall.

    His current four-year term on the City Council expires at the end of 2024, leaving the District 1 seat on the council up for grabs in the November election this year.

    Related: Why this Citrus Heights couple sold their home and is moving to Idaho

  • Weekend collisions prompt lane closures, power outage in Citrus Heights

    A vehicle collided with a power pole over the weekend, June 23. // S.
    A vehicle collided with a power pole over the weekend, June 23. // Sophia Otterstad

    By Sara Beth Williams–
    Two separate collisions occurred within close proximity over the weekend, resulting in lane closures on Sunrise Boulevard near Twin Oaks Avenue.

    The Citrus Heights Police Department reported on social media that a collision occurred on Sunrise Boulevard north of Twin Oaks Avenue in the afternoon on Saturday, June 22.

    Both southbound lanes were closed due to “vehicles and a street sign in the roadway,” according to police. Southbound traffic was diverted one block south of the incident. Lane closures were in effect for at least two hours on Saturday, according to social media updates.

    On Sunday, a second vehicle collision on Sunrise Boulevard at Twin Oaks Avenue resulted in the closure of two northbound lanes because of downed power lines, according to police.

    Several local residents on social media reported power outages in the immediate area. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District confirmed on its outage website that a power outage occurred at 3:11 p.m. on Sunday, June 23 and reported that at least 960 customers were without power. SMUD listed a power restoration time of 2:15 a.m. on June 24.

    SMUD personnel were observed still on scene at 7:45 p.m. Sunday. At least one lane remained closed along Sunrise Boulevard for several hours while SMUD crews made repairs.