File photo, Citrus Heights city hall. // CH Sentinel
Sentinel staff report–
It’s a local “fact” that’s made the rounds, but it actually isn’t true. It even made it to the #1 spot on the city’s “Top 20 Facts About Citrus Heights” released earlier this year.
“At incorporation, Citrus Heights was the first city to incorporate in the state since 1963,” reads the first item on the Top 20 facts listed on the city’s website, as of Oct. 6th. Thanks to several comments from our readers and some subsequent fact-checking, The Sentinel found that in fact there were 88 cities that incorporated in California from 1963 up to 1997, when Citrus Heights officially incorporated as a city.
Asked how the incorrect date made its way onto the city’s “Top 20” facts, city staff member Devon Rodriguez, who presented the facts to the city council earlier this year, said the date had come from the city’s volunteer archivist, Teena Stern.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Stern said she had seen the 1963 date mentioned “a number of times” in material she helped archive for the city. “It’s a fact that’s been repeated many times throughout the years and no one thought to check it, including myself,” she said.
Citrus Heights History and Arts Commissioner Larry Fritz said he’d also heard the 1963 date referenced in the past and told The Sentinel “it sounds like one of those things where someone made an inaccurate statement at some point and it just proliferated.”
Although the date is wrong, the statement was likely intended to point out that Citrus Heights was the first city to incorporate in Sacramento County since 1946, when Folsom became a city.
The statement, although incorrect, also reflects the fact that cityhood efforts have become more rare across California in recent years, with Citrus Heights being one of just 12 cities that have incorporated in the past two decades. By comparison, during the 80’s alone, a total of 34 cities incorporated in the Golden State, according to the California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions.
Given the fierce legal resistance Sacramento County put up against the effort to incorporate, Citrus Heights’ eventual success is credited with paving the way for two other cityhood efforts in Sacramento County. Elk Grove became a city in the year 2000 and Rancho Cordova incorporated in 2003.
Latest news briefs include a local fundraiser for Hurricane Harvey relief, a 20-year-old Citrus Heights man being arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting, police motorcycle competition awards announced, a temporary cooling center opening inside the community center, and applications being sought to fill a vacancy on a local water board.
Citrus Heights man, 20, arrested in connection with drive-by shooting Roseville police detectives announced the arrest of a Citrus Heights man on Aug. 25, charging him with firing at least five handgun rounds into a Roseville residence in April of this year. Police said the shots were fired around 5 a.m. at a home on the 1200 block of Schooner Way on April 30, with a vehicle heard speeding away. Although a resident was home at the time of the shooting, no one was hit.
20-year-old Christopher Martino of Citrus Heights was arrested following a lengthy investigation, with investigators believing the home was specifically targeted. Martino is currently being held in the Placer County Jail, with bail set at $500,000. Anyone with additional information about the shooting is asked to contact Sgt. Kelby Newton, at knewton@roseville.ca.us.
Citrus Heights Community Center to serve as ‘cooling center’ during expected heat wave With weather forecasted to reach 110 degrees in the area during Labor Day Weekend, the City of Citrus Heights announced that a cooling center will be opened inside the community center on Fountain Square Drive from 1-8 p.m. on Sept. 2-4. According to the National Weather Service, which issued an “excessive heat warning” for the region, the number-one cause of weather-related fatalities is heat.
In a news release Friday afternoon, the city said its cooling station will be located in the senior center at the Citrus Heights Community Center, located at 6300 Fountain Square Drive. Water, television, and free internet access will be available to the public. The community center was also utilized as a cooling center during a heat wave in June and averaged about 10 to 12 people using the center per day, as previously reported on The Sentinel.
Local Grocery Outlet raising funds for hurricane Harvey relief The Grocery Outlet store in Citrus Heights announced on Thursday via social media that it is collecting donations for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts through Labor Day. Donations are being received at the register, with funds raised going to the American Red Cross Harvey Relief Fund. “Any amount helps, you can even round up your change,” a post reads on the store’s Facebook page. Grocery Outlet is located at 6059 Greenback Ln.
Citrus Heights PD wins 3 awards at motorcycle competition Results are in for last month’s law enforcement motorcycle competition held at Sunrise Mall — Citrus Heights police officers won three awards in various competitions between more than 40 motorcycle officers from around Northern California. Officer Brian Pon won an award for placing first in the “Metric Class B event,” a solo speed course for BMW, Honda, and Kawasaki riders that had never placed in a prior competition. Pon clocked in with a time of 2-minutes-and-1 second for the course, with the next closest time coming in 4 seconds behind him.
Sgt. Kris Frey also won an award for placing third in the “American Class A event,” a solo speed course with Harley Davidson bikes competing, and Sgt. Frey also teamed up with Officer Anthony Boehle to win third place in a team relay competition. Organizers said all riders or teams that ranked within the top three received awards to take back to their respective agencies.
Other briefs:
San Juan Water District seeks to fill board vacancy; deadline Sept. 8 Following the death of board member Bob Walters last month, the San Juan Water District is seeking to fill a vacancy on its five-member board. (See vacancy posting)
Local police chief offers condolences after sheriff’s deputy fatally shot; Dutch Bros to donate
Following the Aug. 30 fatal shooting of Sacramento County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert French at the Ramada Inn on Auburn Boulevard, Citrus Heights Police Chief Ron Lawrence tweeted: “Words cannot express the sadness that myself & everyone @citrusheightspd has for @sacsheriff loss. Condolences to the family & SSD.” Dutch Bros Coffee announced its location at 7445 Madison Ave. will donate $1 from every drink sold on Sept. 4 to a memorial fund for Deputy French. (See announcement)
Sept. 5th: Last day to submit additional names of longest Citrus Heights residents If you know someone who has lived in Citrus Heights for over 50 years, the city wants to hear from you. A list of the top 20 longest residentsof Citrus Heights was released by the city in August, but a deadline of Sept. 5 has been set to submit additional names for the city’s finalized list. Names and information can be sent to Devon Rodriguez, at drodriguez@citrusheights.net.
Organizers and police estimated several thousand people attended the annual Sunday Funday event at Rusch Park on Sept. 25, 2016. // CH Sentinel
Latest news briefs include thousands attending a Sunday Funday event at Rusch Park over the weekend, state marijuana regulators holding a public meeting at the community center, a “business walk” conducted around Sunrise Marketplace, and the city council officially naming Sept. 30 as “Henry Tingle Day” in honor of the retiring city manager.
Sunday Funday event draws thousands to Rusch Park Despite 94-degree weather, several thousand kids, families and other attendees took part in the 20th annual “Sunday Funday” festivities at Rusch Park in Citrus Heights. The event sprawled through most of Rusch Park, with numerous inflatable play areas, games, food trucks, and more than 100 vendor and sponsor booths. New this year was an “It’s a Small World” stage that featured presentations including an “extreme martial arts” and K9 police dog demo, as well as cultural dance and music presentations from several parts of the world. Michele Saario, an event coordinator with the City, said shaved ice was “definitely big” this year, reporting the temperature was the hottest of any Sunday Funday event she’s helped organize in recent years.
Mayor Jeannie Bruins, who attended with three of her grandkids, said Sunday Funday traditionally wraps up the summer season of outdoor events co-sponsored by the City, with the next major event being the Christmas tree lighting in December. Saario and police estimated between 3-5,000 attendees participated throughout the day, with no negative incidents reported by officers other than several balloons that went missing in the sky.
Council honors city manager, names Sept. 30 as ‘Henry Tingle Day’ During last week’s council meeting on Thursday night, city council members surprised retiring City Manager Henry Tingle by passing a resolution officially recognizing Sept. 30 as “Henry Tingle Day.” Tingle first took seat as manager of the City in 1999 and announced his retirement at the beginning of this year. He has been praised by city officials and residents for his fiscal responsibility in keeping the city out of debt, while overseeing the completion of three public buildings during his term — most recently, the new city hall. City Clerk Amy Van confirmed Sept. 30 will be recognized annually as Henry Tingle Day. A full story will be published by The Sentinel on Tingle’s retirement this weekend.
State bureau holds marijuana regulation session in Citrus Heights
A collaborative discussion on statewide marijuana regulation was held at the Citrus Heights community center last week, with various state agencies, cannabis industry leaders, and the public. According to a CBS 13 news report, about 100 people attended the Sept. 20 session, which was the second of eight different meetings scheduled around the state by the recently formed California Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation. The Bureau is charged with licensing and enforcement related to the marijuana industry and plans to publish a draft set of regulations after receiving input at the series of public meetings. (See full CBS 13 coverage)
City, Chamber visit 100+ local businesses on annual ‘walk’ The City and Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce teamed up again last week for their annual “business walk,” meeting with owners and managers in an effort to learn how to better serve their businesses. Devon Rodriguez, a development specialist with the City, said a total of 16 teams of City staff and Chamber representatives visited about 150 businesses in the Sunrise Marketplace, asking a series of four questions and dropping off a packet of information. Questions included “What do you like about doing business in Citrus Heights?” and “What challenges/obstacles do you face?”
Last year, responses from a majority of the 77 businesses contacted listed homelessness as “an issue,” prompting a followup letter about the topic to be sent out by the City. The letter listed steps the city is taking to address the issue and also listed several recommendations for businesses to take, including documenting and recording problems and incidents. Rodriguez said a summary of this year’s responses has not yet been compiled. (Read last year’s letter)
A photo of a recently completed archway in Hayward was modified by City staff to show how a similar arch could look on Auburn Boulevard with “City of Citrus Heights” superimposed on top of the arch. // Courtesy, City of Citrus Heights
A new gateway arch and signal light on Auburn Boulevard has been proposed by City staff to welcome drivers and pedestrians to the city and help define the border between Roseville and Citrus Heights.
Two different gateway sign options were presented by City staff during a council meeting on Feb. 11, with one design sporting an integrated traffic signal and arch, and the other featuring a small “welcome” marker in the median strip, similar to others around the city. In a slide presentation, a photo of an archway in downtown Hayward was modified to show how the arch could look on Auburn Boulevard, with staff superimposing “City of Citrus Heights” on top of the arch.
Citrus Heights Development Specialist Devon Rodriguez told council members the proposed location would be in front of the Kmart and Smart & Final shopping center on Auburn Boulevard, between California Burger and Wells Fargo. She said the design options were being shared with the council to receive general direction and feedback, with no vote required at the current stage.
Business owner comments
A total of three business owners spoke at the meeting during public comment, all in favor of the Hayward-style arch.
“We overwhelmingly liked the gateway archway, especially the one in Hayward,” said Richard Hale, Chairman of the newly formed Auburn Boulevard Business Association and owner of Walt’s Auto Service in Citrus Heights. He said City staff had shown various options to his association, and business owners preferred how signal lights were incorporated into the Hayward archway.
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Kimberly Berg, who owns the Citrus Heights Car Wash at the corner of Antelope Road and Auburn Boulevard, told council members that the arch would make a “great statement” and create a “memorable experience” for those coming into the city from the freeway or Roseville.
Council members respond
Several members of the council expressed a preference for the integrated signal and archway, although questions were raised about cost, and whether a new stoplight would be too close to existing traffic signals.
“I know that the center median option is going to be very inexpensive compared to the [archway],” said Councilmember Mel Turner, who said he preferred the arch design but wanted to see the costs involved before giving a recommendation. “[The arch] is a statement; it’s great, it’s fantastic — but the cost, I’m assuming, is also fantastic.”
Rodriguez replied that detailed figures for cost comparison had not yet been assessed, pending direction from the council on which option was preferred -- but several figures were presented by the City's principal civil engineer, Kevin Becker.
Becker told council members he hoped the integrated archway and signal would run about $650,000, citing the cost of a typical traffic signal running about $420,000. He also said the Rusch Park arch, which does not have an integrated light signal, cost about $210,000.
By comparison, the cost of the "Welcome to Citrus Heights" sign in the median strip on Greenback Lane near Indian River Drive only ran about $35,000, according to City Management Analyst Regina Cave.
Mayor Jeannie Bruins said a new light signal is planned for the location "no matter what," so she said cost comparisons would need to factor in the price of a separate stoplight for the median-strip sign option. Accidents from drivers turning on and off Auburn Boulevard in the area were cited by Rodriguez as the reason for a new traffic signal.
Asked by Councilmember Sue Frost if the existing stoplight on Auburn Boulevard near Interstate 80 was too close to consider adding another signal, Rodriguez said the distance, about 600 feet apart, is far enough to add another signal.
Based on feedback received from the council, Rodriguez told The Sentinel that staff will work on getting more detailed cost comparison estimates to present to council members at a later date.
Background
The gateway arch and signal is part of the City's plan for Phase II of the Auburn Boulevard Complete Streets Revitalization Project -- a project authorized in 2005 which envisioned a revitalized and enhanced section of Auburn Boulevard, from Sylvan Corners to Interstate 80.
The project was broken up into two phases, with Phase I being completed in 2014 and Phase II still in its preliminary stages.
Phase 1 focused on the area of Auburn Boulevard from Sylvan Corners to just past Antelope Road, and included undergrounding utility wires, adding bus pull-outs and nearly 10,000 feet of bike lanes and wider sidewalks, planting 230 new street trees, and installing energy-efficient street lights.
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According to City staff, Phase II will feature similar improvements, continuing from Grand Oaks Boulevard to the northern city limits. Rodriguez said staff estimate the entire Phase II improvements will cost around $15 million, with the majority of funding "ideally" coming from variety of sources, including federal funds, grants, and SMUD.
The earliest date that Phase II construction work on Auburn Boulevard would begin is 2019, according to Rodriguez.
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The City of Citrus Heights recently dropped a use-permit requirement for brew pubs locating in commercial areas. Photo courtesy, Uri Tours (uritours.com) [CC BY-SA 2.0]Following the growing popularity of craft beer in the region, the City of Citrus Heights is seeking to attract brew pubs to its commercial areas by amending zoning codes and removing a previously required $5,400 regulatory permit for small breweries.
“Brew pubs are the most popular trend to introduce locally brewed beer to a community,” said Citrus Heights Associate Planner Alison Bermudez in a press release issued by the City this month. “We wanted to encourage new and expanding breweries to make Citrus Heights their home and become part of our vibrant community.”
Now only requiring a simple business license from the City in order to open up shop, a brew pub would previously have had to acquire a “use permit” from the City — a three to five month-long process involving a public hearing, planning commission approval, and an approximate $5,400 permit cost, according to City Development Specialist Devon Rodriguez.
Unanimously approved last month by city council members, the amended zoning code now distinguishes “brew pubs” from “bars” by defining them as facilities that produce and serve their own beer on-site, have annual production less than 5,000 barrels, and close no later than 11 p.m. on weekends and 10 p.m. on weekdays. Those meeting this definition now have a right to locate anywhere in the City’s commercial areas and can also serve food — but those seeking later hours or additional production will still need to acquire a use permit, according to a planning division report. Additional licensing from the state and a food permit from the County are also still required.
The code amendment also reclassified “taverns” to be distinct from “bars,” allowing such businesses to open up locations in commercial zones without a use permit as well, as long as they adhere to the same requirements. Taverns are defined similarly to brew pubs, except they do not produce their own beer on site.
City staff said they worked closely with the Citrus Heights Police Department while crafting the changes and said police were supportive, in light of the restricted night-time operating hours and the nature of brew pubs and taverns being gathering places.
The growing demand for craft beer in the region was highlighted by an August MarketWatch report that listed Sacramento as the fifth largest consumer of craft beer in the nation, with local brew representing 33 percent of all beer sold in the city. The number of breweries in California also increased by over 20 percent in 2014, according to planning division staff.
Citrus Heights council members began formal discussion on craft beer regulations at a February 26 study session led by Bermudez, who provided the council with an overview of craft beer, along with trends and statistics related to the industry, according to official minutes from the session.
Previously lacking a clear definition of where a brew pub could locate within the City, the planning division received council approval to review land use and zoning codes in order to offer a more business-friendly environment and allow the City to “capture the proven economic and social benefit” involved. A set of streamlined and simplified regulatory changes were then approved by the planning commission in June and city council in July.
Rodriguez said the process went “very smoothly” and received no public comment or opposition during hearings at the planning commission and city council meetings.
City staff are currently aware of at least one brewery interested in opening a Citrus Heights location, and a new Alley Katz “craft beer and grill” is expected to open soon in the Citrus Town Center — although it will not be producing its own beer on site, according to Rodriguez.
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Stock photo, 99 Cents Only store signage. // Citrus Heights Sentinel
Update: The Citrus Heights 99 Cents Only store is now open, with daily operating hours from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. [follow text=”Get more local news:”]
Offering prices at a penny lower than the Dollar Tree across the street, a new 99 Cents Only store plans to open this summer in the old Orchard Supply Hardware lot at the corner of Greenback Lane and San Juan Avenue.
Boasting more than 350 stores in California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas, the “deep-discount retailer” chose to include Citrus Heights as part of an ongoing regional expansion effort, according to the company’s Senior Vice President of Real Estate Development & Property Management, Jesse Allen.
“Sacramento and its surrounding area represents a core market for 99 Cents Only Stores,” said Allen in an email statement to The Sentinel, identifying why the company had chosen Citrus Heights for the new location. “We wanted to expand our ability to continue serving our community in this area.”
Allen said the company expects to open the store in “early summer,” and recently pulled their building permits, according to Devon Rodriguez, a development specialist with the City of Citrus Heights.
Rodriguez said the new store does not require planning commission approval, and will include a “facade upgrade, with the 99 Cents store facing Greenback Lane.”
